Functional Hydrogels for Aqueous Zinc-Based Batteries: Progress and Perspectives.

Aqueous zinc batteries (AZBs) hold great potential for green grid-scale energy storage due to their affordability, resource abundance, safety, and environmental friendliness. However, their practical deployment is hindered by challenges related to the electrode, electrolyte, and interface. Functional hydrogels offer a promising solution to address such challenges owing to their broad electrochemical window, tunable structures, and pressure-responsive mechanical properties.

Boosting sodium-ion batteries performance by N-doped carbon spheres featuring porous and hollow structures.

Carbon materials are considered among the most promosing candidates for sodium ion batteries because of their competitive performance. Nevertheless, they suffer from low initial coulombic efficiencies (ICEs) and limited electrochemical performance. Herein, nitrogen-doped hollow carbon spheres (NHCSs) with a distinct porous structure are developed by a template-assisted carbonization of dopamine, followed by a template removal procedure.

An in situ exploration of how Fe/N/C oxygen reduction catalysts evolve during synthesis under pyrolytic conditions.

In pursuing cheap and effective oxygen reduction catalysts, the Fe/N/C system emerges as a promising candidate. Nevertheless, the structural transformations of starting materials into Fe- and N-doped carbon catalysts remains poorly characterized under pyrolytic conditions. Here, we explore the evolution of Fe species and track the formation of Fe-N site development by employing diverse in-situ diagnostic techniques.

Hollow Carbon and MXene Dual-Reinforced MoS with Enlarged Interlayers for High-Rate and High-Capacity Sodium Storage Systems.

Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) and sodium-ion capacitors (SICs) are promising candidates for cost-effective and large-scale energy storage devices. However, sluggish kinetics and low capacity of traditional anode materials inhibit their practical applications. Herein, a novel design featuring a layer-expanded MoS is presented that dual-reinforced by hollow N, P-codoped carbon as the inner supporter and surface groups abundant MXene as the outer supporter, resulting in a cross-linked robust composite (NPC@MoS/MXene).

Mo-doping heterojunction: interfacial engineering in an efficient electrocatalyst for superior simulated seawater hydrogen evolution.

Exploring economical, efficient, and stable electrocatalysts for the seawater hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is highly desirable but is challenging. In this study, a Mo cation doped NiSe/MoSe heterostructural electrocatalyst, Mo-NiSe/MoSe, was successfully prepared by simultaneously doping Mo cations into the NiSe lattice (Mo-NiSe) and growing atomic MoSe nanosheets epitaxially at the edge of the Mo-NiSe. Such an Mo-NiSe/MoSe catalyst requires only 110 mV to drive current densities of 10 mA cm in alkaline simulated seawater, and shows almost no obvious degradation after 80 h at 20 mA cm.

FeN Active Sites Electronically Coupled with PtFe Alloys for Ultralow Pt Loading Hybrid Electrocatalysts in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells.

The exorbitant cost of Pt-based electrocatalysts and the poor durability of non-noble metal electrocatalysts for proton exchange membrane fuel cells limited their practical application. Here, FeN active sites electronically coupled with PtFe alloys (PtFe-FeNC) were successfully prepared by a vapor deposition strategy as an ultralow Pt loading (0.64 wt %) hybrid electrocatalyst.

Atomically dispersed Fe-O-C sites as efficient electrocatalysts for electrosynthesis of hydrogen peroxide.

The electrochemical reduction of oxygen the 2e pathway is an environmentally friendly approach to the electrosynthesis of HO. Nevertheless, its sluggish kinetics and limited selectivity hinder its practical application. Herein, single Fe atoms anchored on graphene oxide (SA Fe/GO) with Fe-O-C sites are developed as an efficient electrocatalyst for the electro-synthesis of HO.

Atomically Dispersed Dual-Site Cathode with a Record High Sulfur Mass Loading for High-Performance Room-Temperature Sodium-Sulfur Batteries.

Room-temperature sodium-sulfur (RT-Na/S) batteries possess high potential for grid-scale stationary energy storage due to their low cost and high energy density. However, the issues arising from the low S mass loading and poor cycling stability caused by the shuttle effect of polysulfides seriously limit their operating capacity and cycling capability. Herein, sulfur-doped graphene frameworks supporting atomically dispersed 2H-MoS and Mo (S@MoS -Mo /SGF) with a record high sulfur mass loading of 80.

