To optimize the ignition and combustion performance of nanosecond pulsed surface dielectric barrier discharge (nSDBD) electrodes for NH3/air mixtures, an experimental investigation was conducted by varying the number of radial copper strips (number of conductive areas: CAN = 6, 9, 12) and width (width of conductive areas: CAW = 1 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm) on the powered electrode. Experiments were performed in a constant-volume combustion chamber under an NH3/air mixture with an initial temperature of 363 K, initial pressure of 2 bar, and an excess air ratio (lambda) of 1.0. Diagnostics were implemented using high-speed camera and pressure sensors, with nanosecond pulse parameters set to 100 pulses and a pulse repetition frequency of 20 kHz. The regulatory effects of electrode structural parameters on flame kernel development, flame propagation, and combustion characteristics were systematically analyzed. The results indicate that the CAN and CAW directly govern the flame kernel morphology and evolution by modulating the distribution of discharge energy. Under the optimal configuration of CAN = 6 and CAW = 3 mm, the electric field distribution is uniform with moderate energy density, leading to the stable generation of active free radicals (e.g., O, OH, H). Consequently, the synchronization of flame kernel ignition is maximized, with a consistent, stable number of 6 initial kernels, without obvious fusion or extinction. This configuration significantly compresses the flame development time (FDT = 8.5 ms) and flame rise time (FRT = 26.5 ms). Additionally, the combustion pressure peak occurs earliest (at 54 ms), and the cumulative heat release rate increases the fastest in the early stage. The findings demonstrate that the nSDBD electrode with CAN = 6 and CAW = 3 mm achieves efficient regulation of combustion performance in NH3/air mixtures by leveraging multi-scale synergy among "electric field distribution-energy deposition-active species generation-flame kernel development-combustion timing". This study provides critical technical parameters and theoretical support for the optimal design of ignition systems in ammonia-fueled engines.

Lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) face significant challenges for practical application, primarily due to the sluggish reaction kinetics and pronounced shuttle effect of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs). This study proposes a synergistic strategy involving doping engineering and controlled nitridation-induced electronic state modulation to fabricate a Ni3Fe/Ni2Fe2N composite as an efficient sulfur host material. This rational design integrates the strong catalytic activity of the metal alloy (Ni3Fe) with the high electrical conductivity of the nitride (Ni2Fe2N), enabling effective anchoring and conversion of polysulfides. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations and analysis results of XAFS and XPS confirm that an upshifted d-band center and modulated electronic states significantly enhance reaction kinetics and catalytic activity. In situ Raman spectroscopy and DRT analysis directly demonstrate the exceptional capability of the material to suppress the polysulfide shuttle effect. The battery exhibits remarkable cycling stability, achieving 1000 cycles with an ultralow decay rate of 0.045% per cycle. The outstanding performance is retained even under conditions as harsh as a high sulfur loading (4.3 mg cm-2) and low temperature (-10°C). This work not only presents a high-performance catalyst but also provides new insights into the design of LSB catalysts via electronic state modulation.

Flexible electronics demand high-energy-density storage devices, and lithium-sulfur batteries are compelling due to the sulfur cathode's exceptional theoretical capacity and low cost. However, its insulating nature and severe volume changes create a significant barrier that demands a robust, multifunctional host capable of simultaneously providing electronic conductivity, electrocatalysis, and mechanical pliability under high sulfur loading. Benefiting from their metallic conductivity, hydrophilic two-dimensional morphology, and tunable surface terminations, MXenes are ideally suited for this role. However, their surface chemistry involves a persistent trade-off. High-yield fluorine-terminated phases with 13-15 at.% fluorine are catalytically inert, while fluorine-free variants are active yet structurally degraded and low-yield. We introduce a mild photo-Fenton strategy assisted by trace dilute HF etching and achieve an atomically tailored surface with similar to 2-3 at.% F dispersed in an oxygen-rich Ti3C2 matrix. The resulting low-fluorine Ti3C2 (LF-Ti3C2) retains metallic conductivity and structural integrity while offering abundant -O/-OH catalytic sites. This surface chemistry imparts exceptional mechanical flexibility, enabling self-standing, binder-free cathodes that maintain robustness at high sulfur loadings. LF-Ti3C2/S electrodes deliver outstanding performance under lean-electrolyte and high-loading conditions, enabling the flexible pouch-type lithium-sulfur cell to stably operate for 60 cycles upon folded states with a sulfur loading of 6.0 mg cm(-2) and E/S ratio of 3.5 mu L mg(-1). Multi-scale investigations combining experiments, DFT, and diffusion quantum Monte Carlo reveal that trace F electronically modulates neighboring O sites, enhancing adsorption and conversion kinetics. Low-fluorine engineering thus resolves the long-standing conductivity-catalysis-manufacturability trade-off, unlocking mechanically resilient, high-energy-density flexible energy storage.

