Achieving long-term stability and consistent capacity in lithium (Li) metal batteries with sulfurized polyacrylonitrile (SPAN) cathodes requires precisely engineered electrolytes to optimize interphase formation and redox reversibility. This study presents 1,1-difluoro-2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethane (DFE)-based localized high-concentration electrolytes (LHCEs), incorporating fluorinated components such as salt, solvating solvent, and diluent for improved electrode stability. Molecular dynamics simulations and surface analyses reveal that the DFE-LHCE with 1,2-bis(1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethoxy)ethane (BTFEE) diluent produces uniform and robust interphase layers on both cathode and anode, enriched with inorganic species like LiF and Li2O. These properties lead to prolonged redox reversibility of the SPAN cathode, suppressed side reactions, and extended cycle life for Li||SPAN cells. Remarkably, DFE-BTFEE-LHCE enables Li||SPAN coin cells with an areal capacity of similar to 7 mAh cm-2 for SPAN to retain 81.3% capacity after 200 cycles and pouch cells of 0.12 Ah with 8 mAh cm-2 of SPAN and lean electrolyte to maintain 96.4% capacity over 80 cycles. These findings pave the way for advancing Li||SPAN battery technologies.

Correction for ‘Two-step electrochemical oxidation enables synergistic Fe 3+ doping and PO 4 3− modification of nickel-based catalysts for efficient oxygen evolution’ by Zhiheng He et al. , Chem. Commun. , 2026, 62 , 11351–11355, https://doi.org/10.1039/d6cc01978a.

Nitrogen species play a crucial role in regulating the electronic structure of Fe-N-C catalysts, thereby governing the adsorption of oxygenated intermediates and ultimately determining proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) performance. However, the intrinsic linkage among nitrogen configuration and catalytic performance remains insufficiently understood. To address this, we design four Fe-N-C catalysts with comparable structures but distinct nitrogen components by using amino-functionalized precursors and controlling the pyrolysis atmosphere. PEMFC testing and characterization show that amino groups in the iron precursor generate lower coordinated Fe-Nx site, which density functional theory calculations show to possess more favorable adsorption energetics and reduced free-energy barriers for key reaction intermediates. In contrast, ammonia-assisted pyrolysis enhances initial performance primarily by introducing higher spin-state sites, abundant carbon defects, enlarging surface area, and increasing the density of accessible Fe-Nx sites. Importantly, we find that both catalytic activity and durability can be regulated by Fe-N coordination by manipulating spin state of the Fe center: high-spin sites deliver higher intrinsic activity but suffer from accelerated degradation, whereas intermediate/low-spin sites offer improved stability. These findings suggest that a rational combination of precursor functionalization and pyrolysis atmosphere can simultaneously optimize Fe-Nx site spin state, coordination environment, and carbon microstructure, providing a practical strategy to achieve both high activity and long-term durability in Fe-N-C catalysts for PEMFCs.

The practical application of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries has been hindered by intrinsic limitations, including the sluggish sulfur redox kinetics and the notorious polysulfide shuttle effect. To address these issues, germanium dioxide (GeO2) as a cathode additive is selected, and the fundamental mechanism for performance improvement in Li-S batteries is systematically investigated. The spherical GeO2@S/C composite efficiently enables high sulfur loading via abundant active sites and provides enough space to relieve the volumetric expansion of sulfur during cycling. More importantly, a range of experimental results and theoretical calculations reveal that GeO2 could enhance electron transfer and optimize the lithium sulfide (Li2S) deposition rate, thus accelerating lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) conversion kinetics and suppressing the shuttle effect. Electrochemical tests demonstrate that the 5% GeO2@S/C cathode achieves the optimal electrochemical performance when the doping ratio of GeO2 is set at 5 wt%. Specifically, the 5% GeO2@S/C cathode delivers high initial capacity (1116.2 mAh g-1 at 0.2 C), superior rate capability (1046.0 mAh g-1 at 2 C), and excellent long-term cycling stability with a capacity retention of 68.6% at 1 C after 500 cycles.

