Zinc metal has attracted significant attention as a potential anode material for organic zinc-ion batteries, mainly owing to its high theoretical capacity and favorable redox potential. However, the practical use of zinc metal anodes is limited by challenges such as uncontrolled dendrite formation and undesirable side reactions. Herein, a novel and conjugated microporous polymer (PCMP) is designed and introduce as an effective protective barrier for zinc anodes to inhibit dendrite growth by promoting uniform and directional deposition of zinc metal. The PCMP polymer coating exhibits a hierarchical porous structure, which can provide a uniform and efficient ion transport pathway for Zn2+, ensuring long-term cycling stability and durability of the zinc anode. Moreover, the it-conjugated system within the PCMP framework facilitates electron cloud delocalization and interacts with Zn2+, promoting its adsorption on the surface and providing nucleation sites for uniform zinc deposition. Consequently, the PCMP@Zn anode exhibits uniform Zn plating/stripping behavior, with its symmetric battery maintaining stable cycling for over 5000 hours at 1 mA cm- 2 and 0.5 mAh cm- 2. Even at high current densities of 10 mA mA cm- 2 with an aerial capacity of 10 mA mAh cm- 2, the PCMP@Zn||PCMP@Zn retains remarkable durability for 2000 hours. More impressively, the corresponding PCMP@Zn||NVO battery demonstrates an exceptional specific capacity of 142 mAh g- 1 after 1400 cycles at a current density of 2 A g- 1, further underscoring the practical potential of PCMP@Zn.

The production of valuable oligomers, other than monomers, from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste could upgrade the PET degradation by simplifying the product purification and polycondensation. The control of the molecular weight of oligomer products is desirable but challenging. Herein, we pioneer an efficient and novel strategy for homogeneously depolymerizing PET to produce polyester diol (PEDO) oligomers with a high yield of 94.2% and controlled molecular weight at 170 degrees C for 10 min. The ethylene glycol dosage can easily control the degree of polymerization of PEDO from 4 to 13. Besides, a novel and simple method was developed to fractionate PEDO to acquire a narrow molecular weight distribution (MWD), based on diversity in the solubility temperatures of PEDO oligomers with varied molecular weights in gamma-valerolactone. The polydispersity index of PEDO was as low as 1.45 (the lowest value reported to date in PET degradation), indicating the effectiveness of the method.

The relatively low equilibrium conversion of tetrahydrofuran hydrolysis, does not surpass 20%, limits its utilization in polyester synthesis. Herein, a feasible strategy for THF ring opening into block units for polyester was developed, achieving a conversion of 75.8%. This approach provides an innovative method for THF transformation into block units for biodegradable plastics.

Potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) are considered as a promising energy storage system owing to its abundant potassium resources. As an important part of the battery composition, anode materials play a vital role in the future development of PIBs. Bismuth-based anode materials demonstrate great potential for storing potassium ions (K+) due to their layered structure, high theoretical capacity based on the alloying reaction mechanism, and safe operating voltage. However, the large radius of K+ inevitably induces severe volume expansion in depotassiation/potassiation, and the sluggish kinetics of K+ insertion/extraction limits its further development. Herein, we summarize the strategies used to improve the potassium storage properties of various types of materials and introduce recent advances in the design and fabrication of favorable structural features of bismuth-based materials. Firstly, this review analyzes the structure, working mechanism and advantages and disadvantages of various types of materials for potassium storage. Then, based on this, the manuscript focuses on summarizing modification strategies including structural and morphological design, compositing with other materials, and electrolyte optimization, and elucidating the advantages of various modifications in enhancing the potassium storage performance. Finally, we outline the current challenges of bismuth-based materials in PIBs and put forward some prospects to be verified.

