Li[Ni1/3Co1/3Mn1/3]O2 (NCM 111) is a promising alternative to LiCoO2, as it is less expensive, more structurally stable, and has better safety characteristics. However, its capacity of 155 mAh g−1 is quite low, and cycling at potentials above 4.5 V leads to rapid capacity deterioration. Here, we report a successful synthesis of lithium-rich layered oxides (LLOs) with a core of LiMO2 (R-3m, M = Ni, Co) and a shell of Li2MnO3 (C2/m) (the molar ratio of Ni, Co to Mn is the same as that in NCM 111). The core–shell structure of these LLOs was confirmed by XRD, TEM, and XPS. The Rietveld refinement data showed that these LLOs possess less Li+/Ni2+ cation disorder and stronger M*–O (M* = Mn, Co, Ni) bonds than NCM 111. The core–shell material Li1.15Na0.5(Ni1/3Co1/3)core(Mn1/3)shellO2 can be cycled to a high upper cutoff potential of 4.7 V, delivers a high discharge capacity of 218 mAh g−1 at 20 mA g−1, and retains 90 % of its discharge capacity at 100 mA g−1 after 90 cycles; thus, the use of this material in lithium ion batteries could substantially increase their energy density.

To make full and economic use of the spent lead acid batteries (LABs), we have invented a novel route to separate their negative electrode material from positive one, which are respectively used to fabricate α-PbO for new LABs. This paper reports preparation and electrochemical property of α-PbO from the spent negative material which is compose of PbSO4 (the major phase) and Pb (the minor phase). To make things simpler, pure PbSO4 is firstly used as the model compound and desulfated with (NH4)2CO3 to obtain PbCO3, which is then calcined in air at different temperatures to produce PbO. At 450 °C, the calcination produces pure α-PbO that discharges a capacity of 98.6 mAh g−1 at the current density of 120 mA g−1 after 50 charging and discharging cycles of 100 % DOD. By using the same procedures, the real spent negative powder is also treated to produce pure α-PbO, which discharges a similar capacity of 100 mAh g−1 at 120 mA g−1. This is 25 % higher than that of industrial leady oxide. These results show that the small amount of metallic lead has little effect on the treatment.

Lead sulfate is produced when a lead acid battery discharges, and it is also known that big PbSO4 crystals are less active than the smaller ones because they dissolve slower, thus result in failure of the battery. However, little is known if chemically prepared PbSO4 can be used as active material of lead acid batteries. Here, we report the preparation of PbSO4 by facile chemical precipitation of aqueous lead acetate with sodium sulfate and its utilization as the positive active material. The results show that the PbSO4 alone is not good enough for the purpose, but its mixtures with Pb3O4 are as excellent as the industrial leady oxide. For example, the mixtures containing 5, 10, 20, and 30 wt.% of Pb3O4 discharge 78.2, 92.9, 88.0, and 91.5 mAh g−1 at a current density of 100 mA g−1, respectively. Also, the one with 10 % Pb3O4 remains 93 % capacity in 150, 100 % DOD cycles.

La1-xSrxMnO3 (x = 0.1∼0.4) catalysts for primary and rechargeable zinc-air batteries have been successfully synthesized by the citrate method and their electrochemical properties measured. The materials can catalyze both ORR and OER, and the one with ideal composition of La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 catalyst exhibits the highest catalytic activity and durability in alkaline medium. The resulting primary zinc-air cell shows a peak power density of 146 mW cm−2 at 235 mA cm−2. The secondary cell exhibits a charge-discharge voltage gap of 1.0 V at 10 mA cm−2, which is highly stable over many charge-discharge cycles.

A series of catalysts (g-C3N4@MWCNTs/Mn3O4) were prepared from g-C3N4, MWCNTs, and Mn3O4 for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in zinc–air batteries. From the half-cell tests, the loading of 35 % Mn3O4 (sample GMM35) presents an excellent activity toward ORR in alkaline condition. Rotating ring-disk electrode (RRDE) studies reveal that 3.6∼3.8 electrons are transferred with a H2O2 yield of 11.4 % at −0.4 V. Meanwhile, the GMM35 nanocomposite exhibits the same durability as commercial 20 wt% Pt/C in alkaline condition, but it shows lower peak power density (192.4 mW cm−2 at 229.1 mA cm−2) and cell voltage than those with a commercial Pt/C catalyst (260.9 mW cm−2 at 285.4 mA cm−2).