Cadmium sulfide (CdS), a typical transition metal sulfide, exhibits prominent broadband light-harvesting capacity and photoredox activity owing to its low work function (Eg ≈ 2.4 eV) and appropriate band structure. Therefore, it is regarded as an important candidate for preparing photocatalysts with excellent broadband light-harvesting capacity for extensive application in various fields. However, a large number of studies have indicated that the sluggish photoexciton migration and the susceptibility to photocorrosion of pure CdS photocatalysts greatly affect their photoactivity and long-term effectiveness. Therefore, the essential processing of CdS-based photocatalysts is required to improve their photocatalytic performance and expand their applications. This article systematically reviewed the latest research on CdS-based photocatalysts, encompassing their modification strategies and application fields. It focused on elaborating the intrinsic influence mechanisms of various strategies, such as microstructure regulation, heterojunction construction, heteroatom doping and surface modification, in improving the separation and migration of bulk excitons, enhancing surface reaction kinetics and increasing the photostability of CdS photocatalysts. Furthermore, the specific research progress on CdS-based photocatalyst applications such as hydrogen evolution, CO2 reduction, nitrogen fixation, H2O2 production, value-added conversion of low-value chemicals and pollutant treatment was summarized. Finally, the shortcomings and challenges of CdS-based photocatalysts in practical application were summarized, and the directions for future research were presented, including the construction of new composite structures, in-depth investigation of reaction mechanisms, and design/development of practical reaction devices. This review article provides important guidance for improving the performance of CdS-based photocatalytic materials and promoting their practical applications.

A dual-modification strategy integrating hydrogenation with plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PE-ALD) is developed to address bulk carrier recombination and sluggish OER kinetics in TiO₂ photoanodes. Oxygen vacancies (Ov) introduced by hydrogenation broaden light response and suppress bulk charge recombination, while ALD-deposited Co nanoparticles form a Schottky junction serving as hole-trapping centers, reducing OER overpotential and extending carrier lifetime. The optimized TNB-H2@Co-200 photoanode achieves a photocurrent density of 1.02 mA cm−2 at 1.23 V vs. RHE under AM 1.5G illumination — about five times that of pristine TiO₂ — demonstrating outstanding PEC performance.

Carbon-based materials are the predominant anode choice for commercial lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), owing to their excellent electrochemical properties, structural stability, and cost-effectiveness. This review provides a comprehensive and systematic analysis of three primary types of carbon-based anode materials: graphite, hard carbon, and soft carbon. It begins by elucidating the working principles of LIBs and the critical requirements for anode materials. Subsequently, the microstructure, lithium storage mechanisms, and electrochemical performance of each carbon type are discussed in detail. A significant focus is placed on their respective modification strategies, where we not only elaborate on techniques such as spheroidization, surface coating, and doping for graphite but also delve into the implementation methods and performance outcomes for hard carbon (e.g., elemental doping, compositing, pre-oxidation) and soft carbon (e.g., porosity control, carbonization temperature regulation). Furthermore, this work provides a comparative analysis of the performance enhancements achieved by different modification routes.Finally, this review outlines a roadmap for the future development of these carbon-based anodes, with a focus on their unique contributions to the realization of high-energy-density systems.

Nickel is a widely used, non-precious metal electrocatalyst in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and the hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR). Herein, we developed a unique in-situ setup to investigate and monitor the impact of strain on the electrocatalytic properties of nickel metal by examining the HER activity of a macroscopically strained nickel sheet. The application of strain effectively optimizes the electronic structure of Ni, facilitating the accelerated dissociation of water and, consequently, enhancing the catalytic reaction. Furthermore, we synthesized Ni/Ni0.2Mo0.8N catalysts with heterostructures and induced microscopic stress on the crystal plane of Ni through these heterojunctions. The resulting Ni/Ni0.2Mo0.8N exhibited remarkable HER and HOR activity in alkaline solutions. A series of characterizations confirmed the presence of strain, and the activity of Ni was found to increase with the degree of strain. These findings introduce a novel approach for optimizing Ni-based materials in hydrogen catalysis and beyond.

