Highly Conjugated Graphitic Carbon Nitride Nanofoam for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution.

As a metal-free photocatalyst, graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) shows great potential for photocatalytic water splitting, although its performance is significantly limited by structural defects due to incomplete polymerization. In the present work, we successfully synthesize highly conjugated g-CN nanofoam through an iodide substitution technique. The product possesses a high polymerization degree, low defect density, and large specific surface area; as a result, it achieves a hydrogen evolution rate of 9.

Fine regulation of electron transfer in Ag@CoO nanoparticles for boosting the oxygen evolution reaction.

In this study, a core-shell structure (Ag@Co3O4) was constructed to modify the valence state of cobalt cations precisely by continuously adjusting the shell thickness. There exists a volcano relationship between the valence state of Co sites and OER activity, and the lowest overpotential (212 mV@10 mA cm-2) has been obtained.

Multi-functional anodes boost the transient power and durability of proton exchange membrane fuel cells.

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells have been regarded as the most promising candidate for fuel cell vehicles and tools. Their broader adaption, however, has been impeded by cost and lifetime. By integrating a thin layer of tungsten oxide within the anode, which serves as a rapid-response hydrogen reservoir, oxygen scavenger, sensor for power demand, and regulator for hydrogen-disassociation reaction, we herein report proton exchange membrane fuel cells with significantly enhanced power performance for transient operation and low humidified conditions, as well as improved durability against adverse operating conditions.

The influence of adjacent Al atoms on the hydrothermal stability of H-SSZ-13: a first-principles study.

The Al concentration and distribution have a great influence on the hydrothermal stability of the H-SSZ-13 zeolites in experiments. In this work, first-principles calculations are performed to clarify the decomposition mechanism of an H-SSZ-13 framework with adjacent Al atom pair distribution under hydrothermal conditions. It is found that the adjacent Al atoms have a tendency to occupy the para-sites of the 4-membered rings (4MRs) in the framework.

High-quality mesoporous graphene particles as high-energy and fast-charging anodes for lithium-ion batteries.

The application of graphene for electrochemical energy storage has received tremendous attention; however, challenges remain in synthesis and other aspects. Here we report the synthesis of high-quality, nitrogen-doped, mesoporous graphene particles through chemical vapor deposition with magnesium-oxide particles as the catalyst and template. Such particles possess excellent structural and electrochemical stability, electronic and ionic conductivity, enabling their use as high-performance anodes with high reversible capacity, outstanding rate performance (e.

Tuning the structure of bifunctional Pt/SmMnO interfaces for promoted low-temperature CO oxidation activity.

The interfacial structure of metal-oxide composite catalysts plays a vital role in heterogeneous catalysis, which is crucial to the adsorption and activation of reactants. Herein, the interfacial effects of bare and Fe/Co/Ni doped SmMn2O5 mullite oxide supported Pt clusters on CO oxidation have been investigated by first-principles based microkinetics analysis. A robust formation of Pt/Mn2 trimer structures is demonstrated at the bifunctional interfaces irrespective of the Ptn cluster's size, which can provide spatially separated sites for CO adsorption and O2 dissociation.

Porous Cobalt-Nickel Hydroxide Nanosheets with Active Cobalt Ions for Overall Water Splitting.

Low-cost and high-performance catalysts are of great significance for electrochemical water splitting. Here, it is reported that a laser-synthesized catalyst, porous Co Ni (OH) nanosheets, is highly active for catalyzing overall water splitting. The porous nanosheets exhibit low overpotentials for hydrogen evolution reaction (95 mV@10 mA cm ) and oxygen evolution reaction (235 mV@10 mA cm ).

Iron-decorated nitrogen-rich carbons as efficient oxygen reduction electrocatalysts for Zn-air batteries.

A low-cost and scalable method has been developed to synthesize Fe-decorated N-rich carbon electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) based on pyrolysis of metal carbonyls containing metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Such a method simultaneously optimizes the Fe-related active sites and the porous structure of the catalysts. Accordingly, the best-performing Fe-NC-900-M catalyst shows excellent ORR activity with a half-wave potential of 0.

Creating Lithium-Ion Electrolytes with Biomimetic Ionic Channels in Metal-Organic Frameworks.

Solid-state electrolytes are the key to the development of lithium-based batteries with dramatically improved energy density and safety. Inspired by ionic channels in biological systems, a novel class of pseudo solid-state electrolytes with biomimetic ionic channels is reported herein. This is achieved by complexing the anions of an electrolyte to the open metal sites of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), which transforms the MOF scaffolds into ionic-channel analogs with lithium-ion conduction and low activation energy.

Hierarchical Nanostructured WO3 with Biomimetic Proton Channels and Mixed Ionic-Electronic Conductivity for Electrochemical Energy Storage.

Protein channels in biologic systems can effectively transport ions such as proton (H(+)), sodium (Na(+)), and calcium (Ca(+)) ions. However, none of such channels is able to conduct electrons. Inspired by the biologic proton channels, we report a novel hierarchical nanostructured hydrous hexagonal WO3 (h-WO3) which can conduct both protons and electrons.