The oxygen evolution reaction (OER), a critical process in energy conversion and storage technologies, necessitates highly efficient electrocatalysts to address its inherently sluggish kinetics. In recent years, cobalt-iron (CoFe) composites have emerged as promising candidates for OER in alkaline due to their low cost, abundant reserves, and exceptional catalytic performance. These attributes have driven advancements in the design and development of sophisticated nanostructures such as nanoarrays and core-shell structures. This review focuses on the latest progress in CoFe-based electrocatalysts including alloys, oxides, hydroxides, nitrides, phosphides, and sulfides, with a particular focus on the modification strategies and synthetic methods of diverse CoFe-based electrocatalysts. In particular, the role and mechanisms of the external physical fields used to enhance the OER performance are discussed. At last, the current challenges and future research directions for efficient CoFe-based electrocatalysts are also presented. This review aims to provide theoretical foundations and technical insights for the rational design and broader applications of high-performance CoFe-based electrocatalysts.

Construction of an advanced current collector with optimized structure and multi-functionality is critical for solving the thorny problems (e.g., lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) shuttle effect, low conductivity, and sluggish sulfur conversion) of Li-S batteries. Unlike the use of an conventional pore-free 2D current collector (low sulfur loading) or the 3D current collector rich in irregular macropores (poor sulfur fixation ability), herein a hierarchically porous current collector (HPCC) with tailored pore architecture and multifunctionality is designed, which is constituted by a large-pore 3D carbon cloth (CC) substrate (pore size > 50 & micro;m), conjugated microporous conducting polymers (CMPs) filler materials (pore size 0.8-1.6 nm) and Pd nanopaticle catalysts (3-5 nm). The HPCC optimizes the original large-pore 3D CC structure into a hierarchically porous structure with regularized pore size and uniform catalytic sites, achieving a 2D/3D functional balance. Benefiting from the enhanced Li+/e(-) transportation, high-efficiency LiPSs adsorption, and strong catalysis ability for LiPSs, the batteries with HPCC achieve the ultrahigh discharging capacity of 1304 mAh g(-)(1) at 0.2 C, exceptional stability (0.42% decay/cycle at 10.59 mA & centerdot;cm(-)(2)) even at a high sulfur loading condition of 10.3 mg cm(-)(2), and good commercial application potential (driving electric-car operation). This pore engineering strategy establishes a paradigm for developing a high-energy-density battery.

Silicate-based persistent luminescence (PersL) materials have shown significant applications in energy-saving lighting and instrument displays due to their excellent water resistance and physicochemical stability. Nevertheless, achieving afterglow performance comparable to the benchmark SrAl2O4: Eu2+, Dy3+ remains challenging. In this study, we report a significant enhancement of Eu2+ PersL in Ba(5)Si(8-x)A(x)O(21): Eu2+ (A = Al3+ and B3+) via aliovalent substitution at the Si4+ site. The afterglow intensity is boosted by approximately 2-fold and 100-fold for Al3+ and B3+ doping, respectively. To get insight into the relationship between structure and afterglow performance, the site occupations of Eu2+, trap distribution and afterglow kinetics were systematically investigated. The enhanced Eu2+ afterglow is mainly attributed to an increased concentration of oxygen vacancies rather than the changes of band structure and trap depth. Thermally assisted tunneling of Eu2+ afterglow is verified by multi-Becquerel functions analysis. The work provides an efficient strategy to improve afterglow performance of Eu2+ doped silicate phosphors through the controlled engineering of oxygen vacancies.

We present a scalable mesopore-engineering strategy for alginate-derived HPCs via metal-ion crosslinking, generating ≈5 nm inherited mesopores that balance density and ion transport to enhance volumetric performance.

