Molecular Customization of Anode-Electrolyte Interfaces for Enhanced Stability and Reversibility in Aqueous Zinc-Carbon Capacitors.

Aqueous zinc-carbon capacitors display application potential in green power and high-end equipment owing to their high security, large power and sustainability. The water-rich zinc anode-electrolyte interface (AEI) and disordered zinc-ion diffusion are the culprits triggering corrosion reactions and dendrite growth, threatening the sustainability of aqueous zinc-carbon capacitors. Herein, a polyfunctional biomolecular, vitamin B6, is introduced into the traditional aqueous electrolyte for customizing the functional AEI and fine-regulating the interfacial coordination environment of zinc ions.

Ultralong KMnPS Nanowires Tailored by K-Ion Scissors for Extraordinary Sodium-Ion Storage.

1D layered nanowires (NWs) are expected to be excellent electrode materials due to their efficient electron/ion transport and strain/stress relaxation. However, it is a great challenge to synthesize layered NWs by a top-down synthetic route. Herein, ultralong 1D layered KMnPS NWs (length: >100 µm; diameter: ≈300 nm) are synthesized for the first time using "K-ion chemical scissors", whose excellent sodium storage performance originates from the bifunctional structural unit, ingeniously combining the alloying energy storage functional unit (P-P dimer) with the quasi-intercalated functional unit ([MnS] framework).

An electron-blocking interface for garnet-based quasi-solid-state lithium-metal batteries to improve lifespan.

Garnet oxide is one of the most promising solid electrolytes for solid-state lithium metal batteries. However, the traditional interface modification layers cannot completely block electron migrating from the current collector to the interior of the solid-state electrolyte, which promotes the penetration of lithium dendrites. In this work, a highly electron-blocking interlayer composed of potassium fluoride (KF) is deposited on garnet oxide LiLaZrTaO (LLZTO).

1D Insertion Chains Induced Small-Polaron Collapse in MoS 2D Layers Toward Fast-Charging Sodium-Ion Batteries.

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS ) with high theoretical capacity is viewed as a promising anode for sodium-ion batteries but suffers from inferior rate capability owing to the polaron-induced slow charge transfer. Herein, a polaron collapse strategy induced by electron-rich insertions is proposed to effectively solve the above issue. Specifically, 1D [MoS] chains are inserted into MoS to break the symmetry states of 2D layers and induce small-polaron collapse to gain fast charge transfer so that the as-obtained thermodynamically stable Mo S shows metallic behavior with 10 times larger electrical conductivity than that of MoS .

Polarization-Independent Second Harmonic Generation in 2D Van Der Waals Kagome Nb SeI Crystals.

Second harmonic generation (SHG) of 2D crystals has been of great interest due to its advantages of phase-matching and easy integration into nanophotonic devices. However, the polarization-dependence character of the SHG signal makes it highly troublesome but necessary to match the laser polarization orientation relative to the crystal, thus achieving the maximum polarized SHG intensity. Here, it is demonstrated a polarization-independent SHG, for the first time, in the van der Waals Nb SeI crystals with a breathing Kagome lattice.

Nested order-disorder framework containing a crystalline matrix with self-filled amorphous-like innards.

Solids can be generally categorized by their structures into crystalline and amorphous states with different interactions among atoms dictating their properties. Crystalline-amorphous hybrid structures, combining the advantages of both ordered and disordered components, present a promising opportunity to design materials with emergent collective properties. Hybridization of crystalline and amorphous structures at the sublattice level with long-range periodicity has been rarely observed.

A π-Conjugated Polyimide-Based High-Performance Aqueous Potassium-Ion Asymmetric Supercapacitor.

Aqueous asymmetric supercapacitor has captured widespread attention as a sustainable high-power energy resource. Organic electrode materials are appealing owing to their sustainability and high redox reactivity, but suffer from structural instability and low power density. Here the π-conjugated polyimide-based organic electrodes with different lengths of alkyl chains are explored to achieve high rate capability and long lifespan in an aqueous K -ion electrolyte.

Electrodes with Electrodeposited Water-excluding Polymer Coating Enable High-Voltage Aqueous Supercapacitors.

Aqueous supercapacitors are powerful energy sources, but they are limited by energy density that is much lower than lithium-ion batteries. Since raising the voltage beyond the thermodynamic potential for water splitting (1.23 V) can boost the energy density, there has been much effort on water-stabilizing salvation additives such as LiSO that can provide an aqueous electrolyte capable of withstanding ~1.

