Liquid hydrogen is attractive for large-scale hydrogen storage and long-distance transport because of its high volumetric energy density. However, exothermic ortho-para hydrogen conversion at cryogenic temperature causes boil-off loss and requires efficient catalysts. Iron-based catalysts are widely used, but their practical application is limited by poor stability under water, oxygen, and impurity attack. Herein, Fe@SiO2 core-shell catalysts with tunable shell thicknesses were prepared by precipitation combined with hydrolytic coating and evaluated at 77 K. An amorphous SiO2 shell was uniformly formed on the iron-based particles without destroying the active phase. The optimized catalyst achieved an outlet para-H2 content of 47.5% and remained stable over 120 h. The improved catalytic performance is attributed to the SiO2 coating, which enhances the structural stability of the iron-based particles while retaining accessible mesoporous transport pathways. These pathways facilitate H2 transport to the iron-based active phase while reducing its exposure to the external environment.

Li-rich Mn-based oxides (LRMOs) are highly attractive cathodes for next-generation lithium-ion batteries due to their substantial capacity enabled by anionic redox reactions (ARR). However, balancing ARR activity with structural stability remains a major bottleneck. Here, we identify oxygen partial pressure during synthesis as a decisive factor governing this balance. Using single-crystal Li1.2Ni0.13Co0.13Mn0.54O2, we systematically regulate the calcination atmosphere-argon (LRMO-0), air (LRMO-20), and oxygen (LRMO-100)-to tune oxygen-vacancy levels, transition-metal valence states, and cation disorder. Low oxygen partial pressure results in excessive oxygen vacancies and suppressed reversible ARR, leading to poor capacity and rate performance. Conversely, high oxygen partial pressure over-activates ARR, triggering irreversible oxygen release and structural degradation. Notably, LRMO-20 synthesized in air achieves the optimal compromise, delivering a 259 mAh g(-1) initial discharge capacity, 90.1% retention after 500 cycles, and markedly reduced phase transformation. This work clarifies how atmospheric control modulates ARR and structural evolution, offering an effective strategy for developing high-performance Li-rich cathodes.

Ionically conductive hydrogels have emerged as promising materials for flexible and wearable electronics, owing to their mechanical compliance, electrical conductivity, and biocompatibility. However, their practical development is still constrained by the difficulty of integrating multiple functions, including high ionic conductivity, mechanical robustness, water retention, antibacterial activity, scalability, and processability, within a single material system. In addition, the complexity and sensitivity of synthesis and processing procedures for hydrogels have also hindered their practical development. Herein, we report a lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI)-enabled multifunctional PAAm ionic hydrogel that is compatible with one-pot synthesis and direct laser printing. By using LiTFSI as the key functional component, we have synergistically achieved high ionic conductivity (23.4 mS cm(-1)), water retention (93%), strong self-adhesion, high antibacterial efficacy (>98%), and balanced mechanical robustness within a single hydrogel. The present hydrogel does not rely on room-temperature autonomous self-healing, but instead shows laser-assisted repairability, in which fractured interfaces and locally damaged regions can be repaired or reconstructed by replenishing the precursor followed by localized laser re-curing. Furthermore, bioinspired honeycomb architectures were fabricated by laser printing to construct highly sensitive and durable capacitive sensors for real-time human motion detection and Morse-code information transmission. Finally, the same laser-printable hydrogel was used to construct different device configurations for resistive strain sensing, capacitive pressure sensors, Morse-code signaling devices, and gel-electrolyte-based symmetric supercapacitors. This work provides an integrated strategy that combines material design, laser processing, repairability, and multifunctional device construction for customizable wearable electronics.