Modulating the electronic structure of alloy catalysts is a pivotal strategy for enhancing their intrinsic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance. This work demonstrates that incorporating cobalt into nickel can effectively modulate the electronic structure of nickel while leveraging the excellent lattice matching between Ni and Co to maintain alloy structural integrity, thereby simultaneously enhancing intrinsic HER activity and endowing the catalyst with superior structural stability. The optimized Co1Ni1/C catalyst exhibits an ultralow overpotential of 21.2 mV at 10 mA cm(-2), which not only surpasses that of most reported NiCo alloys but also approaches the level of NiMo alloys, while effectively avoiding the common metal leaching issues associated with NiMo alloys. Systematic characterization using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance proved that cobalt doping induces electron transfer from Ni to Co, raising the d-band center of Ni and increasing unpaired electron density. These electronic reconfigurations strengthen water adsorption at nickel active sites, thereby accelerating the water dissociation kinetics. The catalyst also exhibits superior stability with minimal performance decay during prolonged operation. The catalyst also demonstrates excellent stability with minimal performance degradation during prolonged operation, outperforming conventional NiMo alloys.

Magnesium-oxygen (Mg-O2) batteries are considered promising candidates for next-generation energy storage systems due to their high specific energy, low cost and intrinsic safety. However, poor rechargeability remains a critical barrier, largely due to the lack of suitable electrolytes and undesired irreversible cathode reactions. Here we report a rechargeable non-aqueous Mg-O2 battery enabled by a tailored electrolyte featuring a cage-like Mg2+ solvation environment. We find that varying ether solvent chain lengths, alongside a tridentate chelating agent, can act coordinately to form a dynamic solvation microreactor. This solvation environment is consistent with the reversible formation of nanocrystalline magnesium peroxide at the cathode and remains compatible with reversible magnesium plating/stripping. The resulting Mg-O2 batteries achieve a high initial discharge voltage approaching 2.0 V, an ultralow overpotential of 0.35 V, a remarkable round-trip energy efficiency of 80% and over 450 stable cycles. These results highlight a solvation-structure-guided strategy for enabling rechargeable Mg-O2 batteries and potentially other multivalent metal-air systems.

Photoelectrochemical water oxidation is a clean and sustainable route to produce hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) chemicals. However, the H2O2 productivity is strongly hindered by catalysts, including poor carrier transmission, narrow spectral light absorption, and inadequate active sites for the two-electron water oxidation reaction. Herein, the zinc indium sulfide catalysts composed of ZnIn2S4 and Zn4InS6 are fabricated using hydrothermal method and exhibit uniform nano-flower morphology. Notably, the synthesized ZnIn2S4 catalyst exhibits an impressive photocatalytic H2O2 production performance, achieving a high faradaic efficiency (FE) above 55% and stable current density over 10 h. This enhanced photocatalytic activity is attributed to its low band energy and efficient transfer of photogenerated carriers in ZnIn2S4 catalyst, as substantiated by various experimental characterizations and theoretical simulations. The optimized metal sites in ZnIn2S4 enables fine manipulation for oxygen intermediates adsorption and activation, resulting in a remarkable H2O2 production activity. Meanwhile, the onsite generated H2O2 can effectively degrade methylene blue (MB) pollutant, demonstrating its application potential in environmental remediation. This work offers a new perspective on designing high efficiency catalysts for artificial photoelectrochemical synthesis of sustainable H2O2.

