Electrocatalysts integrating high activity and exceptional chloride corrosion resistance are imperative for practical seawater electrolysis, yet their development remains profoundly challenging. Herein, Co/Mo dual-doped NiS nanoarchitecture (CoMo-NiS) has been constructed as efficient oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalyst for seawater electrolysis. The synergistic Co and Mo doping make nanoparticle-decorated nanoflakes with optimized electronic structure and abundant active sites. Consequently, the CoMo-NiS electrocatalyst achieves remarkably low overpotentials of 386 mV (alkaline freshwater) and 325 mV (alkaline seawater) at an industrial-grade current density of 1000 mA cm(- 2). The reconstructed hydr(oxy)oxides and sulfates establish a chloride-repellent surface layer via electrostatic interactions, enabling stable operation for >100 h at 100 mA cm- 2. Mechanistic studies through DFT calculations reveal that the synergy between Co doping and Mo-induced Ni vacancies reduces the energy barrier of the rate-determining step (*OH formation) and upshifts the d-band center. When integrated into a practical electrolyzer (Pt/C || CoMo-NiS), the system requires only 1.59 V to realize 100 mA cm- 2 and operates stably for at least 100 h, exhibiting great potential for sustainable hydrogen production from seawater.

Over the past decade, biomass-derived carbon has emerged as a promising candidate for supercapacitor electrodes. This study reports the synthesis of porous carbon nanosheets from soybean pod shells (PSPCNs) via a combination of pre-carbonization and KOH activation method. The as-prepared PSPCNs feature nanosheet morphology with abundant micro-voids. While higher activation temperatures increase specific surface area and pore volume, they reduce the content of surface nitrogen and oxygen heteroatoms. The sample activated at 600 degrees C (PSPCNs-600) achieves an optimal balance, possessing a specific surface area of 1134 m2 g-1, heteroatom doping (1.7 at.% N and 10.8 at.% O), and an enhanced graphitization degree. This combination facilitates synergistic contribution of electric double-layer capacitance and pseudocapacitance. Consequently, PSPCNs-600 exhibits a high gravimetric capacitance of 410 F g-1 at 0.1 A g-1 in a three-electrode system, retaining 252 F g-1 at 10 A g-1. In a symmetrical two-electrode cell with 6 M KOH, it delivers a specific capacitance of 284 F g-1 at 0.1 A g-1, with a rate capability of 53.5% (152 F g-1 at 10 A g-1), and an energy density of 9.86 Wh kg-1 at a power density of 50 W kg-1. The electrode also demonstrates excellent cycling stability, maintaining 96.6% of its initial capacitance after 5000 cycles at 5 A g-1. The assembled symmetric supercapacitor delivers a high energy density of 42.2 Wh kg-1 at a power density of 175 W kg-1 when operated with an EMIMBF4 ionic liquid electrolyte (3.5 V). These results highlight the promise of soybean pod shell derived porous carbon nanosheets, particularly PSPCNs-600, for high performance energy storage, owing to their tailored porosity, effective heteroatom doping and favorable graphitic structure.

Lithium-rich manganese-based cathode material Li1.2Ni0.2Mn0.6O2 (LLNMO) has attracted widespread attention because of its high theoretical capacity and low cobalt content. However, its practical application is hindered by structural instability and rapid capacity decay during cycling. In this study, we present a novel synthesis method for single-crystal LLNMO using a LiCl+KCl mixed molten salt-assisted combustion method. Three types of LLNMO samples were comparatively investigated: polycrystalline particles, single-crystal particles prepared with LiCl, and single-crystal particles prepared with the LiCl+KCl mixed molten salt. Structural and morphological analyses reveal that the mixed molten salt-assisted single-crystal particles possess larger primary grains and a more robust crystal framework. Electrochemical characterization demonstrates that these particles exhibit superior cycling stability, minimal capacity fading, and reduced voltage decay. Specifically, the initial discharge capacity reaches 247.3 mAh · g−1 at 0.1 C, with the lowest impedance and minimal polarization. This work highlights the effectiveness of mixed molten salt-assisted combustion in controlling particle morphology and improving the electrochemical performance of lithium-rich layered cathodes.

