Ultrasonic-assisted Fenton reaction inducing surface reconstruction endows nickel/iron-layered double hydroxide with efficient water and organics electrooxidation.

Nickel/iron-layered double hydroxide (NiFe-LDH) tends to undergo an electrochemically induced surface reconstruction during the water oxidation in alkaline, which will consume excess electric energy to overcome the reconstruction thermodynamic barrier. In the present work, a novel ultrasonic wave-assisted Fenton reaction strategy is employed to synthesize the surface reconstructed NiFe-LDH nanosheets cultivated directly on Ni foam (NiFe-LDH/NF-W). Morphological and structural characterizations reveal that the low-spin states of Ni (te) and Fe (te) on the NiFe-LDH surface partially transform into high-spin states of Ni (te) and Fe (te) and formation of the highly active species of NiFeOOH.

CO-Philic Nanocomposite Polymer Matrix Incorporated with MXene Nanosheets for Ultraefficient CO Capture.

The incorporation of two-dimensional (2D) functional nanosheets in polymeric membranes is a promising material strategy to overcome their inherent performance trade-off behavior. Herein, we report a novel nanocomposite membrane design by incorporating MXene, a 2D sheet-like nanoarchitecture known for its advantageous lamellar morphology and surface functionalities, into a cross-linked polyether block amide (Pebax)/poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether acrylate (PEGMEA) blend matrix, which delivered exceptional CO/N and CO/H separation performances that are critical to industrial CO capture applications. The finely dispersed TiCT nanosheets in the blend polymer matrix led to an expansion of the free volume within the resultant mixed matrix membrane (MMM), giving rise to a substantially enhanced CO permeability of up to 1264.

Optimizing solvent dipole moment enables PVDF to improve piezoelectric performance.

The all-trans conformation (-phase) possesses a significant impact on the piezoelectric polymer polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF). Inducing more molecular chain [-CH-CF-]to form all-trans conformation is one of the biggest obstacles for manufacturing high-performance piezoelectric sensing devices. Herein, the continuous vacuum technology is used to modulate the polarity of binary solvents by the proportion of the lower solvent.

Iron and nitrogen co-modified multi-walled carbon nanotubes for efficient electrocatalytic oxygen reduction.

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with one-dimensional nanostructure are an ideal support for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts thanks to their intrinsic outstanding electrical conductivity and high specific surface area. Iron and nitrogen doping could alter the local electronic structure and therefore enhance the ORR activity of MWCNTs, but the preparation process always includes complicated growth conditions and post-treatment. Herein, an iron and nitrogen co-modified multi-walled carbon nanotubes (Fe-N-MWCNTs) with hierarchical nanostructure is engineered and synthesized via a simple two-step pyrolysis approach.

Porous bimetallic cobalt-iron phosphide nanofoam for efficient and stable oxygen evolution catalysis.

Developing oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts with high activity and long-term stability is critical to achieving efficient hydrogen production from water electrolysis. Herein, a porous bimetallic cobalt-iron phosphide (CoFe-P) nanofoam is synthesized via a novel one-pot glucose-blowing followed by oxidization and then phosphidization process. The CoFe-P nanofoam presents a porous nanostructure which contributes to contact with electrolytes and release of generated gas during electrocatalytic reactions.

Crystalline carbon modified hierarchical porous iron and nitrogen co-doped carbon for efficient electrocatalytic oxygen reduction.

Hierarchical porous iron and nitrogen co-doped carbon (Fe-N/C) materials have been considered as an appealing non-noble metal-based catalyst in oxygen reduction reactions (ORR). However, the conductivity loss caused by the scattering of electrons on pores and defects markedly limits their catalytic activity, which attracted seldom attention in this area. Herein, a novel crystalline carbon modified hierarchical porous Fe-N/C electrocatalyst with enhanced electronic conductivity is designed and prepared via a two-step calcination-catalysis process.

Metal-organic framework derived amorphous VO coated FeO/C hierarchical nanospindle as anode material for superior lithium-ion batteries.

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are widely regarded as a promising electrochemical energy storage device, due to their high energy density and good cycling stability. To date, the development of anode materials for LIBs is still confronted with many serious problems, and much effort is required for constructing more ideal anode materials. Herein, starting with metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), an amorphous VO coated FeO/C hierarchical nanospindle has been successfully synthesized.

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) coated titanium oxide nanotube arrays with enhanced photo-electrochemical performance.

Herein, we report the successful formation of graphitic carbon nitride coated titanium oxide nanotube array thin films (g-C3N4/TiO2) via the facile thermal treatment of anodized Ti sheets over melamine. The proportion of C3N4 and TiO2 in the composite can be adjusted by changing the initial addition mass of melamine. The as-prepared samples are characterized by several techniques in order to understand the morphological, structural, compositional and optical properties.