Realizing the Synergy of Interface and Dual-Defect Engineering for Molybdenum Disulfide Enables Efficient Sodium-Ion Storage.

Engineering-rich electrocatalyst defects play a critical role in greatly promoting the charge storage/transfer capability of an energy storage/conversion system. Here, an ingenious and effective two-step strategy was used to synthesize a bimetallic sulfide/oxide composite with a coaxial carbon coating, starting from mixing well-dispersed MoO nanobelts and Co-PAA compound, followed by a selective etching process. The simultaneous formation of dual defects of interlayer defect and sulfur-rich vacancies as well as MoO/MoS/CoS heterojunctions noticeably enhances both electron transfer and ion diffusion kinetics.

Lattice expansion of MnO induced by sulphur doping for enhanced aqueous zinc-ion diffusion and storage.

Lattice engineering is reported to enhance Zn storage capability of MnO anionic doping, which effectively lowers the Zn diffusion barrier and boosts Zn diffusion kinetics. The optimized MnOS@rGO exhibits superior rate capability and reversible capacity of 115.1 mA h g at 0.

Bimetallic CuAg Nanotips for Ultrahigh Yield Rate of Nitrate-to-Ammonium.

Electrochemical reduction of nitrate to ammonia (NRA) offers a sustainable approach for NH production and NO removal but suffers from low NH yield rate (<1.20 mmol h cm). We present bimetallic CuAg nanotips with tailored local environment, which achieve an ultrahigh NH yield rate of 2.

Nanocrystalline transition metal tetraborides as efficient electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction at the large current density.

While great efforts have been made to improve the electrocatalytic activity of existing materials toward hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), it is also importance for searching new type of nonprecious HER catalysts to realize the practical hydrogen evolution. Herein, we firstly report nanocrystalline transition metal tetraborides (TMB, TM=W and Mo) as an efficient HER electrocatalyst has been synthesized by a single-step solid-state reaction. The optimized nanocrystalline WB exhibits an overpotential as low as 172 mV at 10 mA/cm and small Tafel slope of 63 mV/dec in 0.

Inside-out regulation of MnO toward fast reaction kinetics in aqueous zinc ion batteries.

An "inside-out regulation" strategy is proposed to improve the Zn storage of MnO by Ni doping into the lattice and graphene wrapping outside the nanoparticles. The as-prepared Ni-MnO@rGO exhibits 112 mA h g at 2.0 A g over 800 cycles, due to the improved transport of electrons and ions from the synergistical function of intrinsic doping and external graphene encapsulation.

Synthesis of Cu Nanoparticles Incorporated Mesoporous C/SiO for Efficient Tetracycline Degradation.

In this study, a Cu NPs-incorporated carbon-containing mesoporous SiO (Cu/C-SiO) was successfully synthesized through a grinding-assisted self-infiltration method followed by an in situ reduction process. The obtained Cu/C-SiO was then employed as a Fenton-like catalyst to remove tetracycline (TC) from aqueous solutions. TEM, EDS, XRD, N adsorption-desorption, FTIR, and XPS methods were used to characterize the crystal structure, morphology, porosity, chemical composition, and surface chemical properties of the catalyst.

Vertical 3D Nanostructures Boost Efficient Hydrogen Production Coupled with Glycerol Oxidation Under Alkaline Conditions.

Hydrogen production from electrolytic water is an important sustainable technology to realize renewable energy conversion and carbon neutrality. However, it is limited by the high overpotential of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at the anode. To reduce the operating voltage of electrolyzer, herein thermodynamically favorable glycerol oxidation reaction (GOR) is proposed to replace the OER.

Engineering Amorphous/Crystalline Ru(OH)/CoFe-Layered Double Hydroxide for Hydrogen Evolution at 1000 mA cm.

For large-scale industrial applications, it is highly desirable to create effective, economical electrocatalysts with long-term stability for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) at a large current density. Herein, we report a unique motif with crystalline CoFe-layered hydroxide (CoFe-LDH) nanosheets enclosed by amorphous ruthenium hydroxide (a-Ru(OH)/CoFe-LDH) to realize the efficient hydrogen production at 1000 mA cm, with a low overpotential of 178 mV in alkaline media. During the continuous HER process for 40 h at such a large current density, the potential remains almost constant with only slight fluctuations, indicating good long-term stability.

Suppressing Local Dendrite Hotspots via Current Density Redistribution Using a Superlithiophilic Membrane for Stable Lithium Metal Anode.

Li metal anode is considered as one of the most desirable candidates for next-generation battery due to its lowest electrochemical potential and high theoretical capacity. However, undesirable dendrite growth severely exacerbates the interfacial stability, thus damaging battery performance and bringing safety concerns. Here, an efficient strategy is proposed to stabilize Li metal anode by digesting dendrites sprout using a 3D flexible superlithiophilic membrane consisting of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and ZnCl composite nanofibers (PZEM) as a protective layer.

Recent progress in emergent two-dimensional silicene.

Although graphene is by far the most famous example of two-dimensional (2D) materials, which exhibits a wealth of exotic and intriguing properties, it suffers from a severe drawback. In this regard, the exploration of silicene, the silicon analog of the graphene material, has attracted substantial interest in the past decade. This review therefore provides a comprehensive survey of recent theoretical and experimental works on this 2D material.

N-doped graphene for electrocatalytic O and CO reduction.

