Microbial fuel cells (MFCs), a sustainable green energy technology, have emerged as promising alternatives to conventional fossil fuels because of their safety and environmental compatibility. However, their power generation efficiency remains notably constrained by the sluggish kinetics of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) at the cathode. In this study, a kind of bead-like porous carbon nanofibers (CNFs)-AgFe alloys ORR catalyst with abundant macroporous structures was successfully synthesised by embedding zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) nanocubes doped with Ag+ and Fe3 + into electrospun CNFs. The decomposition characteristics of ZIF-8-namely, framework collapse and Zn2 + volatilisation-were exploited to realise this hierarchical structure. The hierarchical porous architecture of the catalyst substantially enhances the exposure of metallic active sites, thereby facilitating interfacial contact between ORR intermediates and catalytic surfaces. The synergistic interaction between Ag and Fe within the alloy structure generates highly efficient catalytic centres, resulting in exceptional performance metrics, including a remarkable limiting diffusion current density of 0.424 mA cm-2 and exchange current density of 0.828 A m-2 , as well as outstanding MFC operational parameters: chemical oxygen demand removal efficiency of 74.07 % +/- 2.77 %, coulombic efficiency of 39.35 % +/- 3.04 %, stable output voltage of 0.62 V and a record-high power density of 1282.05 mW m-2 . These findings collectively address critical challenges in cathode catalysis while establishing new benchmarks for bio-electrochemical system performance. (c) 2026 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The editorial office of Journal of Materials Science & Technology.

Ceramic fiber aerogels have emerged as promising candidates for thermal insulation in extreme environments, yet their mechanical toughness and high-temperature stability remain critical bottlenecks. To address this challenge, we propose a multiscale structural engineering strategy integrated with scalable direct three-dimensional (3D) electrospinning technology to fabricate silicon–aluminum ceramic fiber aerogels (SACFAs) with a phase-locked amorphous/crystalline architecture. The entangled network constructed by crimped ribbon-shaped fibers reinforces the fiber junctions and provides ample deformation space. Concurrently, aluminum doping introduces Si–O–Al bonds and forms a phase-locked structure wherein nano-alumina/mullite crystallites are uniformly embedded within the amorphous silica matrix. This unique architecture intrinsically reinforces the fibers through grain boundary pinning, thereby synergistically enhancing both mechanical properties and thermal stability. The SACFAs exhibit a superior combination of tensile performance (a high tensile strength of 0.4772 MPa with a fracture strain of 47.58

The efficient loading of PtCo bimetallic materials on hollow carbon nanofibers synergizes to facilitate the methanol oxidation reaction at the anode of DMFCs.

Ceramic aerogels demonstrate significant potential in thermal protection applications under extreme heat environments due to their outstanding high-temperature tolerance. However, their inherent brittleness and mechanical property degradation caused by abnormal grain growth at elevated temperatures severely limit their practical implementation. This study proposes a multiscale synergistic design strategy that enhances both mechanical properties and high-temperature stability by incorporating subcrystalline structures within zirconium-silicon composite ceramic nanofibers featuring a wavy morphology. The fabricated ZSNFA-2-50% sample exhibited an energy loss coefficient reduction of only 0.033 after 1000 compression cycles, with thermal conductivity as low as 32.74 mW m-1 K-1. After 100 h of heat treatment at 1000°C in air, the fiber morphology remained intact with only a 7.5% decrease in tensile stress, demonstrating outstanding fatigue resistance and high-temperature structural stability. This work provides a novel material design approach for developing ceramic fiber aerogels that combine lightweight properties, high toughness, and excellent thermal stability, offering broad application prospects in extreme thermal protection fields such as aerospace.

Hierarchical porous N-doped carbon nanofibers incorporating Ni nanoparticles (Ni@HPCNF) were synthesized via an electrospinning and NH4HCO3-assisted co-pyrolysis strategy. The unique 1D porous architecture and graphitic carbon encapsulation provide abundant active sites and accelerate mass and electron transfer. Consequently, Ni@HPCNF exhibits superior methanol oxidation performance, delivering a high current density of 27.6 mA cm-2 with excellent long-term stability. In situ impedance spectroscopy confirms its exceptionally fast reaction kinetics. This work presents a low-cost, eco-friendly strategy for designing highly efficient carbon-based electrocatalysts.