Rechargeable aqueous zinc-manganese batteries (AZMBs) have received widespread attention as next-generation large-scale energy storage devices. However, there is still some controversy regarding the energy storage mechanism of the cathode materials. The deposition of manganese ions on the cathode is facilitated by the byproduct zinc hydroxide sulfate (ZHS), and both this process and the ion intercalation mechanism contribute substantially to the capacity. Herein, by constructing an alkaline and manganese-free substrate to decouple mechanisms, the capacity fading issues and resolution strategies based on the ZHS-assisted manganese deposition mechanism are comprehensively investigated. An "acid-in-alkali" substrate (AlO-ZnO) was designed with the fundamental principles of using the alkali (ZnO) to assist in manganese deposition and the acid (AlO) to aid in manganese dissolution. Specifically, Br & Oslash;nsted acidic sites (AlO) within the alkaline substrate structure capitalize on the proton self-limiting effect to generate a localized acidic environment at the cathode, in order to inhibit and activate dead Mn for enhanced energy density and cycle life. As a result, long-term cycle stability (2000 cycles with 98% retention) and high-rate performance are achieved. This work provides a new perspective for significantly improving the cycle stability of AZMBs and upgrading the mechanism cognition.

Nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (N-CQDs) have emerged as promising candidates for enhancing the pseudocapacitance of graphene-based supercapacitors. However, the intrinsic relationship between heteroatom doping, the resultant microstructural evolution, and the macroscopic electrochemical behavior remains inadequately understood. In this study, para-aminobenzoic acid was innovatively selected as a precursor that simultaneously serves as a nitrogen source and a surface-functionalizing agent. A nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dot/reduced graphene oxide (N-CQDs/rGO) composite was successfully synthesized via a hydrothermal method, aiming to systematically investigate the intrinsic correlation between doping-induced microstructural changes and macroscopic electrochemical performance. Materials characterization confirmed the successful incorporation of nitrogen into the composite, giving rise to multiple nitrogen configurations, including pyridinic N, pyrrolic N, and graphitic N. This doping significantly increased structural defects and surface wrinkles. In a three-electrode system using 6 M KOH as the electrolyte, the N-CQDs/rGO electrode exhibited excellent electrochemical performance. At a current density of 1 A g-1, it delivered a specific capacitance of 201.2 F g-1, substantially higher than those of pure rGO (150.3 F g-1) and undoped CQDs/rGO (76.0 F g-1). Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy revealed extremely low charge transfer resistance and internal resistance. Kinetic analysis indicated that the charge storage mechanism is predominantly governed by surface capacitive effects, with a capacitive contribution of 92.1

Although solar-driven interfacial evaporation offers a sustainable pathway for desalination and wastewater remediation, its practical implementation remains limited by both the high vaporization enthalpy and rigid hydrogen-bond network of water and performance degradation in complex water matrices. This study introduces a dual-regulation strategy that integrates internal structural optimization with external-field physical modulation. In particular, an Fe-catalyzed pyrrole polymerization process yields a carbon-based aerogel (CPP) with integrated ferromagnetism and enriched pyrrolic nitrogen sites. This synergy increases the intermediate-water fraction, reduces vaporization enthalpy, and accelerates phase-transition kinetics. Under one-sun illumination (1 kW m-2), the CPP evaporator achieves an evaporation rate and efficiency of 2.78 kg m-2 h-1 and 84.0%, respectively, without magnetic assistance. After applying a 10 mT magnetic field, these values increase to 3.30 kg m-2 h-1 and 99.7%, respectively. Moreover, the system demonstrates stable salt self-cleaning in seawater, resilience in organic wastewater, and multifunctionality in pollutant removal, achieving a tetracycline degradation rate of 89% when coupled with a solar-driven advanced oxidation process. This study offers a generalizable framework that couples structural design with external-field modulation for next-generation solar evaporation systems.

