Regulating the 3d-orbital occupancy on Ni sites enables high-rate and durable Ni(OH) cathode for alkaline Zn batteries.

The capacity and cycling stability of β-Ni(OH)-based cathodes in aqueous alkaline Ni-Zn batteries are still unsatisfactory due to their undesirable OH adsorption/desorption dynamics during the electrochemical redox process. To settle this issue, we introduce a new atomic-level strategy to finely modulate the OH adsorption/desorption of β-Ni(OH) through tailoring the 3d-orbital occupancy of Ni center by Co/Cu co-doping (denoted as Co-Cu-Ni(OH)). Both experimental outcomes and density functional theory calculations validate that the co-doping of Co and Cu endows the Ni species in Co-Cu-Ni(OH) with appropriate proportion of the unoccupied 3d-orbital, leading to optimized adsorption/desorption strength of OH.

Boosting the Zn storage capacity of MoO nanoribbons by modulating the electrons spin states of Mo via Ni doping.

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) have received considerable potential for their affordability and high reliability. Among potential cathodes, α-MoO stands out due to its layered structure aligned with the (010) plane, offering extensive ionic insertion channels for enhanced charge storage. However, its limited electrochemical activity and poor Zn transport kinetics present significant challenges for its deployment in energy storage devices.

Weak Solvation Effect Induced Optimal Interfacial Chemistry Enables Highly Durable Zn Anodes for Aqueous Zn-Ion Batteries.

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) are emerging as one of the most reliable energy storage technologies for scale-up applications, but still suffer from the instability of Zn anode, which is mainly caused by the undesirable dendrite growth and side reactions. To tackle these issues, we formulate a new aqueous electrolyte with weak solvation effect by introducing low-dielectric-constant acetone to achieve H O-poor solvation structure of Zn . Experimental and theoretical calculation studies concurrently reveal that such solvation structure can: i) relieve the solvated H O related side reactions, ii) suppress the dendrite growth by boosting the desolvation kinetics of Zn and iii) in situ form solid electrolyte interface (SEI) to synergistically inhibit the side reaction and dendrite growth.

Structural and surface engineering promotes Zn-ion energy storage capability of commercial carbon cloth.

Aqueous Zn-ion hybrid supercapacitors (AZHSCs) combining the advantages of high-energy batteries and high-power supercapacitors see a bright future, but they still suffer from the poor capacity of carbonic cathodes. Herein, a functionalized porous carbon cloth (denoted as FPCC) electrode is demonstrated based on commercial carbon cloth (denoted as CC) tuning by structural and surface engineering. The constructed exfoliated porous carbon layer and the negatively charged functionalized interface not only increase the electrical double layer capacitance but also favor the chemical adsorption of Zn2+ to obtain additional pseudocapacitance.

Unraveling the Mechanism of Cooperative Redox Chemistry in High-Efficient Zn Storage of Vanadium Oxide Cathode.

The inferior capacity and cyclic durability of V O caused by inadequate active sites and sluggish kinetics are the main problems to encumber the widespread industrial applications of vanadium-zinc batteries (VZBs). Herein, a cooperative redox chemistry (CRC) as "electron carrier" is proposed to facilitate the electron-transfer by capturing/providing electrons for the redox of V O . The increased oxygen vacancies in V O provoked in situ by CRC offers numerous Zn storage sites and ion-diffusion paths and reduces the electrostatic interactions between vanadium-based cathode and intercalated Zn , which enhance Zn storage capability and structural stability.

Boosting the capacity and stability of a MoO cathode valence regulation and polypyrrole coating for a rechargeable Zn ion battery.

Molybdenum trioxide (MoO) is emerging as a hugely competitive cathode material for aqueous zinc ion batteries (ZIBs) for its high theoretical capacity and electrochemical activity. Nevertheless, owing to its undesirable electronic transport capability and poor structural stability, the practical capacity and cycling performance of MoO are yet unsatisfactory, which greatly blocks its commercial use. In this work, we report an effective approach to first synthesise nanosized MoO materials to provide more active specific surface areas, while improving the capacity and cycle life of MoO by introducing low valence Mo and coated polypyrrole (PPy).

Facile fabrication of hierarchical ultrathin Rh-based nanosheets for efficient hydrogen evolution.

Rational design of efficient and stable electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) has attracted wide attention. Noble metal-based electrocatalysts with ultrathin structures and highly exposed active surfaces are essential to boost the HER performance, while the simple synthetic strategies remain challenging. Herein, we reported a facile urea-mediated method to synthesize hierarchical ultrathin Rh nanosheets (Rh NSs) without using toxic reducing agents and structure directing agents in the reaction.

One-Pot Synthesis of NiSe with Layered Structure for Nickel-Zinc Battery.

Transition metal organic framework materials and their selenides are considered to be one of the most promising cathode materials for nickel-zinc (denoted as Ni-Zn) batteries due to their low cost, environmental friendliness, and controllable microstructure. Yet, their low capacity and poor cycling performance severely restricts their further development. Herein, we developed a simple one-pot hydrothermal process to directly synthesize NiSe (denotes as NiSe-X based on the molar amount of SeO added) stacked layered sheets.

Compacting Electric Double Layer Enables Carbon Electrode with Ultrahigh Zn Ion Storage Capability.

Carbon-based cathodes for aqueous zinc ion hybrid supercapacitors (ZHSCs) typically undergo low Zn ion storage capability due to their electric double layer capacitance (EDLC) energy storage mechanism that is restricted by specific surface area and thickness of electric double layer (EDL). Here, we report a universal surface charge modulation strategy to effectively enhance the capacitance of carbon materials by decreasing the thickness of EDL. Amino groups with lone pair electrons were chosen to increase the surface charge density and enhanced the interaction between carbon electrode and Zn ions, thus effectively compacting the EDL.

