Publications by authors named "Xuelong Liao"

Electrocatalytic conversion of CO into formate is recognized an economically-viable route to upgrade CO, but requires high overpotential to realize the high selectivity owing to high energy barrier for driving the involved proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) processes and serious ignorance of the second PCET. Herein, we surmount the challenge through sequential regulation of the potential-determining step (PDS) over Te-doped Bi (TeBi) nanotips. Computational studies unravel the incorporation of Te heteroatoms alters the PDS from the first PCET to the second one by substantially lowering the formation barrier for *OCHO intermediate, and the high-curvature nanotips induce enhanced electric field that can steer the formation of asymmetric *HCOOH.

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Two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (2e ORR) is of great significance to HO production and reversible nonalkaline Zn-air batteries (ZABs). Multiple oxygen-containing sp-bonded nanocarbons have been developed as electrocatalysts for 2e ORR, but they still suffer from poor activity and stability due to the limited and mixed active sites at the edges as well as hydrophilic character. Herein, graphdiyne (GDY) with rich sp-C bonds is studied for enhanced 2e ORR.

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The loose and randomly oriented byproduct (i.e., Zn(OH)SO·HO, ZHS) in situ formed on the zinc (Zn) surface is recognized to be the primary cause for dendritic Zn growth and side reactions.

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Tremendous attention has been paid to the water-associated side reactions and zinc (Zn) dendrite growth on the electrode-electrolyte interface. However, the Zn pulverization that can cause continuous depletion of active Zn metal and exacerbate hydrogen evolution is severely neglected. Here, we disclose that the excessive Zn feeding that causes incomplete crystallization is responsible for Zn pulverization formation through analyzing the thermodynamic and kinetics process of Zn deposition.

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In situ formation of a stable interphase layer on zinc surface is an effective solution to suppress dendrite growth. However, the fast transport of bivalent Zn-ions within the solid interlayer remains very challenging. Herein, we engineer the SEI components and enable superior kinetics of Zn metal batteries under harsh conditions through regulating the sequence of interfacial chemical reaction.

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Despite the various strategies for achieving metal-nitrogen-carbon (M-N-C) single-atom catalysts (SACs) with different microenvironments for electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CORR), the synthesis-structure-performance correlation remains elusive due to the lack of well-controlled synthetic approaches. Here, we employed Ni nanoparticles as starting materials for the direct synthesis of nickel (Ni) SACs in one spot through harvesting the interaction between metallic Ni and N atoms in the precursor during the chemical vapor deposition growth of hierarchical N-doped graphene fibers. By combining with first-principle calculations, we found that the Ni-N configuration is closely correlated to the N contents in the precursor, in which the acetonitrile with a high N/C ratio favors the formation of Ni-N, while the pyridine with a low N/C ratio is more likely to promote the evolution of Ni-N.

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Metallic bismuth (Bi) holds great promise in efficient conversion of carbon dioxide (CO ) into formate, yet the complicated synthetic routes and unobtrusive performance hinder the practical application. Herein, a facile galvanic-cell deposition method is proposed for the rapid and one-step synthesis of Bi nanodendrites. Compared to the traditional deposition method, it is found that the special galvanic-cell configuration can promote the exposure of low-angle grain boundaries.

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