Materials Chemistry Commons^™

Application Of Artificial Intelligence To Lithium-Ion Battery Research And Development, Zhen-Wei Zhu, Jing-Yi Qiu, Li Wang, Gao-Ping Cao, Xiang-Ming He, Jing Wang, Hao Zhang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have become one of the best solutions to the energy storage issue in modern society. However, the battery materials and device development are both complex, and involve multivariable problems. Traditional trial-and-error approach, which relies on researchers to conduct experiments, has encountered bottlenecks in the improvement of the battery performance. Artificial intelligence (AI) is the most potential technology to deal with this issue due to its powerful high-speed and capabilities of processing massive data. In particular, the capability of machine learning (ML) algorithms in assessing multidimensional data variables and discovering patterns in the sets are expected to assist …

Exploring The Potential Of Ionothermal Syntheses For High-Performance Lithium-Ion Battery Anode Materials, Runming Tao

Doctoral Dissertations

Renewable energy storage systems are regarded as the solution to the environmental and energy crises caused by the burning of fossil fuels in vehicles. Unfortunately, owning to the limits to the electrochemical performance of the current anode materials, lithium-ion batteries [LIBs] are still lacking strength in the charging rate-capability and thereby cannot fulfill future application requirements in electrical vehicles [EVs].

Particularly, graphite with a high theoretical specific capacity of 372 mAh/g is unsuitable for EVs due to the safety concerns of passivating solid-electrolyte interphase [SEI] resulted from the low operation potential of 0.1 V versus Li/Li⁺. The other …

Influence Of Resveratrol On Performance Of Long-Term Storage’S Lithium-Ion Battery Electrolyte, Lei Zhang, Xu-Ping Zhang, Si-Wei Zhang, Quan-Chao Zhuang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Electrolyte of lithium-ion battery usually goes through processes of filling, transportation and storage from the completion of manufacture to the use. Understanding the influence of long-term storage process on performance of lithium-ion battery electrolyte is of theoretical significance for production of lithium-ion battery. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images showed that the solid electrolyte interface (SEI) film formed on the surface of the graphite electrode was thicker in the base electrolyte after 6 months of storage. The charge/discharge test results showed that the reversible cycle capacity and cycle stability (capacity retention rate) of graphite electrode decreased significantly after 6 months of …

Preparation And Performance Investigation Of Li-Sgo Doped Semi-Ipns Porous Single Ion Conducting Polymer Electrolyte, Yun-Feng Zhang, Jia-Ming Dong, Chang Tan, Shi-Kang Huo, Jia-Ying Wang, Yang He, Ya-Ying Wang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Herein, the lithiated sulfonated graphene oxide (Li-SGO) was successfully prepared via three steps by sulfonation of graphene oxide with 3-merraptnpropylt rimethnxysilane, oxidation of thiol into sulfonate with hydrogen peroxide and lithiation of sulfonate with aqueous lithium hydroxide. The as-prepared Li-SGO was then introduced into the semi-interpenetrating networks of single ion conducting polymer electrolyte (Li-SGO-FPAS) and poly vinylidenefluoride-hexafluoro propylene (PVDF-HFP) binder by in-situ polymerization to fabricate the porous single ion conducting polymer electrolyte membrane (Li-SGO-po-FPAS) generated from the poor compatibility between aromatic Li-SGO-FPAS and aliphatic PVDF-HFP binder. The key properties such as morphology, porosity, solvent uptake, mechanical …

Fundamentals Of Distribution Of Relaxation Times For Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy, Jia Wang, Qiu-An Huang, Wei-Heng Li, Juan Wang, Quan-Chao Zhuang, Jiu-Jun Zhang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is a powerful electrochemical characterization technology, which has been widely used in the field of electrochemical energy, such as lithium-ion batteries, supercapacitors, fuel cells, etc. Distribution of relaxation time (DRT) is an EIS deconvolution technique which does not depend on the prior knowledge of the targeted research object. Furthermore, DRT can serve to separate and analyze physical and chemical processes which are highly overlapped in their EIS data. In order to encourage the application and popularization of DRT deconvolution technology, several core questions are addressed in this paper: (1) DRT deconvolution principle, implementation steps and important …