Cation-Tuning Engineering on Metal Oxides for Oxygen Electrocatalysis.

Cation-tuning engineering has become a new frontier in altering the electronic structure of electrocatalysts, which has been employed to enhance their electrochemical performance. Significant efforts have been made to promote the electrochemical performance of transition metal-based materials during oxygen electrocatalysis and related energy devices such as Zn-air batteries. Herein, the advantages of cation-tuning engineering, including cation vacancies/defects and cation doping, in the modification of the electronic structure of transition metal oxide catalysts are discussed.

Elastic Lattice Enabling Reversible Tetrahedral Li Storage Sites in a High-Capacity Manganese Oxide Cathode.

The key to breaking through the capacity limitation imposed by intercalation chemistry lies in the ability to harness more active sites that can reversibly accommodate more ions (e.g., Li ) and electrons within a finite space.

Room temperature liquid metals for flexible alkali metal-chalcogen batteries.

Flexibility has become a certain trend in the development of secondary batteries to meet the requirements of wide portability and applicability. On account of their intrinsic high energy density, flexible alkali metal-chalcogen batteries are attracting increasing interest. Although great advances have been made in promoting the electrochemical performance of metal-S or metal-Se batteries, explorations on flexible chalcogen-based batteries are still limited.

Intravenous Immunoglobulin Therapy Restores the Quantity and Phenotype of Circulating Dendritic Cells and CD4 T Cells in Children With Acute Kawasaki Disease.

Background: Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) showed its therapeutic efficacy on Kawasaki disease (KD). However, the mechanisms by which it reduces systemic inflammation are not completely understood. Dendritic cells (DCs) and T cells play critical roles in the pathogenic processes of immune disorders.

Bi-Atom Electrocatalyst for Electrochemical Nitrogen Reduction Reactions.

The electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) to directly produce NH from N and HO under ambient conditions has attracted significant attention due to its ecofriendliness. Nevertheless, the electrochemical NRR presents several practical challenges, including sluggish reaction and low selectivity. Here, bi-atom catalysts have been proposed to achieve excellent activity and high selectivity toward the electrochemical NRR by Ma and his co-workers.

Atomic Structural Evolution of Single-Layer Pt Clusters as Efficient Electrocatalysts.

The rational synthesis of single-layer noble metal directly anchored on support materials is an elusive target to accomplish for a long time. This paper reports well-defined single-layer Pt (Pt-SL) clusters anchored on ultrathin TiO nanosheets-as a new frontier in electrocatalysis. The structural evolution of Pt-SL/TiO via self-assembly of single Pt atoms (Pt-SA) is systematically recorded.

Industrial-grade anti-reflection coatings with extreme scratch resistance.

Anti-reflection coatings are widely used throughout the field of optical technology such as in corrective eyeglasses, camera lenses, and microscope optics, to improve the transmittance and reduce the reflectance of glass and other transparent materials. To date, these coatings have suffered from relatively poor scratch resistance and high scratch visibility compared to standard glasses. This has limited their use in applications requiring high mechanical durability such as on the chemically strengthened glasses widely used in modern touch screen devices.

Electron-State Confinement of Polysulfides for Highly Stable Sodium-Sulfur Batteries.

Confinement of polysulfides in sulfur cathodes is pivotal for eliminating the "shuttle effect" in metal-sulfur batteries, which represent promising solutions for large-scale and sustainable energy storage. However, mechanistic exploration and in-depth understanding for the confinement of polysulfides remain limited. Consequently, it is a critical challenge to achieve highly stable metal-sulfur batteries.

General π-Electron-Assisted Strategy for Ir, Pt, Ru, Pd, Fe, Ni Single-Atom Electrocatalysts with Bifunctional Active Sites for Highly Efficient Water Splitting.

