Near-Unity Photothermal CO Hydrogenation to Methanol Based on a Molecule/Nanocarbon Hybrid Catalyst.

Solar-driven CO-to-methanol conversion provides an intriguing route for both solar energy storage and CO mitigation. For scalable applications, near-unity methanol selectivity is highly desirable to reduce the energy and cost endowed by low-value byproducts and complex separation processes, but so far has not been achieved. Here we demonstrate a molecule/nanocarbon hybrid catalyst composed of carbon nanotube-supported molecularly dispersed cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPc/CNT), which synergistically integrates high photothermal conversion capability for affording an optimal reaction temperature with homogeneous and intrinsically-efficient active sites, to achieve a catalytic activity of 2.

Nickel-Doped Facet-Selective Copper Nanowires for Activating CO-to-Ethanol Electrosynthesis.

Ethanol isa promising energy vector for closing the anthropogenic carbon cycle through reversible electrochemical redox. Currently, ethanol electrosynthesissuffers from low product selectivity due to the competitive advantage of ethylene in CO/CO electroreduction. Here, a facet-selective metal-doping strategy is reported, tuning the reaction kinetics of CO reduction paths and thus enhancing the ethanol selectivity.

Optically selective catalyst design with minimized thermal emission for facilitating photothermal catalysis.

Converting solar energy into fuels is pursued as an attractive route to reduce dependence on fossil fuel. In this context, photothermal catalysis is a very promising approach through converting photons into heat to drive catalytic reactions. There are mainly three key factors that govern the photothermal catalysis performance: maximized solar absorption, minimized thermal emission and excellent catalytic property of catalyst.

Interface-Enhanced SiO/Ru Heterocatalysts for Efficient Electrochemical Water Splitting.

Developing a bifunctional electrocatalyst with remarkable performance viable for overall water splitting is increasingly essential for industrial-scale renewable energy conversion. However, the current electrocatalyst still requires a large cell voltage to drive water splitting due to the unsuitable adsorption/desorption capacity of reaction intermediates, which seriously hinders the practical application of water splitting. Herein, a unique SiO/Ru nanosheet (NS) material was proposed as a high-performance electrocatalyst for overall water splitting.

High-energy silicon-sulfurized poly(acrylonitrile) battery based on a nitrogen evolution reaction.

The practical application of high-energy lithium-sulfur battery is plagued with two deadly obstacles. One is the "shuttle effect" originated from the sulfur cathode, and the other is the low Coulombic efficiency and security issues arising from the lithium metal anode. In addressing these issues, we propose a novel silicon-sulfurized poly(acrylonitrile) full battery.

A high efficiency electrolyte enables robust inorganic-organic solid electrolyte interfaces for fast Li metal anode.

Developing a high-rate Li metal anode with superior reversibility is a prerequisite for fast-charging Li metal batteries. However, the build-up of large concentration gradients under high current density leads to inhomogeneous Li deposition and unstable passivation layers of Li metal, resulting in lower Coulombic efficiency. Here we report a concentrated dual-salts LiFSI-LiNO/DOL electrolyte to improve the high-rate performance of Li metal anode.