High-performance, durable, and sustainable alternatives to platinum-based catalysts are urgently required to advance renewable energy technologies. Here, we report a scalable waste-to-wealth strategy that converts orange-peel waste into a highly efficient metal-free oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalyst through synergistic chemical activation. Using zinc chloride and thiourea, we engineer a nitrogen/sulfur co-doped carbon (NS-OP-850) featuring hierarchical porosity, abundant active sites, and enhanced graphitic ordering. NS-OP-850 exhibits exceptional ORR activity in alkaline media, evidenced by a high onset potential (0.99 V vs. RHE) exceeding that of Pt/C and by favorable kinetics, as indicated by its Tafel plot. Furthermore, it facilitates a near-ideal four-electron transfer pathway and demonstrates long-term durability. When applied in zinc-air batteries, NS-OP-850 achieves a peak power density of 87.70 mW cm-2 and a specific capacity of 742.21 mAh g-1, both outperforming Pt/C benchmarks. Moreover, rechargeable Zn-air batteries maintain stable charge-discharge cycling over 130 h with negligible voltage decay. This work establishes a sustainable route to high-value electrocatalysts from biomass waste, highlighting the potential of metal-free carbons as scalable alternatives to precious metals for next-generation energy storage systems.

ABSTRACT Spinel‐type NiFe 2 O 4 exhibits promising application prospects as electrocatalysts for water electrolysis, but its intrinsic properties limit achieving industrial current densities at low voltages. Herein, a dual‐pronged approach is proposed, aimed at enhancing the bifunctional electroactivities of NiFe 2 O 4 toward the oxygen/hydrogen evolution reaction (O/HER) through the incorporation of MoS 4 2− ions. Studies show that the S 2− ligands in MoS 4 2− act as H adsorption sites with optimized adsorption energy, while the Mo 6+ ‐mediated electronic regulation of Ni/Fe active sites reduces the H 2 O dissociation energy, jointly boosting HER performance effectively. Moreover, MoS 4 2− drives controlled reconstruction: accelerates formation of defect‐rich MoO 4 2− /SO 4 2− modified‐NiOOH layer during OER to activate the lattice oxygen mechanism (LOM), and d‐π conjugation inhibits over‐oxidation/leaching of metal ions to enhance OER stability. Benefiting from the dual regulatory effects of MoS 4 2− , the NiFe 2 O 4 /MoS 4 /NF shows a substantial enhancement in performance, with low overpotentials of 200 and 290 mV for HER and OER at 0.2 A cm −2 , respectively, as well as high stability (140 h at 0.5 A cm −2 ). Furthermore, when NiFe 2 O 4 /MoS 4 /NF electrodes are employed as both the cathode and anode in an overall water splitting system, they can achieve 1.0 A cm −2 at 2.0 V. This research significantly expands the methodologies for the preparation of spinel oxide‐based bifunctional catalysts.

Developing efficient and durable oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts is of great significance for achieving industrial-scale production of green hydrogen. This study proposes an innovative ethanol-mediated electrochemical surface reconstruction strategy to significantly enhance the OER activity of nickel-based catalysts. This strategy effectively promotes the transformation of Ni(OH)2 into the highly active γ-NiOOH phase, which greatly increases the density of surface Ni3+ active sites and optimizes the catalyst's microstructure and electronic properties. After electrochemical reconstruction, the Ni(OH)2-R exhibits outstanding catalytic activity, requiring an overpotential of only 270 mV at 100 mA cm-2. This represents a substantial reduction of 155 mV compared to the untreated sample. This strategy is also successfully applied to Mo-doped Ni(OH)2 and commercial nickel mesh (NiAl-NM). Furthermore, the catalyst activity can be regenerated through simple electrolyte replacement and short-term reconstruction treatment after long-term operation, thereby extending catalyst's service life. This work presents promising prospects for industrial applications due to its simple process, low cost, and capability for in situ activity regeneration, which holds significant implications for advancing water electrolysis hydrogen production technology.