The electrolyte-mediated electrochemistry of Li-S batteries dictates that electrolyte modifications regarding solvation structures of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) are the core concerns. To accommodate the conversion kinetics of LiPSs and interfacial stability of Li-metal anode upon lean electrolyte and high sulfur loading, a cosolvent of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) is screened for DME-based electrolyte. The low solvating capability of MTBE enables it to principally construct the outer protective solvation shell of LiPSs. MTBE also promotes the incorporation of DME and anion into the inner solvation shell, facilitating effective solvation of LiPSs and a stable interfacial structure of the Li-metal anode. Based on mutually corroborative measurements and theoretical calculations, the superiorities of optimized LWSE electrolyte from MTBE are firmly verified in protecting LiPSs against Li-metal corrosion and improving interfacial stability of Li anode and electrochemical kinetics. In situ Raman/XRD results further support that LiPSs shuttling is greatly suppressed, and highly reversible electrochemical conversions of sulfur species involving a "alpha-sulfur to alpha-sulfur" mechanism are corroborated in LWSE. The physicochemical merits of LWSE enable pouch-type Li-S full cell (N/P: 1.3) to achieve a high energy density of 385.3 Wh kg-1 at an E/S ratio of 3.0 mu L mg-1, and a high loading of 4.8 mgs cm-2.

ABSTRACT Lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs) face significant challenges for practical application, primarily due to the sluggish reaction kinetics and pronounced shuttle effect of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs). This study proposes a synergistic strategy involving doping engineering and controlled nitridation‐induced electronic state modulation to fabricate a Ni 3 Fe/Ni 2 Fe 2 N composite as an efficient sulfur host material. This rational design integrates the strong catalytic activity of the metal alloy (Ni 3 Fe) with the high electrical conductivity of the nitride (Ni 2 Fe 2 N), enabling effective anchoring and conversion of polysulfides. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations and analysis results of XAFS and XPS confirm that an upshifted d‐ band center and modulated electronic states significantly enhance reaction kinetics and catalytic activity. In situ Raman spectroscopy and DRT analysis directly demonstrate the exceptional capability of the material to suppress the polysulfide shuttle effect. The battery exhibits remarkable cycling stability, achieving 1000 cycles with an ultralow decay rate of 0.045% per cycle. The outstanding performance is retained even under conditions as harsh as a high sulfur loading (4.3 mg cm −2 ) and low temperature (−10°C). This work not only presents a high‐performance catalyst but also provides new insights into the design of LSB catalysts via electronic state modulation.

Lithium–sulfur batteries, despite their high specific capacity, high theoretical energy density, environmental benignity, and low cost‐related unique advantages, face critical challenges including polysulfide shuttling, sluggish redox kinetics, and uncontrolled lithium dendrite growth. Here, we propose a magnetic field cooperative regulation strategy that concurrently optimizes both sulfur cathode and lithium via spin engineering and magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) effects. Bilayer‐hollow FeNi boride bipyramids (FeNi─B) with nanoreactor architectures were designed, in which an external magnetic field triggers 3d‐orbital electron spin rearrangement. Simultaneously, the uniform distribution of ions and dendrite‐free deposition were achieved by driving lithium‐ion spiral convection through MHD effects. It is worth noting that the optimized cells exhibit exceptional cycling stability under extreme conditions (−40°C). Density functional theory and multiphysics simulations jointly reveal two mechanisms: Spin‐polarization‐enhanced adsorption energy for sulfur species and lithium protection via Lorentz‐force‐mediated ion transport. This work establishes a novel paradigm for designing magnetic field‐responsive electrocatalysts and manipulating spin‐orbit coupling, offering broad implications for multiphysical‐field strategies in next‐generation batteries.