Both the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are crucial to water splitting, but require alternative active sites. Now, a general π-electron-assisted strategy to anchor single-atom sites (M=Ir, Pt, Ru, Pd, Fe, Ni) on a heterogeneous support is reported. The M atoms can simultaneously anchor on two distinct domains of the hybrid support, four-fold N/C atoms (M@NC), and centers of Co octahedra (M@Co), which are expected to serve as bifunctional electrocatalysts towards the HER and the OER.

Long-Life Room-Temperature Sodium-Sulfur Batteries by Virtue of Transition-Metal-Nanocluster-Sulfur Interactions.

Room-temperature sodium-sulfur (RT-Na/S) batteries hold significant promise for large-scale application because of low cost of both sodium and sulfur. However, the dissolution of polysulfides into the electrolyte limits practical application. Now, the design and testing of a new class of sulfur hosts as transition-metal (Fe, Cu, and Ni) nanoclusters (ca.

Atomic cobalt as an efficient electrocatalyst in sulfur cathodes for superior room-temperature sodium-sulfur batteries.

The low-cost room-temperature sodium-sulfur battery system is arousing extensive interest owing to its promise for large-scale applications. Although significant efforts have been made, resolving low sulfur reaction activity and severe polysulfide dissolution remains challenging. Here, a sulfur host comprised of atomic cobalt-decorated hollow carbon nanospheres is synthesized to enhance sulfur reactivity and to electrocatalytically reduce polysulfide into the final product, sodium sulfide.

Self-Assembling Hollow Carbon Nanobeads into Double-Shell Microspheres as a Hierarchical Sulfur Host for Sustainable Room-Temperature Sodium-Sulfur Batteries.

We report the use of passion fruit-like double-carbon-shell porous carbon microspheres (PCMs) as the sulfur substrate in room-temperature sodium-sulfur batteries. The PCMs are covered by microsized carbon shells on the outside and consisted of carbon nanobeads with hollow structure inside, leading to a unique multidimensional scaling double-carbon-shell structure with high electronic conductivity and strengthened mechanical properties. Sulfur is filled inside the PCMs (PCMs-S) and protected by the unique double-carbon-shell, which means the subsequently generated intermediate sodium polysulfide species cannot be exposed to the electrolyte directly and well protected inside.

Mass Production and Pore Size Control of Holey Carbon Microcages.

Architectural control of porous solids, such as porous carbon cages, has received considerable attention for versatile applications because of their ability to interact with liquids and gases not only at the surface, but throughout the bulk. Herein we report a scalable, facile spray-pyrolysis route to synthesize holey carbon microcages with mosquito-net-like shells. Using the surfaces of water droplets as the growth templates, styrene-butadiene rubber macromolecules are controllably cross-linked, and size-controllable holes on the carbon shells are generated.

In Situ Grown S Nanosheets on Cu Foam: An Ultrahigh Electroactive Cathode for Room-Temperature Na-S Batteries.

Room-temperature sodium-sulfur batteries are competitive candidates for large-scale stationary energy storage because of their low price and high theoretical capacity. Herein, pure S nanosheet cathodes can be grown in situ on three-dimensional Cu foam substrate with the condensation between binary polymeric binders, serving as a model system to investigate the formation and electrochemical mechanism of unique S nanosheets on the Cu current collectors. On the basis of the confirmed conversion reactions to NaS, The constructed cathode exhibits ultrahigh initial discharge/charge capacity of 3189/1403 mAh g.

Carbon-Coated Na Fe (P O ) Cathode Material for High-Rate and Long-Life Sodium-Ion Batteries.

Rechargeable sodium-ion batteries are proposed as the most appropriate alternative to lithium batteries due to the fast consumption of the limited lithium resources. Due to their improved safety, polyanion framework compounds have recently gained attention as potential candidates. With the earth-abundant element Fe being the redox center, the uniform carbon-coated Na Fe (P O ) /C composite represents a promising alternative for sodium-ion batteries.

One-pot synthesis of single-crystalline PtPb nanodendrites with enhanced activity for electrooxidation of formic acid.

Bimetallic PtPb nanodendrites with a single-crystalline structure were obtained by a facile one-pot strategy. The as-synthesized dendritic structure was well characterized and the growth mechanism was investigated. PtPb nanodendrites exhibited superior activity (5.