Showing 866 results for Author: Sheng Dai
Sep, 2026
Journal
In carbon engineering, a longstanding trade-off persists: chemical activation increases surface area but sacrifices conductivity, whereas graphitization enhances conductivity at the expense of porosity. In 2017, we introduced an electrochemical graphitization strategy using cathodic polarization in CaCl2-NaCl molten salts to convert hard carbon into graphite. Here, we reve…
Sep, 2026
Journal
Optical basicity measurements provide a basis for determining the relative chlorobasicity of a given molten salt composition. This study uses Bi3+ as a spectroscopic probe to investigate optical basicity across three binary molten chloride systems (LiCl-KCl, MgCl2–KCl, and ZnCl2–KCl) through in situ UV–vis spectroscopy measurements of the 1S0→3P1 transition. LiCl-KCl syste…
Sep, 2026
Journal
Basic solutions are essential for gas-involved catalytic transformations, yet their ultralow free volume limits gas solubility and diffusivity. Engineering permanent porosity in such reactive liquids has remained a longstanding challenge. Here, we introduce a surface-sacrifice strategy that incorporates Brønsted-acidic zeolite nanocrystals into strong organic bases to crea…
Sep, 2026
Journal
We recently introduced the concept of a “spacer salt” that creates structural heterogeneity and intermediate range order. Put simply, a fully networked salt melt, such as LaCl3 or UCl3, becomes disrupted by the introduction of ions that do not participate in the network. One of the results of this disruption is the experimental observation of two characteristic distances b…
Sep, 2026
Journal
Understanding the speciation of metal ions dissolved in molten salts (MS) is critical for enabling a broad range of high-temperature energy applications, including MS nuclear reactors and concentrated solar power plants. However, due to the inherent dynamicity of metal species in the MS environment and the strong temperature dependencies of their multiple coexisting forms,…
Aug, 2026
ORNL Report
Aug, 2026
Journal
Composite polymer electrolytes (CPEs) offer a promising pathway to safer and higher energy density electrochemical energy storage yet optimizing interfacial ion transport remains a critical challenge due to high resistances and a lack of understanding of the complex interfacial electrostatic interactions. This work investigates the mechanistic origins of the interfacial io…
Aug, 2026
Journal
Polymer-ceramic composite electrolytes (CPE) have emerged as promising replacements for currently used liquid organic electrolytes, which pose as safety hazards, in Li-ion batteries. Limits in conductivity enhancement in CPEs is often attributed to a high resistance for Li-ion transport along the interface due to the incompatibility of the polymer and ceramic phases. A cle…
Aug, 2026
Journal
High-energy density anodes are crucial for next-generation lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) particularly for electric vehicle (EV) applications. Sluggish lithium-diffusion kinetics coupled with conventional anode fabrication processes containing polymeric binders hinder fast-charging capabilities and high-energy density of graphite. Herein, we introduce a binder-free graphite…
Jul, 2026
Journal
Molten metal chloride salts are promising candidates for advanced heat transfer fluids in generation IV nuclear reactors and beyond. The activity of the chloride ion in the salt has a large influence on the redox characteristics of the corresponding molten salt. There exists a knowledge gap for the direct measurement of chlorobasicity (Lewis basicity) in molten-salt mixtur…
Jul, 2026
Journal
A direct synthesis route for high-purity, anhydrous binary salt mixtures has been developed. This atom efficient, solvent-free process is easily scalable, with the potential to produce salt mixtures that meet the purity standards required for industrial heat transfer and nuclear applications. The essence of the methodology lies in mechanochemical synthesis of carnallite pr…