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Nd-Mg-Ni alloy electrodes modified by reduced graphene oxide with improved electrochemical kinetics

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Abstract

To improve the electrochemical kinetics of Nd-Mg-Ni alloy electrodes, the alloy surface was modified with highly conductive reduced graphene oxide (rGO) via a chemical reduction process. Results indicated that rGO sheets uniformly coated on the alloy surface, yielding a three-dimensional network layer. The coated surfaces contained numerous hydrophilic functional groups, leading to better wettability of the alloy in aqueous alkaline media. This, in turn, increased the concentration of electro-active species at the interface between the electrode and the electrolyte, improving the electrochemical kinetics and the rate discharge of the electrodes. The high rate dischargeability at 1500 mA·g−1 increased from 53.2% to 83.9% after modification. In addition, the modification layer remained stable and introduced a dense metal oxide layer to the alloy surface after a long cycling process. Therefore, the protective layer prevented the discharge capacity from quickly decreasing and improved cycling stability.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NOs. 21303157 and 51771164), the Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province (No. E2019203161), and Scientific Research Projects in Colleges and Universities in Hebei Province (No. QN2016002).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hebei Key Laboratory of Applied Chemistry, School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, 066004, China

    Yuan Li, Li-na Cheng, Wen-kang Miao, Chun-xiao Wang & Shu-min Han

  2. State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, 066004, China

    Shu-min Han

  3. Hunan Corun New Energy Co., Ltd., Changsha, 410205, China

    De-zhi Kuang

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  1. Yuan Li
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Correspondence to Shu-min Han.

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Li, Y., Cheng, Ln., Miao, Wk. et al. Nd-Mg-Ni alloy electrodes modified by reduced graphene oxide with improved electrochemical kinetics. Int J Miner Metall Mater 27, 391–400 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-019-1880-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-019-1880-z

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