Tolbert Group collaboration with Dunn Group from UCLA Engineering named one of the top five most downloaded papers for the journal in February 2016.
The work of researchers from Prof. Sarah Tolbert’s group and Prof. Bruce Dunn’s group in the UCLA Department of Materials Science and Engineering has been given the distinction of “Best of
Advanced Energy Materials
” by the journal.
Advanced Energy Materials is a highly respected journal in the energy storage field. The team’s paper was featured in the journal’s Materials Views section.
Titled “Mesoporous MoS2 as a Transition Metal Dichalcogenide Exhibiting Pseudocapacitive Li and Na-Ion Charge Storage”, the paper was published in the journal’s February 8th edition. The UCLA Chemistry and Biochemistry co-authors are Prof. Tolbert and graduate students John B. Cook (co-first author, President of UCLA’s Electrochemical Society Student Chapter), Yan Yan, and Shauna Robbennolt. The Department of Materials Science and Engineering co-authors are Prof. Dunn, and his group members Hyung-Seok Kim (co-first author) and Jesse S. Ko.
The table of contents image (left). Senior author Prof. Sarah Tolbert & co-first author graduate student John B. Cook.
Abstract:
Lithium-ion batteries power portable electronics and electric vehicles, but charging such devices is slow because charge storage utilizes sluggish solid-state diffusion. Here we address this problem using nanostructured molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), which can be cycled to 80% capacity in just 20 seconds. These porous nanoscale batteries or ‘pseudocapacitors’ have high surface area, which affords fast capacitive reactions near the surface, and interconnected porosity, for good electrolyte accessibility throughout the structure, ultimately leading to extremely fast charge storage. These charge storage reactions are also highly reversible, so this material can be cycled 10,000 times without significant capacity loss. Moreover, the large layer spacing in the MoS2 also enables fast storage, using large sodium ions, and we have demonstrated that over 50% of the initial capacity can be retained after 1,000 cycles with sodium. Utilizing this material in practical devices has the potential to positively change the portable electronic and electric vehicle landscape. To learn more about their research visit the Tolbert Group website.
