Utilizing urban and agricultural waste for sustainable production of mesoporous hybrid nanocomposites in synthetic dye removal and antimicrobial activity.

The discharge of untreated dye waste from various industrial sectors into wastewater poses significant environmental and health risks. This study presents an innovative approach by developing a cost-effective and eco-friendly hybrid mesoporous nanocomposite, silver nanoparticles@mesoporous mango peel-derived carbon (AgNPs@MMC), synthesized from agricultural waste (mango peels) and urban waste (X-ray film waste). The core objectives of this work are: (i) recycling agricultural and urban waste to produce valuable materials; (ii) achieving effective removal of methyl violet 10B (MV10B) through simultaneous adsorption and photocatalytic degradation; and (iii) evaluating the antimicrobial properties of the developed material.

Methods of Manipulation of Acoustic Radiation Using Metamaterials with a Focus on Polymers: Design and Mechanism Insights.

The manipulation of acoustic waves is becoming increasingly crucial in research and practical applications. The coordinate transformation methods and acoustic metamaterials represent two significant areas of study that offer innovative strategies for precise acoustic wave control. This review highlights the applications of these methods in acoustic wave manipulation and examines their synergistic effects.

Controllable synthesis of a hybrid mesoporous sheets-like FeNiS@ P, N-doped carbon electrocatalyst for alkaline oxygen evolution reaction.

Owing to the high cost of precious metal catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), the production of highly efficient and affordable electrocatalysts is important for generating pollution-free and renewable energy via electrochemical processes. A facile hydrothermal approach was employed to synthesize hybrid mesoporous iron-nickel bimetallic sulfides @ P, N-doped carbon for the OER. The prepared FeNiS@C exhibited an overpotential (η) of 250 mV at 10 mA/cm.

Ultrasound-Assisted Preparation and Performance Regulation of Electrocatalytic Materials.

With the advancement of scientific research, the introduction of external physical methods not only adds extra freedom to the design of electro-catalytical processes for green technologies but also effectively improves the reactivity of materials. Physical methods can adjust the intrinsic activity of materials and modulate the local environment at the solid-liquid interface. In particular, this approach holds great promise in the field of electrocatalysis.

Ultrasonic-assisted preparation of two-dimensional materials for electrocatalysts.

Developing green, environmental, sustainable new energy sources is an important problem to be solved in the world. Among the new energy technologies, water splitting system, fuel cell technology and metal-air battery technology are the main energy production and conversion methods, which involve three main electrocatalytic reactions, hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), oxygen evolution reaction (OER), and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The efficiency of the electrocatalytic reaction and the power consumption are very dependent on the activity of the electrocatalysts.

MXene-based Materials for Water Splitting: Synthesis and Modification.

With abundant metal site and tunable electronic structure, MXene is considered as a promising electrocatalyst for the conversion of energy molecules. In this review, the latest research progress on inexpensive MXene-based catalysts for water electrolysis is summarized. Typical preparation and modification methods and their advantages and disadvantages are briefly discussed, with a focus on the regulation and design of the surface interface electronic states, which improve the electrocatalytic performance of MXene-based materials.

Atomic understanding of the strain-induced electrocatalysis from DFT calculation: progress and perspective.

Catalyst activity affects the reaction rate, and an increasing number of studies have shown that strain can significantly increase the electrocatalytic activity. Catalysts such as alloys and core-shell structures can modulate their properties through strain effects. Reasonable simulation techniques can be used to predict and design the catalytic performance based on understanding the strain action mechanism.

High-loading LiBH Confined in Structurally Tunable Ni Catalyst-decorated Porous Carbon Scaffold for Fast Hydrogen Desorption.

Catalysts combined with nanoconfinement can improve the sluggish desorption kinetics and poor reversibility of LiBH . However, at high LiBH loading, their hydrogen storage performance is significantly reduced. Herein, a porous carbon-sphere scaffold decorated with Ni nanoparticles (NPs) was synthesised by calcining a Ni metal-organic framework precursor, followed by partial etching of the Ni NPs to fabricate an optimised scaffold with a high surface area and large porosity that accommodates high LiBH loading (up to 60 wt.