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries have been widely recognized as one of the most promising candidates for next-generation highenergy-density secondary battery systems owing to their cost advantage as well as their high theoretical energy density (2600 Wh kg(-1) and 2800 Wh L-1) endowed by the use of sulfur cathodes (1675 mAh g(-1)) and lithium anodes (3860 mAh g(-1)). However, the existing shuttle effect of soluble intermediate lithium polysulfides (LiPS) easily induces their free diffusion and active material loss, while the intrinsically slow redox kinetics of the sulfur cathode severely restrict sufficient redox conversion, thus impeding the commercial application of Li-S batteries. As a result, intercalation-type Ta2WO8 (TWO) microspheres with high crystallinity and regular morphology were synthesized through a simple hydrothermal method and employed as the host materials for sulfur cathodes. The TWO microspheres, which are assembled using nanorods, provide abundant catalytic active sites and exhibit excellent reversible lithium-ion deintercalation/ intercalation behavior within the operating voltage window of Li-S batteries (1.7-2.8 V vs. Li/Li+), based on the redox processes of Ta5+/Ta4+ and W (6+)/W (5+). The subsequent characterization results demonstrate that TWO hosts possess strong adsorption capability toward LiPS, along with rapid color fading and vanishing characteristic peaks in the ultraviolet-visible spectra, as well as function as a redox mediator to catalyze the electrochemical conversion of sulfur species. Specifically, lithium ions are embedded into TWO to form LixTWO, which can promote the dissolution transformation of elemental sulfur to LiPS by serving as a transfer mediator for lithium ions and electrons. This further lowers the conversion energy barrier between sulfur species adsorbed on its surface and the final reduction products (Li2S2/Li2S), as well as facilitates their sufficient conversion by directly contributing lithium ions from LixTWO to LiPS. Consequently, the electrochemical performance of the related Li-S batteries is distinctly enhanced compared with that of batteries using carbon nanotubes or Ta2O5 as cathode hosts. The redox processes are ameliorated by the high peak currents, large peak areas, and low polarization potential differences in the cyclic voltammetry curves. Meanwhile, the dissolution polarization of sulfur on the host materials is reduced significantly, accompanied by a larger discharge platform. Additionally, the subsequent charging overpotential can be relieved, thus indicating the promotion of both sulfur dissolution and the mutual conversion between LiPS and Li2S. Hence, the corresponding S/TWO cathode exhibits excellent sulfur utilization and cycling stability. The initial capacity is improved to 1057.43 mAh g(-1) at 0.1 C and remains stable after 200 cycles with a low capacity-attenuation rate of 0.164% per cycle. Similarly, the electrode with a relatively high sulfur loading of 6.53 mg cm(-2) exhibits a high initial capacity (1076.89 mAh g(-1) at 0.05 C) and excellent cycling stability with a capacity retention of 75.40% over 160 cycles at 0.1 C. Additionally, the related rate property can be improved from 0.2 to 5 C. The corresponding S/TWO cathode shows stable cycling for 1000 cycles at 1 C with an initial capacity of 651.03 mAh g(-1) and a low capacity-decay rate of 0. 053% per cycle. Therefore, the designed TWO host materials with superior lithium deintercalation/intercalation capabilities can significantly improve the utilization of active sulfur species in the cathode and enhance the electrochemical performance of Li-S batteries. This study serves as a reference for the development of other efficient host materials and facilitates the advancement of Li-S batteries.

This work reports a FeCo2O4/g-C3N4 heterostructure with a built-in electric field as a separator modifier to synergistically adsorb and catalyze the electrochemical conversion of lithium polysulfides, enabling a low decay rate of 0.058% over 1000 cycles and a high areal capacity of 6.2 mAh cm-2 over a wide temperature range (0 to 60 °C).