The electrochemical reduction of CO2 to formate has been studied extensively, and most studies have focused on the faradaic efficiency for producing formate. However, the energy efficiency is also critical for the possible industrialization of the process, as it specifies the energy recovered in the product. Here, we report that the energy efficiency is 35.6% when a Pt electrode is used as the anode, and it can increase to 42.1% when an IrxSnyRuzO2/Ti electrode with lower overpotential for oxygen evolution reaction is used as the anode, in spite of their faradaic efficiencies for producing formate are very close (85.1% and 84.8%). When the IrxSnyRuzO2/Ti electrode coated with Nafion membrane is used as the anode, the faradaic efficiency can maintain at 79.6% through a long time electrolysis of CO2 for 500 C.

Nickel-rich layered lithium transition-metal oxides, Li1.2Ni1−xMxO2 (M = transition metal), have been studied intensively as high-energy positive-electrode materials for lithium batteries because of their high specific capacity and relatively low-cost. However, oxygen loss from the lattice during the initial charge and gradual structural transformation during cycling can lead to capacity degradation and potential decay of the cathode materials. This is due to the small size and highly oxidizing nature of tetravalent nickel. Herein, we report for the first time a series of promising core–shell structured positive-electrode materials with a general formula [Li1.2−xNaxNi0.62Co0.14Mn0.248O2], where x = 0, 0.05, 0.08, 0.10 and 0.12. The results clearly show that the manganese oxide coating has greatly improved the cycling stability and inhibited side reactions with the electrolytes. However, the manganese oxide coating can also retard the electrode reactions because it extends the diffusion path for lithium ion and results in increases in the charge transfer resistance. Sodium doping expands the lattice due to the fact that Na has higher ionic radii than those of Li. This facilitates the diffusion of Li-ions, reduces the charge transfer resistance and improves the electrochemical performance of the materials. Furthermore, sodium doping not only improves the discharge capacity, but it also improves the cycling stability even further. This is because Na has higher ionic radii than that of Li and hence Na has less tendency to migrate to “tetrahedral” sites in the Li/Na layer and restrict the structural transformation. However, the addition of Na higher than 0.1 decreases the capacity as Na has a higher weight than that of Li.

Correction for ‘Electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide to formate with a Sn cathode and an IrxSnyRuzO2/Ti anode’ by Rui Zhang et al., RSC Adv., 2015, 5, 68662–68667.

•SnO2 nanoparticles were decorated on the surface of N-MWCNTs.•SnO2/N-MWCNTs are more active for electrochemical reduction of CO2 than N-MWCNTs.•The faradaic efficiency for producing formate on SnO2/N-MWCNTs is up to 46%.Nitrogen-doped multiwalled carbon nanotubes (N-MWCNTs) have been prepared from n-propylamine precursor with Co0.1Mg0.9MoO4 catalyst. Then, SnO2 nanoparticles are decorated on the surface of N-MWCNTs through wet-chemical method. The cyclic voltammetry curves of the SnO2/N-MWCNTs composites in CO2 saturated 0.1 mol L−1 KHCO3 aqueous solution show that SnO2 will not be reduced to Sn2+ or Sn if the cathode potential is higher than −1.3 V vs. Ag/AgCl. The electrochemical reduction of CO2 produces formate in the aqueous solution during the potentiostatic electrolysis and its faradaic efficiency is up to 46%, whereas that on the N-MWCNTs is lower than 10%.

LiNbO3 nanoplates were directly grown on a self-weaving CNT-network, which was then decorated with polypyrrole to form a flexible electrode. This novel nano-structured anode exhibits superior performance, i.e., high rate discharge capacity and excellent cycle performance.

