Compared with lithium-ion batteries, sodium-ion batteries still face problems, such as irreversible changes in the electrochemical cycle process and the expansion force caused by the instability of the cycle interface....

Developing highly efficient and stable oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts is crucial for large-scale hydrogen production via water electrolysis. However, most transition-metal-based catalysts still suffer from insufficient active sites, sluggish kinetics, and poor long-term stability. Herein, we design and synthesize an oxygen-vacancy-rich CeOx supported on CuNC (NC: nitrogen-doped carbon) aerogel (CuNC@CeOx) as an advanced OER catalyst. The abundant oxygen vacancies in CeOx, coupled with the hierarchical porous structure of CuNC aerogel, synergistically enhance the electrocatalytic activity and stability. In 1 M KOH, the CuNC@CeOx aerogel exhibits a low overpotential of 326.4 mV at 10 mA cm-2 and a small Tafel slope of 141.50 mV dec-1, outperforming the commercial RuO2 benchmark. Furthermore, it maintains a stable current density even after 250 000 seconds, demonstrating exceptional long-term durability. This work provides a facile and effective strategy for constructing metal-aerogel-based electrocatalysts with abundant oxygen vacancies, offering new insights into the design of high-performance OER catalysts.

Anisotropic mesoporous carbon nanoparticles prepared by conventional emulsion assembly often show limited structural diversity and poor control over droplet–shell coupling. Herein, we develop a confined-thermal expansion emulsion strategy to construct anisotropic mesoporous carbon nanoparticles with tunable morphology and pore architecture. Polymer-confined droplets serve as deformable soft templates, while reaction temperature, heating pathway, cosurfactant chain length, ethanol content, and 3-aminophenol amount regulate precursor deposition and droplet confinement. Non-reactive molecular dynamics simulations provide molecular-level insight into temperature-dependent precursor–surfactant interactions during early interfacial assembly. The strategy yields cotton-like, parachute-like, snowman-like, cherry-like, flat-peach-like, ingot-like, fluff-like, flower-like, single-cavity, and multichamber architectures. Representative cotton-like asymmetric porous nanoparticles with radially dendritic mesochannels (RDC-AMC) possess accessible pore surfaces and a nitrogen-containing carbon framework. Increasing the reaction temperature from 30 to 60 °C regulates the particle opening size from 63 to 179 nm with an approximately linear dependence. Compared with symmetric mesoporous carbon nanoparticles, RDC-AMC shows higher methylene-blue uptake, near-infrared photothermal conversion, curcumin loading, and thermally triggered curcumin/phase-change-material release under the tested conditions, demonstrating its functional advantages.

Ir single atoms and nanoclusters anchored on nickel aerogels serve as an efficient catalyst for alkaline water oxidation, with characterization and theoretical calculations revealing the atomic Ir coordination and Ir–Ni synergistic effect.

How to solve the problem of sulfation, where lead sulfate coverage on the electrodes prevents further electrochemical reactions of the active material is a research hotspot in the field of lead-acid battery design. Its core objective is to suppress acid corrosion and oxygen evolution at the positive electrode. Regulating the pore structure of the electrode, coupled with improving its electrical conductivity, constitutes a highly effective method. Here, we proposed a synergistic electron-transfer and pore-structure control strategy, with innovatively introducing the two-dimensional material MXene (Ti3C2Tx) into the cathode by hydrofluoric acid etching. The lead-acid battery cycling performance was enhanced from 3101 to 7231 cycles, which was a 2.32-fold improvement. MXene nanosheets could form a three-dimensional highly conductive network between the positive electrode active material (PbO2), significantly reducing the internal resistance and charge transfer impedance of the electrode. Furthermore, the formation of microporous structure and excellent electron transfer is associated with oxygen evolution, and thus reduced the water loss and active substance detachment, forming good stability. We believe that MXene-modified lead-acid battery will provide new insight and considerable potential for high-power battery applications.