In the field of anticounterfeiting materials, simultaneously achieving highly efficient fluorescence and dynamic room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) remains a major challenge. Conventional systems often suffer from an intrinsic conflict between long lifetime and high quantum efficiency, limiting full utilization of both the "on" and "off" states under UV irradiation. Here, we developed (3-FPA)2CdCl4(3-FPA, 3-fluorophenylammonium), where intermolecular C-H···F hydrogen bonding among 3-FPA molecules influences the excited-state relaxation behavior, and Mn2+ incorporation further tailors the emissive centers, enabling multimodal anticounterfeiting combining efficient fluorescence and dynamic RTP. Mn2+ doping introduces new emissive centers and alters the excited-state relaxation pathways, enabling a nearly unity photoluminescence quantum yield (98.10%) under 270 nm excitation and a red-to-green dynamic RTP under 365 nm excitation. Femtosecond transient absorption (fs-TA) spectroscopy further revealed that the Mn2+ concentration strongly modulates the energy-transfer rate, thereby allowing precise control of the dynamic RTP process. Moreover, the designed anticounterfeiting patterns demonstrate dual-mode protection through the integration of efficient fluorescence and dynamic phosphorescence. This work provides new insights and strategies for the development of advanced multimodal luminescent anticounterfeiting materials.

The combustion of sulfur-containing substances in fuel oil results in the releasing of sulfide, which exerts a considerable impact on the environment and human health. Accordingly, a photocatalyst CQDs/g-C3N4/MOF-199 (CCN/M) with heterojunction was prepared via using a solvothermal method. In this work, CQDs was functioned as an electron trapping acceptor for g-C3N4, thereby facilitating electron separation and promoting the transfer and separation of electron-hole pairs. In the photocatalytic oxidative desulfurization system, the optimal CCN/M catalyst achieved 93.1% removal of DBT within 2 h under visible light. The high catalytic performance was originated from enlarged specific surface area of CCN/M compared to that of g-C3N4, effectively adsorbed DBT molecules. And, the synergistic effects of introduced CQDs and formed heterojunction broadened light-absorbing range and promoted the separation and transfering of photogenerated carriers. Also, a photocatalytic oxidative desulfurization mechanism is proposed. This study proposes a viable strategy for developments of MOFs heterojunctions and their applications in a photocatalytic oxidative desulfurization (PODS) process.

The magnesium oxide (MgO) precipitation-enrichment technology for ionic rare earths (RE) leaching liquor is compatible with magnesium salt leaching system. It eliminates ammonia-nitrogen pollution and has been implemented industrially in several RE smelting enterprises. However, the excessive addition of MgO precipitant and the formation of RE2(OH)4SO4 result in both MgO and sulfate impurity content exceeding 15.00 wt% in the calcined RE concentrate produced by this method, considerably degrading product quality. To address these drawbacks, in this study a carbon dioxide (CO2) carbonation strategy was developed for the purification of RE concentrate. The results reveal that HCO3– acts as the primary carbon species during carbonation. Magnesium hydroxide is eliminated by dissolving and then combining with HCO3–, whereas sulfate is removed by the direct reaction of RE2(OH)4SO4 with HCO3–. Under the conditions of 25 °C, a CO2 flow rate of 30 mL/min, a liquid-solid ratio of 30 mL/g, and a carbonation time of 2 h, the optimized mixed RE oxides contain 92.60 wt% REO, 3.70 wt% MgO, and 3.70 wt% SO42–. Compared with the calcined RE concentrate, the MgO and SO42– contents are reduced by 16.79 wt% and 13.35 wt%, respectively. Notably, no RE loss occurs during the carbonation process. When applied to industrial RE concentrate, the carbonation treatment achieves removal efficiencies of 93.11% for magnesium and 80.13% for sulfur. The developed carbonation-based impurity removal technology offers a viable new strategy for the green and efficient exploitation of ionic RE ores.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and their derived carbides have been extensively investigated for activating peroxymonosulfate (PMS) to degrade organic pollutants. However, most studies focus on the organic degradation performance, while the structure-activity relationship between carbides derived from MOFs with different topological structures and PMS activation remains rarely reported. In this study, four iron-based MOFs with distinct topological structures (MIL-53(Fe), MIL-88A(Fe), MIL-100(Fe), and MIL-101(Fe)) were employed as precursors to elucidate the regulatory effect of precursor architecture on the speciation of active sites in their derived carbon composites (Fe53@C, Fe88A@C, Fe100@C and Fe101@C). The results demonstrated that Fe0 was the sole functional iron species in Fe88A@C and Fe101@C, whereas both Fe0 and Fe3C coexisted in Fe53@C and Fe100@C. The higher content of Fe0 per unit surface area was the primary reason for the significantly superior activity of Fe88A@C compared to Fe53@C, Fe100@C and Fe101@C. Distinct active sites were identified across different material systems: pyridinic-N, graphitic-N, Fe-Nx, Fe0, C-OH, and COOH synergistically contribute to the degradation of organic pollutants in the Fe53@C/PMS, Fe100@C/PMS, and Fe101@C/PMS systems, whereas Fe88A@C was dominated by Fe0, C-OH, and -COOH. Fe88A@C exhibits excellent PMS activation performance, wide pH adaptability (3−9), and good recyclability, with both radical (SO4•-, •OH, and O2•-) and non-radical (1O2) pathways involved in the reaction system. Compared with Fe-doped porous carbons prepared by conventional chemical methods, this study exploits the structural diversity and facile tunability of MOFs to facilitate the investigation of the catalytic mechanism and structure-activity relationship of the activator, while also offering new insights into the rational design of high-performance carbon-based PMS activators.

