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Spontaneously Splitting Copper Nanowires into Quantum Dots on Graphdiyne for Suppressing Lithium Dendrites
Zicheng Zuo1, Feng He1, Fan Wang1,2
1Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, P. R. China.
Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
|November 5, 2020
Summary
Researchers discovered that copper crystal boundaries influence graphdiyne growth, leading to copper quantum dots that inhibit lithium dendrites in batteries. This enables large-scale production of copper quantum dots for electrochemical applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Electrochemistry
Background:
- Graphdiyne is an emerging carbon allotrope with unique properties.
- Controlling graphdiyne growth is key to exploring its applications.
- Copper (Cu) crystal structure's role in graphdiyne synthesis is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of copper crystal structure on graphdiyne growth.
- To explore the potential applications of the resulting nanostructures.
Main Methods:
- Systematic study of graphdiyne growth on different copper crystal structures.
- Characterization of copper quantum dots formation and distribution.
- Evaluation of copper quantum dots/graphdiyne composites in lithium metal batteries.
Main Results:
- Crystal boundaries of copper are identified as the primary sites for reaction activity.
- Polycrystalline copper nanowires spontaneously fragment into ~3 nm copper quantum dots due to graphdiyne growth.
- Graphdiyne growth is inhibited by the uniformly dispersed copper quantum dots, preventing long-range ordering.
- In situ supported copper quantum dots on graphdiyne effectively suppress lithium dendrite growth.
Conclusions:
- Copper quantum dots anchored on graphdiyne can be synthesized on a large scale.
- The copper quantum dots/graphdiyne composite shows significant potential for electrochemical applications, particularly in enhancing lithium metal battery safety and performance.