Hundreds-Dollar-Level Multiplex Integrated RT-qPCR Quantitative System for Field Detection.

The COVID-19 pandemic poses a threat to global health. Due to its high sensitivity, specificity, and stability, real-time fluorescence quantitative (real-time PCR) detection has become the most extensively used approach for diagnosing SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia. According to a report from the World Health Organization, emerging and underdeveloped nations lack nucleic acid detection kits and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) instruments for molecular biological detection.

Unshared Pair Electrons of Zincophilic Lewis Base Enable Long-life Zn Anodes under "Three High" Conditions.

The hydrogen evolution and dendrite issues are the notorious culprits of the limited lifespan and Coulombic efficiency (CE) of Zn anodes, particularly at harsh test conditions. Herein, considering the Lewis acidic feature of Zn , abundant unshared pair electrons of zincophilic Lewis bases are proposed as decent electrolyte additives to stabilize Zn anodes at "Three High" conditions (high depth of discharge, high areal capacity and high current). The unshared pair electrons can remove H O from Zn solvated sheaths and confine the activity of H O by breaking its hydrogen bonding network.

Construction of dPCR and qPCR integrated system based on commercially available low-cost hardware.

Fluorescent quantitative PCR (qPCR) and digital PCR (dPCR) are two mainstream nucleic acid quantification technologies. However, commercial dPCR and qPCR instruments have a low integration, a high price, and a large footprint. To solve these shortcomings, we introduce a compound PCR system with both qPCR and dPCR functions.

Facile hydrothermal synthesis of cobaltosic sulfide nanorods for high performance supercapacitors.

With high reactivity, electrical conductivity, theoretical specific capacitance and well redox reversibility, transition metal sulfides are considered as a promising anode material for supercapacitors. Hence, we designed a simple two-step hydrothermal process to grow CoS nanorod arrays on flexible carbon cloth substrates. Benefited from the larger specific surface area of nanoarrays, the binder-free CoS electrode demonstrates a higher specific capacity of 1.

Intrinsic Carbon Defects Induced Reversible Antimony Chemistry for High-Energy Aqueous Alkaline Batteries.

Developing high-capacity, dendrite-free, and stable anode materials for robust aqueous alkaline batteries (AABs) is an ongoing challenge. Antimony (Sb) is predicated as an attractive anode material, but it still suffers from low capacity and poor stability caused by the obstructed kinetic behavior and uncontrollable nucleation for SbO . Herein, designing a new defect-modified carbon skeleton (D-CS), a highly reversible Sb anode with ultralong cycling stability is realized at practical levels of capacity and high depth of discharge (DOD).

Oxygen-rich interface enables reversible stibium stripping/plating chemistry in aqueous alkaline batteries.

Aqueous alkaline batteries see bright future in renewable energy storage and utilization, but their practical application is greatly challenged by the unsatisfactory performance of anode materials. Herein, we demonstrate a latent Sb stripping/plating chemistry by constructing an oxygen-rich interface on carbon substrate, thus providing a decent anode candidate. The functional interface effectively lowers the nucleation overpotential of Sb and strengthens the absorption capability of the charge carriers (SbO ions).

Dendrite-Free Zinc Deposition Induced by Multifunctional CNT Frameworks for Stable Flexible Zn-Ion Batteries.

The current boom of safe and renewable energy storage systems is driving the recent renaissance of Zn-ion batteries. However, the notorious tip-induced dendrite growth on the Zn anode restricts their further application. Herein, the first demonstration of constructing a flexible 3D carbon nanotube (CNT) framework as a Zn plating/stripping scaffold is constituted to achieve a dendrite-free robust Zn anode.

A Confinement Strategy for Stabilizing ZIF-Derived Bifunctional Catalysts as a Benchmark Cathode of Flexible All-Solid-State Zinc-Air Batteries.

Carbon composites with embedded metal/metal oxides represent a group of versatile electrochemical catalysts that has attracted extensive research attention. However, the beauty of this concept is marred by the severe carbon evaporation and the aggregation of metal species during their synthetic process, leading to the diminishment in active sites and catalytic durability. To address this issue, this study demonstrates the feasibility of utilizing Al O nanolayer to trap volatile carbon and nitrogen species and alleviate the aggregation of Co species during the pyrolysis of the Zn/Co-ZIFs (ZIF = zeolitic imidazolate framework).

Porous MoO nanowires as stable and high-rate negative electrodes for electrochemical capacitors.

Free-standing porous MoO nanowires with extraordinary capacitive performance are developed as high-performance electrodes for electrochemical capacitors. The as-obtained MoO electrode exhibits a remarkable capacitance of 424.4 mF cm with excellent electrochemical durability (no capacitance decay after 10 000 cycles at various scan rates).

Facile synthesis of free-standing CeO(2) nanorods for photoelectrochemical applications.

Free-standing CeO(2) nanorods with different morphology grew directly on Ti substrates via an electrochemical assembly process, and their absorption edges show a remarkable red-shift to the visible region. Moreover, photoelectrochemical cell (PEC) measurements demonstrate these CeO(2) nanorods exhibit a photovoltaic response under visible light illumination (λ≥ 390 nm).

Facile electrochemical synthesis of single crystalline CeO2 octahedrons and their optical properties.

We developed a simple electrochemical process for the large-scale fabrication of single crystalline CeO(2) octahedrons and nanospheres from DMSO aqueous solution. The octahedrons with some structural defects have a size ranging from 200 to 300 nm. Moreover, highly crystalline CeO(2) nanospheres were also obtained via this electrochemical process based on the oriented attachment mechanism.