Perovskite oxides have emerged as promising cost-effective catalysts for oxygen electrocatalysis in zinc-air battery systems, particularly for oxygen reduction (ORR) and evolution (OER) reactions. This study demonstrates a strategic enhancement of La 0.5 Sr 0.5 Co 0.53 Mn 0.47 O 3 (LCO) perovskite through controlled integration with graphitic carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4 ) via sol-gel synthesis coupled with condensation reflux. Systematic evaluation of the LCO/g-C 3 N 4 composites (denoted as LCO-X%, X = 10–90) reveals optimized bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysis at 70% g-C 3 N 4 incorporation. The LCO-70% composite exhibits superior electrochemical performance with a positive ORR half-wave potential of 0.78 V vs. RHE and reduced OER overpotential of 387 mV at 10 mA cm − 2 , representing 90 mV and 91 mV improvements respectively compared to pristine LCO(0.69 V,478 mV). Mechanistic analysis indicates the enhanced activity originates from synergistic interfacial interactions between the perovskite matrix and carbon nitride, coupled with optimized Mn valence states and nitrogen coordination environments. This work establishes a facile doping strategy to engineer perovskite-based composite electrodes with enhanced bifunctional activity for advanced metal-air battery applications.

The poor proton coverage of electrocatalysts in neutral hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and the incapacity to resist alkali hydroxides for seawater electrolysis have resulted in a large kinetics gap from acidic water splitting. Facing this challenge, a cluster‐in‐cluster solid solution catalyst with a proton‐rich microenvironment and anti‐interference interface composed of an amorphous hafnium oxide cluster penetrating in crystalline iridium cluster (HfO x ‐in‐Ir SSC), is reported which can achieve superior activity for direct seawater splitting. The structure characterizations, in situ FT‐IR and Raman, and theoretical calculations reveal that the HfO x clusters in the Ir cluster endow an interfacial proton‐rich microenvironment by increasing the coverage and optimizing the adsorption of * H, thereby achieving a low overpotential of 30 mV in neutral electrolytes. Fascinating, the interfaces of HfO x ‐in‐Ir SSC catalysts present abundant * H and OH * species and simultaneously superior anti‐poison to Cl − /ClO − and anti‐deposition to Mg(OH) 2 , eventually achieving an ultra‐low overpotential of 117 mV at 10 mA cm −2 and excellent stability in seawater splitting.

The high working temperature poses significant challenges to the stability, safety of solid oxide cells (SOCs), and the dry pressing method used to prepare films for electrolyte-supported fuel cells yields smoother but thicker films, which can impair cell performance. Thus, the paper introduces an innovative dry pressing technique for creating a tri-layer structure consisting of NaOH/YSZ/NaOH. By carefully controlling the deliquescence rate of NaOH, the NaOH support layer can be removed efficiently and gently, resulting in a YSZ electrolyte film. The results from the 3D optical profiler show that the average roughness of the YSZ film increased to 2.65 mu m and 2.85 mu m on each side. The power density and current density of the cell are 0.47 W center dot cm(-2) and 1.64 A center dot cm(-2) at 850 degrees C under H-2 and pure CO2, respectively. These results indicate that the films produced by this novel method are thin, exhibiting favorable roughness and demonstrating high electrochemical performance.