We report the rational construction of a MXene/PANI (TMP) ternary heterojunction via a self-assembly and in-situ oxidation strategy. Using formic acid as a sacrificial electron donor, the optimized TMP-0.5 catalyst exhibits exceptional photocatalytic nitrate reduction performance, achieving a 94.6% removal efficiency and a high selectivity of 93.6% within only 30minutes of illumination.Mechanistic insights, supported by density functional theory (DFT) calculations, reveal that:a.Enhanced Charge Dynamics: The synergistic integration of the three components establishes a robust internal electric field (IEF), which significantly accelerates the separation and migration of photogenerated charge carriers.b. Optimized Reaction Energetics: DFT analysis demonstrates that the adsorption of formic acid on the surface triggers a dramatic downward shift of the Ti d-band center (from 45.2199 to 16.4140). This shift optimizes the adsorption energy of reaction intermediates, thereby lowering the activation energy barriers and facilitating the reduction kinetics. This work provides a versatile platform for the design of high-performance MXene-based ternary architectures for selective environmental remediation.

Silicon is a highly promising anode material for next-generation lithium-ion batteries due to its ultrahigh theoretical capacity, yet its severe volume variation and poor intrinsic conductivity hinder practical application. Here, a hierarchical macro-mesoporous silicon-carbon composite (e-SiMP@C-20) is developed via one-step HCl etching of Al-Si alloy followed by phenolic resin coating. The etched coral-like silicon framework provides internal voids for volume expansion buffering, while the conformal carbon shell forms a conductive and elastic network, enhancing both electron and ion transport. As a result, e-SiMP@C-20 delivers a reversible capacity of 756.97 mAh g-1 after 500 cycles at 1 A g-1, together with improved Li+ diffusion. Finite element simulations confirm that a rational silicon-carbon spatial distribution enables effective stress dispersion. This work provides a facile and scalable strategy for constructing micro-sized porous silicon-based anodes with high stability and fast reaction kinetics, offering insights for the commercial development of silicon-carbon anodes in advanced lithium-ion batteries.

The synergy between heterojunction and surface oxygen vacancies (OVs) can enhance the migration of photo- generated carriers and facilitate the improvement of semiconductors' photoelectric conversion efficiencies. In this study, direct microwave-assisted hydrothermal synthesis was used to form SrTiO3 on the surface of Bi3O4- Br-OVs and fabricate firmly connected SrTiO3/Bi3O4Br-OVs heterojunctions. The results indicate that the SrTiO3/Bi3O4Br-OVs composite possessed good efficiency for degrading chloramphenicol hydrochloride (CTC) under visible-light irradiation. When CTC was used as a sacrificial agent, hydrogen (H2) yield of 68.52 mu mol center dot g- 1 center dot h- 1 was obtained by optimizing the response surface. According to the intermediates' degradation mechanism, pathway, and toxicity evaluation, the synthesized Z-scheme SrTiO3/Bi3O4Br-OVs heterojunction can be practically applied to reduce residual antibiotics in water and recover hydrogen from them. Characterization and analysis confirmed the Z-scheme charge transfer mechanism and OVs in the composite heterojunction. The increased OVs abundance not only enhances the photoresponse range and reduces the semiconductor's excitation energy, thereby facilitating the conduction of photogenerated carriers, but also expedites the entire photo- catalysis through the Z-scheme charge transfer. The proposed dual functional catalyst is important for synchronously mitigating the environmental pollution and energy crises.

P2-Na0.67Ni0.33Mn0.67O2 represents an attractive cathode candidate for sodium-ion batteries. This material benefits from environmental sustainability, relative ease of synthesis, a high specific capacity, and operation at elevated voltages. However, its practical implementation is hindered by accelerated performance degradation and detrimental structural changes when charged beyond 4.2 V. Herein, we propose a strategic zinc-doping approach to address these limitations. Combined in situ XRD and DEMS, the Zn-doped P2-Na0.67Ni0.32Mn0.67Zn0.01O2 demonstrates remarkable suppression of lattice distortion (volume change <4%) and oxygen evolution even during high-voltage operation. Ex situ XPS confirms that Zn doping effectively mitigates Mn3+ induced Jahn-Teller distortion during cycling. The optimized cathode exhibits exceptional rate capability, delivering 99.1 mAh g-1 and 84.9 mAh g-1 at 5 and 10 C, respectively, within 1.5-4.3 V (vs Na/Na+). Furthermore, it demonstrates exceptional cycling stability at 10 C, retaining 92.9% of its capacity after 300 cycles. Complementing these findings, theoretical calculations reveal that NMNZ exhibits reduced volume changes, lowers the energy band center of O 2p orbitals, and enhances the stability of lattice oxygen.