ABSTRACT Silicate‐based persistent luminescence (PersL) materials have shown significant applications in energy‐saving lighting and instrument displays due to their excellent water resistance and physicochemical stability. Nevertheless, achieving afterglow performance comparable to the benchmark SrAl 2 O 4 : Eu 2+ , Dy 3+ remains challenging. In this study, we report a significant enhancement of Eu 2+ PersL in Ba 5 Si 8‐x A x O 21 : Eu 2+ (A = Al 3+ and B 3+ ) via aliovalent substitution at the Si 4+ site. The afterglow intensity is boosted by approximately 2‐fold and 100‐fold for Al 3+ and B 3+ doping, respectively. To get insight into the relationship between structure and afterglow performance, the site occupations of Eu 2+ , trap distribution and afterglow kinetics were systematically investigated. The enhanced Eu 2+ afterglow is mainly attributed to an increased concentration of oxygen vacancies rather than the changes of band structure and trap depth. Thermally assisted tunneling of Eu 2+ afterglow is verified by multi‐Becquerel functions analysis. The work provides an efficient strategy to improve afterglow performance of Eu 2+ doped silicate phosphors through the controlled engineering of oxygen vacancies.

Biochar application to soil can increase carbon sequestration; however, the long-term mechanisms through which different feedstocks and nitrogen (N) fertilization jointly regulate the distribution and stability of soil organic carbon components within aggregates remain unclear. We used a 12-year paddy field experiment in Yuhang County, Zhejiang Province, China, to compare rice straw and bamboo biochars with and without N fertilization, evaluating black carbon (BC, the refractory polycyclic aromatic carbon fraction derived from biochar) and dissolved black carbon (DBC) content, and aromaticity across aggregate size classes. Rice straw biochar preferentially accumulated in microaggregates (0.053−0.25 mm), increasing BC amount by 181−189%, while bamboo biochar predominantly enriched macroaggregates (0.25−2 mm), enhancing BC storage by 683−729% and significantly increasing BC aromatic condensation (B6CA/B5CABC increased by 19−22%) relative to the control. Although total DBC concentrations did not change significantly, biochar application enriched the condensed aromatic structures of DBC. Annual N fertilization reduced the aromatic condensation of BC and DBC, with stronger effects under rice straw biochar amendment. Structural equation modeling suggested that black carbon (BC) accumulation closely covaried with the bulk soil organic carbon (SOC) pool, highlighting the importance of its physical integration and physical protection within the broader organic matrix. Conversely, DBC retention was governed by the interaction of dissolved organic matter (DOM) components and metal oxides. ​Our results emphasize that biochar characteristics determine its geochemical fate and stabilization pathways within soil aggregates, and that physical preservation of highly aromatic biochar within aggregates is crucial for achieving long-term carbon sequestration. We reveal that N fertilization can compromise aromatic stability, exposing a critical trade-off between maximizing crop productivity and maintaining long-term soil carbon sinks in biochar-amended paddy systems.