Structurally-engineered hollow carbon nanomaterials have emerged as frontier materials for advanced energy storage technologies, because of their inherent architectural merits, including expansive specific surface area and interconnected porosity, which enable efficient sodium ion storage mechanisms. Hollow carbon shells with flattened circular shapes were prepared using Fe3O4 as templates. By precisely tuning the N/S doping ratios, the electronic structure and surface properties of hollow carbon nanomaterials can be effectively modified. The regulatory mechanisms of nitrogen and sulfur synergistic doping on electron/ion transport, structural stability, and sodium ion diffusion kinetics were revealed. Specifically, it reveals that as a sodium-ion half-cell anode, the materials deliver 368.4 mAh g-1 at 200 mA g-1. Importantly, the full cell battery (Mg-NaVO//NSC-21) achieves 348.9 mAh g-1 at 500 mA g-1, demonstrating remarkable rate capability which sustains 101.7 mAh g-1 even at 5000 mA g-1. Characterization studies attribute these improvements to an optimized N/S-doped ratio of 12 can substantially boost sodium storage capabilities via coordinated enhancements in charge transport efficiency, ionic mobility and electrode integrity. This study establishes fundamental guidelines for designing architecturally controlled N/S-coordinated carbon matrices, directly propelling the engineering of high-efficiency sodium-ion batteries (SIBs), opening up new avenues for the development of advanced energy storage systems.

Potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) are gaining attention among emerging technologies for their cost-effectiveness and the abundance of resources they utilize. Within this context, bismuth oxyhalides (BiOX) have emerged as exceptional candidates for anode materials in PIBs due to their unique structural and superior electrochemical properties. However, challenges such as structural instability and low electronic conductivity remain to be addressed. In this study, a flower-like BiOBr0.5Cl0.5/rGO composite anode material was synthesized, demonstrating outstanding K+ storage performance. The self-hybridized structure enhances ion adsorption and diffusion, which in turn improves charge and discharge efficiency as well as long-term stability. In situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) tests confirmed the gradual release and alloying potassium storage mechanism of Bi metal, which occurs through the intermediate KxBiOBr0.5Cl0.5 phase within the BiOBr0.5Cl0.5 anode. This composite exhibited a high specific capacity of 246.4 mAh/g at 50 A/g and maintained excellent capacity retention after 2400 cycles at 5 A/g. Additionally, in full battery tests, it showed good rate performance and long cycle life, maintaining a discharge specific capacity of 119.6 mAh/g at a high current density of 10 A/g. Comprehensive characterizations revealed insights into the structural, electrochemical, and kinetic properties, advancing high-performance PIBs.

Aqueous potassium ion batteries (APIBs) have emerged as a promising candidate for next-generation energy storage systems due to their inherent safety, cost-effectiveness, and environmental sustainability. APIBs utilize water-based electrolytes, which significantly reduce the risk of flammability associated with organic solvent-based electrolytes. Considering the potential applications of APIBs in grid-scale energy storage and portable electronics, it is of great significance for the study of APIBs. Among the components of APIBs, the cathode materials play a critical role and are the primary factors determining the energy density and power density of aqueous batteries. Therefore, to advance cathode materials, it is essential to summarize recent research progress. The review introduces various types of cathode materials, including Prussian blue and its analogs, metal oxides, MXenes, and polyanion-type compounds. It summarizes recent advances in cathode materials for APIBs, focusing on the advantages of these materials as well as the challenges they face and strategies for optimization. Finally, the review provides a summary and outlook on how to enhance the performance of cathode materials in APIBs. The purpose of this review is to provide some ideas for the development of new and efficient APIBs cathode.

