Ni-Ag or Ti-Ag co-doped crystalline/amorphous WO3 core/shell hybrid nanorod arrays (WWNA and WWTA) were rationally designed to address three key factors-crystallinity, surface morphology, and conductivity that critically influence the electrochromic (EC) performance of WO3. In this architecture, vertically aligned, selfsupporting single-crystalline hexagonal WO3 nanorods serve as the scaffold, overlaid by a layer of amorphous WO3 films co-doped with Ni-Ag or Ti-Ag. This hierarchical structure offers multiple advantages: (1) the 1D nanorods provide a high surface area for redox reactions; (2) the crystalline/amorphous interface promotes strong interfacial coupling; (3) Ni or Ti doping introduces lattice distortion and oxygen vacancies; (4) W-O-Ni or W-O-Ti bonds modulate the band structure, enhancing optical absorbance; and (5) embedded Ag subnanoparticles restructure the local electronic environment, boosting conductivity. As a result, the WWNA-10 and WWTA-10 structures exhibit excellent EC performance, with high optical modulation (60.92 % and 62.39 % at 630 nm), fast coloring/bleaching times (5.54/2.06 s and 5.06/1.71 s), and good cycling durability (WWTA10 retains 93.9 % of its initial redox activity after 1000 cycles). This co-doped core/shell design offers a synergistic strategy beyond conventional doping or morphology control, paving a promising pathway for nextgeneration high-performance EC materials.

Na3V2(PO4)3 (NVP) is regarded as a promising cathode material for sodium-ion batteries owing to its superior safety characteristics. Nevertheless, its practical implementation is hindered by inherently poor electronic conductivity, resulting in inadequate high-rate performance and long-term cycle retention. In this study, Yb-doped Na3V2-xYbx(PO4)3/C (Yb-NVP/C) composites were synthesized via sol-gel method and thoroughly characterized using multiple analytical techniques in combination with theoretical calculations. The results demonstrate that the incorporation of Yb3+ induces lattice distortion, expands Na+ migration pathways, lowers diffusion energy barriers, and enhances ionic conductivity. Furthermore, the carbon coating layer improves electronic conduction and structural stability. The optimized material, 0.03Yb-NVP/C, exhibits significantly improved electrochemical performance: it delivers a high specific capacity of 112.50 mAhg-1 at 0.1C, maintains 93.68 mAhg-1 at 10C, and shows outstanding capacity retention of 92.47 % after 500 cycles at 1C. The density functional theory (DFT) results confirm that the substituted material NVP has superior electrochemical performance compared to the original data. The main reason is that the doping induces lattice distortion, which narrows the band gap, facilitating Na+ diffusion, lowering the diffusion energy barrier, and enhancing ionic conductivity and structural stability. This study presents a novel doping approach that facilitates the development of high-performance cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries.

In this study, SCAPS-1D simulations were conducted to optimize the performance of perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells by incorporating WO3 as the electron transport layer (ETL) and introducing Ag doping into MAPbI3. Ag doping (0-5%) was found to effectively modulate the perovskite bandgap (from 1.59 to 1.60 eV) and electron affinity (from 3.78 to 4.03 eV), with optimal concentration of 5% for NiOx-based top cells and 1% for SpiroOMeTAD-based top cells. Furthermore, a dual-absorber-layer structure featuring a graded bandgap was designed to suppress carrier recombination through cascaded energy level alignment. This structural optimization led to significant improvements in device performance. The four-terminal (4 T) tandem cell based on SpiroOMeTAD/ MAPbI3(5%)/WO3 achieved a simulated power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 36.02%, while the twoterminal (2 T) configuration reached 34.61%. These enhancements were validated through energy band structure analysis, current-voltage (J-V) characteristics, and carrier generation-recombination profiling, highlighting the synergistic effects of material selection, doping strategy, and device architecture.