ABSTRACT The electrochemical performance of sodium‐ion batteries (SIBs) cathodes over a wide temperature (WT) range is crucial, but is fundamentally limited by sluggish kinetics and transition metal dissolution under harsh conditions. Herein, a channel structured Prussian blue analog (MnANP‐channel, MAC) featuring unconventional carbon‐nitrogen vacancies (V CN ) was designed via a novel “one‐step” in situ etching strategy. Theoretical calculations and experimental results reveal that V CN enhances the intrinsic affinity for transition metals and accelerates the diffusion kinetics of sodium ions. The channel microstructure maximizes active site utilization and facilitates rapid mass and charge transport at the electrode‐electrolyte interface. This synergistic interplay between the molecular and microscopic scales, creating a unique “dual‐channel” architecture, endows MAC with excellent WT‐range adaptability (103.9, 151.4, and 162.1 mAh/g at −50°C, 25°C, and 50°C, respectively), exceptional rate capability (20 A/g), and remarkable long‐term cycling stability (≈ 6800 cycles). Critically, the MAC//HC full cell exhibits superior energy density (≈ 309 Wh/kg, based on the total mass of the cathode and anode active materials) and wide‐temperature electrochemical performance (−40°C~50°C). Moreover, this versatile synthetic strategy can be extended to diverse PBA compositions (Fe‐, FeCo‐, FeCoMn‐, and FeCoMnNi‐ANP), offering great opportunities for rational construction of advanced architectures with targeted functionalities.

The development of advanced gas turbines has placed higher demands on high-temperature thermal barrier coatings (TBCs). Multi rare earth oxide doped zirconia has been demonstrated with low thermal conductivity, and improved high-temperature stability. This study evaluated the durability and corrosion behavior of La2O3, Gd2O3, Yb2O3, and Y2O3 co-doped ZrO2, referred to as 1La-xGd-2Yb-3.5YSZ (x = 2, 4, and 6), under high- temperature steam and molten calcium-magnesium-alumino-silicate (CMAS) conditions. The effects of co- doping on high-temperature corrosion were investigated, elucidating the corrosion mechanisms of solid solution materials with varying dopant compositions. High-temperature steam corrosion tests at 1300 degrees C demonstrated that co-doping significantly enhanced the phase stability of the solid solution and provided excellent resistance to steam corrosion. Under CMAS corrosion conditions, the addition of gadolinium oxide markedly suppressed the formation of the monoclinic phase, reduced the Ca/Si ratio in the melt, and facilitated the formation of a recrystallized apatite phase, which is critical for improving the CMAS corrosion resistance of the ceramic topcoat.

Using data from 188 traditional energy companies listed on China’s A-share market from 2012 to 2023, this study adopts the double-difference method to assess the changes in the green investment of traditional energy companies before and after the implementation of environmental regulation policies in depth and further explores the actual effects and potential risks of green investment on the green transformation of traditional energy companies. This study shows that the environmental regulation policies significantly increased the green investment of traditional energy enterprises, but this increase did not effectively promote the overall green transformation of the enterprises; rather, they became more focused on meeting the current compliance requirements while ignoring the fundamental green technological innovation and production mode change. Further analysis reveals that, as environmental standards continue to rise, the increasing green investment expenditure of traditional energy companies for meeting the standards will continue to outpace the growth in capital inflows of traditional energy companies, resulting in a threat to the financial soundness of the companies in the short term and a significant increase in financial pressure. In the long run, the lack of sustained and stable external financial support for a long period of time will not only constrain the green transformation process of enterprises but may also pose a serious threat to the survival foundation of enterprises and even lead to the elimination of enterprises in fierce market competition.

In this communication, a simple and scalable strategy was proposed to synthesize hollow nanoboxes NiS/NiS2 heterojunction, which involves using Cu2O nanocubes as template, Na2S2O3 as etchant, and combined with sulfurization process. Specifically, the overpotential of ground sample at 20 mA cm- 2 for OER is 284 mV, which are superior to most of the recently reported nickel sulfide-based catalysts. This effective strategy could also be applied to synthesize other hollow and heterogeneous structures materials.

Condensable particulate matter (CPM), a significant environmental and health concern, has garnered extensive attention from researchers. The current lack of comprehensive and reliable online measurement methods for CPM has become a hindrance, limiting progress in both CPM research and environmental regulations. Therefore, this study designed an innovative dilution cooling sampling device to address this challenge, which, combined with a β-ray absorption dust detector and an Electrical Low Pressure Impactor (ELPI+), successfully achieved the online measurement of CPM concentration and particle size characteristics. The experimental results indicate a similar trend between online and offline measurement outcomes. This method can achieve online measurements of CPM concentration and particle size characteristics. The data obtained through online measurement methods exhibit slight dispersion. However, the proposed method offers a novel perspective for measuring CPM and even total particulate matter. This method not only enhances the efficiency of CPM research, but also paves the way for the implementation of online supervision of CPM emissions—an advancement crucial for environmental oversight.