Asymmetric mesoporous carbon nanoparticles (AMCNs) are of increasing interest because their structural anisotropy can generate distinct pore accessibility, transport behavior, and interfacial properties that are difficult to achieve in symmetric counterparts. Here, we report a room-temperature route to a series of AMCNs through a liquid–solid–liquid deformation process. In this system, a phenolic resin shell forms around emulsion droplets and subsequently undergoes nonuniform deformation during assembly, giving rise to representative asymmetric carbon architectures, including morning-glory-like(AMCN-MG), dome-shaped, and preserved-plum-like structures. Taken together, the experimental and simulation results indicate that shell development is heterogeneous and is accompanied by deformation during the synthesis process. Molecular dynamics simulation further suggests that resorcinol-formaldehyde resin (RF) preferentially accumulates in sodium stearate(NaSt)-deficient regions, where RF-F68 association is well maintained, thereby providing molecular-level support for the local interaction framework underlying shell evolution. As a representative structure, Indometacin-loaded AMCN-MG(IMC-AMCN-MG) showed improved anti-inflammatory performance in a xylene-induced mouse ear edema model, reducing the ear swelling rate to 14.92±2.55 % and achieving a repression rate of 86.69±2.44 %, compared with 28.41±3.98 % and 68.56±5.91 % for IMC-loaded solid-sphere carbon(IMC-SSC), respectively. The serum IL-1β level in the IMC-AMCN-MG group also decreased to 61.81±2.52 pg mL⁻¹. Together with acceptable hemocompatibility and cytocompatibility, these results establish a practical room-temperature strategy for constructing asymmetric mesoporous carbons and provide a basis for future structure–property studies of anisotropic porous nanocarriers.

Copper (Cu)-based alloy catalysts are promising for converting CO2 to hydrocarbons and oxygenated compounds through the electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (eCO2RR). However, it remains a great challenge to selectively obtain ethanol among the C2 products from eCO2RR. Herein, CuMoRu alloy nanorod catalysts were synthesized by a one-pot wet chemistry method. Compared with Cu, CuRu and CuMo catalysts, CuMoRu is more efficient in converting CO2 to ethanol in eCO2RR. Theoretical calculations illustrate that Mo and Ru doping onto a Cu substrate leads to suppressed hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), enhanced *CO production, and the formation of C2 products occurs via an asymmetrical *CO-*CHO coupling pathway. Additionally, the stabilization of CH2CHO* and enhanced H2O dissociation benefit ethanol production by breaking the scaling relationship. In a flow cell, CuMoRu displays a faradaic efficiency of 63.0% and 51.8% for C2 products and C2H5OH at -1.1 V vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), respectively, and the corresponding total and C2 partial current density is 290 and 182.7 mA cm-2 in an alkaline electrolyte, respectively. In situ Raman spectroscopy demonstrated that the CuMoRu interface exhibits increased COb (CO on bridging site) coverage and local pH, and the directly observed vibrational bands from *COCHO confirm the asymmetrical *CO-*CHO coupling mechanism. This work highlights the importance of alloying metal with Cu for the selective production of C2 products in eCO2RR.

Here, the Bi24O31Br10-based composite photocatalysts modified by bimetallic Bi and Mo nanoparticles (NPs) are designed and prepared (Bi-Mo-Bi24O31Br10). 2D ultra-thin Bi24O31Br10 nanosheets with suitable band gap and good chemical and optical stability are selected as the main catalyst to drive N2 fixation by generating hot carriers. The Bi NPs in the Bi24O31Br10 nanosheets serves as a buffer tank for electrons to improve the efficiency of electron transfer. Meanwhile, the Mo NPs serve as catalytic centers for N2 adsorption and activation, working synergistically to enhance the overall reaction efficiency. Resulting from semiconductor-to-metal-to-metal electron transfer path and the Mo metal adsorption and activation mechanism, the nitrogen fixation rate of the Bi-Mo-Bi24O31Br10 photocatalyst is as high as 191.2 mu mol g-1h-1, and it is 7.2 times compared to pure Bi24O31Br10. This work creates a novel framework for the rational design of highly efficient visible-light-responsive nitrogen fixation catalysts.