Influenced by the cost of lithium resources, sodium-ion batteries have garnered significant attention as potential future alternatives to lithium-ion batteries. Consequently, the synthesis of cathode materials with high electrochemical performance for sodium-ion batteries is of paramount importance. Here, we obtained low-watercontent PBAs with a flaky surface (NCF-1). And the formation mechanism of the flower structure is investigated through density function theory (DFT) calculations. It is found that the NCF-1 not only have an increased specific surface area but also exhibit better suppression of water and vacancy content. In addition, at a current density of 10 mA g- 1, it can deliver a capacity of 128.66 mAh g- 1, and at current densities ranging from 10 to 200 mA g- 1, its delivered capacity is the highest among all prepared samples, highlighting its excellent rate performance. The enhanced performance can be attributed to the more complete lattice structure and lower water content, the flaky surface NCF-1 can maintain 87.2% of its first discharge capacity after 1000 cycles at a current density of 100 mA g- 1, making it the most stable among all prepared samples. Ex situ XRD proved the structure stability of NCF-1during the charge-discharge process, which ensures its superior cycling stability. This work lies in exploring a new approach to the vacancy-free cobalt-based Prussian blue analogues, can shed light on development of high-performance cathode of sodium-ion batteries.

"Spin" being an inherent characteristic of the electrons, can significantly improve the performance of photo- catalysts. In this work, we design and precisely optimize the spin-polarized electrons in ZnIn2S4 (ZIS) system to boost the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution coupled with benzyl alcohol oxidation efficiencies by doping manganese (Mn2+) cations and applying an external magnetic field. The Mn-doped ZIS shows an outstanding photocatalytic hydrogen evolution, and oxidation of benzyl alcohol as compared to the pristine ZIS. Noticeably, applying an external magnetic field further enhances the photocatalytic performance, the optimized Mn0.15-ZIS yields H2 and benzaldehyde production up to 32.75 mmol g-1h- 1 and 42.28 mmol g-1h- 1, respectively, which is 13.87 and 12.97-folds higher than that of the pristine ZIS. The Mn0.15-ZIS reaches the highest apparent quantum yield of 18.52 % and 23.60 % at 420 nm for H2 and benzaldehyde production, respectively. These findings are mainly attributed to the spatial synergy of spin polarized electrons, where the Mn sites tend to enrich the holes for benzyl alcohol activation sites. The direct H+ transfer upon benzyl alcohol oxidation at Mn sites facilitates the formation of H2 on adjacent sites with remarkably favorable thermodynamic energy. Moreover, the corresponding mechanisms are systematically investigated by utilizing the magnetic circular dichroism spectroscopy, in situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transient-state photoluminescence, transient photocurrent, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance measurements, and the density functional theory calculations. This study, exhibits a great potential of manipulating the spin-polarized electrons providing an efficient strategy for enhancing the photocatalytic performance.

In this study, amorphous WO3 thin films were deposited on indium-tin oxide substrates using radio frequency magnetron sputtering. Anhydrous ethanol (AE) and propylene carbonate (PC) served as binary solvents, with the WO3 films evaluated in AE + PC-LiClO4 electrolytes. By adjusting the volume percentage of AE, the physical properties of the electrolytes were modified to improve the fluidity and wetting behavior. The analysis of several aspects, such as migration of ions, capillary flow of electrolyte and electrochemical reaction rate, highlights the important influence of AE + PC binary solvent in reducing the response time. Notably, WO3 films in AE + PCLiClO4 electrolyte with a 7/8 volume percentage of AE demonstrated exceptional optical modulation (Delta T = 75.7 %) and fast response times (tc = 6.41 s, tb = 2.29 s), alongside shortened the diffusion path, increased ion diffusion coefficients (Da=4.4678 x 10-10 cm2/s, Dc = 8.2968 x 10-10 cm2/s) and electrochemical active area. Based on these efforts, the feasibility of applying AE + PC binary solvent to WO3 electrochromic thin films has been confirmed. These results offer valuable insights for the development of efficient electrolytes and their application in electrochromic devices.

Indium oxynitride (InON) is a promising material for various applications due to its notable properties, including high mobility, stability, and visible light transparency. Despite its potential, research on InON's electrochromic (EC) properties, especially after doping, remains limited. This study employed DC magnetron sputtering to prepare InON films under various doping conditions. A comprehensive investigation was conducted to examine the impacts of aluminum (Al) and zinc (Zn) doping on the composition, structure, morphology, optical, electrical, and EC characteristics of the InON films. The results indicated that Al doping increased surface amino groups, roughness, and optical band gap while enhancing redox activity. Zn doping introduced ZnO crystalline peaks, smoothed the surface, and reduced the optical bandgap and electrochemical performance. Both doping types negatively affected optical modulation but enabled the tuning of EC response peaks and wavelength ranges. This research underscores the significant role of doping in optimizing the EC performance of InON films, highlighting their potential for advanced applications.