The sluggish sulfur redox kinetics and severe polysulfide shuttling significantly hinder the practical performance of lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs). While single-atom catalysts have shown promise in capturing and catalyzing sulfur species, their catalytic activity still requires further enhancement for real-world applications. Inspired by natural superoxide dismutase, which utilizes dual-atom catalytic sites and a synergistic mechanism for rapid substrate conversion, a bioinspired Fe/Mn dual-atom catalyst (FeMn-DAC) anchored on nanochannel-decorated carbon to improve sulfur redox kinetics and enable high-performance LSBs is developed. Experimental results reveal that LSBs equipped with FeMn-DACs electrocatalyst exhibit the fastest nucleation (369.3 mAh g-1) and dissolution (226.3 mAh g-1) kinetics of Li2S. The battery demonstrates outstanding rate performance, delivering a reversible capacity of 670 mAh g-1 at 2.0C, coupled with an ultralow capacity decay rate of 0.09% over 500 cycles. Even under high-sulfur loadings of 2.79and 3.67 mg cm-2, the FeMn-DACs-based cathodes achieve excellent area capacities of 2.06 and 2.69 mAh cm-2, respectively. This work provides a new perspective for designing advanced DACs tailored for LSBs.

Lithium-sulfur batteries are regarded as candidates for next-generation energy storage systems, but their slow reaction kinetics and shuttle effect severely hinder their practical applications. One of the key solutions is to design and apply efficient, highly stable, and long-life catalysts. Herein, a nanostructured CoTe2/Co & horbar;O & horbar;NC electrocatalytic material is developed to achieve effective adsorption and bidirectional catalytic conversions of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs). Results show that oxygen bridges (Co & horbar;O & horbar;C) formed in the CoTe2/Co & horbar;O & horbar;NC not only effectively shift d-band center of the cobalt near its Fermi level to enhance adsorption of LiPSs but also strengthen the built-in electric fields of CoTe2/Co heterojunctions to reduce energy barrier for sulfur conversion. Deposition and dissociation of Li2S are significantly enhanced during charging/discharging processes. Durability of highly active catalyst is significantly improved, and rapid cross-interfacial charge transfer is also achieved. The synthesized S/CoTe2/Co & horbar;O & horbar;NC cathode exhibits an initial capacity of 1498 mAh g-1 at 0.1 C, and its decay rate of capacity over 500 cycles at 0.5 C is only 0.046%. Li & horbar;S pouch cells using the cathode show an energy density of 368 Wh kg-1 and areal capacity of 7.7 mAh cm-2 at a sulfur loading of 6.7 mg cm-2, with an electrolyte/sulfur ratio of 4 mu L mg-1.

Sequence regulation in synthetic polymers is essential for tailoring material properties; however, achieving precise control in polycarbonate-polyhydroxyalkanoate (PC-PHA) terpolymers derived from epoxides, CO2, and β-lactones remains challenging. Current metal-based catalysts lack multisite strategies for sequence diversification, limiting the formation of gradient architectures. This study employed mononuclear (catalyst 1) and dinuclear (catalyst 2) organoboron catalysts to mediate the terpolymerization of epoxides, CO2, and β-propiolactone (BPL). Kinetic analysis, NMR spectroscopy, and a chain-shuttling approach with mixed catalysts were utilized to regulate sequences. Key findings indicated: i) Catalyst 1 preferentially promoted β-propiolactone ring-opening polymerization (ROP), forming tapered P3HP-b-PC blocks, whereas catalyst 2 enhanced epoxide/CO2 ring-opening copolymerization (ROCOP), yielding PC-b-P3HP; ii) Boron centers kinetically suppressed ROP but increased ROCOP efficiency; iii) Mixed 1 and 2 catalysts enabled intermolecular chain shuttling, synthesizing gradient PC-grad-P3HP terpolymers; and iv) Terpolymer compositions modulated thermal properties from amorphous to crystalline. This work establishes the first metal-free, chain-shuttling platform for sequence-regulated PC-PHA terpolymers, extending the scope of programmable biodegradable materials beyond metal-catalyzed systems.