•PbO can be prepared by a solvothermal reaction of mixture of PbSO4 and PbO2 within methanol.•The prepared PbO can discharge a capacity of 165 mAh g−1 at 5 mA g−1.•The prepared PbO from “the spent” discharge a capacity of 170 mAh g−1 at 5 mA g−1.•This paper shows a new way for the recycle of spent lead acid battery.Three artificial mixtures of PbSO4 and PbO2 as well as the active materials obtained directly from the positive plates of spent batteries have been solvothermally treated in methanol at 140 °C for 24 h, which produce mainly PbO·PbSO4. The PbO·PbSO4 can be easily desulphated with ammonium carbonate to produce PbCO3, which can be calcined to form α-PbO to be used as positive active material of lead acid batteries. The α-PbO powders are irregular particles and highly electrochemically active, which discharges around 165 mAh g−1 at 5 mA g−1, 80 mAh g−1 at 200 mA g−1 and 60 mAh g−1 at 400 mA g−1 with excellent cyclic stability in 50 cycles. SEM investigations show that the as-formed PbO·PbSO4 may inherit and enhance the morphological characteristics of PbSO4, and carbonation of PbO·PbSO4 does not destroy the rod-like characteristics. For the active material from the positive plates of spent lead acid batteries, the discharge capacities are 170 mAh g−1 at the current density of 5 mA g−1, and 60 mAh g−1 at 400 mA g−1, which is also similar. In 50 cycles, its capacity loss is only 5%.

•Li0.95Na0.05Ni1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 discharges 250.5 mAh g−1 under 27 mA g−1.•The discharge capacity increased after the cell has been standing still for 3 months.•It is the first example to substitute partial Li atoms for Na in LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2.•The substitution makes a better material for lithium ion batteries.Phase pure Li0.95Na0.05Ni1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 and LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 have been synthesized by calcination of co-precipitated precursors. Scanning electron microscopy shows that the powders are aggregated microplates sized between 100 nm and 300 nm in diameter and 50 nm in thickness. Electrochemical tests show that the Li0.95Na0.05Ni1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 discharges initially a much higher capacity under a current density of 27 mA g−1 (250.5 mAh g−1) than LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 (155.4 mAh g−1). The discharge capacity at the 70th cycle is 134.8 mAh g−1 under a current density of 135 mA g−1, and it increases to 143.1 mAh g−1 after the test cell has been standing still for 3 months. The latter cell exhibits better cycle performance with capacity retention of 99.02% after 110 cycles at different current densities, therefore, Li0.95Na0.05Ni1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 is capable of self-repairing.

•pH value in CO2-saturated KHCO3 solution has an effect on CO2 reduction.•Oxidation of formate is main reason for efficiency decreasing with time lasted.•Formate oxidization accelerates as formate concentration in electrolyte increases.•Faradaic efficiency is >91% when formate concentration is <0.01 mol L−1.The electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) on Sn electrode has been investigated in aqueous KHCO3 solution by cyclic voltammetry and controlled potential electrolysis. The results show that the faradaic efficiency for producing formate is affected by the electrolysis potential, the concentration and pH value of KHCO3 solution; the reason for the decrease of faradaic efficiency as the electrolysis time lasts is the oxidation of formate on the Pt anode. When the concentration of the formate in the electrolyte is less than 0.01 mol L−1, the faradaic efficiency can reach above 91%.

•PbSO4 can be directly used as the negative active material in lead acid batteries.•Nanocrosses morphologies PbSO4 can be easily prepared.•The prepared PbSO4 discharges a capacity of 103 mA h g−1 at 120 mA g−1 and remains 80% of the capacity after 550 cycles.•Products prepared were promising electrode candidates for lead acid batteries.Lead sulphate transforms into PbO2 and Pb in the positive and negative electrodes, respectively, when a lead acid battery is charged, thus, it is an active material. It is also generally acknowledged that sulphation results in the failure of lead acid batteries; therefore, it is very interesting to find out how to make lead sulphate more electrochemically active. Here, we demonstrate that nanocrystalline lead sulphate can be used as excellent negative active material in lead acid batteries. The lead sulphate nanocrystals, which are prepared by a facile chemical precipitation of aqueous lead acetate and sodium sulphate in a few minutes, look like crosses with diameter of each arm being 100 nm to 3 μm. The electrode is effectively formed in much shorter time than traditional technique, yet it discharges a capacity of 103 mA h g−1 at the current density of 120 mA g−1, which is 24% higher than that discharged by the electrode made from leady oxide under the same condition. During 100% DOD cycles, more than 80% of that capacity remains in 550 cycles. These results show that lead sulphate can be a nice negative active material in lead acid batteries.PbSO4 was visible only when lead acid batteries were dying due to sulphation; it is starring now because it could be better than leady oxide.