Boron-Induced Nitrogen Fixation in 3D Carbon Materials for Supercapacitors.

Nitrogen-rich carbon materials attract great attention because of their admirable performance in energy storage and electrocatalysis. However, their conductivity and nitrogen content are somehow contradictory because good conductivity requires high-temperature heat treatment, which decomposes most of the nitrogen species. Herein, we propose a facile method to solve this problem by introducing boron (B) to fix the nitrogen in a three-dimensional (3D) carbon material even at 1000 °C.

Improving the Visible-Light Photocatalytic Activity of Graphitic Carbon Nitride by Carbon Black Doping.

Hydrogen production by water splitting and the removal of aqueous dyes by using a catalyst and solar energy are an ideal future energy source and useful for environmental protection. Graphitic carbon nitride can be used as the photocatalyst with visible light irradiation. However, it typically suffers from the high recombination of carriers and low electrical conductivity.

A Facile Approach To Improve Electrochemical Capacitance of Carbons by in Situ Electrochemical Oxidation.

A facile approach of in situ electrochemical oxidation has been utilized to modify carbons, including activated carbon, mesoporous few-layer carbon, graphite, carbon fiber, and carbon nanotube, which induces oxygen-containing functional groups on its surface and simultaneously enhances its wettability, contributing to the improvement of capacitance. By this approach, the capacitance of commercialized activated carbon is increased by 86% in an acidic electrolyte, reaching 320 F g, of which more than 96% was maintained after 10 000 cyclic tests. The huge improvement stems from electrochemical redox reactions enabled by oxygen-associated groups, which do not adversely affect the porous structure and electrical conductivity.

Extraordinary Porous Few-Layer Carbons of High Capacitance from Pechini Combustion of Magnesium Nitrate Gel.

Highly capacitive carbons are viewed as promising commercial materials for supercapacitors, but few species satisfy the requirements of high capacitance and low cost. Here, we demonstrate an extraordinary porous few-layer carbon by facile Pechini combustion of magnesium nitrate gel, which combined salicylic acid as a complexing agent with magnesium nitrate as an inorganic metal salt. The as-synthesized carbon material delivers a capacitance of 415 F g, mostly stemming from a large specific surface area (∼1312 m g), a fluent channel for transport of the electrolyte, as well as electrochemical redox reactions at O,N-associated active sites.

Structure Re-determination and Superconductivity Observation of Bulk 1T MoS.

2H MoS has been intensively studied because of its layer-dependent electronic structures and novel physical properties. Though the metastable 1T MoS with a [MoS ] octahedron was observed over the microscopic area, the true crystal structure of 1T phase has not been strictly determined. Moreover, the true physical properties have not been demonstrated from experiments owing to the challenge for the preparation of pure 1T MoS crystals.

A New Green Titania with Enhanced NIR Absorption for Mitochondria-Targeted Cancer Therapy.

A new kind of green titania (-TiO ) with obvious green color was facilely synthesized from black titania (-TiO ) through subsequently strong ultrasonication. Comparatively, this stable -TiO shows much enhanced near infrared (NIR) absorption, especially around 920 nm, which can be ascribed to the obvious change of TiO lattice order owing to the effect of ultrasonication. This feature enables -TiO to be stimulated with 980 nm laser in the combined photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT), which is greatly beneficial for improving tissue penetration depth.

A Robust and Conductive Black Tin Oxide Nanostructure Makes Efficient Lithium-Ion Batteries Possible.

SnO -based lithium-ion batteries have low cost and high energy density, but their capacity fades rapidly during lithiation/delithiation due to phase aggregation and cracking. These problems can be mitigated by using highly conducting black SnO , which homogenizes the redox reactions and stabilizes fine, fracture-resistant Sn precipitates in the Li O matrix. Such fine Sn precipitates and their ample contact with Li O proliferate the reversible Sn → Li Sn → Sn → SnO /SnO cycle during charging/discharging.

Enhanced Superconductivity in Restacked TaS Nanosheets.

Since interface superconductivity was discovered at the interface between two insulating layers LaAlO and SrTiO, such interface-induced superconducting systems have been a research hotspot in superconductivity. Here, we report homogeneous interfaces formed by stacking chemically exfoliated monolayer TaS nanosheets randomly. Enhanced superconductivity of T = 3 K is observed, compared with 0.

Controllable reduced black titania with enhanced photoelectrochemical water splitting performance.

Black titania prepared by metal-reduction methods is systematically studied and found the best controllable Mg-reduction method. Colored titania products from white, light blue, dark blue, to black were obtained with a crystalline/amorphous core-shell structure. The black titania shows a five times higher H production rate in photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting.

