There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one. I remember first hearing about it at school. It seemed an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality.

Usually familiarity dulls this sense of the bizarre, but in the case of i it was the reverse: over the years the sense of its surreal nature intensified. It seemed that it was impossible to write mathematics that described the real world in …

I and i

Electrolytes have been identified as some of the most influential components in the performance of electrochemical supercapacitors (ESs), which include: electrical double-layer capacitors, pseudocapacitors and hybrid supercapacitors. This paper reviews recent progress in the research and development of ES electrolytes. The electrolytes are classified into several categories, including: aqueous, organic, ionic liquids, solid-state or quasi-solid-state, as well as redox-active electrolytes. Effects of electrolyte properties on ES performance are discussed in detail. The principles and methods of designing and optimizing electrolytes for ES performance and application are highlighted through a comprehensive analysis of the literature. Interaction among the electrolytes, electro-active materials and inactive components (current collectors, binders, and separators) is discussed. The challenges in producing high-performing electrolytes are analyzed. Several possible research directions to overcome these challenges are proposed for future efforts, with the main aim of improving ESs' energy density without sacrificing existing advantages (e.g., a high power density and a long cycle-life) (507 references).

A review of electrolyte materials and compositions for electrochemical supercapacitors

EVOLUTION: Of Mice . . .

One-dimensional carbon nanotubes and two-dimensional graphene nanosheets with unique electrical, mechanical and thermal properties are attractive reinforcements for fabricating light weight, high strength and high performance metal-matrix composites. Rapid advances of nanotechnology in recent years enable the development of advanced metal matrix nanocomposites for structural engineering and functional device applications. This review focuses on the recent development in the synthesis, property characterization and application of aluminum, magnesium, and transition metal-based composites reinforced with carbon nanotubes and graphene nanosheets. These include processing strategies of carbonaceous nanomaterials and their composites, mechanical and tribological responses, corrosion, electrical and thermal properties as well as hydrogen storage and electrocatalytic behaviors. The effects of nanomaterial dispersion in the metal matrix and the formation of interfacial precipitates on these properties are also addressed. Particular attention is paid to the fundamentals and the structure–property relationships of such novel nanocomposites.

Recent progress in the development and properties of novel metal matrix nanocomposites reinforced with carbon nanotubes and graphene nanosheets

Electrolytes are one of the vital constituents of electrochemical energy storage devices and their physical and chemical properties play an important role in these devices' performance, including capacity, power density, rate performance, cyclability and safety. This article reviews the current state of understanding of the electrode–electrolyte interaction in supercapacitors and battery–supercapacitor hybrid devices. The article discusses factors that affect the overall performance of the devices such as the ionic conductivity, mobility, diffusion coefficient, radius of bare and hydrated spheres, ion solvation, viscosity, dielectric constant, electrochemical stability, thermal stability and dispersion interaction. The requirements needed to design better electrolytes and the challenges that still need to be addressed for building better supercapacitive devices for the competitive energy storage market have also been highlighted.

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Electrolyte selection for supercapacitive devices: a critical review

Friction and wear properties of copper matrix composites reinforced with short carbon fibers

The tribological behaviour of electroless Ni–P–Gr–SiC composite

In this study, a new and convenient one step approach is described for synthesizing shape controlled PdPt bimetallic nanoparticles. It is found that the resultant morphologies of these PdPt nanoparticles can be well controlled by simply altering the participation of different halide ions that serve as shape controlling agents in the reaction solution. The dendritic core-shell PdPt bimetallic nanoparticles generated with Pt atoms adopt usual island growth pattern in the presence of Cl(-) ions, whereas the introduction of Br(-) ions with a relatively strong adsorption effect facilitate the formation of a layered core-shell structure due to the layered growth mode of Pt atoms on the exterior surface of the central Pd core. Moreover, the stronger adsorption function of I(-) ions and the resulting fast atomic diffusion promoted the generation of mesoporous core-shell PdPt bimetallic nanoparticles with many pore channels. In addition, the size of these synthesized PdPt nanoparticles exhibited a significant dependence on the concentration of the halide ions involved. Due to their specific structural features and synergistic effects, these PdPt catalysts exhibited shape-dependent catalytic performance and drastically enhanced electrocatalytic activities relative to that of commercial Pt black and Pt/C toward methanol oxidation.

Lei Liu

Papers

Friction and wear properties of copper matrix composites reinforced with short carbon fibers

The tribological behaviour of electroless Ni–P–Gr–SiC composite

PdPt bimetallic nanoparticles enabled by shape control with halide ions and their enhanced catalytic activities

Study on composite electroforming of Cu/SiCp composites

Inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin pathway reverses multi-drug resistance and EMT in Oct4+/Nanog+ NSCLC cells