In this study, we modified Ni based electrodes with MXene and MXene-based composite catalysts for water splitting. The MXene based catalyst exhibited excellent electrochemical surface area (ECSA) of 1840 cm 2 , highlighting its abundant active sites. To further enhance catalytic activity, MXene was modified with graphene oxide (GO) and carbon black (CB), which significantly reduced the overpotential from 300 mV to 196 mV at 10 mA cm −2 and improved the reaction kinetics, as evidenced by a low Tafel slope of 96.35 mV dec −1 . Moreover, the MXene–GO–CB composite demonstrated outstanding long-term durability, maintaining stable operation for 50 h at 100 mA cm −2 with only a 34 mV increase in overpotential at 10 mA cm −2 . These results confirm that the synergistic combination of MXene with GO and CB yields a highly active and durable electrocatalyst, offering strong potential for practical water electrolysis applications.

The electrooxidation of ethylene glycol (EG) from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste to produce valuable commodities offers a novel approach to the circular plastic economy. However, reaction efficiency is significantly limited by uncontrollable side reactions and competitive water oxidation, particularly at high or fluctuating voltages. Here, we present an efficient EG-to-formate evolution at an ultrawide potential range of 1.4-2.3 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode, with Faradaic efficiencies of over 95% persisting on a sulfur-modified NiCo-based catalyst. It has been revealed that structural reconstruction engineering, governed by sulfur redox electrochemistry, provides active (oxy)hydroxide sites that promote key C-C scission with good robustness. Accordingly, this system exhibits exceptional durability of over 1100 h in a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) electrolyzer and good tolerance to voltage intermittences and fluctuations. Deployment on a larger scale through a 5 × 4 cm2 MEA series stack affords a formate productivity of 193.1 mmol h-1 at 4.0 A from real-world PET waste hydrolysate, together with high carbon selectivity of 97% and stable operation for 500 h. This electrified process demonstrates great profitability and a negative carbon budget, highlighting its significant potential to advance the circular plastic economy and achieve carbon neutrality.

Cocatalyst loading has been extensively adopted in photocatalysis for enhancing photocatalytic performance. However, the sluggish interfacial charge dynamics between cocatalyst and photocata- lyst has restricted the wide applications of such a strategy. Herein, we introduce the Ni-N interfacial bonds between lamellar nitrogen-vacancy-rich g-C3N4/CoNi2S4 nanoparticles (CN-VN/CoNi2S4) composite material to bridge the photogenerated charge carrier separation at their interface. Spe- cifically, extended X-ray absorption fine structure analysis reveals that these Ni-N interfacial bonds are originated from the bonding of CoNi(2)S(4 )with the nitrogen atoms adjacent to the nitrogen vacan- cies (VN) in g-C3N4. Experimental evidence and theoretical calculations reveal that Ni-N interfacial bonds cannot only cause an intimate contact interface between CN-VN/CoNi2S4, but also modulate the charge distribution on the CN-VN and CoNi2S4, further boosting the photogenerated charge car- rier separation. More interestingly, this tailored interfacial microenvironment significantly reduces the energy barrier for key intermediates formation while modulates the rate-determining step from *COOH generation to CO desorption, enabling efficient and controllable CO production. This work establishes a methodological framework for engineering advanced photocatalysts, enabling high-efficiency conversion of solar energy into clean fuels.