This study develops a novel dual-absorber solar cell structure to enhance the efficiency of lead-free perovskite solar cells. Using SCAPS-1D simulations, the performance of single-layer lead-free perovskite solar cells and double-absorber layer (perovskite/CIGS) solar cells was evaluated, with independent optimization of parameters for each configuration. The results show a significant 20% increase in efficiency for the double-absorber structure compared to traditional single-layer designs. By introducing a bilayer CIGS structure approximating a gradient bandgap distribution, this study leverages the tunable bandgap properties of CIGS to improve device performance, achieving a short-circuit current density of 38.80 mA cm-2 and a power conversion efficiency of 33.08%-values that have not been achieved in previous dual-absorber structures. The gradient bandgap CIGS layer significantly enhances light absorption and carrier collection while minimizing performance losses due to recombination. Additionally, the study explores the energy band structure, electric field distribution, and rates of carrier generation and recombination within the device, providing insights into the carrier generation mechanisms in the absorber layer and their recombination at interfaces. These findings demonstrate the potential of gradient bandgap CIGS layers to advance lead-free perovskite solar cell technology.

Developing a photocatalytic composite system that can couple hydrogen (H2) evolution and benzylamine (BA) oxidation is a challenging task, especially while avoiding sacrificial agents and value-added chemicals. Here, a practical approach is reported to develop a photothermal-pyroelectric-Fe0.9Ni0.1S2/ZnSnO3 photocatalytic system with core-shell and Z-scheme heterostructure via hydrothermal and annealing methods. Although Fe0.9Ni0.1S2 nanoparticles (NPs) could convert most of near-infrared (NIR) light energy into heat energy to drive the pyroelectric effect of ZnSnO3, it also results in temperature fluctuations (Delta T) in the system, causing natural polarization and thermoelectric effects under the condensed water circulation. As a result, the as-designed Fe0.9Ni0.1S2/ZnSnO3-2 composites could yield up to 7.194 mmol g-1h- 1 with exceptional photocatalytic H2 evolution under simulated sunlight. This result is 5.41 and 4.92-fold those of Fe0.9Ni0.1S2 and ZnSnO3, respectively, with 16.66 % apparent quantum yield (AQY) under 365 nm monochromatic light. At the same time, the composites could also oxidize BA and yield up to 6.640 mmol g-1h-1n-benzylidene benzylamine (NBBA) with a 90.2 % selectivity. Due to the synergistic effect of Z-scheme's built-in electric field and photothermal-pyroelectric of Fe0.9Ni0.1S2/ZnSnO3, the surface charges released on them could direct the charge transfer pathways and restrain their recombination with accelerated electron transfer kinetics, thus extending the carrier lifetime. This work offers a new perspective for designing electrical charge polarized by the photothermal-pyroelectric effect, which can enhance H2 evolution and BA oxidation concurrently.

The integration of solar-driven hydrogen production with the selective conversion of biomass-derived alcohols into the value-added chemicals have been found a promising application. Herein, we have successfully developed a series of Z-scheme CdS/FeS2 photocatalysts via interface engineering, for efficient hydrogen evolution and dehydrogenative C-C coupling. Experimental results illustrate that the optimal CdS/FeS2-10 composite photo- catalysts exhibit a high H2 production rate of 19.2 mmol g- 1h- 1, and C-C coupled products generation rate of 11.8 mmol g- 1h- 1 together with the selectivity of 95.0 %. Moreover, the benzyl alcohol conversion of 36 % and a coupled products yield of 34 % is observed after 2 h of reaction. Mechanistic studies reveal that the exceptional hollow core-shell structure not only enhance the visible light region absorbance, but also effectively induce the spatial charge separation within the Z-scheme heterojunction, resulting in an outstanding photocatalytic performance. Additionally, it observes that a carbon-centered radical (center dot CH(OH)C6H5) generated by the activation of C alpha-H bond in benzyl alcohol plays significant roles during the photocatalytic process. This work provides new insights into the synergetic production of H2 and selective conversion of biomass-derived alcohols to highly value-added chemicals through C-H bond dehydrogenation coupling.