A Bi–O–Mo bridge bond was introduced between BMO and BOB interfaces and surface metal active sites were modified. The catalyst accelerates multi-electron photocatalytic reduction processes and reduces the reaction energy barrier for CO 2 reduction.

Cu2O/TiO2 binary composites have been fabricated through a simple hydrothermal self-assembly and calcination process. The formation of a heterojunction between two materials facilitates the separation of charge carriers and promotes charge transfer between the SERS substrate and molecules, achieving a significant improvement in the SERS performance. The minimum limit of detection for methylene blue (MB) is 1.0 x 10-9 M, and the maximum enhancement factor (EF) of 5.28 x 107 can be obtained. In addition, the novel Cu2O/TiO2 heterostructure has excellent photocatalytic activity for the degradation of MB molecules, which can be completely degraded and removed within 40 min. The Cu2O/TiO2 composite with high SERS sensitivity and self-cleaning properties has great application potential in the environmental field.

Photocatalytic water splitting has emerged as a viable strategy to address the prevailing environmental and energy dilemmas globally. Nonetheless, a significant obstacle to this sustainable technology lies in the inadequate separation and effective utilization of photogenerated electron-hole pairs within photocatalytic materials. Here, we constructed a novel double S-scheme MIL-125(Ti)/ZnIn2S4/ZnS quantum dots (MOF/ZIS/ZnS) heterojunction photocatalyst by facile hydrothermal and solvothermal method for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution (PHE). The optimal MOF/ZIS/ZnS photocatalyst demonstrates a remarkable hydrogen generation rate of 0.943 mmol center dot h-1 center dot g-1, and it is 10.84 times higher than pure ZIS (0.087 mmol center dot h-1 center dot g-1). This significant boost in hydrogen production efficiency is due to the creation of a dual S-scheme heterojunction and an intrinsic electric field (IEF) among MOF, ZIS, and ZnS, which promotes charge transfer, reduces photogenerated carrier recombination, prolongs the lifespan of light-induced carriers and boosts the redox potential of photoexcited charges. This study provides fresh perspectives on the optimal design of dual S-scheme photocatalysts by harnessing energy band manipulation and IEF adjustments.

To improve the photocatalytic activities of photocatalysts, constructing heterojunction structures is considered as an effective measure. Herein, a series of the 1D (one dimensional)/2D (two dimensional) CdS/Ag-doped ZnIn2S4 (denoted as CdS/Ag:ZIS) heterojunctions were constructed by growing 2D Ag:ZIS nanoplates on 1D CdS nano- wires. Under visible light irradiation, the optimized CdS/Ag:ZIS shows H2 production rate of as high as 2447.02 mu mol g- 1 h- 1, which has increased by 7.8 and 2.2 times compared to pure CdS and Ag:ZIS, respectively. Meanwhile, the degradation efficiency of methyl orange (MO) reaches 99.45% within 50 min. The enhanced photocatalytic activity is due to the improved absorption of visible light along with accelerated separation of photogenerated carriers, thanks to the formation of an intimate interface, suitable energy band alignment and abundant active sites. Furthermore, CdS/Ag:ZIS also exhibits high stability in both photocatalytic processes, with negligible decay over multiple photocatalytic cycles. Based on the results of density functional theory (DFT) and photoelectrochemical characterizations, a Z-scheme heterojunction is proposed, followed by in-depth studies of the charge transfer processes and the photocatalytic mechanisms.