The electrocatalytic CO reduction reaction (CORR) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) are important approaches to realize energy conversion and sustainable development. However, sluggish reaction kinetics severely hinders the practical application of devices related to these reactions. N-doped graphene (NG) with unique properties exhibits great potential in catalyzing the CORR and ORR, which is attributed to the electron redistribution.

Cross-Linking Network of Soft-Rigid Dual Chains to Effectively Suppress Volume Change of Silicon Anode.

Polyacrylic acid (PAA) is a promising binder for the high-capacity Si anode. However, the one-dimensional structure of PAA could cause the linear molecular chains to slide from the Si surface during the charge-discharge processes, leading to insufficient suppression of the massive volume expansion of the Si anode. Herein, a soft-rigid dual chains' network of PAA-sodium silicate (PAA-SS) was successfully constructed by cross-linking PAA and SS in situ at room temperature.

Spin engineering of single-site metal catalysts.

Single-site metal atoms (SMAs) on supports are attracting extensive interest as new catalytic systems because of maximized atom utilization and superior performance. However, rational design of configuration-optimized SMAs with high activity from the perspectives of fundamental electron spin is highly challenging. Herein, N-coordinated Fe single atoms are successfully distributed over axial carbon micropores to form dangling-FeN centers (d-FeN).

Flower-like MOF-74 nanocomposites directed by selenylation towards high-efficient oxygen evolution.

Sluggish kinetics of the oxygen evolution reaction during the water splitting requires high-performance electrocatalysts with low cost and good stability. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have attracted much attention as electrocatalysts owing to their unique properties. To improve their electrocatalytic activity and stability, we report a selenylation method to modulate the morphology and interfaces by forming flower-like MOF-selenide nanocomposites.

Surface Engineering of Cr-Doped Cobalt Molybdate toward High-Performance Hydrogen Evolution.

Replacing commercial noble metal catalysts with earth-abundant metal catalysts for hydrogen production is an important research direction for electrolytic water. Improving the catalytic performance of non-noble metals while maintaining stability is a key challenge for alkaline hydrogen evolution. Herein, we combined alkali etching and surface phosphating to regulate the properties of Cr-doped CoMoO material, forming a surface structure in which amorphous cobalt phosphate and Cr-doped Co(Mo)O coexist.

Design Strategies for Single-Atom Iron Electrocatalysts toward Efficient Oxygen Reduction.

The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is a pivotal half-reaction for full cells and metal-air batteries. However, the intrinsic sluggish kinetics of the ORR inhibits the practical applications of these environmentally friendly energy-conversion devices. Therefore, highly efficient electrocatalysts with low cost are required to promote the ORR process.

Hollow MoS/Co nanopillars with boosted Li-ion diffusion rate and long-term cycling stability.

Hollow MoS/Co-0.1 nanopillars were successfully synthesized by sulfurizing CoMoO and subsequent acid etching, which were used as the anode material for lithium ion batteries. The introduction of suitable metal Co into MoS nanopillars effectively accelerates electron/ion transport kinetics, leading to high specific capacity and superior rate capability and cycling stability.

Hollow MXene Sphere-Based Flexible E-Skin for Multiplex Tactile Detection.

Skin-like electronics that can provide comprehensively tactile sensing is required for applications such as soft robotics, health monitoring, medical treatment, and human-machine interfaces. In particular, the capacity to monitor the contact parameters such as the magnitude, direction, and contact location of external forces is crucial for skin-like tactile sensing devices. Herein, a flexible electronic skin which can measure and discriminate the contact parameters in real time is designed.

Crystallinity Effect of NiFe LDH on the Growth of Pt Nanoparticles and Hydrogen Evolution Performance.

NiFe layered double hydroxides (LDHs) usually exhibit high water-dissociation ability in the alkaline media and also provide an ideal substrate for anchoring noble metals, such as platinum (Pt), due to the 2D microstructure. Appropriate regulation of the interaction between Pt and substrate could enhance the intrinsic activity of composite catalysts toward the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in the alkaline media. Herein, we electrodeposit Pt nanoparticles on amorphous NiFe LDH (Pt/NiFe-ED) or crystalline NiFe LDH (Pt/NiFe-HD) to regulate the interaction between Pt and NiFe LDH.

Spider Web-like Flexible Tactile Sensor for Pressure-Strain Simultaneous Detection.

Multiparameter integrated sensors are required for the next generation of flexible wearable electronics. However, mutual interference between detected signals is a technical bottleneck for a flexible tactile sensor to realize pressure-strain monitoring simultaneously and sensitively. Herein, a flexible dual-parameter pressure-strain sensor based on the three-dimensional (3D) tubular graphene sponge (TGS) and spider web-like stretchable electrodes is designed and fabricated.

A Glass-Ceramic with Accelerated Surface Reconstruction toward the Efficient Oxygen Evolution Reaction.

The effective non-precious metal catalysts toward the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are highly desirable for electrochemical water splitting. Herein, we prepare a novel glass-ceramic (Ni Sn@triMPO ) by embedding crystalline Ni Sn nanoparticles into amorphous trimetallic phosphate (triMPO ) matrix. This unique crystalline-amorphous nanostructure synergistically accelerates the surface reconstruction to active Ni(Fe)OOH, due to the low vacancy formation energy of Sn in glass-ceramic and high adsorption energy of PO at the V sites.