Enhanced electrochemical properties of fluoride-coated LiCoO2 thin films
The electrochemical properties of fluoride-coated lithium cobalt oxide [LiCoO2] thin films were characterized. Aluminum fluoride [AlF3] and lanthanum fluoride [LaF3] coating layers were fabricated on a pristine LiCoO2 thin film by using a spin-coating process. The AlF3- and LaF3-coated films exhibited a higher rate capability, cyclic performance, and stability at high temperature than the pristine film. This indicates that the AlF3 and LaF3 layers effectively protected the surface of the pristine LiCoO2 film from the reactive electrolyte.
Synthesis and electrochemical properties of layered Li[Ni0.333Co0.333Mn0.293Al0.04]O2−zFz cathode materials prepared by the sol–gel method
Abstract The cathode-active materials, layered Li[Ni 0.333 Co 0.333 Mn 0.293 Al 0.04 ]O 2− z F z (0 ≤  z  ≤ 0.1), were synthesized from a sol–gel precursor at 900 °C in air. The influence of Al–F co-substitution on the structural and electrochemical properties of the as-prepared samples was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and electrochemical experiments. The results showed that Li[Ni 0.333 Co 0.333 Mn 0.293 Al 0.04 ]O 2− z F z has a typical hexagonal structure with a single phase, the particle sizes of the samples tended to increase with increasing fluorine content. It has been found that Li[Ni 0.333 Co 0.333 Mn 0.293 Al 0.04 ]O 1.95 F 0.05 showed an improved cathodic behavior and discharge capacity retention compared to the undoped samples in the voltage range of 3.0–4.3 V. The electrodes prepared from Li[Ni 0.333 Co 0.333 Mn 0.293 Al 0.04 ]O 1.95 F 0.05 delivered an initial discharge capacity of 158 mAh −1  g and an initial coulombic efficiency is 91.3%, and the capacity retention at the 20th cycle was 94.9%. Though the F-doped samples had lower initial capacities, they showed better cycle performances compared with F-free samples. Therefore, this is a promising material for a lithium-ion battery.
Commentary: Scholarship as a Way of Life—Character and Virtue in the Age of Big Humanities
From the Renaissance to the nineteenth century, most European scholars considered moral cultivation as the primary purpose of the humanities. The humanities were human not just because they concerned the products of the human mind but also because they transformed scholars and students into better human beings. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the rise of Big Humanities questioned this moral purpose. However, Big Humanities also reemphasized the importance of epistemic virtues for scholarship. The language of epistemic virtues helped scholars create new communities of learning and scholarship. Within these communities, the language of virtues established common standards of collaboration and granted scholars a sense of purpose. Many of these scholars also continued to associate epistemic virtues with moral virtues.