The declining ore grades of ionic rare earth ores have reduced rare earth/aluminum (RE/Al) ratio in the RE leaching liquor, exacerbating RE loss during neutralization-based Al removal and increasing Al-containing waste residues, thereby intensifying RE resource wastage. To address these challenges, our team previously proposed a novel technology for targeted RE/Al separation and stepwise recovery from RE leaching liquor. This paper systematically investigates the CO2 carbonation recovery of Al from alkali-treated filtrate within this technology. Firstly, the single-stage carbonation of alkali-treated filtrate revealed that the optimal crystallization range for aluminum hydroxide (Al(OH)(3)) occurs at pH > 12.0, with precipitation governed by a combined mechanism of Ostwald ripening and agglomeration. Secondly, the optimal conditions for single-stage carbonation were determined as follows: endpoint pH of 12.50, aging time of 9 h, seed coefficient of 25 g/L, and CO2 flow rate of 0.6 L/min. Finally, the multistage carbonation based on pH control for the dominant crystallization range of Al(OH)(3) reduced the total process time from 660 min to 320 min. Moreover, based on the analysis of the composition of the alkali-treated filtrate, it was confirmed that the concentration of sodium oxide (Na2O) has the most significant impact on carbonation performance. Under the optimized conditions, 99.07% of Al was recovered, yielding electrolysis-grade alumina (Al2O3) with 99.47 wt% purity and a median particle size of 58.27 mu m. This study aims to optimize the technical roadmap, streamline the process flow, and provide treatment ideas for Al-containing waste liquid generated during the RE smelting process.

The removal of aluminum via neutralization and enrichment of rare earth via precipitation is currently the most widely adopted industrial method for ionic rare earth leaching liquor treatment. Employing magnesium-calcium alkaline compounds as pH regulators offers advantages such as low cost and closed-loop recycling of calcium-magnesium. However, this process suffers from rare earth loss exceeding 8 % and impurity contents (magnesium and sulfate) in the obtained mixed rare earth oxide both exceeding 15 wt%. To address this, a novel process for selective separation and stepwise recovery of rare earth and aluminum from magnesium salt-based ionic rare earth leaching liquor is proposed. Firstly, magnesium/calcium alkaline compounds are employed to stepwise copricipitate rare earth and aluminum. At a magnesium oxide feeding ratio of 95 %, 99.79 % of rare earth is precipitated, yielding a rare earth calcined product with 3.51 wt% magnesium oxide content. Subsequently, sodium hydroxide stirring-washing process selectively removes aluminum and sulfate from rare earth concentrate into aluminum-containing filtrate. This process yields mixed rare earth oxide with a purity of 92.6 wt%, an alumina content of 2.37 wt%, and a sulfate content of 0.23 wt%. Finally, a three-cycle carbonation-aging process is employed to recover aluminum from aluminum-containing filtrate. This produces alumina with a purity of 99.66 wt% and a particle size of 58.91 mu m. Compared with the traditional process, this technology yields an additional net profit of 48,118 yuan for every 1000 m3 rare earth leaching liquor. This technology significantly promotes the efficient utilization of ionic rare earth resources.

Water-stabilized ionic metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have developed some promising areas such as dye adsorption and ions detection. Here, a new multifunctional ionic MOF [(CH3)(2)NH2)][Cd-4(PPTBA)(2)(Cl)(H2O)(4)]center dot 5 H2O (Cd-MOF-1) (H4PPTBA = 4,4 ',4 '',4 '''-(pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyrrole-1,2,4,5-tetrayl) tetrabenzoic acid) was synthesized by solvothermal method. The structural analysis revealed that Cd-MOF-1 possessed a three-dimensional (3D) anionic framework in which the linear tetranuclear clusters were connected by PPTBA(4-) ligands and its channels contained the (CH3)(2)NH2+ cations, which can be exchanged by cationic dyes to realize the selective adsorption of cationic dyes. As a result, Cd-MOF-1 can efficiently adsorb the methylene blue (MB+) dyes in aqueous solution with a high adsorption capacity of about 329.8 mg.g(-1). Considering the practical application of Cd-MOF-1 as an adsorbent, a mixed matrix membrane of Cd-MOF-1/polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) was fabricated. This Cd-MOF-1/PVDF film inherited the performance of preferentially adsorbing the MB+ dyes, which also displayed excellent adsorption capacity of 328.1 mg center dot g(-1). In addition, Cd-MOF-1 presented the distinct quenching responses towards Fe3+, CrO42- and Cr2O72- ions in water. The Stern-Volmer quenching constants were calculated as 2.32 x 10(4), 5.2 x 10(4) and 3.32 x 10(4) M-1, respectively, and the detection limits were 0.078, 0.052 and 0.073 mu M, respectively. Remarkably, the fabricated Cd-MOF-1/PVDF film was applied as a portable device to realize the visual detection of Fe3+, CrO42- and Cr2O72- ions. These experimental results indicated the prepared Cd-MOF-1 was highly promising for dye adsorption and ion detection in aqueous environment.