Recent Progress In Vanadium-Based Electrode Materials, Meng-Lei Sun, Da-Qi Zhang, Jin-Kui Feng, Jiang-Feng Ni

Journal of Electrochemistry

It is an important solution to solve energy storage problems by developing inexpensive and safe lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries with superior performance. Vanadium-based electrode materials are promising electrode materials because of diversified chemical valences, open structures and high theoretical capacities. In the past few years, vanadium-based electrode materials such as oxides, sulfides, and phosphates have achieved a considerable development in the battery field, It is, therefore, necessary to summarize their recent research progress. In this review, we particularly highlight the key challenges that are facing in the application of vanadium materials, such as low ion diffusion coefficient and poor structural …

Cvd Preparation And Application Of 3d Graphene In Electrochemical Energy Storage, Yong-Kang Xia, Ming-Yuan Gu, Hong-Guan Yang, Xin-Zhi Yu, Bing-An Lu

Journal of Electrochemistry

Three-dimensional (3D) graphene combinations with the excellent intrinsic properties of graphene and the 3D micro/nano porous structures provide a graphene foam with high specific surface area, excellent mechanical strength and fast electron and mass transports. The 3D graphene foam and its composite nanomaterials are widely used in the fields of nano-electronics, energy storage, chemical and biological sensing. The 3D graphene foam prepared by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method is of high purity and crystallinity. In this review, a brief overview in the CVD preparations of 3D graphene and properties of CVD prepared 3D graphene based nanomaterials in electrochemical energy storage …

Synthesis And Electrochemical Properties Of Nickel-Rich Cathode Material Lini0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2 With High Initial Coulombic Efficiency, Xiao-Yun Guan, Chao-Yu Hong, Jian-Ping Zhu, Wei-Li Wang, Yi-Xiao Li, Yong Yang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Nickel-rich cathode materials LiNi_0.6Co_0.2Mn_0.2O₂（NCM622）were synthesized by a co-precipitation-solid state sintering method at different temperatures. The structure, morphology and electrochemical performance of the as-prepared materials were investigated by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) /Rietveld refinement, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and electrochemical experiments. It is found that NCM622 calcined at 800 ℃ showed the lowest degree of cation disorder (~1.97%) with a high initial Coulombic effiency of 92.2% and the capacity retention of 81.4% after 100 cycles.

Research Progress In Cycle Stability Of Silicon Based Li-Ion Battery Anodes, Ze-Liang Guo, Hui Wu

Journal of Electrochemistry

Silicon(Si), with the highest specific capacity currently known, is a promising anode material for Li-ion battery. However, in the charging and discharging process, with Li atoms inserting into and breaking out of the Si crystal lattices, the Si anode undergoes enormous volume expansion and contraction, ending in pulverization. The fact that the specific capacity of bulk Si anodes drop quickly is a challenging problem. In this review, we summarize recent progresses in Si anode. We concern about the nanostructure of silicon, cooperation of silicon with other additives and macrostructure design of anodes. We discuss strengths and shortcomings of different methods, …

Development Of Novel Anode Materials For Lithium Ion Batteries, Mike A. Nieradko

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis focuses on the development of new anodes for Li ion batteries. Aluminium has been long considered as promising anode material for Li ion batteries because of its low cost, abundance, and low toxicity. Aluminium undergoes alloying with lithium through intermetallic LiAl formation which offers a relatively high theoretical capacity of 993 mAh/g compared to 372 mAh/g for graphite that is currently the principal anode material in commercial Li ion batteries. However, despite intensive research, all aluminium-based anodes tested so far suffered from rapid capacity fading and failure within first few cycles. Furthermore, there is insufficient understanding of the …

Development And Optimization Of Solid Polymer Electrolyte For Lithium Ion Batteries, Ladan Eskandarian