The poor biofilm colonization, charge transfer, and storage at the anode have long been major obstacles to achieving high power generation in bioelectrochemical systems (BES). To overcome this challenge, we developed electrospun carbon nanofiber-interpenetrated reduced graphene oxide aerogels (CNF/rGOx, where x denotes the mass ratio of CNF to rGO, with x = 2, 4, 6) to modify the surface of carbon cloth (CC), significantly enhancing its electrochemical performance. The CNF/rGO-6 aerogel featured a porous, interconnected conductive scaffold, endowing the CC electrode with a larger electrochemically active area, higher specific capacitance, and a rougher surface. These properties significantly improved biofilm adhesion, extracellular electron transfer, and charge storage capabilities. As a result, the BES equipped with a CNF/rGO-6 electrode achieved an impressive power density of 3080.3 mW/m2, significantly higher than those of BES with CNF/rGO-4 (2426.3 mW/m2), CNF/rGO-2 (2717 mW/m2), rGO (1978.3 mW/m2), and pure CC (1050.4 mW/m2) electrodes. Furthermore, the CNF/rGO-6 electrode supported a high abundance of electroactive bacteria and enhanced their viability. With its simple fabrication, low weight, and exceptional electrochemical performance, the CNF/rGO-6 aerogel demonstrates significant potential as an electrode material for high-performance and cost-effective BES. (c) 2026 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Chinese Chemical Society and Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.

As energy crises and environmental pollution issues grow increasingly severe, proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) has demonstrated broad application prospects as an efficient, clean energy conversion technology. The gas diffusion layer (GDL), as a core component of PEMFC, directly influences the output efficiency and operational stability of the cell. Carbon nanofiber (CNF) material, with its unique structural characteristics and tunable physicochemical properties, offers new possibilities for GDL performance optimization and innovative design. This paper analyzes the influence mechanisms of CNF microstructural characteristics on the performance of GDL; describes mainstream preparation methods, primarily electrospinning and carbonization, along with their extended processes; reviews recent research progress on CNF in GDL; and discusses the challenges and future development directions of CNF in advancing high-performance PEMFC.

With the continuous growth of global energy demand, issues related to energy security and environmental sustainability have attracted increasing attention. In recent decades, innovations in alternative energy technologies have significantly advanced the development of fuel cells as a promising clean energy solution. Traditional fuel cells utilize oxygen as the cathode oxidant; however, their application is limited in oxygen-deficient or anoxic environments. In contrast, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), as a liquid oxidant, offers several advantages in terms of storage and transport, while also facilitating more direct reactions at the solid-liquid interface. Moreover, the two-electron reduction mechanism of H2O2 considerably enhances the reaction rate. This review summarizes the applications of H2O2 in fuel cells and highlights the research progress related to cathode catalysts. First, the use of H2O2 as a cathode oxidant in various types of fuel cells was explored. Second, the performance and challenges of precious metal catalysts, transition metal catalysts, and other catalysts in hydrogen peroxide reduction reactions (HPRR) are analyzed. Finally, the future research directions in this field are discussed.

Advancing direct methanol fuel cells requires overcoming the sluggish anodic kinetics of non-precious-metal electrocatalysts. Herein, we develop a NaHCO3-mediated co-pyrolysis strategy to fabricate nickel nano-particles firmly embedded in nitrogen-doped porous carbon nanofibers (Ni@NPCNF). During pyrolysis, NaHCO3 acts as a bifunctional activator that simultaneously constructs a hierarchical micro-mesoporous structure with a high BET surface area of 732.3 m2 g-1 and promotes the long-range graphitic ordering of the carbon matrix. This structural design effectively decouples the traditional trade-off between porosity and electrical conductivity. Consequently, the optimized Ni@NPCNF achieves a remarkable methanol oxidation current density of 29.0 mA cm-2 to essentially double the output of the unactivated control, a performance surge driven by an expanded electrochemically active surface area and reduced charge-transfer resistance. Furthermore, the highly graphitized one-dimensional carbon framework confines the Ni nanoparticles and suppresses their aggregation, leading to outstanding durability with 93.8% current retention after 1000 cycling. Overall, this bifunctional activation strategy provides a practical and straightforward approach to balance mass transport and conductivity in carbon-supported transition metal electrocatalysts.