Zn metal has emerged as a highly promising anode material for aqueous zinc ion batteries, primarily because of its elevated theoretical capacity and favorable redox potential. Nonetheless, the practical application of Zn metal anodes is hindered by issues of uncontrollable dendritic growth and undesirable side reactions. Herein, a hydrophobic aminopyridine-containing conjugated microporous polymer (APCMP) is successfully introduced as an efficient protective barrier to synergistically inhibit dendrites growth and side reactions. The hierarchical porous structure of APCMP provides efficient ion transport channels for Zn2+, enhancing interfacial reaction kinetics. The it-conjugated system within the APCMP framework promotes electron cloud delocalization, which can interact with Zn2+. These interactions enable Zn2+ to adsorb onto the surface, serving as nucleation sites and promoting uniform Zn deposition. The hydrophobicity of APCMP effectively inhibits direct interactions between free water molecules and Zn metal, thereby reducing the occurrence of side reactions. After 100 cycles of the symmetric cell, no by-products were generated on the APCMP@Zn surface compared to bare Zn. Consequently, the APCMP@Zn||APCMP@Zn symmetric cell exhibits extended cycling stability, maintaining performance for over 1300 h at a current density of 2.5 mA cm- 2. Additionally, the APCMP@Zn||Cu asymmetric cell can be stably plated/stripped more than 4000 cycles at a current density of 2.5 mA cm- 2. The APCMP@Zn||NVO full cell still remained a specific capacity of 125 mAh g- 1 after 3000 cycles at a current density of 5 A g- 1. This approach offers a robust solution for enhancing the stability of Zn anode.

The precise disconnection of one type of chemical bond in polymers realizes high-yield recovery of valuable chemicals. In this study, we demonstrate a sustainable and efficient strategy to selectively cleave the specific sp3C-sp3N bond of a thermoset melamine-formaldehyde foam, by which valuable melamine of 99.5% purity was obtained with a yield of 95.3%.

Efficient resourceful treatment of phosphine tail gas is a huge challenge. In this study, a series of cobalt nanoparticles embeded in porous carbon (Co@C) catalysts were obtained via pyrolysis of Co-based MOF as precursor for catalytic decomposition of phosphine (PH 3 ) by regulating the ratio of reactants of MOFs. The composition, morphology and structure of the catalysts were characterized by inductively coupled plasma, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and BET measurement. The effect of Co@C catalysts with different reactant ratio on the catalytic decomposition of PH 3 was tested, and the catalysts before and after the reaction were compared. It was found that the catalyst with MOF as the precursor after pyrolysis can still retain the porosity and large specific surface area of MOF. The metal cobalt nanoparticles and its oxides can be uniformly distributed in time under high loading, which is conducive to the reaction with phosphine to form metal phosphide (CoP), and the rapid and efficient decomposition of PH 3 was completed under the synergistic effect of the two kinds of active sites of Co and CoP. The best catalytic decomposition efficiency is Co@C-5 catalyst, which can achieve 100 % decomposition efficiency at 350 degrees C and has good stability.

Various excellent catalysts have been explored for the methanolysis of polycarbonate (PC), but it is still challenging to develop green and economical catalysts for solvent-free PC methanolysis to recover both bisphenol A (BPA) and dimethyl carbonate (DMC). Herein, green, efficient and solvent-free degradation of PC to BPA and DMC was achieved using urea as a cheap green catalyst. At 140 degrees C for 3 h, PC was completely degraded to BPA and DMC with yields of 93.4% and 74.7%, respectively. A possible catalytic degradation mechanism of PC was proposed by kinetic experiments and NMR, where urea, methanol and carbonate formed a six-membered ring in the reaction. It was found that the increase of urea concentration significantly reduced the activation energy, which was attributed to the fact that the increase of urea concentration made the six-membered ring easier to form and activated the carbonate bond. The degradation system can be reused directly up to 10 times and 100% degradation rate can be maintained. This work provides a simple, green and economical method for industrial PC recycling. Urea catalyzes the degradation of polycarbonate to bisphenol A and dimethyl carbonate, where urea, methanol and carbonate form a six-membered ring.