Core-shell NiS@C encased by thin carbon layer as high-rate and durable electrode for aqueous rechargeable battery.

Nickel sulfides, as promising candidate for aqueous rechargeable battery, have aroused broad attention on account of abundant natural resources, rich phases, moderate price and high theoretical capacity. Nevertheless, tremendous volume expansion during repeated charging-discharging procedure leads to the poor rate capability and cycling stability of nickel sulfide electrodes. Therefore, in this work, core-shell NiS@C encapsulated by thin hydrothermal carbon (HC) layer (NiS@C/HC) has been designed and prepared without any surfactants or templates assistance, which avoid tedious process and shorten preparation cycle greatly.

Electrocatalyst design for the conversion of energy molecules: electronic state modulation and mass transport regulation.

Electrocatalytic conversions of energy molecules are involved in many energy conversion processes. Improving the activity of electrocatalysts is critical for increasing the efficiency of these energy conversion processes. However, the tailored design of highly active electrocatalysts for practical applications remains challenging.

Non-precious transition metal single-atom catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction: progress and prospects.

The massive exploitation and use of fossil resources have created many negative issues, such as energy shortage and environmental pollution. It prompts us to turn our attention to the development of new energy technologies. This review summarizes the recent research progress of non-precious transition metal single-atom catalysts (NPT-SACs) for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in Zn-air batteries and fuel cells.

Noble Metal-Based Catalysts with Core-Shell Structure for Oxygen Reduction Reaction: Progress and Prospective.

With the deterioration of the ecological environment and the depletion of fossil energy, fuel cells, representing a new generation of clean energy, have received widespread attention. This review summarized recent progress in noble metal-based core-shell catalysts for oxygen reduction reactions (ORRs) in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). The novel testing methods, performance evaluation parameters and research methods of ORR were briefly introduced.

Te-S covalent bond induces 1T&2H MoS with improved potassium-ion storage performance.

The modulation of the characteristics of an MoS2 anode via substitutional doping, particularly N, P and Se, is vital for promoting the potassium-ion storage performances. However, these traditional chalcogen doping can only take the place of a sulfur element and not essentially change the inherent electrical nature of MoS2. Herein, novel Te-MoS2 materials have been synthesized via a simple hydrothermal process under Te doping.

Ultra-Thin SnS-Pt Nanocatalyst for Efficient Hydrogen Evolution Reaction.

Transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) materials have attracted much attention for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) as a new catalyst, but they still have challenges in poor stability and high reaction over-potential. In this study, ultra-thin SnS nanocatalysts were synthesized by simple hydrothermal method, and low load of Pt was added to form stable SnS-Pt-3 (the content of platinum is 0.5 wt %).

The phase-change evolution from surface to bulk of MnO anodes upon cycling.

Transition-metal oxides with low valence states are promising candidates as anodes for advanced rechargeable Li-ion batteries. Surprisingly, the capacities of such anode materials initially decrease and then increase after long-term cycling. Herein, MnO is selected as a representative material to study the structure-function relationship and elucidate the above-mentioned phenomena during long-term cycling.

Hierarchical TiC@TiO MXene hybrids with tunable interlayer distance for highly durable lithium-ion batteries.

To realize high-rate and long-term performance of rechargeable batteries, the most effective approach is to develop an advanced hybrid material with a stable structure and more reaction active sites. Recently, 2D MXenes have become an up-and-coming electrode owing to their high conductivity and large redox-active surface area. In this work, we firstly prepared Ti3C2 MXenes through the selective etching of silicon from Ti3SiC2 (MAX) using HF and an oxidant for highly durable lithium-ion batteries (LIBs).

Visualization of crystal plane selectivity for irreversible phase transition in MnO@C anode.