In this study, we reported three tungsten compound-supported Ir catalysts with different reduction degrees, Ir-WO3-x, Ir-W/WO3-x, and Ir-W, as pH-universal water splitting catalysts. The Ir-W/WO3-x catalyst, with an optimized local acidic microenvironment for Ir sites under neutral conditions, exhibited the lowest HER overpotential of 60 mV in 1.0 M PBS, while Ir-W achieved the lowest OER overpotential of 336 mV in 1.0 M PBS. Using the Ir-W & Vert;Ir-W configuration, a low cell voltage of 1.593 V at 10 mA cm-2 was achieved in a neutral water electrolyzer.

Considering several challenges for traditional liquid batteries and liquid electrolytes, solid-state batteries (SSBs) and solid-state electrolytes (SSEs) offer a means to significantly improve the safety and energy density of energy storage devices. The utilization of SSEs in lithium metal batteries (LMBs) is widely recognized as a crucial step in designing next-generation high-performance energy storage devices. Nitrile-based solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs), exemplified by polyacrylonitrile (PAN), have gained prominence due to its exceptional mechanical strength, effective lithium salt dissociation capabilities and excellent interfacial contact. Exploration and modification of intrinsic active functional groups of polymers are emerging as pivotal strategies for advanced SSBs, simultaneously providing a foundational framework for analyzing the intricate relationship between microscopic mechanisms and macroscopic performance. This review initially focuses on the dissociation-coupling of ion behavior, kinetics, and various types of nitrile-based polymers. Specifically, focusing on the advantages of nitrile-containing functional groups, the key limiting factors and empirical formula ions transport in SSEs and are summarized. In addition, a brief introduction of numerous achievements related to the diverse applications of nitrile-based organic compounds in SSEs and electrolyte additives with a detailed exposition of current mainstream modification strategies are highlighted, designed to provide direction for optimization and development of nitrile-based SPEs.

Catalyzing the polysulfide conversion process has become an effective paradigm for alleviating the shuttle effect and realizing reliable Li-S batteries. Although great improvements in designing highly active polysulfide catalysts have been achieved, the transfer of Li+ at the catalytic interface, which has a great influence on the reversible redox of sulfur, has not been addressed. Herein, we proposed the multimodal strategy of catalysts confers atomic Co active sites on WO2, where the electronegative interfacial O atoms can act as Li+ pump and assist the rapid migration of Li+ in the electrolyte to polysulfide anchored at the Co sites during the discharge process and reduce oxidation energy barrier of Li2S during the charge process, thus facilizing the lithiation/delithiation of polysulfides. Experimental and theoretical results reveal that more Li+ ions can be gathered around Co sites, and the length of Li-S bonds in Li2S can be reduced in the Co-WO2 catalysts, implying the efficient dual-direction conversion of polysulfides. Therefore, the cell assembled with Co-WO2 exhibits long-term cycle stability (0.038% per cycle) at 1.0 C.

The polysulfide shuttle effect and growth of lithium dendrites are major challenges for the development of high‐performance lithium‐sulfur (Li‐S) batteries. In this work, a thiazole‐based covalent organic framework (TTT‐COF) is designed to modify the separators and provide an efficient strategy to tackle these challenges. A series of chemical structural analyses and electrochemical tests reveal that the modification of the linkages in TTT‐COF enhances π‐electron delocalization, with the active sites predominantly activated by the introduced adjacent heteroatoms via electronic effects. This not only facilitates the electrocatalytic conversion of polysulfides but also enhances lithium‐ion (Li + )/electron migration, thus alleviating the formation of lithium dendrites. The experimental results demonstrate that the modified battery exhibits an initial specific capacity of 987.3 mA h g −1 at a current density of 1.0 C, with a specific capacity decay rate of just 0.082% per cycle after 800 cycles.