In the research report of cathode of potassium ion battery, Mn-based layered structural oxides have attracted the researcher's attention because of its good energy density and high specific rate capacity. However, the Jahn-Teller effect is the main limiting factor for their development. It leads to the expansion and deactivation of Mn-based layered metal oxides during cycling for a long time. Therefore, mitigation of the Jahn-Teller effect is considered a useful measure to enhance the electrochemical capability of Mn-based layered oxide. In this paper, an R3m-type K0.4Mn0.7Co0.25Zn0.05O2 cathode material is designed through a Zn doping strategy. X-ray diffraction techniques and electrochemical tests verified that the Jahn-Teller effect is effectively mitigated. High performance is achieved in the rate capacity test with 113 mAh g-1 at 50 mA g-1. Comparison with similar materials in recent years has demonstrated its superiority, leading rate performance among Mn-based metal oxides reported in recent years. The practical feasibility is verified in the assembled full cell with soft carbon in anode materials and K0.4Mn0.7Co0.25Zn0.05O2 as cathode. In the full cell rate test, 104.8 mAh g-1 discharging capacity is achieved at 50 mA g-1 current density. Zn-doped K0.4Mn0.7Co0.25Zn0.05O2 (denoted as KMCZO) is prepared by sol-gel method. It is verified that the Jahn-Teller effect is effectively suppressed from the viewpoint of cell structure and potassium storage mechanism. Excellent potassium storage is achieved, with 113 mAh g-1 discharge specific capacity at 50 mA g-1 current density. The cycling stability of Mn-based layered oxides is effectively improved. image

Bismuth-based materials have attracted interest in potassium-ion batteries (PIBs). However, the large volume expansion prevents further use of bismuth-based materials for potassium storage. This work employs a two-step synthesis method to innovatively synthesize of Bi/Bi2O3 nanoparticles assembled on N-doped porous carbon sheets (Bi/Bi2O3@CN). The layered structures with uniformly shaped and N-doped porous carbon skeleton buffer the expansion of Bi and the Bi/Bi2O3 particles increase the capacity of potassium storage. In brief, the Bi/Bi2O3@CN served as anode in half-cell of PIBs have a good rate capacity of more than 234.7 mAh/g at 20 A/g. The specific capacity retention was 73 % compared with 322.16 mAh/g at 1 A/g, demonstrating good holding capacity for diverse current densities. The cycle also displays 163 mAh/g after 1500 cycles at 2 A/g in the KPF6 metal salt solution, showing its potential as one of the anode materials in PIBs.

Enormous challenges have been encountered in the degradation and recycling of unsaturated polyester resin (UPR) in water, primarily due to its water resistance. Herein, a novel, efficient and green catalytic system of methanesulfonic acid (MSA)/sodium laurylsulfonate (SLS) was proposed to aqueously degrade UPR under mild conditions (200°C). This method is considerably milder compared to other reported works based on aqueous hydrolysis (230°C-380°C). What's more, amphiphilic SLS as a phase transfer reagent enhanced the concentration of catalyst at the H2O-UPR interface, which facilitated the mass transfer between organic motifs with inorganic reagents and thus accelerated the reaction. The NMR and FT-IR characterizations indicated the ester bonds were cleaved via hydrolysis with H2O catalyzed by MSA, and high value-added products, i.e., copolymer of styrene and maleic anhydride (SMA) and phthalic acid (PA), were reclaimed by a simple separation process, with the yield of 86.77% and 84.37%, respectively. Furthermore, a viable mechanism for degradation was proposed through the degradation performance of the model compounds. This study provides a practical approach for the chemical degradation and conversion of other resins containing ester bonds.

