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

An investigation of grain boundary diffusion and segregation of Ni in Cu in an electrodeposited Cu/Ni micro-multilayer system

Enhanced microwave absorbing properties of surface-modified Co-Ni-P nanotubes

The composite electroforming process of preparing nanometer silicon carbide particle reinforced nickel base composite material has electrolytic nickel block as anode material, stainless steel sheet as cathode deposition body, silicon carbide particle of 10-50 nm as reinforcing particle and ammonium cetyl bromide as co-deposition promoter. Through mixing silicon carbide particle and co-deposition promoter solution through stirring, pouring the mixed solution into electroforming solution of nickel amino sulfonate, applying DC voltage while stirring the electroforming solution to make nickel ion and reinforcing particle deposit together onto the cathode mother body and stripping the composite electroformed layer, integrated nanometer silicon carbide particle reinforced nickel base composite material is produced. The produced composite material has high hardness, high strength, high ductibility and relatively great thickness, and may be used as functional structure material.

Lei Liu

Papers

An investigation of grain boundary diffusion and segregation of Ni in Cu in an electrodeposited Cu/Ni micro-multilayer system

Enhanced microwave absorbing properties of surface-modified Co-Ni-P nanotubes

Composite electroforming preparing process for nano silicon carbide particle reinforced nickel base composite material

Fabrication of Nickel hollow spheres by microemulsion–template–interface reaction route

Pellynols M−O, cytotoxic polyacetylenic alcohols from a Niphates sp. marine sponge