Constructing Ionic Interfaces for Stable Electrochemical CO Reduction.

The electrochemical CO reduction reaction (CORR) has emerged as a promising approach for sustainable carbon cycling and valuable chemical production. Various methods and strategies have been explored to boost CORR performance. One of the most promising strategies includes the construction of stable ionic interfaces on metallic or molecular catalysts using organic or inorganic cations, which has demonstrated a significant improvement in catalytic performance.

Flash healing of laser-induced graphene.

The advancement of laser-induced graphene (LIG) technology has streamlined the fabrications of flexible graphene devices. However, the ultrafast kinetics triggered by laser irradiation generates intrinsic amorphous characteristics, leading to high resistivity and compromised performance in electronic devices. Healing graphene defects in specific patterns is technologically challenging by conventional methods.

Backbone Engineering of Polymeric Catalysts for High-Performance CO Reduction in Bipolar Membrane Zero-Gap Electrolyzer.

Bipolar membranes (BPMs) have emerged as a promising solution for mitigating CO losses, salt precipitation and high maintenance costs associated with the commonly used anion-exchange membrane electrode assembly for CO reduction reaction (CORR). However, the industrial implementation of BPM-based zero-gap electrolyzer is hampered by the poor CORR performance, largely attributed to the local acidic environment. Here, we report a backbone engineering strategy to improve the CORR performance of molecular catalysts in BPM-based zero-gap electrolyzers by covalently grafting cobalt tetraaminophthalocyanine onto a positively charged polyfluorene backbone (PF-CoTAPc).

Ultrathin, Cationic Covalent Organic Nanosheets for Enhanced CO Electroreduction to Methanol.

Metalloporphyrins and metallophthalocyanines emerge as popular building blocks to develop covalent organic nanosheets (CONs) for CO reduction reaction (CORR). However, existing CONs predominantly yield CO, posing a challenge in achieving efficient methanol production through multielectron reduction. Here, ultrathin, cationic, and cobalt-phthalocyanine-based CONs (iminium-CONs) are reported for electrochemical CO-to-CHOH conversion.

In situ generation of highly localized chlorine by laser-induced graphene electrodes during electrochemical disinfection.

Laser-induced graphene (LIG) has gained popularity for electrochemical water disinfection due to its efficient antimicrobial activity when activated with low voltages. However, the antimicrobial mechanism of LIG electrodes is not yet fully understood. This study demonstrated an array of mechanisms working synergistically to inactivate bacteria during electrochemical treatment using LIG electrodes, including the generation of oxidants, changes in pH-specifically high alkalinity associated with the cathode, and electro-adsorption on the electrodes.

Direct Synthesis of Ammonia from Nitrate on Amorphous Graphene with Near 100% Efficiency.

Ammonia is an indispensable commodity in the agricultural and pharmaceutical industries. Direct nitrate-to-ammonia electroreduction is a decentralized route yet challenged by competing side reactions. Most catalysts are metal-based, and metal-free catalysts with high nitrate-to-ammonia conversion activity are rarely reported.

Ultrasensitive, Fast-Responsive, Directional Airflow Sensing by Bioinspired Suspended Graphene Fibers.

The development of high-performance miniaturized and flexible airflow sensors is essential to meet the need of emerging applications. Graphene-based airflow sensors are hampered by the sluggish response and recovery speed and low sensitivity. Here we employ laser-induced graphene (LIG) with poststructural biomimicry for fabricating high-performance, flexible airflow sensors, including cotton-like porous LIG, caterpillar fluff-like vertical LIG fiber, and Lepidoptera scale-like suspended LIG fiber (SLIGF) structures.

Touch IoT enabled by wireless self-sensing and haptic-reproducing electronic skin.

Tactile sensations are mainly transmitted to each other by physical touch. Wireless touch perception could be a revolution for us to interact with the world. Here, we report a wireless self-sensing and haptic-reproducing electronic skin (e-skin) to realize noncontact touch communications.

Atomically Thin, Ionic-Covalent Organic Nanosheets for Stable, High-Performance Carbon Dioxide Electroreduction.