Bimetallic oxide CuCo2O4 has captured widespread interest in the application of supercapacitors in light of its outstanding conductivity and electrochemical activity. Structural optimization is crucial for increasing the electroactive sites and accelerating the surface chemical reactions to enhance the capacitance and longevity for supercapacitors. In this study, a CuCo2O4@NiCo-layered double hydroxide heterostructure (CCO@NC-LDH) is constructed in situ on nickel foam via a hydrothermal-assisted electrodeposition strategy. CCO@NC-LDH nanorods offer a large specific surface area, rich redox reaction sites, and effective interface charge mobility through tight interfacial connections between the interface. These properties address the inherent limitations of traditional electrodes, leading to the superior specific capacitance along with outstanding cycling durability. Thanks to the high utilization of abundant electroactive sites, the optimized CCO@NC-LDH shows an impressively high specific capacitance of 4824.3 F g(-1) at 1 A g(-1), significantly outperforming standalone CCO and NC-LDH electrodes. Besides, the density functional theory (DFT) calculations give a rational interpretation for the heightened conductivity and accelerated charge migration dynamics at the heterointerface between CCO and NC-LDH. The asymmetric supercapacitor based on CCO@NC-LDH shows a remarkable energy density of 65.6 Wh kg(-1) at a power density of 750.0 W kg(-1) and a remarkable sustained stability. Furthermore, the fabricated supercapacitor successfully powers LED lights continuously, showcasing its practical application potential. These excellent performances highlight the immense promise of heterostructured nanomaterials in advanced energy storage applications.

Regulating the distribution of surface states at the photoanode/electrolyte interface is essential for advancing photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. In this study, we systematically investigate the impact of surface hydroxyl coverage on the PEC performance of CdIn2S4 (CIS) photoanodes, with a particular focus on its influence on the water oxidation reaction. Our results demonstrate that an optimal level of hydroxyl coverage significantly enhances both photocurrent density and stability, with a CIS photoanode exhibiting 62.5 % hydroxyl coverage and showing the highest photoresponse. Both experimental and theoretical analyses underscore the crucial role of surface hydroxyl groups in modulating the electronic structure of CIS photoanodes, leading to a regulated distribution of surface states that facilitates efficient charge transfer kinetics. Additionally, operando spectroscopic characterizations reveal that increasing hydroxyl coverage alters the water oxidation pathway, transitioning from the adsorbate evolution mechanism (AEM) to the oxide path mechanism (OPM). Thermodynamic analysis based on Gibbs free energy calculations further supports our findings, indicating that excessive hydroxyl coverage raises the kinetic overpotential for oxygen evolution. This work provides valuable insights into the role of surface hydroxyl groups in optimizing PEC performance for metal sulfide-based photoanodes and emphasizes the importance of balancing hydroxyl coverage to achieve optimal water oxidation kinetics.

The application of a flexible Zn-air battery (FZAB) in next-generation wearable electronics is mainly hindered by the sluggish oxygen reduction/evolution reaction (ORR/OER) and unstable Zn/electrolyte interface, particularly at relatively high-rate ability (10 mA cm-2). Herein, a Fe2N/pyridinic N-rich coordinated Fe single atom (defined as "Fe2N/PR-Fe SA") heterostructure is designed for optimizing the plane-symmetric Fe-4N coordination, which demonstrates outstanding bifunctional electrocatalytic performance with a low ORR/OER potential gap of 0.63 V. Experimental analyses and theoretical calculations reveal that the electronic structure of Fe single atoms, derived from the synergistic interaction between Fe2N with a triangular pyramidal Fe3N coordination and pyridinic FeN4, can effectively accelerate the desorption of the *OH intermediate in the ORR and optimize the *OOH/*O adsorption behavior during the OER process. Moreover, the in situ hydrogel electrolyte (HGE) is designed on the surface of the zinc anode to limit interface water content and eliminate the formation of deposition "hot spots" for improving Zn electrochemical reversibility (203 h at 1 mA cm-2/1 mA h cm-2 with Zn//Zn-symmetric battery). Therefore, the constructed FZAB based on Fe2N/PR-Fe SA and the in situ HGE exhibits a high maximum power density (157.3 mW cm-2), a long lifetime (193 h at 2 mA cm-2), small discharge/charge voltage polarization (0.81 V at 10 mA cm-2), and excellent mechanical flexibility.

