Isolated FeN Sites for Efficient Electrocatalytic CO Reduction.

The construction of isolated metal sites represents a promising approach for electrocatalyst design toward the efficient electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide (CO). Herein, Fe-doped graphitic carbon nitride is rationally prepared by a simple adsorption method and is used as template to construct isolated FeN sites through a confined pyrolysis strategy, which avoids the agglomeration of metal atoms to particles during the synthesis process and thus provides abundant active sites for the CO reduction reaction. The isolated FeN sites lower the energy barrier for the key intermediate in the CO reduction process, leading to the enhanced selectivity for CO production with a faradaic efficiency of up to 93%.

Stimulated Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution Activity of MOF-Derived MoS Basal Domains via Charge Injection through Surface Functionalization and Heteroatom Doping.

The design of MoS-based electrocatalysts with exceptional reactivity and robustness remains a challenge due to thermodynamic instability of active phases and catalytic passiveness of basal planes. This study details a viable in situ reconstruction of zinc-nitrogen coordinated cobalt-molybdenum disulfide from structure directing metal-organic framework (MOF) to constitute specific heteroatomic coordination and surface ligand functionalization. Comprehensive experimental spectroscopic studies and first-principle calculations reveal that the rationally designed electron-rich centers warrant efficient charge injection to the inert MoS basal planes and augment the electronic structure of the inactive sites.

Double-Shelled Phosphorus and Nitrogen Codoped Carbon Nanospheres as Efficient Polysulfide Mediator for High-Performance Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Lithium-sulfur batteries are regarded as very promising energy storage devices due to their high energy density, low cost, and environmental friendliness; however, their insulating properties and the instability of sulfur-based electrodes impede the practical applications of Li-S batteries. Here, a versatile strategy to synthesize double-shelled nitrogen and phosphorus codoped carbon spheres (NPDSCS) as an efficient sulfur host for Li-S batteries is reported. With strong trapping, good affinity, high adsorption for polysulfides, and the bifunctional catalyzing for sulfur redox processes, the developed NPDSCS cathodes with a high S loading of 72.