Hydroxylammonium pentazolate (NH3OHN5) is regarded as a novel energetic material with outstanding performance, yet its practical application has been hindered by significant hygroscopicity and high sensitivity. To address these challenges, this study prepared a series of NH3OHN5-based energetic composite microspheres using a combined solution-suspension method and copper-alginate (CA) gel network strategy. Experimental results demonstrated that the composite microspheres maintained well-defined morphology and preserved the original crystal structure, while exhibiting significantly reduced hygroscopicity and mechanical sensitivity, with a minimum energy loss of only 2.30%. Among the suspension-coated samples, the fluororubber (F2603)-coated sample (F-QA) exhibited the optimal comprehensive performance, which is attributed to the superior chemical inertness and hydrophobicity of fluororubber. This translated to a 9.48% reduction in hygroscopicity and an impact sensitivity of 40 J. Among all samples, the copper alginate-coated sample (SA-3) demonstrated superior overall performance. It exhibited a uniform and well-defined spherical morphology, with a 14.28% reduction in hygroscopicity compared to the raw NH3OHN5 at 25 °C and 70% relative humidity (RH). Additionally, its impact sensitivity (16 J) improved by 11 J compared to the raw NH3OHN5 (5 J), while the friction sensitivity (144 N) rose by 102 N relative to the raw NH3OHN5 (42 N). This work demonstrated that F2603 and copper alginate are effective coating materials, providing excellent anti-hygroscopicity and reduced impact sensitivity, which promoted the application of NH3OHN5 as a novel explosive in the field of energetic materials.

Conjugated coordination polymers (CCPs) have garnered significant interest for diverse applications due to their ability to extend electron delocalization domains and enhance material conductivity. However, the precise synthesis of CCPs with tailored properties remains challenging owing to their complex and often uncontrollable reaction dynamics. In this study, we report the successful synthesis of a one-dimensional (1D) CCP, termed CoDHBQ, using 2,5-dihydroxy-1,4-benzoquinone (DHBQ) as the organic ligand and cobalt as the central metal atom, following systematic screening of potential ligands via DFT calculations. The resulting material exhibits pi-d conjugation, a laminar structure, and multiple redox-active centers, leading to exceptional electron transport and sodium diffusion capabilities. When evaluated as a battery electrode, Co-DHBQ delivers a discharge specific capacity of 299 mAh g- 1 after 400 cycles at 500 mA g- 1, demonstrating remarkable cycling stability. Notably, the material exhibits a synergistic interaction with the CMC binder, enabling outstanding rate performance, even after high-current cycling (5000 mA g-1), the capacity remains recoverable upon returning to lower current densities. These findings underscore the potential of CCPs in high-performance batteries and provide a pathway toward the commercialization of organic electrodes.

To address the intrinsic flammability and bacterial susceptibility of polyurea (PUA), this study reports a novel hierarchical nanohybrid filler created via interface engineering. This was achieved by strategically anchoring amino trimethylene phosphonic acid (ATMP) within the lumen while grafting polyethyleneimine-functionalized silver nanocubes (AgNCs) onto the exterior surface of halloysite nanotubes (HNTs). At a low loading of 1.0 wt%, the resulting nanohybrid (Ag@HNT@ATMP) exhibited excellent dispersion and strong interfacial adhesion within the PUA matrix, endowing the nanocomposite with a synergistic trifecta of properties. Specifically, the nanocomposite exhibited superior fire safety, with its peak heat release rate reduced by 44.0 % and total smoke release by 26.1 % due to a synergistic flame-retardant mechanism of gas-phase dilution and condensed-phase catalysis, while a 25.0 % suppression of peak CO production via AgNCs catalytic oxidation. Moreover, the nanohybrid significantly enhanced the tensile strength by 52.7 %, while the AgNCs imparted potent antibacterial efficacy against E. coli via a controlled ion release mechanism. This work presents a scalable methodology for creating high-performance polyurea materials through the precise engineering of hierarchical nanofiller interfaces, paving the way for their application in demanding industrial environments like protective coatings.