Surface amorphization serves as an effective heterointerface engineering strategy for enhancing electrochemical performance. In this work, the Sb2O4 with amorphous-crystal heterostructures is fabricated by one-step hydro-thermal process, controlled calcination then drove either partial crystallization or full crystallization of the amorphous layer. Crucially, partial crystallization bridges amorphous domains can form a surface amorphous shell with embedded nanocrystals structure. The exploration results show that it ultimately delivers exceptional rate capabilities in alkali-ion battery compared to the amorphous-crystal heterostructures and total crystalline. As an anode for sodium-ion battery, it shows excellent capacity of 294.4 mA h g-1 at 10 A g-1, outperforming previously reported Sb2O4 electrodes. This structure provides abundant heterointerfaces with enhanced stability, enabling faster charge transfer and Na+ diffusion that boost conversion-alloy reaction kinetics. This work establishes a reliable surface heterointerface-engineering strategy for designing high-performance amorphous-crystalline electrode materials.

Potassium ion batteries (PIBs) are highly anticipated beside lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) owing to the abundant K resources, comparable standard electrode potential, and high theoretical capacity & high energy density, while the large radius of K+ ion usually results in the anode materials challenged by structural collapse, sluggish kinetics, and fast capacity decay. Herein, a composite with Cu9S5/NiS2 nanoparticle (approximate to 15 nm) uniformly inlaid on hollow carbon-sphere (NCS) is designed, where the firmly anchored Cu9S5/NiS2 particle and sturdy carbon-sphere skeleton synergistically endow high structural-stability and satisfactory electron/ion accessibility for the NCS composite and inter-doping for Cu9S5/NiS2 from the introduction of highly conductive copper have further improved the conductivity of NCS composite for conversion reactions during potassiation/depotassiation. The structural features enable the NCS electrode to achieve a high capacity of approximate to 600 mAh g-1 even at a mass loading of 3.76 mg cm-2, stable cyclic performance for 1500 cycles, and fast electrochemical kinetics in half-cell, and the full-cell has also demonstrated a high capacity of approximate to 600 mAh g-1 and long-term cyclic performance for 550 cycles. The electrochemical mechanism has also been revealed experimentally and theoretically, providing an instructive strategy for the construction of highly stable and fast electrode materials for potassium ion storage.

Architecting Prussian blue analogue (PBA) cathodes with optimized synergistic bimetallic reaction centers is a paradigmatic strategy for devising high-energy sodium-ion batteries (SIBs); however, these cathodes usually suffer from fast capacity fading and sluggish reaction kinetics. To alleviate the above problems, herein, a series of early transition metal (ETM)-late transition metal (LTM)-based PBA (Fe-VO, Fe-TiO, Fe-ZrO, Co-VO, and Fe-Co-VO) cathode materials have been conveniently fabricated via an "acid-assisted synthesis" strategy. As a paradigm, the FeVO-PBA (FV) delivers a superb rate capability (148.9 and 56.1 mAh/g under 0.5 and 100 C, respectively), remarkable cycling stability over 30,000 cycles, high energy density (259.7 Wh/kg for the full cell), and a wide operation-temperature range (-60-80 °C). In situ/ex situ techniques and density functional theory calculations reveal the quasi-zero-strain and multielectron redox mechanisms of the FeVO-PBA cathode during cycling, supporting its higher specific capacity and stable cycling. It is considered that the d-d electron compensation effect between Fe and V enhanced the reversibility and kinetics of redox reactions and simultaneously improved the electronic conductivity and structural stability of the FeVO-PBA cathode. This work may pave a new way for the rational design of high-performance cathode materials with bimetallic reaction centers for SIBs.