This review summarizes advanced materials and synergistic strategies for indoor formaldehyde removal, with emphasis on adsorption, catalysis, and application-oriented design.

The accumulation of antibiotics in the environment and their increasing ecological risks make it essential to develop efficient and cost-effective technologies for treating refractory antibiotics-containing wastewater. Compared with conventional physical adsorption and biodegradation, electrochemical advanced oxidation processes (EAOPs) offer advantages including simple operation, free of additional chemicals, mild reaction conditions, and the ability to achieve both pollutant degradation and resource recovery. The carbon-based membrane shows great potential to be applied as a catalytic electrode, performing functions as conventional supports. This study fabricated self-supporting carbon nanofibrous membranes modified with phenolic resin (PR) by an electrospinning-thermal treatment strategy. The structural, conductivity, and mechanical properties of membranes prepared by four PR loading methods (immersion, spray coating, blend electrospinning, and grinding-remolding) were systematically studied. Owing to its superior conductivity and mechanical strength, the PR-I@PTA/ACFs-10 membrane prepared by the immersion method was selected as the working electrode in a flow-through electrocatalytic system for degrading tetracycline (TC). This configuration forces the reaction solution through the anode and cathode, significantly enhancing convective mass transfer and reactant contact. The results indicate that under conditions of 2.5 V, pH = 6, and 10 mM Na2SO4, the degradation rate of 10 mg L-1 TC reached 85.07

Hierarchically porous hollow NiCoLDH@HCNFs are synthesized via ZIF-8 templated coaxial electrospinning. This unique architecture accelerates mass transport and exposes abundant active sites, significantly boosting methanol oxidation.

Pt-based electrocatalysts are recognized as the most effective materials for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in fuel cells. However, their widespread application is hindered by high cost, insufficient stability, and susceptibility to methanol and CO poisoning. Therefore, it is crucial to develop non-precious metal catalysts that are efficient, durable, and tolerant to fuel crossover. Herein, we report a facile synthesis of Fe–N–C catalysts derived from transition metal-doped zeolitic imidazolate frameworks via thermal treatment. In alkaline electrolyte, the obtained catalyst exhibited a half-wave potential of 0.79 V (vs. RHE) for the ORR, only 10 mV lower than that of commercial Pt/C. Moreover, it demonstrated excellent stability with 86.7

Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (DMFC) is a clean energy technology that integrates high-efficiency energy conversion with environmental benefits. However, its industrial application is hindered by the sluggish kinetics of the cathode oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). This key scientific challenge has driven diversified advances in high-performance ORR electrocatalysts. This review systematically outlines the reaction mechanisms and ORR pathways in DMFC. Furthermore, it comprehensively summarizes recent advances in multi-scale modification strategies, including methanol tolerance optimization, rational design of active sites, electronic structure tailoring, surface/interface micro-environment engineering, and additional modulation approaches for enhancing ORR performance. Additionally, the mechanisms for enhancing intrinsic catalytic activity are discussed in depth, along with the elucidation of the structure-activity relationship governing catalyst performance in terms of activity, selectivity, and stability. Finally, in light of the critical challenges currently facing DMFC cathode catalysts, future directions and development pathways for catalyst design are proposed.

Direct fabrication of self-supporting ceramic nanofibrous aerogels is limited by the narrow processing window of sol–gel electrospinning. Here, a composition-fixed sol aging strategy regulates the colloidal and electrical states of an Al-Si sol, as well as the rheology and polymer-inorganic interactions of the corresponding Al-Si@PVA spinning solution. The two-day-aged system provides a favorable balance of charge transport, colloidal stability, jet stretching, and fiber solidification, enabling direct formation of a layered three-dimensional precursor by airflow-assisted electrospinning. After pre-oxidation and carbonization, ASCAs-2 contains minor γ-Al2O3 nanocrystals in an amorphous SiO2 carbon matrix. ASCAs-2 exhibits a density of 28 mg cm−3, a thermal conductivity of 34 mW m⁻1 K⁻1, recovery after 1000 compression cycles at 50% strain, and a back surface temperature of 135 °C after 10 min of butane flame exposure. It also remains flexible after 100 h in air at 1200 °C, achieving a noise reduction coefficient of 0.65 at a thickness of 30 mm. The approach links solution-state regulation to the direct three-dimensional buildup of fibers and enables the development of lightweight ceramic carbon aerogels for thermal and acoustic protection.

