Highly hierarchical porous structures constructed from NiO nanosheets act as Li ion and O pathways in long cycle life, rechargeable Li-O batteries.

Flower-like NiO with a highly hierarchical porous structure was synthesized and used as a cathode material for Li-O batteries. The disordered porous structure and specific pathways for O and Li ions led to an outstanding cycling performance over 80 cycles at a high current density of 200 mA g.

Colloidal synthesis of Cu-ZnO and Cu@CuNi-ZnO hybrid nanocrystals with controlled morphologies and multifunctional properties.

Metal-semiconductor hybrid nanocrystals have received extensive attention owing to their multiple functionalities which can find wide technological applications. The utilization of low-cost non-noble metals to construct novel metal-semiconductor hybrid nanocrystals is important and meaningful for their large-scale applications. In this study, a facile solution approach is developed for the synthesis of Cu-ZnO hybrid nanocrystals with well-controlled morphologies, including nanomultipods, core-shell nanoparticles, nanopyramids and core-shell nanowires.