We have found that the [Ni4Al(OH)10]OH transforms into β-Ni(OH)2, because Al3+ ions are leached out into the electrolyte to form Al(OH)4−. From thermodynamic point of view, Al(OH)4− may retard the structural transformation, and it is directly supported by experiments on [Ni4Al(OH)10]OH soaked in the electrolyte containing at 60°C. Constant potential polarizations show the electrolyte containing Al(OH)4− at 60°C. Constant potential polarizations show the electrolyte containing Al(OH)4− can suppress the oxygen evolution at higher electrode potentials. The existence of Al(OH)4− in the electrolyte can obviously improve the charge/discharge performances under the current density of 1000 mA g−1 at 60°C.

The effect of recycling and doping LiMn1/3Ni1/3Co1/3O2 of lithium-ion battery with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) instead of N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) on the electrochemical performance of the battery has been investigated for the first time. Observation shows that preparing the cathode active materials with dimethyl sulfoxide will increase the conductivity of the battery. The results show that the as-recovered LiMn1/3Ni1/3Co1/3O2 modified with LiOH · H2O calcined at 450°C delivers discharge capacities of about 247 mA h g−1 in the first cycle with discharge efficiency of 83.1% in sample doped with dimethyl sulfoxide, and 189 mA h g−1 with discharge efficiency of 82.7% in N-methylpyrrolidone at the rate of 0.2 C. The asrecovered samples calcined at 800 and 850°C deliver 149 and 217 mA h g−1 in the fourth cycles respectively in dimethyl sulfoxide. The capacity loss observed in dimethyl sulfoxide faded with increase in cycle numbers. In general, for the samples doped with dimethyl sulfoxide, better performances were evident with high discharge capacities in powders calcined at a lower temperature than higher temperature in accordance with particle sizes shown by the SEM images. On the basis of better cyclic performance of lithium metal cathode and environmental safety, it is evident that relatively cheap dimethyl sulfoxide could replace N-methylpyrrolidone in battery formulations. The X-ray diffraction patterns revealed that LiMn1/3Ni1/3Co1/3O2 was successfully recycled by dimethyl sulfoxide.

•PbO can be prepared by a solvothermal reaction of PbO2 within methanol.•The prepared PbO can discharge a capacity of 165 mAh g−1 at 5 mA g−1.•The prepared PbO has the discharge capacity of 90 mAh g−1 at 200 mA g−1.•This paper shows a new way for the recycle of spent lead acid battery.Lead acid batteries have been widely used and have dominated the global secondary battery market. It is very important to recycle the spent batteries efficiently to eliminate possible pollution and to ensure sustainable production. In this paper, we report our investigation on the solvothermal treatment of PbO2, which is one of the model compounds for the positive active mixture, in methanol and the subsequent calcination of its product. The results show that the solvothermal treatment of PbO2 in pure methanol at 140 °C can produce a mixture of PbO and lead oxide carbonate, which can be calcined at a temperature below 500 °C to produce α-PbO. The as-prepared PbO powders are rod-like particles of about 0.5 micrometer in diameter and several micrometers in length, which can achieve a high discharge capacity of 165 mAh g−1 at the discharge current density of 5 mA g−1, and more than 90 mAh g−1 at 200 mA g−1 with excellent cycle stability. This study demonstrates a new way for the reuse of lead dioxide in spent lead acid batteries to produce highly active PbO.

CoAl layered double hydroxides (LDHs) have been found excellent supercapacitive behavior, however, little is known on their stability in alkali solutions. Here, a series of CoAl LDHs with molar ratios of Co to Al between 1 and 9 synthesized by homogenously precipitation with urea were characterized. When the LDH materials are either soaked in alkali solutions or electrochemically charged/discharged on the electrodes, they transform into β-Co(OH)2. The transformation reaction accelerates as the Al content in the LDH materials decreases, or the ambient temperature and/or the alkali concentration for the soaking treatment increases. When the KOH concentration goes up from 6.0 mol l−1 to 7.0 mol l−1, there is a much greater decrease in mass of the residual solid, indicating that the transformation leaps in the 7.0 mol l−1 KOH solution. Elemental analyses on both the residual solid and the filtrate support those observations. Electrochemical characterization shows that the transformation reaction has great effects on the supercapacitive behaviors and cycling charge/discharge performances. For example, the specific capacitance of Co3.85Al(OH)8.7(OCN)0.84(CO3)0.58·2.5H2O gives the maximum of 549.0 F g−1 at the 5th cycle under a specific current of 800 mA g−1, however, that of its residual solid after the soaking in 7.0 mol l−1 KOH for 5 h decreases to less than 80 F g−1 within the 200 cycles. In addition, the dissolution of Al(OH)3 in the electrolyte and/or surface modification of Y, Er or Lu can improve the cycling charge/discharge performances because they can retard the transformation from LDH into β-Co(OH)2.