The incorporation of charged functional groups is effective to modulate the activity of molecular complexes for the CO reduction reaction (CO RR), yet long-term heterogeneous electrolysis is often hampered by catalyst leaching. Herein, an electrocatalyst of atomically thin, cobalt-porphyrin-based, ionic-covalent organic nanosheets (CoTAP-iCONs) is synthesized via a post-synthetic modification strategy for high-performance CO -to-CO conversion. The cationic quaternary ammonium groups not only enable the formation of monolayer nanosheets due to steric hindrance and electrostatic repulsion, but also facilitate the formation of a *COOH intermediate, as suggested by theoretical calculations.

Anomalous Self-Optimizing Microporous Graphene-Based Lithium-ion Battery Anode from Laser Activation of Small Organic Molecules.

Laser scribing technology is a straightforward technique to fabricate porous graphene, yet only conducted with polymeric precursors. Compared to polymers, molecular engineering of small organic molecules is much easier, which can be used to modify the graphene with tailored performance. Here we report the first employment of a laser to respectively transform small organic molecules, pentacene quinone and tetraazapentacene quinone (TAPQ), into graphene (P-LIG and N-LIG) as high-performance lithium-ion battery anodes.

Transient Solid-State Laser Activation of Indium for High-Performance Reduction of CO to Formate.

Deficiencies in understanding the local environment of active sites and limited synthetic skills challenge the delivery of industrially-relevant current densities with low overpotentials and high selectivity for CO reduction. Here, a transient laser induction of metal salts can stimulate extreme conditions and rapid kinetics to produce defect-rich indium nanoparticles (L-In) is reported. Atomic-resolution microscopy and X-ray absorption disclose the highly defective and undercoordinated local environment in L-In.

Transient, Implantable, Ultrathin Biofuel Cells Enabled by Laser-Induced Graphene and Gold Nanoparticles Composite.

Transient power sources with excellent biocompatibility and bioresorablility have attracted significant attention. Here, we report high-performance, transient glucose enzymatic biofuel cells (TEBFCs) based on the laser-induced graphene (LIG)/gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) composite electrodes. Such LIG electrodes can be easily fabricated from polyimide (PI) with an infrared CO laser and exhibit a low impedance (16 Ω).

Molecular Engineering of Laser-Induced Graphene for Potential-Driven Broad-Spectrum Antimicrobial and Antiviral Applications.

Worldwide, countless deaths have been caused by the coronavirus disease 2019. In addition to the virus variants, an increasing number of fatal fungal infections have been reported, which further exacerbates the scenario. Therefore, the development of porous surfaces with both antiviral and antimicrobial capacities is of urgent need.

Laser-Engineered Graphene on Wood Enables Efficient Antibacterial, Anti-Salt-Fouling, and Lipophilic-Matter-Rejection Solar Evaporation.

Advances in solar steam generation have made a promise in mitigating the water scarcity problem. However, their practical use could be curtailed by the vaporized pollutants and the longevity limited by biofouling and salt-fouling that are often overlooked. Here, a flake of wood is reported to be engineered into a miniaturized solar water treatment device by a laser engraving process and demonstrates advantages over common solar systems.

Laser-Induced Graphene: En Route to Smart Sensing.

The discovery of laser-induced graphene (LIG) from polymers in 2014 has aroused much attention in recent years. A broad range of applications, including batteries, catalysis, sterilization, and separation, have been explored. The advantages of LIG technology over conventional graphene synthesis methods are conspicuous, which include designable patterning, environmental friendliness, tunable compositions, and controllable morphologies.

Self-Reporting and Photothermally Enhanced Rapid Bacterial Killing on a Laser-Induced Graphene Mask.

Wearing face masks has been widely recommended to contain respiratory virus diseases, yet the improper use of masks poses a threat of jeopardizing the protection effect. We here identified the bacteria viability on common face masks and found that the majority of bacteria (90%) remain alive after 8 h. Using laser-induced graphene (LIG), the inhibition rate improves to ∼81%.

Covalently Grafting Cobalt Porphyrin onto Carbon Nanotubes for Efficient CO Electroreduction.

Molecular complexes with inexpensive transition-metal centers have drawn extensive attention, as they show a high selectivity in the electrochemical conversion of CO to CO. In this work, we propose a new strategy to covalently graft cobalt porphyrin onto the surface of a carbon nanotube by a substitution reaction at the metal center. Material characterization and electrochemical studies reveal that the porphyrin molecules are well dispersed at a high loading of 10 wt.