Atomic-Sized Pores Enhanced Electrocatalysis of TaS Nanosheets for Hydrogen Evolution.

A plasma oxidation method is developed to fabricate atomic-scale pores in the basal planes of electrochemically inert TaS nanosheets to functionalize the 2D crystals with high electrocatalysis for hydrogen evolution reaction. Quantitative measurements of under-coordinated atoms at edges of the pores by aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy reveal the intrinsic correlation between the defective atomic sites and electrocatalytic activities of 2D TaS .

Black Nb2O5 nanorods with improved solar absorption and enhanced photocatalytic activity.

Black titania, with greatly improved solar absorption, has demonstrated its effectiveness in photocatalysis and photoelectrochemical cells (PEC), inspiring us to explore the blackening of other wide band-gap oxide materials for enhanced performance. Herein, we report the fabrication of black, reduced Nb2O5 nanorods (r-Nb2O5), with active exposed (001) surfaces, and their enhanced photocatalytic and PEC properties. Black r-Nb2O5 nanorods were obtained via reduction of pristine Nb2O5 by molten aluminum in a two-zone furnace.

[Analysis and Forecasting of Population Mortality and Life Lost Trend due to Lung Cancer among Xiamen Residents].

Background: In recent years, the incidence and mortality of lung cancer is rising. It has become the leading cause of death of malignant tumors in China. The aim of this study is to explore the trend of mortality and years of life lost due to lung cancer in residents in Xiamen, so as to provide the basis data on preventing lung cancer in Xiamen.

Hydrogenated blue titania with high solar absorption and greatly improved photocatalysis.

Hydrogenated black titania, with a crystalline core/amorphous shell structure, has attracted global interest due to its excellent photocatalytic properties. However, the understanding of its structure-property relationships remains a great challenge and a more effective method to produce hydrogenated titania is desirable. Herein, we report a TiH2 assisted reduction method to synthesize bluish hydrogenated titania (TiO2-x:H) that is highly crystallized.

Flexible all solid state supercapacitor with high energy density employing black titania nanoparticles as a conductive agent.

Increasing the electrical conductivity of pseudocapacitive materials without changing their morphology is an ideal structural solution to realize both high electrochemical performance and superior flexibility for an all solid state supercapacitor (ASSSC). Herein, we fabricate a flexible ASSSC device employing black titania (TiO2-x:N) decorated two-dimensional (2D) NiO nanosheets as the positive electrode and mesoporous graphene as the negative electrode. In this unique design, NiO nanosheets are used as pseudocapacitive materials and TiO2-x:N nanoparticles serve as the conductive agent.

Black titania-based theranostic nanoplatform for single NIR laser induced dual-modal imaging-guided PTT/PDT.

Substantially different from traditional combinatorial-treatment of photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) by using multi-component nanocomposite under excitation of separate wavelength, a novel single near infrared (NIR) laser-induced multifunctional theranostic nanoplatform has been rationally and successfully constructed by a single component black titania (B-TiO2-x) for effective imaging-guided cancer therapy for the first time. This multifunctional PEGylated B-TiO2-x shows high dispersity/stability in aqueous solution, excellent hemo/histocompatibility and broad absorption ranging from NIR to ultraviolet (UV). Both in vitro and in vivo results well demonstrated that such a novel multifunctional theranostic nanoplaform could achieve high therapeutic efficacy of simultaneous and synergistic PTT/PDT under the guidance of infrared thermal/photoacoustic (PA) dual-modal imaging, which was triggered by a single NIR laser.

Nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbon of extraordinary capacitance for electrochemical energy storage.

Carbon-based supercapacitors can provide high electrical power, but they do not have sufficient energy density to directly compete with batteries. We found that a nitrogen-doped ordered mesoporous few-layer carbon has a capacitance of 855 farads per gram in aqueous electrolytes and can be bipolarly charged or discharged at a fast, carbon-like speed. The improvement mostly stems from robust redox reactions at nitrogen-associated defects that transform inert graphene-like layered carbon into an electrochemically active substance without affecting its electric conductivity.

Gray Ta2O5 Nanowires with Greatly Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance.

Black TiO2, with enhanced solar absorption and photocatalytic activity, has gained extensive attention, inspiring us to investigate the reduction of other wide-bandgap semiconductors for improved performance. Herein, we report the preparation of gray Ta2O5 nanowires with disordered shells and abundant defects via aluminum reduction. Its water decontamination is 2.