Antibiotics are challenging to degrade in wastewater using conventional methods.

Developing high-performance electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials and wearable EMI fabrics is significantly important for the integrated electronics and wearable electronic devices. Herein, we propose an in-situ reduction strategy to construct a high-conductive silver/thermoplastic polyurethane nanofiber membrane (Ag/TPU NM). Benefiting from the intercrossed structure of TPU nanofibers and strong adsorption interaction of Ag+by the unsaturated aromatic hydrocarbons of TPU, in-situ reduced Ag nanoparticles (NPs) can be firmly semi-embedded on the TPU fibers, without needing of binders/crosslinkers in traditional methods, to form the threedimensional (3D) continuous conductive network, and the resulting Ag/TPU NM exhibits high EMI shielding effectiveness of 95.7 dB, excellent Joule heating performance (202.6 degrees C/V2) and stable environmental adaptability in high (120 degrees C) and ultralow (-196 degrees C) temperatures as well as corrosive solution. These outstanding performances are ascribed to the Ag-conductive networks semi-embedded on TPU formed by the in-situ reduction strategy, which protects Ag from oxidation and therefore achieves high-stability. Meanwhile, the inherent stretchable characteristic and intercrossed structure of TPU NM endow its excellent environmental adoptability at wide conditions. In short, combined with excellent flexibility and high air/moisture permeability, the as-synthesized Ag/TPU NM shows the great potential for applications in wearable EMI shielding protection fabrics in harsh conditions.

The enhancement of catalytic activity and durability for atomically dispersed metal-nitrogen-carbon (M-N-C) catalysts in methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) anodes within direct methanol fuel cells presents a significant challenge. Here, we developed hollow porous nanofiber catalysts featuring edge Ni-N4 atomic sites through coaxial electrostatic spinning with domain-restricted Ni atoms embedded within a zeolitic imidazolium ester backbone, thereby increasing the exposure of accessible active sites (Ni: 4.96 %). The distinctive hollow porous fiber morphology and hierarchical structure facilitate convenient electronic conductivity and mass transport of reactants. Theoretical findings indicate that the surface adsorption of methanol at the edge Ni-N4 atomic sites exhibits negative free energy, promoting the adsorption and activation of reactants. Furthermore, the initial dehydrogenation step demonstrates a low free energy change, favoring reaction kinetics. The membrane electrode assembly achieved a power density of 42.2 mW cm-2 in single-cell application tests while displaying improved durability. This research provides valuable insights for future advancements in single-atom catalyst development for fuel cells or other energy applications.

Sluggish extracellular electron transfer and poor biofilm adhesion at the anode interface remain critical challenges hindering the performance and practical implementation of bioelectrochemical systems (BESs). In this study, a novel electrocatalyst, hemin-anchored reduced graphene oxide (hemin@rGO), was developed by intercalating hemin particles in rGO laminates via a simple ultrasonic dispersion and stirring approach. The 2dimensional rGO provides large surface area and high conductivity for electron transfer. While the hemin possessed similar iron-porphyrin molecular structure with outer membrane cytochromes c (OM c-Cyts) on electrochemically active microorganism, providing high biocompatibility, hydrophilicity, capacitance, and appropriate redox potential. When equipped on the BES anode, the hemin@rGO electrode achieved an impressive power density (4526.2 mW m-2) and current density (8244.4 mA m-2), significantly outperforming rGO, hemin, carbon cloth, and other reported electrodes. Besides, the hemin@rGO enhanced the colonization and viability of electrochemically active bacteria such as Rhodococcus, Acidovorax, and Pseudomonas and facilitated EET on the electrode. Density function theory calculation further confirmed the strong interaction and enhanced charge transfer between hemin and c-Cyts on microorganisms. This study demonstrates that the synthesis of hierarchical electrocatalyst by using rGO and hemin as electron conductor and electron sink, respectively, is an effective strategy to develop high performance BES electrodes. Synopsis: Synthesis of hierarchical electrocatalyst by intercalating hemin particles in rGO laminate significantly improved anode biocompatibility, biofilm attachment, and power generation in bioelectrochemical system.