A multi-functional protective material with atomically dispersed zincophilic sites enabling long-life zinc anodes.

Parasitic side reactions and the formation of zinc dendrites in aqueous solutions severely hinder the practical application of Zn metal anodes. Carbon materials with high electrical conductivity and mechanical robustness are promising protective materials for Zn anodes. However, the zincophobic nature of carbon materials impedes the cycling stability of zinc-ion batteries.

Phase Engineering of ZnSe by Small Molecules as a High-Performance Protective Layer for Zn Anode.

The practical application of aqueous zinc ion batteries is still hampered by the side reactions and dendrite growth on Zn anode. Herein, the phase engineering of ZnSe coating layer by incorporating small molecules is developed to enhance the performance of Zn anode. The unique electronic structure of ZnSe⋅0.

Modulating the Electrolyte Microenvironment in Electrical Double Layer for Boosting Electrocatalytic Nitrate Reduction to Ammonia.

Electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction (NORR) is a promising approach to achieve remediation of nitrate-polluted wastewater and sustainable production of ammonia. However, it is still restricted by the low activity, selectivity and Faraday efficiency for ammonia synthesis. Herein, we propose an effective strategy to modulate the electrolyte microenvironment in electrical double layer (EDL) by mediating alkali metal cations in the electrolyte to enhance the NORR performance.

reconstructed AgZn nanoparticles supported on zinc nanoplates for efficient CO electroreduction to tunable syngas.

Developing efficient electrocatalysts for CO reduction to syngas with tunable H/CO ratios and high total faradaic efficiency is challenging. Herein, we report an effective catalyst composed of reconstructed AgZn nanoparticles and Zn nanoplates for syngas synthesis, showing nearly 100% Faraday efficiency to syngas with a tunable H/CO ratio from 2 : 1 to 1 : 2. Moreover, the electrochemical measurements coupled with theoretical calculations disclose that the Zn site in AgZn nanoparticles and the hollow site between Ag and Zn in AgZn are the possible active sites for CO and H generation, respectively.

Dynamic Reconstructed RuO /NiFeOOH with Coherent Interface for Efficient Seawater Oxidation.

Developing efficient oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts for seawater electrolysis is still a big challenge. Herein, a facile one-pot approach is reported to synthesize RuO -incorporated NiFe-metal organic framework (RuO /NiFe-MOF) with unique nanobrick-nanosheet heterostructure as precatalyst. Driven by electric field, the RuO /NiFe-MOF dynamically reconstructs into RuO nanoparticles-anchored NiFe oxy/hydroxide nanosheets (RuO /NiFeOOH) with coherent interface, during which the dissolution and redeposition of RuO are witnessed.

The risk variant rs11836367 contributes to breast cancer onset and metastasis by attenuating Wnt signaling via regulating expression.

Most genome-wide association study (GWAS)-identified breast cancer-associated causal variants remain uncharacterized. To provide a framework of understanding GWAS-identified variants to function, we performed a comprehensive study of noncoding regulatory variants at the locus (12q22) and gene in breast cancer etiology. We find that rs11836367 is the more likely causal variant, disrupting enhancer activity in both enhancer reporter assays and endogenous genome editing experiments.

Oxygen Vacancy Engineering Synergistic with Surface Hydrophilicity Modification of Hollow Ru Doped CoNi-LDH Nanotube Arrays for Boosting Hydrogen Evolution.

With the development of clean hydrogen energy, the cost effective and high-performance hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalysts are urgently required. Herein, a green, facile, and time-efficient Ru doping synergistic with air-plasma treatment strategy is reported to boost the HER performance of CoNi-layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanotube arrays (NTAs) derived from zeolitic imidazolate framework nanorods. The Ru doping and air-plasma treatment not only regulate the oxygen vacancy to optimize the electron structure but also increase the surface roughness to improve the hydrophilicity and hydrogen spillover efficiency.

Accelerating the oxygen evolution reaction kinetics of CoO in neutral electrolyte by decorating RuO.