With the continuous development and demand extension of wearable devices, imperceptible devices lead the future development direction. The small stress mismatch required by imperceptible designs often means that the device has weaker mechanical strength, which challenges the operating life of the device. Here, we made full use of the dielectric skin stratum corneum to assemble a stratum corneum-clothing triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG), which overcomes the contradiction between small stress mismatch and long-term wear. The TENG uses triboelectricity between the stratum corneum and nylon, in which the in-plane electrode structure (electronic tattoo) collects in-plane charges in a fractal structure to overcome the challenge of preparing the stratum corneum back electrode. The TENG has been demonstrated to be useful for tendon motion state sensing and stimulating transdermal drug delivery. Based on the Stratum Corneum Triboelectric Nanogenerator, an effective electroacupuncture was designed. There is no electrochemical pollutant generated during the electroacupuncture process, so it can better maintain the stability of the human body liquid environment. This work opens up the TENG design idea based on human tissue. This research will address more wearable challenges in the future and enable the seamless integration of wearable devices into existing environments without adding new burdens.

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have attracted significant interest in the field of rechargeable batteries on account of their unique properties, including robust frameworks, well-defined porosity, abundant redox-active sites, and flexible structure designability. However, the limited active site utilization and low electrical conductivity always bring about poor electrochemical performance, thereby hindering practical applications. Herein, we reported a pyrene-4,5,9,10-tetraone-based covalent organic framework composite (Tp-PTOCOF@CNTs) grown on multi-walled carbon nanotubes via in-situ polycondensation. The Tp-PTO-COF@CNTs with numerous active sites (C=O groups) and strong it-it interaction between CNTs and COFs could accommodate more Na-ions and boost structural stability. Moreover, the existence of 1D CNTs could improve electronic conductivity, which facilitates fast transport of electrons and enhances reaction kinetics. In view of the two synergistic effects, Tp- PTO-COF@CNTs cathode displays an outstanding sodium-ion storage property with high initial capacity of 223.2 mA h/g at 0.1 A/g, remarkable rate capability at as high as 20 A/g, and ultra-long cycling stability (163.0 mA h/g exceeding 5000 cycles at 5 A/g). Furthermore, the ex-situ measurements are proposed to better confirm the role of carbonyl groups as redox-active centers. Such ultra-stable structural advantage might inspire the development of COF cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries.

Conjugated microporous polyimides (CMPs) have been emerging as the promising electrode materials for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) and lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) owing to their low cost, tunable structures, envi-ronmental benefit, and high porosity. However, the low intrinsic conductivity, poor structural stability and sluggish diffusion kinetics have hindered their further applications. Herein, a novel conjugated microporous polyimide trapped by multi-walled carbon nanotubes (TAPBA-NTCDA@MWCNTs) as cathodes for SIBs/LIBs have been prepared by in situ polycondensation. The addition of MWCNTs profits greatly in conductivity and structural stability of electrode materials. Consequently, when explored as cathode materials for SIBs, TAPBA-NTCDA@MWCNTs exhibits the good reversible specific capacity, predominant rate capability and ultra-long cycling stability. Moreover, the reaction mechanism and outstanding reversibility are investigated by the detailed ex-situ XPS/FT-IR/SEM analysis. Finally, the cathode also delivers an excellent lithium storage perfor-mance. In view of the outstanding cycle stability and such simple synthetic route, this work perhaps provides an effective strategy to fabricate high-performance conjugated microporous polyimide-based cathodes for energy storage and conversion devices.