•Homogenous syntheses of Co-substituted Ni–Al layered double hydroxides.•Co2+ substitution for Ni2+ enlarges parameter a.•Cobalt in small amount improves electrochemical performances of Ni–Al LDH.•Surface coating of Co–Al LDH on the Ni–Al LDH is the best way to add Co.A series of cobalt-substituted Ni–Al layered double hydroxides (LDHs) with the molar ratio of Co and/or Ni to Al of 4 synthesized by the method of urea homogeneous coprecipitation have been investigated as the positive material for Ni–M(H) battery. With more Co2+ substitution for Ni2+, the crystal parameter of enlarges, as well as the crystal size calculated by the Scherer equation according to their XRD patterns. Electrochemical characterizations reveal that cobalt improves electrochemical performance at high current densities. For example, the maximum discharge capacity of Ni3.2Co0.8Al LDH and Ni3CoAl LDH under a current density of 800 mA g−1 are 205 mA h g−1 and 204 mA h g−1 respectively, while that of the as-prepared Ni4Al LDH by the same method is only 152 mA h g−1 under the same condition. Together with the investigations on the electrochemical behaviors of two mixed electrode materials, Ni4Al LDH surface coated by Co4Al LDH and that by simple mechanical mixing, it can be concluded that surface coating is the most effective way to obtain higher discharge capacity at higher current density.

The electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) is investigated in acetonitrile with tetrabutylammonium perchlorate as an electrolyte using a lead cathode and a sacrificial zinc anode, and the product under such a setup is insoluble zinc oxalate at potentials between −2.2 and −2.8 V vs. Ag rod electrode. Preelectrolysis is an effective method to remove the water in the electrolyte, which makes a distinct reduction peak of CO2 appear at −2.6 V vs. Ag on cyclic voltammogram. Even trace amounts of water in the electrolyte can interfere with the faradaic efficiency of reduction of CO2 to oxalate, and the product could be β-ZnC2O4 (in anhydrous solution) or ZnC2O4 · 2H2O (if water exists). The faradaic efficiency for oxalate production also depends on the cathode potential and the temperature, and the maximum is 96.8 % at −2.6 V vs. Ag and 5 °C. This is the highest value of CO2 electrochemical reduction found in the literature under ambient pressure.

Four sensitising anions naphthalene-1,5-disulfonate (15-NDS), naphthalene-2,6-dicarboxylate (26-NDC), benzoate (BA) and terephthalate (TA) were intercalated into a Eu3+-doped Zn/Al layered double hydroxide. The carboxylate anions enhanced the red luminescence of Eu3+ much more strongly than the sulfonate, in the descending order TA > 26-NDC > BA > 15-NDS.

In order to improve high-temperature performances, calcium hydroxide was coated onto [Ni4Al(OH)10]NO3 through surface modification or mechanical blending. The existence of Ca(OH)2 was revealed by XRD, and SEM which showed that there are Ca(OH)2-rich blocks in the sample containing 13.0 wt% calcium prepared by surface modification. The addition of Ca(OH)2 can retard the structural transformation from the layered double hydroxide [Ni4Al(OH)10]NO3 to β-Ni(OH)2. In addition, it improves charge/discharge performances and electrochemical reversibility by elevating the oxygen evolution potential, increasing the double layer capacity Cdl and decreasing the charge transfer resistance Rct.

A layered double hydroxide [Ni4Al(OH)10]OH was doped with different amounts of Zn2+ by coprecipitation and subsequent hydrothermal treatment. The structures of the samples were investigated by XRD, which showed that all are layered double hydroxides with very similar lattice parameters; and samples treated hydrothermally have better crystallinity with ZnO phase. The ZnO exists in rods of several micrometers long, while the [Ni4Al(OH)10]OH in disks of various sizes as shown in SEM images. It has been found that samples treated hydrothermally have higher discharge capacity and better cyclic stability, the maximum discharge capacities are 315 mAh g−1 and 300 mAh g−1 at discharge current densities of 400 mA g−1 and 2000 mA g−1, respectively.