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water reduction offers a promising method for generating "green" hydrogen. The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) at the photocathode is significantly constrained, primarily because of the rapid recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs and the high energy barrier encountered during the water splitting step. Here, a unique "sandwich" structure FeOOH/Cu2O/ZnO composite photocathode is fabricated by hydrothermal and electrodeposition methods. Photogenerated holes are extracted and transferred from the Cu2O to FTO substrates more easily via the introduction of FeOOH as a hole storage/transport layer. Charge recombination is hindered by the ZnO layer, which functions an electron transfer agent. Hence, the FeOOH/Cu2O/ZnO photocathode presents remarkable PEC water reduction capability. The maximum photocurrent density of the FeOOH/Cu2O/ZnO photocathode (-2.54 mA·cm-2) is 12.7 times greater than that of pristine Cu2O (-0.2 mA·cm-2) at 0 VRHE. The IPCE of FeOOH/Cu2O/ZnO reaches 33.7% (455 nm), which is 8.1 times higher than the value of bare Cu2O (4.18%). The theoretical calculations reveal that energy barrier of HER on FeOOH/Cu2O/ZnO photocathode is dramatically reduced, greatly improving the catalytic activity for HER. This study highlights the crucial functions of solar PEC conversion and offers comprehensive insights into interfacial charge transfer in designing efficient photocathode materials.

The CO2 photoreduction to high-value-added products is accompanied by a complex activation and dissociation process, and the construction of multiple active sites on photocatalysts for both CO2 reduction and H2O dissociation simultaneously is still a daunting challenge. Herein, Cu as Lewis acid (LA) sites and P as Lewis base (LB) sites were successfully modified on the surface of tubular g-C3N4 (P/Cu-TCN) to improve the performance of CO2 photoreduction to CH4 with H2O as a proton donor. The production of CH4 is as high as 63.95 mu mol g- 1 h- 1 over optimal P/Cu-TCN photocatalyst with an outstanding selectivity. The performance is much higher than those of the reported g-C3N4-based photocatalytic systems. Experimental results combined with theoretical simulation results show that the electrophilic Cu (Lewis acid) centers induce the activation of the C--O bond in CO2, while electron-enriched P (Lewis base) sites enhance the adsorption of pure water molecules and subsequent proton transfer processes. The incorporation of Cu and P acid-base pairs not only mitigates the elevated Gibbs free energy barrier associated with C--O bond cleavage during CO2 photoreduction and facilitates the overall protoncoupled electron transfer kinetics, but also suppresses the recombination of photogenerated charge carriers while enhancing charge transport efficiency. All of these together improve the catalytic efficiency of the CO2-to-CH4 transformation. This study offers research suggestions for the modification of g-C3N4 to enhance CO2 reduction.

Cu 2 O/TiO 2 binary composites were prepared by a simple synthesis method, which showed excellent SERS performance and ability for removal of MB molecules.

Compared to traditional energy-intensive ammonia (NH3) production methods, photocatalytic nitrogen (N2) reduction offers significant energy savings. However, the complex kinetics and high reaction barriers have hindered its development. In this study, a novel Bi24O31Br10/polyaniline (Bi24O31Br10/PANI) composite photocatalyst was synthesized using a simple solvothermal and chemical oxidation polymerization method. Aniline was oxidized and deposited onto the surface of Bi24O31Br10 nanosheets. The Bi24O31Br10/PANI composite demonstrated better visible-light absorption, and more efficient transfer of photoexcited carriers than pure Bi24O31Br10, resulting in superior photocatalytic N2 fixation performance. The optimized Bi24O31Br10/PANI composite attained an NH3 production yield of 245.26 µmol g−1 , approximately 7.0 times higher than pure Bi24O31Br10. This study provides a new design of inorganic-polymer hybrid photocatalysts for efficient photocatalytic nitrogen fixation.

