Electrodeposition of Ni/Cu Bimetallic Conductive Metal-Organic Frameworks Electrocatalysts with Boosted Oxygen Reduction Activity for Zinc-Air Batteries.

Zinc-air batteries employing non-Pt cathodes hold significant promise for advancing cathodic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). However, poor intrinsic electrical conductivity and aggregation tendency hinder the application of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as active ORR cathodes. Conductive MOFs possess various atomically dispersed metal centers and well-aligned inherent topologies, eliminating the additional carbonization processes for achieving high conductivity.

Synergistic enhancement of oxygen vacancy enrichment and morphology regulation in CeO-NiCoO heterostructure catalysts for high-performance cathodes in direct borohydride-hydrogen peroxide fuel cells.

Hydrogen peroxide (HO) emerges as a viable oxidant for fuel cells, necessitating the development of an efficient and cost-effective electrocatalyst for the hydrogen peroxide reduction reaction (HPRR). In this study, we synthesized a self-supporting, highly active HPRR electrocatalyst comprising two morphologically distinct components: CeO-NiCoO nanowires and CeO-NiCoO metal organic framework derivatives, via a two-step hydrothermal process followed by air calcination. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy analysis confirmed the presence of CeO and NiCoO, revealing the amalgamated interface between them.

Enhanced sodium-storage performances of crumpled MXene nanosheets via alkali treatment-induced active ammonium ions.

TiCT MXene demonstrates excellent potential as an anode material for sodium-ion capacitors. However, the narrow interlayer spacing and self-stacking phenomenon limit its applicability. In this study, we demonstrate an easy two-step method involving freezing and crumpling of MXene nanosheets to improve their Na-ion storage via the addition of ammonium ions (referred to as FCM nanosheets).

A graphene-like hollow sphere anode for lithium-ion batteries.

We report a flash Joule heating method for the rapid preparation of graphene-like materials. The L-GHS exhibited a uniform diameter of 200 nm and an ideal specific surface area of 670 m g. Meanwhile, the specific capacity of L-GHS remained at 942 mA h g after 600 cycles (1 A g), which shows excellent electrochemical performance.

Regulating nitrogen/sulfur terminals on 3D porous TiC MXene with enhanced reaction kinetics toward high-performance alkali metal ion storage.

In this paper, we have developed a simple and efficient sulfur-amine chemistry strategy to prepare a three-dimensional (3D) porous TiCT composite with large amounts of N and S terminal groups. The well-designed 3D macroporous architecture presents enlarged interlayer spacing, large specific surface area, and unique porous structure, which successfully solves the re-stacking issue of MXene during storage and electrode fabrication. It is the amount of concentrated hydrochloric acid added to the S-EDA (ethylenediamine)/MXene colloidal suspension that is critical to the formation of 3D morphology.

Iron-doping and facet engineering of NiSe octahedron for synergistically enhanced triiodide reduction activity in photovoltaics.

Reasonable design of cost-effective counter electrode (CE) catalysts for triiodide (I) reduction reaction (IRR) by simultaneously combining heteroatom doping and facet engineering is highly desired in iodine-based dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), but really challenging. Herein, the density function theory (DFT) calculations were first conducted to demonstrate that the Fe-doped NiSe (111) showed an appropriate adsorption energy for I, increased number of metal active sites, reinforced charge-transfer ability, and strong interaction between 3d states of metal sites and 5p state of I atoms in I, compared to NiSe (111). Based on this finding, the well-defined Fe-NiSe octahedron with exposed (111) plane (marked as Fe-NiSe (111)) and NiSe octahedron with the same exposed plane (named as NiSe (111)) are controllably synthesized.

Nanoconfinement of ultra-small BiTe nanocrystals on reduced graphene oxide: a pathway to high-performance sodium-ion battery anodes.

Bismuth telluride (BiTe) nanomaterials have attracted considerable attention owing to their intriguing physicochemical properties and wide-ranging potential applications arising from their distinctive layered structure and nanoscale size effects. However, synthesizing sub-100 nm ultra-small BiTe nanocrystals remains a formidable challenge. To date, there has been little investigation on the performance of these ultra-small BiTe nanocrystals in sodium-ion batteries (SIBs).

Dual carbon engineering enabling 1T/2H MoS with ultrastable potassium ion storage performance.

Potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) as a promising and low-cost battery technology offer the advantage of utilizing abundant and cost-effective K-salt sources. However, the effective adoption of PIBs necessitates the identification of suitable electrode materials. The 1T phase of MoS exhibits enhanced electronic conductivity and greater interlayer spacing compared to the 2H phase, leading to a capable potassium ion storage ability.