A rationally engineered ternary phosphide electrocatalyst CoFeNi-P/NF was developed through hydrothermal growth followed by controlled vapor-phase phosphorization to address the kinetic limitations of alkaline water splitting. Phosphorization induced profound electronic modulation and surface reconstruction of the CoFeNi nanosheet framework, generating defect-rich architectures and conductive metal-phosphide networks. The incorporation of phosphorus redistributed the electronic density of Co-Fe-Ni centers, optimized hydrogen adsorption energetics (ΔG_H*), and promoted in situ formation of catalytically active (oxy)hydroxide species during OER. Structural and compositional analyses confirmed uniform elemental distribution and preservation of the interconnected nanosheet morphology. Benefiting from synergistic multimetal interaction, enhanced charge-transfer kinetics, and increased electrochemically active surface area, the CoFeNi–P/NF electrode required only 132 mV for HER and 140 mV for OER at 10 mA cm-2 in 1 M KOH. Notably, the catalyst exhibited outstanding durability with negligible potential decay over 50 h of continuous operation at high current density. These results demonstrate that phosphorus-engineered ternary metal phosphides supported on 3D conductive scaffolds represent a scalable and efficient strategy for developing robust noble-metal-free electrocatalysts for sustainable hydrogen production.

The development of earth-abundant, high-performance electrocatalysts is critical for enabling scalable and sustainable hydrogen production via alkaline water electrolysis. Herein, we report a combined dimensional and surface-engineering strategy to transform two-dimensional Ti3C2Tx MXene nanosheets into one-dimensional MXene nanofibers (MXnf) through controlled alkaline reconstruction, followed by the rational electrodeposition of metallic Ni to create a highly efficient hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalyst. Although alkaline-induced replacement of -F terminations with -O/-OH has been recognized as an effective strategy for improving MXene stability and tuning surface chemistry, this approach has rarely been integrated with dimensional reconstruction to systematically optimize HER activity in metal-MXene nanofiber systems for alkaline media. In this work, alkaline surface termination tuning is intentionally coupled with one-dimensional MXene nanofiber formation to promote intimate structural integration between Ni and the MXene nanofiber scaffold and accelerate HER kinetics. The optimized Ni-decorated MXene nanofiber catalyst (NiMXnf-30) exhibits outstanding HER activity in 1 M KOH, delivering a low overpotential of 87 mV at 10 mA cm-2, a small Tafel slope of 79 mV dec-1, and an ultralow charge-transfer resistance of 0.05 Ω. Moreover, the catalyst demonstrates a substantially enlarged electrochemically active surface area and excellent operational durability, maintaining stable performance at 100 mA cm-2 over 30 h. This work provides a scalable and versatile platform for MXene-based catalyst design and highlights the critical role of simultaneous dimensional and surface termination engineering in advancing non-noble metal electrocatalysts for efficient green hydrogen production.

Fibrous supercapacitors (FSCs) have attracted extensive attention as power sources for wearable electronic devices. However, their practical applications are greatly hindered by the low ion transport rate and the poor temperature adaptability of conventional electrolytes. To address this challenge, a graphene oxide (GO)/aminofunctionalized metal-organic framework (NH2-UiO-66)/sodium alginate composite hydrogel electrolyte (GAS) based FSC was developed in this study using a one-step wet-spinning technique. Due to the synergistic effect between GO and NH2-UiO-66, a high-speed and continuous ion transport channel was constructed in GAS, facilitating the transport of electrolyte ions. The experimental results indicate that the ionic conductivity of GAS reaches up to 44.8 mS cm- 1, which is 7.6 times higher than that of pure sodium alginate hydrogel electrolyte, which is further explained by molecular dynamics simulation. The device demonstrates a high specific capacitance of 127.5 mF cm- 2 and maintains 91.7% capacitance retention after 11,000 charge-discharge cycles. Furthermore, the introduction of calcium ions in the hydrogel electrolyte enables the GAS FSC to operate stably within a wide temperature range from 40 degrees C to -40 degrees C. This work establishes a general strategy for developing SC with properties of high ion transport rate, wide temperature adaptability, flexibility, and wearability.