This study introduces a synergistic strategy combining sulfur vacancy engineering with a hollow porous structure to improve the carrier separation efficiency and structural stability of conventional photocatalysts. We successfully synthesized Zn0.5Cd0.5S hollow porous nanosheets (ZCS HPNs) containing in-situ sulfur vacancies using a template-sacrificing approach. The optimized ZCS-7 HPNs achieved an exceptional visible-light-driven hydrogen evolution rate of 8594.7 mu mol g-1 h-1, which is 18 times higher than that of pristine CdS, along with superior cycling stability. Both experimental and theoretical results indicate that sulfur vacancies act as electron traps to suppress charge recombination, while also optimizing the water adsorption energy (Delta GH2O* =-0.78 eV) and hydrogen desorption free energy (Delta GH* = 0.22 eV). The strengthened Zn-S bonds significantly enhance photocatalytic and structural stability by effectively inhibiting photo-corrosion. Meanwhile, the hollow porous structure extends light absorption to 470 nm through improved light scattering. The enhanced photocatalytic performance is attributed to the synergistic combination of the hollow structure for enhanced light harvesting, sulfur vacancies for favorable electronic modulation, and reinforced Zn-S bonds for increased durability. This work offers new perspectives for designing highly efficient photocatalytic materials.

Lack of surface charge and poor carrier separation efficiency limit the photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting performance. Therefore, enhancing the charge density around the surface-active sites is an important strategy to boost the PEC performance. Herein, an in-situ strategy to construct surface S vacancies (S-v) and introduce hydroxyl groups (-OH) on the SnS2 photoanode is designed, and its PEC water splitting activity has significantly improved, reaching a maximum photocurrent density of 1.44 mA.cm(-2) at 1.23 VRHE, which is 8.47 times greater than in terms of pure SnS2, and the onset potential has an obvious negative shift. Complete theoretical simulations and detailed experimental tests show that the -OH groups, as strong electron donors, transfer charge to the S vacancy sites and increase the surface charge density. Effective separation and transport of the photoinduced carriers are achieved. The ability of Sv active sites to activate and stabilize H2O molecules and reaction intermediates is also effectively improved to ensure the smooth progress of the water oxidation reaction. This work offers a novel approach for the synthesis of effective photoanodes by modifying surface defect active sites with electron donor groups.

Here, a gentle cation-exchange-mediated approach is employed to immobilize Zn cations on the surface of SnS2 nanosheets for the Zn-SnS2 photoanode construction. Benefit from the redistribution of surface charges induced by the Zn-S configuration, the Zn-SnS2 photoanode catalyst possesses excellent separation ability of photogenerated electrons and holes. Therefore, the optimized Zn-SnS2 photoanode exhibits exceptional Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting performance, achieving a photocurrent density of 1.28 mAcm(-2) at 1.23 V-RHE with outstanding long-term stability, which is 4.13 times greater than that of SnS2 (0.31 mAcm(-2)). Theoretical simulation calculation reveals that the introduction of Zn enhances adsorption of water molecules and intermediates, reduces the reaction energy barrier, and accelerates the kinetics of the PEC water oxidation reaction. This research offers a viable strategy to enhance photo electrocatalytic efficacy via Zn ion incorporation.

Materials that enhance electrolyte transport and suppress the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) have been a focus in the development of negative electrodes for lead-carbon batteries. This study focuses on bismuth (Bi), a metal with a high overpotential for hydrogen evolution. With the quantities of reactants carefully controlled, pore-like Bi material was synthesized through a straightforward chemical reduction method. This material was then mechanically mixed with activated carbon (AC) and applied to the negative active material (NAM) of lead-carbon batteries. A series of characterizations were conducted to examine its structural features and electrochemical performance. The results demonstrate that the pore-like Bi structure significantly enhanced NAM utilization and effectively suppressed HER. Cycling tests revealed that pore-like Bi markedly increased the specific surface area of NAM and delayed the sulfation of the electrode plates, providing the Bi/C electrodes with abundant active sites, which alleviated performance degradation caused by water loss. Furthermore, the 2% Bi/C battery have a cycle life of 5,226 cycles. As a non-toxic and cost-effective metal, Bi has considerable potential as an additive for lead-carbon batteries.