Layered lithium transition metal (TM) oxides LiTMO2 (TM = Ni, Co, Mn, Al, etc.) are the most promising cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries because of their high energy density, good rate capability and moderate cost. However, the safety issue arising from the intrinsic thermal instability of nickel-based cathode materials is still a critical challenge for further applications in electric vehicles and energy storage power stations. The main reasons include side reactions between the highly reactive Ni3+/4+ and liquid electrolyte, oxygen release accompanied by structural phase transition, and internal microcrack propagation owing to the low strength of spherical secondary particles. Great efforts have been invested to modify nickel-based cathode materials such as stabilization of bulk structure by element doping, surface engineering, nanostructure design, and particle mono-crystallization. In this review, we summarize these advances and try to give an in-depth insight into the origin of the thermal instability of nickel-based cathode materials. More importantly, some effective strategies to improve thermal stability are outlined, expecting to accelerate the future development of layered TM oxides with high safety.

Conjugated organic polymers have been deemed as one type of the most promising electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to their structural diversity and functional designability. However, the poor conductivities and limited redox-active sites of these polymers severely impede their applications in LIBs. Herein, four novel pyrene-4,5,9,10-tetraone (PTO)-based polymers (namely PTO-Bz, PTO-Py, PTO-Pm, and PTO-Tz) were designed and synthesized as cathode materials with high electrochemical activity (four redox sites of PTO units) and superb structural/chemical stability. By changing the N content in aryl linkers, the electronic conduction and transportation of polymer structures could be readily adjusted, leading to enhanced electrochemical activity. As a result, the optimal PTO-Py polymer displays high electronic conductivity and enhanced pseudocapacitive behavior compared with the other samples. When evaluated as a cathode for LIBs, the PTO-Py electrode shows a high lithium storage performance of 220.4 mA h g-1 with an ICE of 97.0% at 0.1 A g-1, superior rate performance (153.1 mA h g-1 at 10 A g-1), and excellent cycling abilities (70.8% capacity retention over 2000 cycles at 1.0 A g-1). In addition, ex situ FT-IR and XPS analyses were also carried out to further understand the Li+ storage mechanism. This work unveils an efficacious strategy to exploit high-performance conjugated organic polymer electrodes for energy storage systems. Four novel conjugated pyrene-4,5,9,10-tetraone (PTO)-based polymers with different aryl derivatives as linking units were prepared to explore the effect of electronic structures on the electrochemical properties of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs).

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a potential endocrine-disrupting compound with adverse effects on both human health and the environment. Therefore, it is urgent to develop a convenient, sensitive and accurate method for BPA detection. In this paper, a ratiometric electrochemical sensor for BPA detection was developed using Ag@Fe3O4- rGO composite modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE), with the peak oxidation current of silver nanoparticles (NPs) in the material as the reference signal and the peak oxidation current of BPA as the indicator signal. The Ag@Fe3O4-rGO composite was prepared by a simple one-step solvothermal method. Due to the chemical functionality and two-dimensional structure, the rGO combined with Ag@Fe3O4 core-shell NPs provides an excellent platform for BPA detection. The morphology, structure and electrochemical performance of Ag@Fe3O4-rGO composite were characterized by scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, Xray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and electrochemical techniques. The proposed ratiometric electrochemical BPA sensor shows the linear detection range of 0.1-10.0 mu M (R2 = 0.997), with detection limit of 0.028 mu M (S/N = 3), good selectivity, reproducibility and stability. In addition, this proposed ratiometric electrochemical sensor was successfully verified in the detection of BPA in real water samples.