This research presents a systematic investigation into the sol-gel engineering of pure and high-concentration Chromium (Cr)-doped TiO2 nanomaterials (5 wt% and 10 wt%) for enhanced visible-light photocatalysis. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy confirmed the successful substitutional incorporation of Cr3 + ions into the anatase lattice, inducing significant grain refinement from 18.5 nm to 14.2 nm and increasing structural defects such as oxygen vacancies. Morphological analysis via SEM and TEM revealed a highly porous, hierarchical sponge-like nanostructure with a BET specific surface area of 57.6 m2/g for the optimal 5% Cr-doped sample. Optical studies through UV-Vis DRS demonstrated a substantial bandgap narrowing from 3.12 eV (pure TiO2) to 2.67 eV (5% Cr-TiO2), significantly extending the light-harvesting capability into the visible spectrum. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra indicated that 5% Cr-doping effectively inhibits charge carrier recombination by creating optimal trapping centers. The photocatalytic efficiency was evaluated through the degradation of Methylene Blue (MB) under visible light, where the 5% Cr-TiO2 catalyst exhibited superior performance, achieving 80% degradation within 80 min following pseudo-first-order kinetics (k = 0.013 min−1). The enhanced activity is attributed to the synergistic effect of improved textural properties, narrowed bandgap, and efficient separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. These findings establish a comprehensive correlation between dopant-induced electronic states and accelerated mineralization of organic pollutants. Furthermore, the optimized 5% Cr-TiO2 composite demonstrated excellent reusability, retaining 90% of its initial efficiency after three consecutive cycles under visible light. This outstanding stability highlights its potential for practical environmental remediation.

Silicon monoxide (SiO) is a promising anode material for lithium-ion batteries due to its high specific capacity, abundant resources, and simple synthesis. However, its large volume change (similar to 200%) during cycling leads to unstable SEI formation and rapid capacity decay. Here, we propose an interface engineering strategy using carbon dots (CDs) to form a protective carbon layer on the SiO surface. This approach reduces electrolyte and active material consumption. The resulting SiO/C electrode delivers a high specific capacity of 1094 mAh g(-1) after 300 cycles at a cycle rate of 0.4 C and achieves an energy density of 432.5 Wh kg(-1). In-situ electrochemical impedance spectroscopy reveals that the carbon coating facilitates faster charge transfer and alleviates mechanical stress during cycling. This work demonstrates a scalable and effective approach for improving the electrochemical performance of SiO anodes for next-generation lithium-ion batteries.

Copper(I) oxide nanoparticles (Cu2O NPs) were synthesized via an electrochemical method using sodium citrate, sodium chloride, and copper electrodes. The physicochemical properties of the Cu2O-NPs were characterized using various analytical techniques such as x-ray diffraction (XRD), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and UV-Visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis). The photocatalytic activity of the Cu2O-NPs was assessed by monitoring the removal of methyl orange (MO) from aqueous solution under ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation. The results demonstrated exhibited high photocatalytic activity toward MO degradation under UV irradiation, achieving 99.45% removal within 160 min with a rate constant of 0.03713 min-1. In addition to evaluating their photocatalytic properties, we also examined the antibacterial activity of Cu2O NPs using the agar diffusion method against Gram-positive bacteria (Bacillus subtilis, Penicillium sp.) and the nematode Ditylenchus dipsaci. Reactive molecular dynamics simulations elucidated molecular degradation mechanisms, providing nanoscale insights into MO breakdown. These findings underscore Cu2O-NPs' potential as efficient photocatalysts for environmental remediation.