Aqueous electrolytes are praised for their inherent safety, cost-effectiveness, and minimal environmental impact, making aqueous potassium-ion batteries (APIBs) a viable alternative for sustainable and eco-friendly energy solutions. Researchers have endeavored to anode materials that align with the unique requirements of aqueous electrolytes, and some proud achievements are made. The research about APIBs anode has focused on organic materials and polyanionic compounds, both exhibiting desirable hydrated potassium storage performance, and in recent years, on the development of metal compounds and alloy-based materials with high theoretical capacities. However, the anode of APIBs faces a narrow electrochemical stability window (ESW) caused by aqueous electrolytes and volume expansion problems due to the large radius of potassium ions, which prevents them from exhibiting appreciable capacity with satisfactory cycling stability. This review meticulously delineates the latest advancements and representative materials for the anode of APIBs and introduces several common aqueous electrolytes and effective improvement strategies for them. The focus is on the advantages and bottlenecks faced by different types of anode materials, culminating in a proposed methodology to enhance APIBs anode efficacy. This review endeavors to furnish novel perspectives on the development and pragmatic deployment of APIBs anodes. This review summarizes in detail the recent advances and representative materials of anode materials for aqueous potassium-ion batteries (APIBs), and introduces several common aqueous electrolytes and their effective improvement strategies. The advantages and bottlenecks of different anode materials are highlighted, culminating in optimization strategies to improve the APIBs anode. image

An efficient catalytic system was developed to cleave the ester bond of highly stable waste thermoset phenolic epoxy vinyl ester resin and recover value-added chemicals.

It is of fundamental and industrial interest to develop a facile method to modify the graphene sheets with heteroatoms such as oxygen (O) and nitrogen (N). Herein, the O and N atoms were discovered to be grafted onto the edges of graphene sheets during the simple grinding process with solvent in air or N2 atmosphere. By combining X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS), electron spin resonance spectroscopy (ESR) and H2O2 experiments, we show where the O and N atoms were grafted and how the modification of graphene with O and N atoms occurred. The results showed that the O atoms of air and N atoms of solvent molecules could be bonded to the edges of graphene sheets during the grinding process, which followed the radical reaction mechanism.

Carbon-based anode materials have become a research hotspot for alkali metal ion batteries. Crucially, the electrochemical performance of carbon materials must be improved by appropriate means such as micro-nano structure design and atomic doping. Herein, antimony doped hard carbon materials are prepared by anchoring Sb atoms on nitrogen-doped carbon (SbNC). The coordination of non-metal atoms can better disperse Sb atoms on the carbon matrix, and the synergistic effect between Sb atoms, coordinated non-metal atoms, and hard carbon matrix endows SbNC anode with good electrochemical performance. When used in sodium-ion half-cells, the SbNC anode showed high rate capacity of 109 mAh g-1 at 20 A g-1 and good cycling performance (254 mAh g-1 at 1 A g-1 after 2000 cycles). In addition, when used in potassium-ion half-cells, the SbNC anode exhibited initial charge capacity of 382 mAh g-1 at 0.1 A g-1 and rate capacity of 152 mAh g-1 at 5 A g-1. This research shows that compared with ordinary nitrogen doping, Sb-N coordination active sites on carbon matrix can provide much more adsorption capacity, improve ion filling and diffusion properties as well as enhance the kinetics of electrochemical reaction for the sodium/potassium storage.

Conductive metal-organic frameworks (cMOFs) manifest great potential in modern electrical devices due to their porous nature and the ability to conduct charges in a regular network. cMOFs applied in electrical devices normally hybridize with other materials, especially a substrate. Therefore, the precise control of the interface between cMOF and a substrate is particularly crucial. However, the unexplored interface chemistry of cMOFs makes the controlled synthesis and advanced characterization of high-quality thin films, particularly challenging. Herein, we report the development of a simplified synthesis method to grow "face-on" and "edge-on" cMOF nanofilms on substrates, and the establishment of operando characterization methodology using atomic force microscopy and X-ray, thereby demonstrating the relationship between the soft structure of surface-mounted oriented networks and their characteristic conductive functions. As a result, crystallinity of cMOF nanofilms with a thickness down to a few nanometers is obtained, the possible growth mechanisms are proposed, and the interesting anisotropic softness-dependent conducting properties (over 2 orders of magnitude change) of the cMOF are also illustrated.