Yolk-Shell MnSe/ZnSe Heterostructures with Selenium Vacancies Encapsulated in Carbontubes for High-Efficiency Sodium/Potassium Storage.

The pursuit of high-performance batteries has propelled the investigation into advanced materials and design methodologies. Herein, the yolk-shell MnSe/ZnSe heterojunction encapsulated in hollow carbontubes (MnSe/ZnSe@HCTs) is prepared as a prospective electrode material for sodium/potassium batteries. The band structure in the heterojunction is methodically adjusted and regulated by intentionally utilizing Mn with unpaired electrons in the 3d orbital.

FeNi supported on carbon sponge for efficient urea oxidation in direct urea fuel cell.

The direct urea fuel cell (DUFC) is a power generation equipment with urea-rich wastewater or urine as fuel source. It has the unique ability to purify sewage while simultaneously generating electricity, making it a highly efficient and environmentally friendly option. In this paper, pomegranate seed-like Ni nano-blocks and Fe nanosheets were synthesized by electrodeposition and chemical reduction and attached to the carbonized melamine sponge matrix.

Sulfur-Decorated Ti C T MXene for High-Performance Sodium/Potassium-Ion Batteries.

As post-lithium ion batteries, both sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) and potassium ion batteries (PIBs) possess great potential for large scale energy storage. However, the application of both SIBs and PIBs are hindered by the lack of suitable electrode materials. Here, we synthesized the sulfur decorated Ti C T (S-T C T ) MXene as electrode material for SIBs and PIBs.

High-Performance Alkali Metal Ion Storage in BiSe Enabled by Suppression of Polyselenide Shuttling Through Intrinsic Sb-Substitution Engineering.

Bismuth selenide holds great promise as a kind of conversion-alloying-type anode material for alkali metal ion storage because of its layered structure with large interlayer spacing and high theoretical specific capacity. Nonetheless, its commercial development has been significantly hammered by the poor kinetics, severe pulverization, and polyselenide shuttle during the charge/discharge process. Herein, Sb-substitution and carbon encapsulation strategies are simultaneously employed to synthesize SbBiSe nanoparticles decorated on TiCT MXene with encapsulation of N-doped carbon (SbBiSe/MX⊂NC) as anodes for alkali metal ion storage.

A Potential Polycarbonyl Polyimide as Anode Material for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Organic polymers have been considered reliable candidates for lithium storage due to their high capacity and lack of volume expansion. Compared with other organic polymers, polyimide has become a very promising electrode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) because of its easy synthesis, customizable structure and structural stability. A large number of studies have confirmed that the benzene ring structure of polyimide has strong lithium storage capacity as an anode material.

Exploring The Synergistic Effect Of CoSeP/CoP Interface Catalyst For Efficient Urea Electrolysis.

Electrocatalytic oxidation of urea (UOR) is a potential energy-saving hydrogen production technology that can replace oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Therefore, CoSeP/CoP interface catalyst is synthesized on nickel foam using hydrothermal, solvothermal, and in situ template methods. The strong interaction of tailored CoSeP/CoP interface promotes the hydrogen production performance of electrolytic urea.

Surface engineering of core-shell MoS@N-doped carbon spheres as stable and ultra-long lifetime anode for sodium-ion batteries.

MoS is regarded as a hopeful anode candidate for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) due to their various merits such as high specific capacity, abundant raw material reserves and low cost. However, their practical application is impeded by unsatisfied cycling ability due to the intense mechanical stress and unstable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) during Na insertion/extraction process. Herein, spherical MoS@polydopamine derived highly conductive N-doped carbon (NC) shell composites (MoS@NC) are designed and synthesized to promote the cycling stability.

Boosting Magnesium Ion Storage Behavior via Heteroelement Doping in a Porous Tunnel Framework Cathode for Aqueous Mg-Ion Batteries.

To relieve the overwhelming pressure on fossil energy, aqueous magnesium ion batteries attracted tremendous attention owing to their low cost and high safety. However, the cathode materials are apt to occur lattice distortion because of the electrostatic interaction between magnesium ions and crystal. The 2×2 manganese octahedral molecular sieve with potassium ions and water located in the tunnels (K-OMS-2), utilized as a cathode material for chargeable magnesium ions batteries, is exposed to irreversible Mg intercalation/deintercalation due to lattice distortion, which heavily damages the electrochemical properties and declines the capacity.

A Novel Graphene Based Bi-Function Humidity Tolerant Binder for Lithium-Ion Battery.