Oxygen vacancy (Vo) engineering has been recognized as one of the most effective strategies for enhancing the photocatalytic CO2 conversion performance of metal oxides, as it can simultaneously facilitate photogenerated charge carrier separation efficiency and provide additional surface reaction sites. However, the wide application of Vo engineering in photocatalysis are limited by its poor stability, owing to the easy recovery of these vacancy defects by atmospheric oxygen. Herein, we develop an indium (In) doping strategy to regulate the coordination environment in CeO2 with abundant Vo (CeO2-x), thereby enhance its stability during photocatalytic CO2 conversion. Confirmed by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS), In dopants combine with Vo by substituting for part of Ce4+, forming In3+-Vo complexes that effectively inhibit the formation of unstable vacancy clusters. Such In3+-Vo complexes can also reduce the energy required for formation of the CO products. Therefore, the optimized In-doped CeO2-x exhibits excellent photocatalytic CO2 conversion performance, with a CO yield of 301.6 mu mol.g-1 after 5 h of light irradiation, and maintain high activity after four cycles of experiments. Comprehensive experimental and theoretical studies indicate that the introduction of In doping not only significantly improves the stability of Vo in CeO2-x, but also reconstruct the reaction kinetics of the CO2 conversion by forming In3+-Vo complexes thus facilitating the overall reaction.

Electrochemical ammoxidation of aldehyde in an aqueous electrolyte offers a sustainable and promising way toward nitrile synthesis. Unfortunately, the reaction efficiency, especially for nitrile selectivity, is fundamentally restricted by the competitive reaction of direct aldehyde oxidation, which is initialized from the inevitable but uncontrollable hydration of aldehyde itself. Here, we present a salting-out effect, induced by the concentrated potassium cation (K+) in a bulk electrolyte, which can achieve highly efficient nitrile synthesis. Molecular dynamics simulations and spectroscopic investigations unveil that the high K+ concentration renders the reorientation of the H2O structure to govern the stronger K+-H2O ion-dipole interaction. Such solvent microenvironment regulation, in turn, weakens the H2O affinity to aldehyde, thereby suppressing the aldehyde hydration. As a result, the condensation of aldehyde and ammonia is favored to facilitate the nitrile production. Using benzaldehyde as the proof-of-concept substrate, the production of benzonitrile is significantly boosted in a concentrated 3.0 M K2CO3 electrolyte, affording a high selectivity up to 97.3% and a considerable yield rate of 177.4 μmol cm-2 h-1 when feeding 10 and 100 mM benzaldehyde, respectively. Such salting-out-induced selectivity improvement also exhibits good reaction durability and aldehyde universality, underscoring the great merit for sustainable chemical manufacturing.

Fe- and Co-doped zinc oxide (ZnO) were successfully fabricated using laser-induced doping technology, with doping concentrations easily controllable by adjusting the feed ratio. This synthesis process required only ZnO and dopant sources as raw materials, without the need for additional chemical reagents. Both the Fe- and Co-doped ZnO powders showed enhanced degradation performance toward Acid Orange 7. This work introduces an effective general doping strategy for ZnO, thereby providing new insights into the preparation of single- or multi-metal doped oxides.

The protonation step plays a critical role in determining both the selectivity and reaction rate of the electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR). However, the sluggish water dissociation process as the proton source remains a significant challenge limiting the overall performance of CO2RR. Herein, we constructed an asymmetric diatomic sites catalyst consisting of Ni-Mn bimetallic atoms anchored on a carbon framework with S, Ndoping (NiMn-SNC). Combining in-situ spectroscopy and theoretical calculations, we revealed that Mn sites are responsible for CO2 molecule activation, while Ni sites act as active hydrogen pumps to promote the protonation process of reaction intermediates on Mn sites. More importantly, S atoms significantly modulate the electronic structure of Ni-Mn diatomic sites, accelerating water dissociation reactions on Ni sites for promoting proton-supplying, thereby greatly reducing the energy barrier of the protonation process in CO2RR. Consequently, NiMn-SNC demonstrates exceptional CO2RR performance, achieving 97.2 % CO Faraday efficiency (FECO) at 180 mA cm-2. This study unveils the critical roles of water dissociation reaction for facilitating protonation processes towards enhancing CO2RR, providing new insights for the rational design of highly active catalysts.