This paper reports the detailed studies on phase and morphology transformations and their effects on electrochemical properties of [Ni4Al(OH)10]OH during charge−discharge cycles at high current densities. XRD measurements of the electrode at different stages of a charge−discharge cycle show that the material exists in one of the two lamellar phases with d-spacings of 0.69 and 0.77 nm, respectively, without any intermediate phase identified. Both XRD and XPS studies show that the oxidized material cannot be fully reduced if it is discharged at high current densities. It is also found that the particle size shrinks as the cycle number grows and the size is linearly related to its discharge capacity; SEM and TEM images confirm that the sheets of the active electrode material break into pieces. When graphite is used as the conductive additive, [Ni4Al(OH)10]OH gives a similar discharge capacity and cycle life as β-Ni(OH)2, but it is not so easily activated if the temperature is below 40 °C. However, it behaves better than β-Ni(OH)2 at 65 °C. The electrode can be fully charged in 12 min or less under constant current density or potential, and it has a maximum discharge capacity of 295 mA h·g−1 and still has 225 mA h·g−1 at the 250th cycle when it is charged and discharged at a constant current density of 800 mA·g−1.

A novel red light-emitting material, Ca3Al2O6:Eu3+, which is the first example found in the Ca3Al2O6 host, was prepared by calcination of a layered double hydroxide precursor at 1350 °C. The precursor, [Ca2.9−xAl2Eux(OH)9.8](NO3)2+x·2.5H2O, was prepared by coprecipitation of metal nitrates with sodium hydroxide. The material is a loose powder composed of irregular particles formed from aggregation of particles of a few nanometers, as shown in scanning electron microscope (SEM) images. It was found that the photoluminescence intensity reached the maximum when the calcination temperature was 1350 °C and the concentration of Eu3+ was 1.0%. The material emits bright red emission at 614 nm under a radiation of λ=250 nm.Calcination of a layered double hydroxide precursor produces Ca3Al2O6:Eu3+, which is very easy to be pulverized. It is proposed that Eu3+ takes the place of one Ca2+ (green spheres in the picture, pink pyramids are [AlO4] tetrahedrons) in the cell of Ca3Al2O6. The Ca2+ could be any one of the bigger green spheres without inversion symmetry, and emits red light under a UV radiation of λ=250 nm.

All the geometric isomers of the benzoate derivatives, XC6H4CO2− (X=F, Cl, Br, OH, OCH3, NO2, CO2CH3, NH2, N(CH3)2) can be intercalated into the layered double hydroxide [LiAl2(OH)6]Cl·H2O in 50% (v/v) water/ethanol solution at 80 °C to give fully anion-exchanged first stage intercalation compounds [LiAl2(OH)6]G·yH2O (G=a substituted benzoate). The observed interlayer separations of the intercalates vary from 14.3 Å for [LiAl2(OH)6](4-nitrobenzoate)·2H2O to 20.6 Å for [LiAl2(OH)6](3-dimethylaminobenzoate)·3H2O. Competitive intercalation studies using mixtures of isomeric benzoates showed that the 4-isomers and 2-isomers are the most and the least preferred anions, respectively. Comparing the calculated dipole moments of the anions with the observed isomeric intercalation preferences suggests that dipole moment may be a good general index for the preference; however, it should be remembered that the bulkiness and electronegativity of the other substituent could be very important factors that affect the preferential intercalation.All the geometric isomers of the nine benzoate derivatives has been intercalated into [LiAl2(OH)6]Cl·H2O in 50% (v/v) water/ethanol solution. Competitive intercalation studies using binary mixtures of the isomeric benzoates suggests that dipole moment may be a good general index for the preference.

LiNbO3 nanoplates were directly grown on a self-weaving CNT-network, which was then decorated with polypyrrole to form a flexible electrode. This novel nano-structured anode exhibits superior performance, i.e., high rate discharge capacity and excellent cycle performance.

Four sensitising anions naphthalene-1,5-disulfonate (15-NDS), naphthalene-2,6-dicarboxylate (26-NDC), benzoate (BA) and terephthalate (TA) were intercalated into a Eu3+-doped Zn/Al layered double hydroxide. The carboxylate anions enhanced the red luminescence of Eu3+ much more strongly than the sulfonate, in the descending order TA > 26-NDC > BA > 15-NDS.