Transition metal oxides are widely regarded as one of the most promising candidates for lithium-ion battery (LIB) anodes. However, the mechanisms of irreversible reactions occurring during the charging/discharging process are still controversial. In this study, the atomic structural transitions of the MnO@C anode upon lithiation/delithiation at the first cycle of charging and discharging are elucidated.

The encapsulation of MnFeO nanoparticles into the carbon framework with superior rate capability for lithium-ion batteries.

Binary transition metal oxides (BTMOs) have been regarded as one of the most hopeful anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) owing to their high theoretical capacity, excellent electrochemical activity and abundant electrochemical reactions. However, BTMOs still suffer from two main problems, which are poor conductivity and large volume expansion during the charge/discharge processes. In order to address the above-mentioned problems, mesoporous MnFe2O4@C nanorods have been successfully synthesized in this work.

Controlled Synthesis of Ni-Doped MoS Hybrid Electrode for Synergistically Enhanced Water-Splitting Process.

The development of high-efficiency, low-cost, and earth-abundant electrocatalysts for overall water splitting remains a challenge. In this work, Ni-modified MoS hybrid catalysts are grown on carbon cloth (Ni-Mo-S@CC) through a one-step hydrothermal treatment. The optimized Ni-Mo-S@CC catalyst shows excellent hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity with a low overpotential of 168 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm in 1.

Metal oxide-based supercapacitors: progress and prospectives.

Distinguished by particular physical and chemical properties, metal oxide materials have been a focus of research and exploitation for applications in energy storage devices. Used as supercapacitor electrode materials, metal oxides have certified attractive performances for fabricating various supercapacitor devices in a broad voltage window. In comparison with single metal oxides, bimetallic oxide materials are highly desired for overcoming the constraint of the poor electric conductivity of single metal oxide materials, achieving a high capacitance and raising the energy density at this capacitor-level power.

Design and Regulation of Novel MnFeO@C Nanowires as High Performance Electrode for Supercapacitor.

Bimetallic oxides have been considered as potential candidates for supercapacitors due to their relatively high electric conductivity, abundant redox reactions and cheapness. However, nanoparticle aggregation and huge volume variation during charging-discharging procedures make it hard for them to be applied widely. In this work, one-dimensional (1D) MnFeO@C nanowires were in-situ synthesized via a simply modified micro-emulsion technique, followed by thermal treatment.

Large-scale CoS@C hybrids with tunable carbon thickness for high-rate and long-term performances of an aqueous battery.

To realize high-rate and long-term performances of an aqueous rechargeable battery, the most effective approach is to build electrode materials with more reaction active sites and stable structures. Transition metal sulfides have become up-and-coming electrodes due to their high conductivity. Herein, we demonstrated the in situ construction of core-shell Co9S8@C materials with controlled carbon content and thickness.

Improvement of Hydrogen Desorption Characteristics of MgH₂ With Core-shell Ni@C Composites.

Magnesium hydride (MgH₂) has become popular to study in hydrogen storage materials research due to its high theoretical capacity and low cost. However, the high hydrogen desorption temperature and enthalpy as well as the depressed kinetics, have severely blocked its actual utilizations. Hence, our work introduced Ni@C materials with a core-shell structure to synthesize MgH₂- wt.

Facile Synthesis of A 3D Flower-Like Mesoporous Ni@C Composite Material for High-Energy Aqueous Asymmetric Supercapacitors.

A 3D flower-like mesoporous Ni@C composite material has been synthesized by using a facile and economical one-pot hydrothermal method. This unique 3D flower-like Ni@C composite, which exhibited a high surface area (522.4 m  g ), consisted of highly dispersed Ni nanoparticles on mesoporous carbon flakes.

Copper-doped dual phase Li4Ti5O12-TiO2 nanosheets as high-rate and long cycle life anodes for high-power lithium-ion batteries.

Cu-doped Li4 Ti5 O12 -TiO2 nanosheets were synthesized by a facile, cheap, and environmentally friendly solution-based method. These nanostructures were investigated as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries. Cu doping was found to enhance the electron conductivity of the materials, and the amount of Cu doped controlled the crystal structure and content of TiO2 .