Binders play a critical role in rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) by holding granular electrode materials, conductive carbons, and current collectors firmly together to form and maintain a continuous electron conduction phase with sufficient mechanical strength. In the commercial LIBs, the dominant binder is polyvinylidene fluoride for the cathode (LiCoO , LiFePO , LiNi Cot Mn O , etc.) and carboxyl methylcellulose/styrene-butadiene rubber for the anode (graphite and Li Ti O ).

Hierarchical CoNiO Microflowers Assembled by Mesoporous Nanosheets as Efficient Electrocatalysts for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction.

In order to alleviate the energy crisis and propel a low-carbon economy, hydrogen (H) plays an important role as a renewable cleaning resource. To break the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) bottleneck, we need high-efficiency electrocatalysts. Based on the synergistic effect between bimetallic oxides, hierarchical mesoporous CoNiO nanosheets can be fabricated.

Solvent Induced Activation Reaction of MoS Nanosheets within Nitrogen/Sulfur-Codoped Carbon Network Boosting Sodium Ion Storage.

MoS , as a classical 2D material, becomes a capable anode candidate for sodium-ion batteries. However, MoS presents a disparate electrochemical performance in the ether-based and ester-based electrolyte with unclear mechanism. Herein, tiny MoS nanosheets embedded in nitrogen/sulfur-codoped carbon (MoS @NSC) networks are designed and fabricated through an uncomplicated solvothermal method.

A High-Rate and Long-Life Aqueous Rechargeable Mg-Ion Battery Based on an Organic Anode Integrating Diimide and Triazine.

Aqueous Mg-ion batteries (MIBs) lack reliable anode materials. This study concerns the design and synthesis of a new anode material - a π-conjugate of 3D-poly(3,4,9,10-perylenetracarboxylic diimide-1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-triamine) [3D-P(PDI-T)] - for aqueous MIBs. The increased aromatic structure inhibits solubility in aqueous electrolytes, enhancing its structural stability.

Three-dimensional TiCT and MnS composites as anode materials for high performance alkalis (Li, Na, K) ion batteries.

Exploring capable and universal electrode materials could promote the development of alkalis (Li, Na, K) ion batteries. 2D MXene material is an ideal host for the alkalis (Li, Na, K) ion storage, but its electrochemical performance is limited by serious re-stacking and aggregation problems. Herein, we cleverly combined electrostatic self-assembly with gas-phase vulcanization method to successfully combine TiCT-MXene with ultra-long recyclability and high conductivity with MnS, which presents high specific capacity but poor conductivity.

Microwave-ultra-fast recovery of valuable metals from spent lithium-ion batteries by deep eutectic solvents.

The large-scale use of electric vehicles produced massive discarded lithium-ion batteries, containing many recyclable valuable metals and toxic and harmful substances. Biodegradable and recyclable deep eutectic solvent (DES) is considered a green recycling technology for spent LIBs. Herein, we proposed a microwave-enhanced approach to shorten the leaching time in the urea/lactic acid: choline chloride: ethylene glycol DES system.

Molybdenum sulfide selenide ultrathin nanosheets anchored on carbon tubes for rapid-charging sodium/potassium-ion batteries.

The structural stability and reaction kinetics of anodes are essential factors for high-performance battery systems. Herein, the molybdenum sulfide selenide (MoSSe) nanosheets anchored on carbon tubes (MoSSe@CTs) are synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method combining with further selenization/calcination treatment. The unique tubular carbon skeletons expose abundant active sites for the well-dispersed growth of MoS ultrathin nanosheets on both sides of the tubular carbon skeleton.

Li(110) lattice plane evolution induced by a 3D MXene skeleton for stable lithium metal anodes.

The non-uniform plating-stripping behaviours of Li metal anodes hinder the application of Li metal batteries. Here, a stable 3D matrix is designed by coating a carbon skeleton with MXene, and the significant influence of the crystallographic texture of Li metal on electrochemical behaviour is investigated. The results demonstrate that the 3D MXene/carbon skeleton can effectively induce the evolution of advantageous Li(110) facets with a dendrite-free anode interface.

Conjugated Polymer/Graphene composite as conductive Agent-Free electrode materials towards High-Performance lithium ion storage.

Polymer materials containing C rings and CO become promising electrode materials for high-performance lithium ion batteries (LIBs). However, the poor electronic conductivity severely restricts its further application. Herein, we design and construct a pyromellitic dianhydride anhydride anthraquinone/reduced graphene oxides (PMAQ/rGO-40) composite as an anode material for LIBs.