The photocatalytic conversion of CO 2 into the renewable fuels is a promising strategy to address energy and environmental challenges, however, its limited application is mainly attributed to the inefficient charge separation and lack of active sites in conventional catalysts. Here, a spin‐polarization strategy using Co 2 ⁺ doping in lead‐free perovskite Cs 3 Bi 2 Br 9 (CBB) synergized with an external magnetic field (MF), is reported to achieve highly efficient CO 2 reduction. The optimized Co‐doped CBB (0.2CBB) exhibited a 2.6‐fold enhancement in CO production rate (35.04 µmolg −1 h −1 ) compared to the pristine CBB, with further improvement to 86.56 µmolg −1 h −1 under 200 mT MF. Advanced characterizations together with the density functional theory calculations further revealed that the Co doping introduces spin‐polarized electrons, suppresses charge recombination, and elongates the carrier lifetime (6.68 ns vs 5.20 ns in CBB). The Zeeman effect under MF activates the additional spin‐polarized carriers, while the Co sites lower the energy barrier for * COOH intermediate formation (ΔG = −0.59 vs −0.38 eV in CBB), as confirmed by the in situ FT‐IR and Gibbs free energy analysis. This work pioneers the integration of spin manipulation and MF‐assisted catalysis in perovskites, offering a novel pathway for the design of high‐performance photocatalytic systems.

Photothermal catalysis is a promising technology primarily utilized the solar energy to produce photogenerated e- /h+ pairs together with the production of heat energy. However, the inefficient separation of charge carriers and inadequate response to near-infrared (NIR) light usually leads to the unsatisfactory photocatalytic efficiency, hindering their application potentials. In this work, a significantly enhanced photothermal catalytic hydrogen evolution reaction over the lead-free perovskite Cs3 Bi2 Br9 /FeS2 (CBB/FS) heterostructure is simultaneously verified, where the CBB/FS Z-scheme heterojunctions display the strong stability and superb photothermal catalytic activity. Under the simulated solar irradiation (AM 1.5G), the optimized CBB/FS-5 achieves a photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate of 31.5 mmol g-1 h-1 , which is 112.6 and 77.1 times higher than that of FS and CBB, respectively, together with an apparent quantum yield of 29.5 % at 420 nm. This significantly improved photocatalytic H2 evolution can be mainly attributed to the Z-scheme charge transfer and photothermal-assisted synergistically enhanced photocatalytic H2 production, and the potential mechanism of the enhanced photocatalytic H2 evolution is also proposed by photoelectrochemical characterizations, in situ XPS, EPR spectra, and the DFT calculations. This work provides new insights to the design of high-efficient photothermal catalysts, leading to the sustainable and efficient solutions towards the energy and environmental challenges. (c) 2025 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Chinese Chemical Society and Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.

In this paper, the single-doped (Ni-WO3 and Ti-WO3) and binary-doped (Ni-Ag-WO3 and Ti-Ag-WO3) amorphous WO3 thin films were respectively prepared on indium-doped tin oxide conductive glass substrates by radiofrequency magnetron sputtering. Among the single-doped WO3 thin films, the electrochromic (EC) properties of films can be enhanced by the presence of Ni or Ti. However, the low conductivity of WO3 limits its application in EC devices. A novel approach was proposed to ameliorate this disadvantage which has not been explored, that is, the highly conductive Ag was introduced into WO3 films with Ni or Ti. The experimental results show that the addition of Ag reduces the charge transfer resistance and shortens the ion diffusion path length, thereby improving the EC response time (Ni-Ag-WO3: tb=1.16 s; Ti-Ag-WO3:tc=4.14 s), electrochemical active area, and ion diffusion coefficients (Ni-Ag-WO3: Da =3.032 x 10-9 cm2/s; Ti-Ag-WO3: Dc=7.737 x 10-9 cm2/s). Based on these work, the feasibility of Ni-Ag and Ti-Ag binary-doped WO3 films was confirmed. These discoveries contribute to the exploration of preparing high-performance WO3 EC films for the practical applications of EC devices such as in automatic anti-glare rearview mirrors.

This review analyzes the advantages of self-supported one-dimensional core/shell nanostructures (SS1DCSNs) for electrochromic applications and provides an in-depth examination of current literature on WO3-based SS1DCSNs.