Developing efficient electrocatalysts for the neutral oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is important but still challenging. Herein, by combining density functional theory calculations and experiments, we have demonstrated that the decoration of RuO2 can effectively accelerate the OER kinetics of Co3O4 in neutral electrolyte. High activity (365 mV at 10 mA cm-2) and decent stability (up to 100 h) are achieved by RuO2-decorated Co3O4 in 1 M PBS electrolyte.

N plasma-activated NiO nanosheet arrays with enhanced water splitting performance.

NiO is a promising electrocatalyst for electrochemical energy conversion due to its rich redox sites, low cost, and ease of synthesis. However, hindered by low electrical conductivity and limited electrocatalytic active sites, bare NiO usually exhibits poor electrochemical performance towards hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Herein, we develop an N plasma activation approach to simultaneously improve both HER and OER activity of NiO by constructing heterostructured Ni/NiN/NiO nanosheet arrays on Ni foam.

Fe ions modulated formation of hollow NiFe oxyphosphide spheres with enhanced oxygen evolution performance.

A facile template-engaged strategy is developed to synthesize hollow NiFe mixed metal oxyphosphide spheres using different Fe ions (Fe2+ and Fe3+) as modulators. Benefiting from the optimized compositional and structural features, the as-obtained hollow spheres show excellent performance for the oxygen evolution reaction.

Formation of uniform porous yolk-shell MnCoO microrugby balls with enhanced electrochemical performance for lithium storage and the oxygen evolution reaction.

Mixed transition metal oxides with favorable electrochemical properties are promising electrode materials in energy storage and conversion systems. In this work, uniform porous yolk-shell MnCoO (denoted as YSM-MCO) microrugby balls have been synthesized by simple annealing treatment of metal carbonates with a microrugby ball shape in air. Benefiting from the desired porous structure and composition, the as-synthesized YSM-MCO exhibits enhanced electrochemical performance when investigated as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries and electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction.

Bullet-like Cu S Hollow Particles Coated with Nitrogen-Doped Carbon for Sodium-Ion Batteries.

Metal sulfides with excellent redox reversibility and high capacity are very promising electrode materials for sodium-ion batteries. However, their practical application is still hindered by the poor rate capability and limited cycle life. Herein, a template-based strategy is developed to synthesize nitrogen-doped carbon-coated Cu S bullet-like hollow particles starting from bullet-like ZnO particles.

The Design and Synthesis of Hollow Micro-/Nanostructures: Present and Future Trends.

Hollow micro-/nanostructures have attracted tremendous interest owing to their intriguing structure-induced physicochemical properties and great potential for widespread applications. With the development of modern synthetic methodology and analytical instruments, a rapid structural/compositional evolution of hollow structures from simple to complex has occurred in recent decades. Here, an updated overview of research progress made in the synthesis of hollow structures is provided.

Formation of Polypyrrole-Coated Sb Se Microclips with Enhanced Sodium-Storage Properties.

Antimony-based electrode materials with high specific capacity have aroused considerable interest as anode materials for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). Herein, we develop a template-engaged ion-exchange method to synthesize Sb Se microclips, and the as-obtained Sb Se microclips are further in situ coated with polypyrrole (PPy). Benefiting from the structural and compositional merits, these PPy-coated Sb Se microclips exhibit enhanced sodium-storage properties in terms of high reversible capacity, superior rate capability, and stable cycling performance.

Formation of Hierarchical Cu-Doped CoSe Microboxes via Sequential Ion Exchange for High-Performance Sodium-Ion Batteries.

Electrode materials based on electrochemical conversion reactions have received considerable interest for high capacity anodes of sodium-ion batteries. However, their practical application is greatly hindered by the poor rate capability and rapid capacity fading. Tuning the structure at nanoscale and increasing the conductivity of these anode materials are two effective strategies to address these issues.

Hierarchical core-shell structures of P-Ni(OH) rods@MnO nanosheets as high-performance cathode materials for asymmetric supercapacitors.