Spinel-type NiFe2O4 exhibits promising application prospects as electrocatalysts for water electrolysis, but its intrinsic properties limit achieving industrial current densities at low voltages. Herein, a dual-pronged approach is proposed, aimed at enhancing the bifunctional electroactivities of NiFe2O4 toward the oxygen/hydrogen evolution reaction (O/HER) through the incorporation of MoS4 2- ions. Studies show that the S2- ligands in MoS4 2- act as H adsorption sites with optimized adsorption energy, while the Mo6+-mediated electronic regulation of Ni/Fe active sites reduces the H2O dissociation energy, jointly boosting HER performance effectively. Moreover, MoS4 2- drives controlled reconstruction: accelerates formation of defect-rich MoO4 2-/SO4 2- modified-NiOOH layer during OER to activate the lattice oxygen mechanism (LOM), and d-pi conjugation inhibits over-oxidation/leaching of metal ions to enhance OER stability. Benefiting from the dual regulatory effects of MoS4 2-, the NiFe2O4/MoS4/NF shows a substantial enhancement in performance, with low overpotentials of 200 and 290 mV for HER and OER at 0.2 A cm-2, respectively, as well as high stability (140 h at 0.5 A cm-2). Furthermore, when NiFe2O4/MoS4/NF electrodes are employed as both the cathode and anode in an overall water splitting system, they can achieve 1.0 A cm-2 at 2.0 V. This research significantly expands the methodologies for the preparation of spinel oxide-based bifunctional catalysts.

Electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (eCO2RR) toward high-value C2 products still faces critical challenges, such as the lack of strategies to decouple ethylene/ethanol selectivity and the difficulty of integrating CO2 valorization with practical energy storage systems. Herein, N-doped Cu nanobranch catalyst (N@Cu-0.73 %) was designed and delivered a high FE of 60.2 % for C2H4. Systematic studies (operando Raman spectroscopy and theoretical investigations) reveal that N-doping results in elevated CO coverage and surface pH, which meanwhile lowers the energy barrier of asymmetrical CO-COH coupling, collectively benefitting the formation of C2 products. N atoms specifically target the branching *CHCOH intermediate and serve as electronic scissors that integrates electron delocalization and weakened d-p orbital interaction, which promotes the cleavage of C-O bond to accelerate *CHCOH dehydroxylation, thus significantly improving C2H4 selectivity. Beyond catalysis, N@Cu-0.73 % was integrated into a rechargeable Zn-CO2 battery to realize simultaneous CO2 utilization and energy storage, which exhibits excellent maximum discharge energy density of 29.4 mW cm-2 and charge/ discharge cycling durability. This study may provide deep insight into heteroatom doping at the electronic/ orbital level for C2 selectivity regulation and address CO2 conversion and renewable energy storage, bridging catalysts design and CO2 utilization technologies.

Zinc-ethanol-air batteries are electrochemical energy storage devices with high energy density and low cost, but their large charge-discharge gap hampers their practical application. This study reports light-assisted zinc-ethanol-air batteries (LA-ZEABs) with greatly reduced charge-discharge gap of only 47 mV at 2 mA cm-2. AuPd@TiO2 is used as catalyst in LA-ZEABs which shows 16.07 times higher mass activity than commercial Pd/C and significantly superior resistance to CO poisoning compared with commercial Pd/C catalyst. LA-ZEABs with AuPd@TiO2 catalyst shows a long cycle time of more than 700 h. The superior performance is explained by the electron transfer effect of AuPd@TiO2 under photoelectric synergy, in which oxygen vacancies on TiO2 act as partial electron acceptors and are converted into M-O bonds. This study provides a basis for the design of zinc-air batteries with narrow charge-discharge gaps, which is beneficial to widen the practical application of zinc-air batteries.

The weakening of interactions between adjacent cobalt atoms enhances the hydrogen oxidation catalytic activity of cobalt through the modulation of the d-band center and water adsorption. The modulation is realized by tensile strain and electron deficiency in Co/MoO2, which weakens the interactions between neighboring cobalt atoms, resulting in an upward shift of the d-band center relative to the Fermi level and consequently enhances water adsorption, thereby reducing the energy barrier for H2O combination and improving the hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) activity. Co/MoO2 exhibits outstanding HOR performance, achieving a high exchange current density of approximately ∼6.29 mA cm-2, which represents a remarkable 30-fold enhancement compared to pristine Co. These findings prove the potential of weakening interactions between adjacent cobalt atoms as an effective strategy for enhancing HOR activity.