Lithium titanate (LTO) can be a very promising anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LSBs) due to its inherent ability to inhibit the growth of lithium dendrites as well as its unique "zero-strain" properties. Unfortunately, the low electronic conductivity of LTO leads to serious shortcomings in higher electrochemical demands. In this work, the Ce3+-doped C@Li4Ti5-xCexO12 (x = 0, 0.1, 0.15 and 0.2) anode materials synthesized by the hydro- thermal method using carbon spheres as templates showed more significant improvement in both structural and electrochemical properties. The results demonstrate that electronic conductivity, lithium-ion diffusion rate, discharge specific capacity, discharge rate capability, and significant improvement stability of C@Li4Ti5-xCexO12 (x = 0.1, 0.15 and 0.2) electrodes. Among them, C@Li 4 Ti 4.85 Ce 0.15 O 12 electrode exhibits the highest initial discharge specific capacity (250.86 mAh/g) at 0.1C, which is 1.28-fold that of C@ Li4Ti5O12 (195.94 mAh/g), and initial discharge capacity from 205.96 mAh/g to 170.39 mAh/g after 500 cycles, corresponding to 82.7 % of the initial stable discharge capacity. The outstanding performance of C@Li 4 Ti 4.85 Ce 0.15 O 12 can be attributed to the lower interfacial impedance, higher electronic conductivity, high oxygen vacancy concentration, and moderate amount of Ce3+ doping can enhance the electrochemical activity. In addition, carbon sphere surface defects shown to be effective in improving lithium-ion storage. This work demonstrates that Ce3+ doping is an effective method to improve the electrochemical performance of LTOs and provides a more effective guide for designing and optimizing anode electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries.

To investigate the influence of surface morphology on the electrochromic (EC) properties of indium oxynitride (InON), thin films were deposited on indium-doped tin oxide substrates using direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering. A systematic assessment was conducted by varying the substrate temperature and bias voltage to evaluate their respective impacts on the surface morphology and EC properties of InON. It was observed that as the substrate temperature gradually increased, the optical modulation showed a trend of initial increase followed by a gradual decrease. This nuanced behavior highlights the sensitivity of InON films to variations in deposition conditions. Additionally, the application of bias voltage induced significant alterations in the film's surface morphology, particularly noticeable when a negative bias voltage was employed. This resulted in a decrease in the transmittance, revealing the profound impact of bias voltage on the EC behavior of InON films. The wavelength range of InON electrochromism was also intricately linked to surface morphology. Optimal EC performance was consistently achieved when the surface exhibited minimal roughness, uniform particle distribution, and uniform film growth. These findings emphasize the importance of meticulous control over deposition parameters to attain better EC properties in InON films. More importantly, the study establishes that the EC phenomenon in InON films is primarily driven by ion migration through voids caused by alternate surface adsorption. This mechanism is similar to the observed behavior in InN films, providing valuable insights into the underlying processes governing electrochromism in InON films. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the factors influencing EC behavior in InON films and pave the way for enhanced applications in EC devices.

Li-rich layered oxides are promising candidates for high-capacity Li-ion battery cathode materials. In this study, we employ first-principles calculations to investigate the effect of F doping on Li-rich Li2MnO3 layered cathode materials. Our findings reveal that both Li2MnO3 and Li2MnO2.75F0.25 exhibit significant volume changes (greater than 10%) during deep delithiation, which could hinder the cycling of more Li ions from these two materials. For Li2MnO3, it is observed that oxygen ions lose electrons to compensate for charge during the delithiation process, leading to a relatively high voltage plateau. After F doping, oxidation occurs in both the cationic (Mn) and anionic (O) components, resulting in a lower voltage plateau at the beginning of the charge, which can be attributed to the oxidation of Mn3+ to Mn4+. Additionally, F doping can somewhat suppress the release of oxygen in Li2MnO3, improving the stability of anionic oxidation. However, the increase of the activation barriers for Li diffusion can be observed after F doping, due to stronger electrostatic interactions between F- and Li+, which adversely affects the cycling kinetics of Li2MnO2.75F0.25. This study enhances our understanding of the impact of F doping in Li2MnO3 based on theoretical calculations.

An actively tunable and switchable multi-functional metamaterial is demonstrated by combining vanadium dioxide and graphene in the terahertz region.