In medical and biomedical fields, enzyme-mimetic nanomaterials have garnered significant interest as efficacious signal enhancers for biocatalyst-linked immunosorbent assays (BLISA). Despite the burgeoning enthusiasm, engineering artificial biocatalysts that exhibit both exceptional catalytic proficiency and pronounced colorimetric signal output remains a formidable challenge. Inspired by the heme structures and biocatalytic activities of horseradish peroxidase, we introduce the synthesis of vanadium single-atoms (SAV) coordinated artificial peroxidases as BLISA for highly sensitive and selective carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) immunoassay. Our synthesized SAV exhibits peroxidase (POD)-like activity that is both efficacious and highly specific, surpassing the performance of many other single-atom-structured materials. The SAV-linked immunoassay demonstrates an ultrasensitive response to the target antigen (CEA), with a linear detection range spanning 0.03-10 ng/mL and an impressively low detection limit of 0.335 ng/mL. This straightforward and robust immunoassay technique not only achieves superior signal amplification compared to traditional natural enzymes but also boasts high precision, commendable reproducibility, and remarkable specificity, aligning closely with conventional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for CEA detection in serum samples. This study offers a blueprint for designing artificial peroxidase-based colorimetric nanosystems, promoting the evolution of ultrasensitive BLISA applications for the early diagnosis and intervention of cancer.

Pitch-based hierarchical porous carbons (PHPCs) have been fabricated by means of self-templated method that is adopting metal oxides and metallic salts impurities originate from coal tar pitch (CTP) precursor serve as in-situ hard template along with KOH activation. The porosity properties of PHPCs are significantly influenced by the mass ratio of KOH to pitch. The micro-morphology, hierarchical porosity constituted of co-existing micro-/meso-/macropores, specific surface area, surface elementary composition and electrochemical properties have been comprehensively investigated. It is shown that the high specific surface area (2479 m2 g-1), lay-stacked microstructure, hierarchical porosity characteristic and considerable oxygen-containing functional groups (4.51 a.t %) that synergistically facilitate the electrochemical performance of PHPCs. The electrochemical measurements results exhibit that the gravimetric capacitance for the optimal sample PHPCs-4 is as high as 317 F g-1 at a current density of 0.2 A g-1, with retention of 213 F g-1 even at 10 A g-1 in a three-electrode configuration. In a two-electrode device, the PHPCs-4 based symmetric supercapacitor cell exhibits a specific capacitance of 245 F g-1 at 0.1 A g-1, along with a good rate capability of 75.5% (185 F g-1 at 10 A g-1) and a considerable energy density of 8.51Wh kg-1 at a power density of 50 W kg-1. When tested in EMIMBF4 ionic liquid electrolyte at a cell voltage of 3.5 V, the assembled symmetric supercapacitor cell demonstrates a high energy density of 77 Wh kg-1 at a power density of 175 W kg-1, maintaining 65.3 Wh kg-1 at a current density of 1 A g-1, and 32.1 Wh kg-1 at a high power density of 17500 W kg-1. Furthermore, the specific capacitance of the PHPCs-4 based symmetric supercapacitor retains nearly 100% of its initial value over 5000 cycles in 6M KOH aqueous electrolyte and 91.4 % after 2500 cycles in EMIMBF4 ionic liquid electrolyte. This strategy exploits a novel approach to synthesizing hierarchical porous carbons from coal tar pitch using a self-templating method, offering potential benefits for various applications.

The development of rapid and scalable techniques for preparing thermally conductive films will be useful for manufacturing electronic devices with improved power and stability. Macroscopic graphene film is a promising ideal alternative to traditional thermal management materials due to its combined merits of high in-plane thermal conductivity and good flexibility. Although the thermal conductivity of present graphene films is acceptable, their finite thickness and low heat flux hinder their applications. Herein, a high-efficiency and inexpensive technology was developed to enhance the thickness of graphene film in large quantities. Graphene oxide solution was used as a bonding regent without complex chemical processes. The in-plane thermal conductivity of this graphene laminated film reaches up to 1281 f 36 W m- 1K- 1 with a thickness of 160 mu m. The secondary molding processing strategy offers new opportunities for the scaled-up manufacturing of thick graphene films with potential applications in the fields of thermal management, aerospace appliances, and large electronic devices.