Lamella-heterostructured nanoporous bimetallic iron-cobalt alloy/oxyhydroxide and cerium oxynitride electrodes as stable catalysts for oxygen evolution.

Developing robust nonprecious-metal electrocatalysts with high activity towards sluggish oxygen-evolution reaction is paramount for large-scale hydrogen production via electrochemical water splitting. Here we report that self-supported laminate composite electrodes composed of alternating nanoporous bimetallic iron-cobalt alloy/oxyhydroxide and cerium oxynitride (FeCo/CeON) heterolamellas hold great promise as highly efficient electrocatalysts for alkaline oxygen-evolution reaction. By virtue of three-dimensional nanoporous architecture to offer abundant and accessible electroactive CoFeOOH/CeON heterostructure interfaces through facilitating electron transfer and mass transport, nanoporous FeCo/CeON composite electrodes exhibit superior oxygen-evolution electrocatalysis in 1 M KOH, with ultralow Tafel slope of ~33 mV dec.

Surface-Alloyed Nanoporous Zinc as Reversible and Stable Anodes for High-Performance Aqueous Zinc-Ion Battery.

Metallic zinc (Zn) is one of the most attractive multivalent-metal anode materials in post-lithium batteries because of its high abundance, low cost and high theoretical capacity. However, it usually suffers from large voltage polarization, low Coulombic efficiency and high propensity for dendritic failure during Zn stripping/plating, hindering the practical application in aqueous rechargeable zinc-metal batteries (AR-ZMBs). Here we demonstrate that anionic surfactant-assisted in situ surface alloying of Cu and Zn remarkably improves Zn reversibility of 3D nanoporous Zn electrodes for potential use as high-performance AR-ZMB anode materials.

Spontaneously separated intermetallic CoMo from nanoporous copper as versatile electrocatalysts for highly efficient water splitting.

Developing robust nonprecious electrocatalysts towards hydrogen/oxygen evolution reactions is crucial for widespread use of electrochemical water splitting in hydrogen production. Here, we report that intermetallic CoMo spontaneously separated from hierarchical nanoporous copper skeleton shows genuine potential as highly efficient electrocatalysts for alkaline hydrogen/oxygen evolution reactions in virtue of in-situ hydroxylation and electro-oxidation, respectively. The hydroxylated intermetallic CoMo has an optimal hydrogen-binding energy to facilitate adsorption/desorption of hydrogen intermediates for hydrogen molecules.

Production of polyhydroxyalkanoate from acetate by metabolically engineered Aeromonas hydrophilia.

Aeromonas hydrophila 4AK4 normally produces the copolymer of 3-hydroxybutyrate and 3-hydroxyhexanoate (PHBHHx) using lauric acid as the carbon source. In this study we reported the metabolic engineering of A. hydrophila 4AK4 for the production of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) using acetate as a main carbon source.

Steric Hindrance in Sulfur Vacancy of Monolayer MoS Boosts Electrochemical Reduction of Carbon Monoxide to Methane.

The efficient generation of methane by total electroreduction of carbon monoxide (CO) could be of benefit for a more sustainable society. However, a highly efficient and selective catalyst for this process remains to be developed. In this study, density functional theory calculations indicate that steric hindrance in monolayer molybdenum sulfide with 2 S vacancies (DV-MoS ) can facilitate the conversion of CO into CH with high activity and selectivity under electrochemical reduction at a low potential of -0.

Anchoring and Upgrading Ultrafine NiPd on Room-Temperature-Synthesized Bifunctional NH -N-rGO toward Low-Cost and Highly Efficient Catalysts for Selective Formic Acid Dehydrogenation.

Hydrogen is widely considered to be a sustainable and clean energy alternative to the use of fossil fuels in the future. Its high hydrogen content, nontoxicity, and liquid state at room temperature make formic acid a promising hydrogen carrier. Designing highly efficient and low-cost heterogeneous catalysts is a major challenge for realizing the practical application of formic acid in the fuel-cell-based hydrogen economy.

Transmission electron microscopy finds plenty of room on the surface.

The atomic features of materials' surfaces have fundamental importance for applications in numerous fields, such as heterogeneous catalysis, energy conversion and thin-film growth. Now transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and affiliated techniques have thoroughly revolutionized many disciplines of natural sciences, and are becoming some of the best solutions for surface exploration. In this Perspective, we try to summarise the important progress in surface elucidation by applying the state-of-the-art TEM, which covers (1) from the essential features of oxides to their dynamic behaviors, and the interactions between surfaces and gases; (2) the visualization of emerging materials from zero-dimensional single atoms to two-dimensional materials, and the development towards an ultimate integration of three-dimensional surfaces.

Metabolic Engineering of Escherichia coli for Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) Production under Microaerobic Condition.

The alcohol dehydrogenase promoter PadhE and mixed acid fermentation pathway deficient mutants of Escherichia coli were employed to produce poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (P3HB) under microaerobic condition. The E. coli mutant with ackA-pta, poxB, ldhA, and adhE deletions accumulated 0.

Density functional theory calculations for two-dimensional silicene with halogen functionalization.

The electronic structures and band gaps of silicene (the Si analogue of graphene) adsorbed with halogen elements are studied using the density functional theory based screened exchange local density approximation method. It is found that the band gaps of silicene adsorbed with F, Cl, Br and I have a nonmonotonic change as the periodic number of the halogen elements increases. This is attributed to the transfer of contributions to band gaps from Si-Si bonding to Si-halogen bonding.

Effect of N/B doping on the electronic and field emission properties for carbon nanotubes, carbon nanocones, and graphene nanoribbons.

Carbon nanotubes, carbon nanocones, and graphene nanoribbons are carbon-based nanomaterials, and their electronic and field emission properties can be altered by either electron donors or electron acceptors. Among both donors and accepters, nitrogen and boron atoms are typical substitutional dopants for carbon materials. The contribution of this paper mainly provides a comprehensive overview of the theoretical topics.