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis focuses on the development of new poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)-based solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) in order to enhance their ionic conductivity at ambient temperature and fabricate the prototypes of novel Li ion batteries using these SPEs. Different types of SPEs have been developed: (i) blends of high molecular weight PEO and low molecular weight poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc); (ii) composites of high molecular weight PEO and titanium dioxide (TiO₂)nanoparticles; and (iii) blend-based composite electrolytes consisting of PEO and PVAc with dispersed TiO₂. The SPEs were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and …

Electrochemical And In Situ X-Ray Absorption Fine Structure Study Of Li-Rich Cathode Materials, Meng-Yan Hou, Hong-Liang Bao, Ke Wang, Jian-Qiang Wang, Yong-Yao Xia

Journal of Electrochemistry

A series of the lithium-rich and manganese-based layered structure xLi₂MnO₃•(1-x)LiMn_1/3Ni_1/3Co_1/3O₂ (x = 0.3，0.5，0.7) materials were synthesized by a co-precipitation method, and followed by a solid-state reaction process. By comparing the first cycle efficiency, the reversible discharge capacity, the cycling stability and the voltage decay during the charge/discharge cycling process, the material with the composition of 0.5Li₂MnO₃•0.5LiMn_1/3Ni_1/3Co_1/3O₂was found to show the best electrochemical performance. The lithium storage mechanism and thermal stability of the de-lithiated compound were also investigated …

Preparation And Enhanced Rate Capability Of Spinel Limn1.9Al0.1O3.95F0.05, Jun-Yan Hu, Meng-Meng Wang, Hong-Tao Liu

Journal of Electrochemistry

Spinel LiMn_1.9Al_0.1O_3.95F_0.05 cathode materials with good crystallinity were synthesized by a sol-gel process followed with a high-temperature solid reaction. The effects of partial substitution of Al for Mn, and F for O on the structure and the electrochemical performance were investigated. The results showed that LiMn_1.9Al_0.1O_3.95F_0.05 exhibited the same crystalline state as LiMn₂O₄, but much better electrochemical stability at higher rate cycling. As a result, LiMn_1.9Al_0.1O_3.95F_0.05 could maintain stable electrochemical lithium storage even suffering from …

Synthesis And Electrochemical Performance Of Mn3O4/Graphene Composites, Shan-Shan Yang, Qian Zhang, Xiong-Gui Lin, Ming-Sen Zheng, Quan-Feng Dong

Journal of Electrochemistry

The Mn₃O₄/Graphene composites were synthesized by hydrothermal method with the in-situ redox reaction of graphene oxide (GO) and manganese acetate (Mn(Ac)₂). The phase structures and morphologies of the materials were characterized by XRD, SEM and TEM. The XPS and IR techniques were used for studying the residual function groups of reduced graphene oxide (RGO). The electrochemical performances of the hybrids were tested in a coin cell. Results showed that the composites prepared with the addition of ammonia water (RM-A) have better performance. The graphenes in RM-A were better-reduced and the Mn3O4 particles were much …

Electrochemical Performance Of Coal2O4-Coated Lini1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2, Ji-Jun Cai, Wang-Jun Cui, Bing Li, Yang-Yang Yu, Jin-Bao Zhao

Journal of Electrochemistry

A method to improve the electrochemical performance of LiNi_1/3Co_1/3Mn_1/3O₂ for high voltage lithium-ion battery by CoAl₂O₄ coating was present in this work. The effects of CoAl₂O₄ coatings on the structure and electrochemical properties of LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 were investigated in detail. The results show that CoAl₂O₄ forms a thin layer of 8 nm on the surface of LiNi_1/3Co_1/3Mn_1/3O₂ without destroying the structure of the core material. The CoAl₂O₄-coated LiNi_1/3Co_1/3Mn_1/3O …