The hierarchical porous structure with phosphorus-doped Ni(OH) (P-Ni(OH)) rods as the core and MnO nanosheets as the shell is fabricated directly by growth on a three-dimensional (3D) flexible Ni foam (NF) via a two-step hydrothermal process. As a binder-free electrode material, this unique hybrid structure exhibits excellent electrochemical properties, including an ultrahigh areal capacitance of 5.75 F cm at a current density of 2 mA cm and great cyclic stability without capacitance loss at a current density of 20 mA cm after 10 000 cycles.

Complex Nanostructures from Materials based on Metal-Organic Frameworks for Electrochemical Energy Storage and Conversion.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have drawn tremendous attention because of their abundant diversity in structure and composition. Recently, there has been growing research interest in deriving advanced nanomaterials with complex architectures and tailored chemical compositions from MOF-based precursors for electrochemical energy storage and conversion. Here, a comprehensive overview of the synthesis and energy-related applications of complex nanostructures derived from MOF-based precursors is provided.

Hierarchical Nanotubes Constructed by Carbon-Coated Ultrathin SnS Nanosheets for Fast Capacitive Sodium Storage.

Tin(II) sulfide (SnS) has been an attractive anode material for sodium ion batteries. Herein, an elegant templating method has been developed for the rational design and synthesis of hierarchical SnS nanotubes composed of ultrathin nanosheets. In order to enhance the electrochemical performance, carbon coated hierarchical SnS nanotubes (denoted as SnS@C nanotubes) have also been obtained by simply adding glucose into the reaction system.

A Practical High-Energy Cathode for Sodium-Ion Batteries Based on Uniform P2-Na CoO Microspheres.

Layered metal oxides have attracted increasing attention as cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). However, the application of such cathode materials is still hindered by their poor rate capability and cycling stability. Here, a facile self-templated strategy is developed to synthesize uniform P2-Na CoO microspheres.

Carbon-Incorporated Nickel-Cobalt Mixed Metal Phosphide Nanoboxes with Enhanced Electrocatalytic Activity for Oxygen Evolution.

Hollow nanostructures have attracted increasing research interest in electrochemical energy storage and conversion owing to their unique structural features. However, the synthesis of hollow nanostructured metal phosphides, especially nonspherical hollow nanostructures, is rarely reported. Herein, we develop a metal-organic framework (MOF)-based strategy to synthesize carbon incorporated Ni-Co mixed metal phosphide nanoboxes (denoted as NiCoP/C).

Dual absorption spectral changes by light-triggered shuttling in bistable [2]rotaxanes with non-destructive readout.

Light-triggered photoisomerization of the azobenzene (AB) unit in bistable [2]rotaxanes can cause the shuttling of the macrocycle on the dumbbell, resulting in distinctive dual spectral variation characteristics: (1) the spectral change of the photochromic unit and (2) the variation of the charge-transfer band. By employing the CT bond region as an output signal, non-destructive readout of optical information could be achieved.

Formation of Ni-Co-MoS Nanoboxes with Enhanced Electrocatalytic Activity for Hydrogen Evolution.

Nickel and cobalt incorporated MoS nanoboxes are synthesized via the reaction between Ni-Co Prussian blue analogue nanocubes and ammonium thiomolybdate. Due to the structural and compositional advantages, these well-defined nanoboxes manifest enhanced electrochemical activity as an electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction.

N-doped graphene layers encapsulated NiFe alloy nanoparticles derived from MOFs with superior electrochemical performance for oxygen evolution reaction.

Water splitting, an efficient approach for hydrogen production, is often hindered by unfavorable kinetics of oxygen evolution reaction (OER). In order to reduce the overpotential, noble metal oxides-based electrocatalysts like RuO and IrO are usually utilized. However, due to their scarcity, the development of cost-effective non-precious OER electrocatalysts with high efficiency and good stability is urgently required.

Hierarchical MoS2 tubular structures internally wired by carbon nanotubes as a highly stable anode material for lithium-ion batteries.

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), a typical two-dimensional material, is a promising anode material for lithium-ion batteries because it has three times the theoretical capacity of graphite. The main challenges associated with MoS2 anodes are the structural degradation and the low rate capability caused by the low intrinsic electric conductivity and large strain upon cycling. Here, we design hierarchical MoS2 tubular structures internally wired by carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to tackle these problems.