Browsing by Author "Starke, Ulrich"

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Open Access
Assembling metal organic layer composites for high‐performance electrocatalytic CO2 reduction to formate
(2022) Liu, Hang; Wang, Hongguang; Song, Qian; Küster, Kathrin; Starke, Ulrich; Aken, Peter A. van; Klemm, Elias
2D metal-organic-framework (MOF) based composites have emerged as promising candidates for electrocatalysis due to their high structural flexibility and fully exposed active sites. Herein, a freestanding metal-organic layer (MOL) with a 2D kgd (kagome dual) lattice was constructed with abundant surface oxygenate groups serving as anchoring sites to immobilize diverse guests. Taking Bi as an example, tetragonal Bi2O3 nanowires can be uniformly grown on MOLs after solvothermal treatment, the structural evolution of which was followed by ex situ electron microscopy. The as-prepared Bi2O3/MOL exhibits excellent CO2 electroreduction activity towards formate reaching a specific current of 2.3 A mgBi−1 and Faradaic efficiencies of over 85 % with a wide potential range from -0.87 to -1.17 V, far surpassing Bi2O3/UiO (a 3D Zr6-oxo based MOF) and Bi2O3/AB (Acetylene Black). Such a post-synthetic modification strategy can be flexibly extended to develop versatile MOL composites, highlighting the superiority of optimizing MOL-based composites for electrocatalysis.
Open Access
High‐performance magnesium‐sulfur batteries based on a sulfurated poly(acrylonitrile) cathode, a borohydride electrolyte, and a high‐surface area magnesium anode
(2020) Wang, Peiwen; Trück, Janina; Niesen, Stefan; Kappler, Julian; Küster, Kathrin; Starke, Ulrich; Ziegler, Felix; Hintennach, Andreas; Buchmeiser, Michael R.
Post‐lithium‐ion battery technology is considered a key element of future energy storage and management. Apart from high gravimetric and volumetric energy densities, economic, ecologic and safety issues become increasingly important. In that regards, both the anode and cathode materials must be easily available, recyclable, non‐toxic and safe, which renders magnesium‐sulfur (Mg-S) batteries a promising choice. Herein, we present Mg-S cells based on a sulfurated poly(acrylonitrile) composite cathode (SPAN), together with a halogen‐free electrolyte containing both Mg[BH4]2 and Li[BH4] in diglyme and a high‐specific surface area magnesium anode based on Rieke magnesium powder. These cells deliver discharge capacities of 1400 and 800 mAh/gsulfur with >99 % Coulombic efficiency at 0.1 C and 0.5 C, respectively, and are stable over at least 300 cycles. Energy densities are 470 and 400 Wh/kgsulfur at 0.1 C and 0.5 C, respectively. Rate tests carried out between 0.1 C and 2 C demonstrate good rate capability of the cells. Detailed mechanistic studies based on X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and electric impedance spectroscopy are presented.
Open Access
Observation of ultrafast interfacial Meitner-Auger energy transfer in a Van der Waals heterostructure
(2023) Dong, Shuo; Beaulieu, Samuel; Selig, Malte; Rosenzweig, Philipp; Christiansen, Dominik; Pincelli, Tommaso; Dendzik, Maciej; Ziegler, Jonas D.; Maklar, Julian; Xian, R. Patrick; Neef, Alexander; Mohammed, Avaise; Schulz, Armin; Stadler, Mona; Jetter, Michael; Michler, Peter; Taniguchi, Takashi; Watanabe, Kenji; Takagi, Hidenori; Starke, Ulrich; Chernikov, Alexey; Wolf, Martin; Nakamura, Hiro; Knorr, Andreas; Rettig, Laurenz; Ernstorfer, Ralph
Atomically thin layered van der Waals heterostructures feature exotic and emergent optoelectronic properties. With growing interest in these novel quantum materials, the microscopic understanding of fundamental interfacial coupling mechanisms is of capital importance. Here, using multidimensional photoemission spectroscopy, we provide a layer- and momentum-resolved view on ultrafast interlayer electron and energy transfer in a monolayer-WSe2/graphene heterostructure. Depending on the nature of the optically prepared state, we find the different dominating transfer mechanisms: while electron injection from graphene to WSe2 is observed after photoexcitation of quasi-free hot carriers in the graphene layer, we establish an interfacial Meitner-Auger energy transfer process following the excitation of excitons in WSe2. By analysing the time-energy-momentum distributions of excited-state carriers with a rate-equation model, we distinguish these two types of interfacial dynamics and identify the ultrafast conversion of excitons in WSe2 to valence band transitions in graphene. Microscopic calculations find interfacial dipole-monopole coupling underlying the Meitner-Auger energy transfer to dominate over conventional Förster- and Dexter-type interactions, in agreement with the experimental observations. The energy transfer mechanism revealed here might enable new hot-carrier-based device concepts with van der Waals heterostructures.
Open Access
Sulfurized polypropylene as low‐cost cathode material for high‐capacity lithium‐sulfur batteries
(2022) Du, Qian; Benedikter, Mathis; Küster, Kathrin; Acartürk, Tolga; Starke, Ulrich; Hoslauer, Jean‐Louis; Schleid, Thomas; Buchmeiser, Michael R.
Among ‘beyond lithium ion’ energy storage, lithium sulfur (Li-S) batteries are one of the most promising technologies, as a result of the potential for high theoretical energy capacity at low cost. A key obstacle in exploiting the vast potential of Li-S batteries is the formation of soluble polysulfide species. Here, we report sulfurized polypropylene (S/PP‐500) synthesized in one‐step by reacting polypropylene (PP) with sulfur as a new polysulfide shuttle‐free cathode material for Li-S batteries. It exhibits a reversible capacity as high as 1000 mAh/gsulfur at 0.1 C and a sulfur loading of up to 68 wt%, which in turn allows for high sulfur loadings up to 47 % in the final cathode. The low‐cost starting materials together with the simple synthetic procedure and the good electrochemical performance in combination with a commercially available eslectrolyte make the S/PP‐500 a very promising cathode material for Li‐S batteries.