Syntheses And Electrochemical Performances Of Li4Ti5O12 Anode Materials For Lithium Ion Battery, Yong-Long Zhang, Xue-Bu Hu, Yao-Qiong Wang, Dong-Hai Huang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Series of spinel lithium titanate (Li₄Ti₅O₁₂) materials were synthesized by one-step solid-state reaction using lithium acetate and TiO₂ as raw materials under different temperatures (750/800/850 °C) and atmospheres (N₂/air). The as-prepared Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ materials were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, cyclic voltammotry and charge-discharge test to analyze their crystal structures, microstructures and electrochemical performances. The results show that the Li₄Ti₅O₁₂（L-800N）material obtained at 800 °C under nitrogen atmosphere exhibited better electrochemical performance and smaller particle size. The initial …

Effect Of Al-Doping In Li-Rich Material Li1.2Mn0.543Co0.078Ni0.155Al0.030O2 For Lithium-Ion Batteries, Xiao-Xi Jin, Yi-Xiao Li, Yong Yang, Zhou-Cheng Wang

Journal of Electrochemistry

The Al-doped 0.5Li₂MnO₃·0.5Li(Mn_0.4Co_0.2Ni_0.4)O₂ compounds were successfully synthesized as cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries. The pristine and Al-doped materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) and laser Raman spectroscopy. The results indicated that all the prepared materials were indexed as a hexagonal structure with R-3m space group, and Al element had been introduced into lattice. When cycled at 180 mA·g^-1 (1 C-rate), the capacity retention of 4% (by mole) Al-doped 0.5Li₂MnO₃·0.5Li(Mn_0.4Co_0.2Ni …

Synthesis And Electrochemical Properties Of Lico1-XMgXMno4 And Lico1-XAlXMno4 (X= 0, 0.02, 0.05, 0.1) As Positive Materials For Lithium-Ion Batteries, Mei-Ling You, Qing-Song Tong, Xiu-Hua Li, Min Lin, Xing-Kang Huang, Yong Yang

Journal of Electrochemistry

The Al-doped and Mg-doped LiCoMnO₄ materials were synthesized through solid-state reaction. The effects of doping amounts of Mg and Al on the initial capacities, discharge plateaus, and cycle performances were investigated. The morphologies and structures of the as-prepared materials were studied by scanning electron microscopy and powder X-ray diffraction. The results indicate that the as-prepared samples were composed of uniform, well-crystallized particles. The pristine LiCoMnO₄ possessed an initial capacity of 87.0 mAh·g^-1, while LiCo_0.98Mg_0.02MnO₄ and LiCo_0.98Al_0.02MnO₄ delivered 91.3 and 93.6 mAh·g^-1, respectively. The proper …

Hydrothermal Synthesis Of Pure Li4Ti5O12 And Its Electrochemical Performance, Wen-Jun Xie, Yu-Shi He, Hong Wang, Xiao-Zhen Liao, Zi-Feng Ma

Journal of Electrochemistry

Spinel Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ was prepared by hydrothermal method using commercial anatase (TiO₂) and lithium hydroxide (LiOH) as raw materials. The effects of the LiOH concentration of lithium hydroxide, hydrothermal reaction time and calcination temperature on the structure and electrochemical performance of Li4Ti5O12 were investigated. The formation process of Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ was also proposed. The micro-structure and morphology wereas characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM techniques, and the electrochemical performance was analyzed by galvanostatic charge-discharge test. The results show that the pure phase spinel Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ can be …

Synthesis And Electrochemical Performance Of Si/C Composite Modified By Pani, Guang-Hui Zhang, Pei-Kang Shen, Ge Sang, Ren-Jin Xiong

Journal of Electrochemistry

Silicon/carbon (Si/C) composite materials were prepared through high-energy ball milling and high-temperature solid-phase method, and then coated with thin polyaniline (PAni) film by oxidation. The microstructure and component of the composites were characterized by SEM, XRD, IR, TG, and the electrochemical performance was investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and galvanostatic charge-discharge tests. The results showed that the surface of PAni/Si/G/C composite was coating with complete lamellar structure of PAni film. Its reversible capacity was 784 mAh.g^-1and 690 mAh.g^-1 could be maintained after 50th charge-discharge cycles.