In this study, a strategy for the preparation of nitrogen-doped carbon-loaded platinum-copper bimetallic catalysts (PtCu/NC, with a Pt loading of 3.49 wt%) based on the pre-lithiation deposition method was proposed to address the high cost and poor stability of ORR catalysts. PtCu alloy nanoparticles with core-shell structure (PtCu/NC600, average particle size: 5.25 nm) were successfully constructed by optimizing the heat treatment temperature (400-800 degrees C) and acid etching treatment, and the metal-support interaction was enhanced by using N-doped carbon-supports. Electrochemical tests showed that the PtCu/NC-600 catalyst exhibited excellent oxygen reduction reaction activity in acidic electrolyte, with a half-wave potential of 0.895 V, and mass-activity and specific-activity of 2.39 A mg(Pt)(-1) and 1.88 mA cm(Pt)(-2), which were significantly better than that of the commercial Pt/C catalyst (0.14 A mg(Pt)(-1)and 0.51 mA cm(Pt)(-2)). After accelerated durability testing, the half-wave potential of PtCu/NC-600 was only negatively shifted by 14 mV, with better stability than the comparison samples. Zinc-air batteries also show excellent performance. Theoretical calculations indicate that the alloying of Pt and Cu and the strong metal-support interaction between nitrogen-doped carbon and PtCu contribute to the activity and stability of the catalyst. This study provides a new idea for the development of low-cost and high-stability fuel cell catalysts.

In this paper, an innovative and environmentally friendly method for the synthesis of La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-delta (LSCF-6428) is presented, combining solid phase with high-temperature calcination in concentrated solar flux. The use of concentrated solar energy allowed temperatures above 1000 degrees C to be achieved with a minimal carbon footprint, which ensured the rapid formation of a perovskite phase with high crystallinity and controlled microstructure. For comparison, perovskite samples were also obtained by sol-gel and solid-state synthesis methods. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the solar synthesis method leads to the formation of the largest crystallites (similar to 30.0 nm), while the solid-state method provides the smallest size (similar to 21.2 nm), and the addition of PVP to the sol-gel method gives an intermediate size (similar to 26.4 nm), which emphasizes the influence of the method on the structural characteristics. Electrochemical studies in an alkaline medium (1 M KOH) demonstrated high catalytic activity in the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), while the sample processed in a solar furnace showed the lowest overpotential (0.2 V at a current density of 10 mA/cm(2)) compared to sol-gel (0.31 V) and solid-state (0.28 V) materials. These results confirm that the use of a concentrated solar furnace is an effective alternative to traditional high-temperature methods, providing not only environmentally friendly and energy efficiency of the process, but also improved functional properties of perovskite electrode materials.

In this work, various aromatic monocarboxylic and dicarboxylic acids were subjected for the first time to a vinylation reaction with acetylene under heterogeneous catalytic conditions using catalytic systems based on silicon oxycarbide supported on silicon carbide (SiC): zinc silicon oxycarbide (Zn/SiOC), zinc oxide silicon oxycarbide (ZnO/SiOC), and nickel silicon oxycarbide (Ni/SiOC). The influence of the nature of the starting materials, temperature, reaction duration, solvent, and catalyst type on the yield of vinyl esters was investigated. The vinylation reaction of aromatic carboxylic acids with acetylene was carried out at 1:2 molar ratio, using a Zn/SiOC-50 catalytic system at a loading of 10 mol% relative to the initial aromatic carboxylic acid, in a N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) solution at 150 C for 12 h, resulting in high yields of vinyl esters. Under these heterogeneous catalytic conditions, the vinylation reaction afforded the following vinyl esters: benzoic acid (80%), 4-methylbenzoic acid (77%), 4-methoxybenzoic acid (70%), 4-fluorobenzoic acid (83%), 4-tert-butylbenzoic acid (65%), 4-chlorobenzoic acid (85%), divinyl esters of ortho-phthalic acid (88%), and terephthalic acid (91%). The structures of the synthesized vinyl esters were confirmed by Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR), carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (13C NMR), and chromatographic-mass spectral (MS) analyses.