Further application of organic quinone cathodes is restricted because they are inherent in poor conductivity and tend to dissolve in aprotic electrolytes.Salinization can work on the strong solubility of quinones.Herein,the ortho-disodium salt of tetrahydroxyquinone（o-Na 2 THBQ）was selected to promote the electrochemical properties of tetrahydroxyquinone（THBQ）.Reduced dissolution of o-Na 2 THBQ in electrolyte after salinization（replacement of two H with two Na） contributed to enhanced electrochemical performance.In sodium-ion batteries（SIBs） in ester-based electrolyte,o-Na 2 THBQ cathodes at 50 mA·g -1 exhibited a reversible discharge capacity of 107 mAh·g -1 after 200 cycles.Ulteriorly,in ether-based electrolyte,reversible discharge capacities of 200.4,102.2,99.5 and 88 mAh·g -1 were obtained at 800,1600,3200 and 4800 mA·g -1 after 1000,2000,5000 and 8000 cycles,respectively.The ultraviolet absorption spectra and ex situ dissolution experiments of THBQ and o-Na 2 THBQ showed that o-Na 2 THBQ hardly dissolved in ether-based electrolyte.In lithium-ion batteries（LIBs）,graphene was selected to further enhance the conductivity of o-Na 2 THBQ.At 50 mA·g -1 ,o-Na 2 THBQ and o-Na 2 THBQ/Gr cathodes exhibited reversible discharge capacities of 124 and 131.5 mAh·g -1 after 200 cycles in ester-based electrolyte,respectively.At 50 mA·g -1 ,PTPAn/o-Na 2 THBQ electrodes in an all-organic Na/Li-ion battery showed reversible charge/discharge capacities of 51/50.3 and 33.8/33.1 mAh·g -1 after 200 cycles.

Metal selenides, as potential alternative candidates for sodium storage, have promising applicability due to their high theoretical specific capacity. However, their huge volume change and sluggish electrode kinetics during sodium ion uptake and release processes can result in insufficient cycling life and inferior rate performance, hindering their practical application. Herein, nitrogen (N)-doped carbon-confined cobalt selenide anchored on multiwalled carbon nanotube networks (denoted as CoSe2@NC/MWCNTs) was designed and successfully built through a selenization process with ZIF-67 MOF as the template. The existence of the interconnected MWCNT network plays a crucial role in not only enhancing the electronic conductivity and ion/electron-transfer efficiency but also ensuring structural stability. Consequently, the optimized CoSe2@NC/MWCNTs composite delivers a high reversible capacity of 479.6 mA h g-1 at a current rate of 0.2 A g-1, accompanied by a 92.0% capacity retention over 100 cycles and a predominant rate performance of 227.4 mA h g-1 even under 20 A g-1 when examined as the anode in Na-ion batteries. Moreover, the kinetic behaviors were confirmed using CV profiles at various rates, as well as the galvanostatic intermittent titration technique (GITT) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Besides, the HRTEM images clearly reveal the sodium-ion storage mechanism of the CoSe2 hybrid. These results make CoSe2@NC/MWCNTs a prospective anode material in advanced sodium-ion batteries.

Solid oxide fuel cells function as promising power generation devices in the 21 century, but the lack of effective active cathodes at a low-temperature hinders their practical applications. In this study, BaCo0.4Fe0.4Zr0.1Y0.1O3-σ-Ce0.8Gd0.2O1.9 composite cathode with infiltration of PrOx nanoparticles is proposed. When the infiltration amount of the Pr(NO3)3 solution (0.3M) is about 60μl/cm−2, the resultant cathode’s reaction kinetics toward oxygen reduction reactions is substantially improved. Simultaneously, the resultant cathode’s Rp value reaches the minimum, and its corresponding value is about 0.082 Ω·cm2 at the operating temperature of 600°C, which is only 25.3% of that of the composite cathode without PrOx. Furthermore, at operating temperatures of 700°C, 650°C, and 600°C, the corresponding single-cell’s power densities with the configuration of Ni-YSZ/YSZ/GDC/Pr60 can reach about 1.55, 1.02, and 0.56 W cm−2, respectively, which is also among the top high values based on the commercially available Ni-YSZ anode-supported single cells. The mechanism investigation further clarifies that the enhanced reaction kinetics can be attributed to the improved oxygen ion exchange properties by PrOx. These findings will supply valuble informations for the preparation of highly active cathode materials for low-temperature SOFCs.

A simple and efficient way was developed to enhance the visible-light-driven water-splitting performance by varying the number of β-ketoenamine linkages in covalent organic frameworks.