Properties Of Carbon Coated Tin Negative Electrode For Lithium-Ion Battery, Gui-Chang Liu, Xiao-Xiao Shen, Li-Da Wang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Carbon coated tin power was prepared by decomposing glucose applying a hydrothermal method, and was further used as the active material for negative electrode of lithium secondary battery. Charge-discharge tests show that the carbon coated tin electrode with the addition of 5 wt.% acetylene black as a conductive agent could obtain an initial discharge capacity of 967 mAh.g^-1 and a discharge capacity of 362 mAh.g^-1 after 50 cycles, which is much higher than that of tin electrode (166 mAh.g^-1 after 50 cycles). The coated carbon hinders the agglomeration of tin powder, reduces the irreversible capacity loss of …

Synthesis And Electrochemical Characterization Of Li3V2(Po4)3/C Cathode Material By Ball-Milling Assisted Microwave Method, Zhi-Yuan Tang, Wen-Feng Mao, Ji Yan, Wei Yuan, Xin-He Zhang

Journal of Electrochemistry

The cathode materials of Li₃V₂(PO₄)₃/C were successfully synthesized by ball-milling assisted microwave method and the microwave irradiation time was also optimized. It is found that the Li₃V₂(PO₄)₃/C material obtained at a microwave power of 640 W for 18 min showed the best electrochemical performance with the initial reversible capacity of 101.3 mAh.g^-1 and the remained 100.8 mAh.g^-1 at 5C rate after 300 cycles. This excellent electrochemical capability may be resulted from good crystallinity, smaller and uniform particle size of the material, showing …

Preparation And Performance Of Sn-Co-M-C（M = Zn, Fe）Composites As An Anode Material, Guo-Qing Fang, Wei-Wei Liu, Shi-Ci He, Qian Zhang, Jun-Wei Zheng, De-Cheng Li

Journal of Electrochemistry

The anode materials of Sn-Co-M-C (M = Zn, Fe) composites were prepared by carbothermal reduction method from metal oxides and sucrose in N₂ atmosphere. Their structural and electrochemical properties were studied by XRD, SEM and charge-discharge test. Among them, the Sn-Co-Zn-C composite showed higher specific capacity and good cycle performance. The initial specific discharge capacity of 571 mAh.g^-1 could be obtained, while 369 mAh.g^-1 was still kept after 45 cycles.

Preparation And Modification Of Li4Ti5O12 As Anode Materials For Lithium-Ion Batteries, Jin-Long Liu, Zhou-Guang Lu, Yang Ren, Ya-Jie Zhu, Shan-Shan Hu, Zhong Peng, Dong Qian, You-Gen Tang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Anode Material Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ for lithium-ion batteries was successfully prepared using half-solid-state method. Furthermore, carbon coating modification of Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ was also carried out. The phase structure and morphology were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The electrochemical properties were investigated by constant current discharge-charge tests, cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance techniques. The results indicated that the electrochemical performance of Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ without modification declined seriously due to the aggregation of Li₄Ti …

Preparation And Electrochemical Performance Of Tio2/Gns Nanocomposite As Anode Materials For Lithium-Ion Batteries, Lin-Lin Qin, Huan Zhang, Xiao-Jing Liu, Jian-Hui Xu, Yi-Ning Shi, Ming-Sen Zheng, Quan-Feng Dong

Journal of Electrochemistry

The honeycomb-like porous TiO2/graphenes (TiO2/GNs) nanocomposite was prepared by a reflux method. SEM and TEM results showed that nanosized anatase TiO2 (about 5~10 nm) were dispersed uniformly on the surface of the GNs. The TiO2/GNs composite showed excellent rate and cycling performance: A stable charge capacity of 169.5 mAh?g-1 was obtained at 30C, and can restore to 241.7 mAh?g-1 while current went back to 1C. The stable charge capacity of TiO2/GNs nanocomposite electrode up to 201.9 mAh?g-1 was achieved at 10C in the first cycle, and could be maintained at 181.4 mAh?g-1 after 300 times of cycling.

