Yolk-shelled MoS/C@Void@C@MoS nanospheres as a stable and high-rate anode in sodium/potassium ion batteries.

We report a yolk-shelled anode material with an MoS/C core, large inner void and C@MoS shell (MoS/C@Void@C@MoS). This design could accelerate Na/K reaction kinetics and endure volume changes. Based on the kinetics analysis and calculations based on density functional theory, this structure could effectively enhance the high-rate sodium/potassium storage capability.

Dendritic boron and nitrogen doped high-entropy alloy porous carbon fibers for high-efficiency hydrogen evolution reaction.

Among various electrocatalysts, high-entropy alloys (HEAs) have gained significant attention for their unique properties and excellent catalytic activity in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). However, the precise synthesis of HEA catalysts in small sizes remains challenging, which limits further improvement in their catalytic performance. In this study, boron- and nitrogen-doped HEA porous carbon nanofibers (HE-BN/PCNF) with an -grown dendritic structure were successfully prepared, inspired by the germination and growth of tree branches.

Single Atom Ru Doped NiP/FeP Heterostructure for Boosting Hydrogen Evolution for Water Splitting.

Modulating the chemical composition and structure has been considered as one of the most promising strategies for developing high-efficient water splitting catalysts. Here, a single-atom Ru doped NiP/FeP catalyst is synthesized by introducing the dispersed Ru atoms to adjust NiP/FeP heterostructure. Single atom Ru provides effective hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) active sites for boosting catalytic activities.

Selective edge etching of Pd metallene for enhanced formic acid electrooxidation.

We develop a facile, selective edge etching strategy to create edge sites in Pd metallene using acetic acid. The created edge sites remarkably increase the electrochemically active surface area but reduce the charge transfer resistance, resulting in significant enhancement of catalytic activity and stability toward formic acid oxidation.

Tensile-Strained Holey Pd Metallene toward Efficient and Stable Electrocatalysis.

Noble metal-based metallenes are attracting intensive attention in energy catalysis, but it is still very challenging to precisely control the surface structures of metallenes for higher catalytic properties on account of their intrinsic thermodynamic instability. Herein, the synthesis of tensile-strained holey Pd metallene by oxidative etching is reported using hydrogen peroxide, which exhibits highly enhanced catalytic activity and stability in comparison with normal Pd metallene toward both oxygen reduction reaction and formic acid oxidation. The pre-prepared Pd metallene functions as a catalyst to decompose hydrogen peroxide, and the Pd atoms in amorphous regions of Pd metallene are preferentially removed by the introduced hydrogen peroxide during the etching process.

Local Built-In Field at the Sub-nanometric Heterointerface Mediates Cascade Electrochemical Conversion of Lithium-sulfur Batteries.

Heterogeneous catalytic mediators have been proposed to play a vital role in enhancing the multiorder reaction and nucleation kinetics in multielectron sulfur electrochemistry. However, the predictive design of heterogeneous catalysts is still challenging, owing to the lack of in-depth understanding of interfacial electronic states and electron transfer on cascade reaction in Li-S batteries. Here, a heterogeneous catalytic mediator based on monodispersed titanium carbide sub-nanoclusters embedded in titanium dioxide nanobelts is reported.

Steered polymorphic nanodomains in TiO to boost visible-light photocatalytic oxidation.

A breakthrough in enhancing visible-light photocatalysis of wide-bandgap semiconductors such as prototypical titania (TiO) cocatalyst decoration is still challenged by insufficient heterojunctions and inevitable interfacial transport issues. Herein, we report a novel TiO-based composite material composed of generated polymorphic nanodomains including carbon nitride (CN) and (001)/(101)-faceted anatase nanocrystals. The introduction of ultrafine CN results in the generation of many oxygen vacancies in the TiO lattice, and simultaneously induces the exposure and growth of anatase TiO(001) facets with high surface energy.

Bandgap engineering of Magnéli phase Ti(n)O(2n-1): Electron-hole self-compensation.

An electron-hole self-compensation effect is revealed and confirmed in nitrogen doped Magnéli phase Ti(n)O(2n-1) (n = 7, 8, and 9) by using hybrid density functional theory calculations. We found that the self-compensation effect between the free electrons in Magnéli phase Ti(n)O(2n-1) (n = 7, 8, and 9) and the holes induced by p-type nitrogen doping could not only prevent the recombination of photo-generated electron-hole pairs, but also lead to an effective bandgap reduction. This novel electron-hole self-compensation effect may provide a new approach for bandgap engineering of Magnéli phase metal suboxides.

A facile and versatile method for preparation of colored TiO2 with enhanced solar-driven photocatalytic activity.

Colored TiO2 has attracted enormous attention due to its visible light absorption and excellent photocatalytic activity. In this report, we develop a simple and facile solid-state chemical reduction approach for a large-scale production of colored TiO2 at mild temperature (300-350 °C). The obtained sample possesses a crystalline core/amorphous shell structure (TiO2@TiO2-x).

SiH/TiO2 and GeH/TiO2 heterojunctions: promising TiO2-based photocatalysts under visible light.

We use hybrid density functional calculations to find that the monolayer silicane (SiH) and the anatase TiO2(101) composite (i.e. the SiH/TiO2 heterojunction) is a promising TiO2-based photocatalyst under visible light.