Research Progress In Orthosilicates As Cathode Materials For Li-Ion Batteries, Dong-Ping Lv, Lin Wang, Yong Yang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Rechargeable Li-ion batteries fulfilling high-energy density, high safety, environmental friendliness, and low cost are demanded urgently for energy storage systems. Besides the structure stability arising from the strong Si-O covalent bond, environmental benignancy and low cost from the characteristics of Fe, Mn, Si elementals, orthosilicates (Li2MSiO4) show promising prospect to meet the demand of high-energy density for its two available Li+ per formula unit. Motivated by these significant advantages, Li2MSiO4 have been intensively investigated in the past few years. In the present work, we gave a review on the progress of orthosilicate research including the materials synthesis, structure, electrochemical performances …

Preparation And Electrochemical Properties Of Sn Thin Film As Anode Materials For Lithium-Ion Batteries, Hong-Mei Bai, Zhan-Liang Tao, Fang-Yi Cheng, Jun Chen

Journal of Electrochemistry

Sn thin films as the anode materials of Li-ion batteries were prepared by vacuum-evaporation method on the copper foam substrate.The phase structure,surface morphology and electrochemical property of the as-prepared films were characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD),scanning electron microscopy(SEM),and galvanostatic cycling.The results showed that three-dimensional structure of copper foam substrate enhanced the adhesion strength between the active material and the substrate,under the same substrate temperature,the particles became bigger with the increasing of evaporation time,while their electrochemical property decreased;under the same evaporation time,the particles didn′t changed obviously with the increasing of substrate temperature,while their cycle life increased.The battery of sample A″(substrate temperature:200 ℃,evaporation …

Preparation And Performance Of Co And La Co-Doped Li-Rich Lithium Manganate, Da-Qiao Zhou

Journal of Electrochemistry

The cathode material of Li1.1Co0.02La0.01Mn2O4 was successfully synthesized by the method of co-precipitation followed by a solid state reaction.In the sintering temperature range of 700～850 ℃,X-ray diffraction(XRD) results showed a single phase of each material and the increase of crystallization degree,and scanning electron microscopic(SEM) images indicated that the particle size increased and the specific surface area decreased,respectively,with increasing the sintering temperature.Due to its lower polarization resistance,the Co and La co-doped lithium-rich lithium manganate(sintered at 800 ℃) positive electrodes showed the most promising electrochemical performance.The capacity retention after 50 cycles reached 98.5%.

Research Of Explosion Mechanism Of Lithium-Ion Battery, Yu-Hong Chen, Zhi-Yuan Tang

Journal of Electrochemistry

The heat character of Lithium-ion battery materials and explosion mechanism of Lithium-ion cells under the overcharge,short-circuit and other abuse behavior are tested by C_(80) calorimeter,_()DSC and charge-discharge instrument.SEI reactions,Li_xC_(6)/electrolyte and Li_xC_(6)/PVDF reactions take place at the anodes.Electrolyte and solvent reactions happen after 178℃ and Li_(1-x)Co_(1/3)Ni_(1/3)Mn_(1/3)O_(2) decomposes after 230℃.The batteries explode at 150℃ oven test or 1.5C,5.5 V overcharge and do not explode at short-circuit.

Synthesis Of Li_Xcoo_2 And Its Behaviour In Rechargeable Lithium Battery, Mingfeng Guo, Ruimin Yang, Zebo Zhang, Jincao Ye

Journal of Electrochemistry

The Variations of crystal lattice parameters of Li_xCoO_2 during charge anddischarge have been st ud ied by XRD and AAR spectroscopy.It was found that the Li_xCoO_2 crystalvolume expanded during charge and contracted during discharge.The crystal lattice structure wasbroken because of the formation of Co_3O_4 when deeply charge.The variation of lattice parameter C_0value in cycling process was similar to that in charge process.The variation of 006 peak was the mostsensitive in every case.In case of preheating for 20 hours at 700℃ before operating hightemperature,the 006 peak obtained an enhancement obviously.It has had the good rechargeability inmeasurement of the cyclic voltammograms,the CV …