The sluggish kinetics of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) severely limits the efficiency of electrochemical water splitting for sustainable hydrogen production. Developing cost-effective and efficient OER electrocatalysts based on earth-abundant elements is thus highly desirable. Herein, we report a nanoporous (CoNiFe)OOH electrocatalyst decorated with Zn(OH)42-anions, synthesized via electrochemical surface reconstruction of ZnO-decorated CoNiFe medium-entropy alloys (MEAs). The reconstructed (CoNiFe)OOH adsorbed with Zn(OH)42-anions serves as the real active phase, featuring abundant catalytic sites and enhanced OH- accessibility. Adsorbed Zn(OH)42-anions promote OH-transfer and facilitate electron redistribution at the active sites, particularly enhancing Co site activity, as revealed by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. As a result, the optimized CoNiFeZn@NF-EO electrode exhibits outstanding OER performance, achieving a low overpotential of 264 mV at 10 mAcm-2, a Tafel slope of 46.6 mVdec-1, and remarkable long-term stability in alkaline electrolyte. This work provides new insights into the synergistic effect between surface reconstruction and Zn-based species, offering a promising strategy for designing high-performance OER electrocatalysts.

Ammonia is essential across industry, agriculture, and as a future carbon‐free energy carrier. Electrocatalytic nitrate reduction (NitRR) offers a sustainable path for removing nitrate contaminants from wastewater and groundwater while using abundant nitrate ions as nitrogen sources under eco‐friendly conditions. However, the NitRR pathway, which involves sequential reactions, poses challenges in synchronizing the rate of nitrate‐to‐nitrite conversion with the subsequent reduction of nitrite to ammonia, particularly as the initial reduction step is rate‐limiting. This study presents a CoNi layered double hydroxide (LDH) approach to finely control hydrogen radical (*H) supply, paired with Cu/Cu 2 O redox coupling, to achieve optimal rate matching. CoNi LDH is engineered with various anion intercalations (NO 3 − , Cl − , SO 4 2− , MoO 4 2− , WO 4 2− ) to regulate *H capacity. By integrating Cu/Cu 2 O and CoNi LDH, tandem kinetic descriptors, including a volcano curve, are employed to predict rate constants, facilitating ideal kinetic matching for efficient ammonia synthesis. The optimized MoO 4 ‐CoNi LDH/CuO NW/CF electrode demonstrated exceptional performance, achieving a 99.78% Faraday efficiency, a yield of 1.12 mmol cm −2 h −1 at −0.2 V vs. RHE, and robust 14‐h stability. The model descriptors effectively elucidated the kinetic pathway, linking reaction rates and factors impacting ammonia production.

A green and sustainable strategy was proposed to efficiently convert polyvinyl chloride (PVC) waste into high-value porous carbon adsorbents for simultaneous waste plastic resourcing and heavy metal pollution control. The synthesis integrates solvothermal pretreatment with dimethylformamide (DMF), followed by KOH activation and heteroatom doping using thiourea as the N/S source. Solvothermal pretreatment increases carbon yield to 40 wt%. NS-PVC has a hierarchical pore structure with a high specific surface area of 1096.53 m2 g-1, moderate pore size distribution, and rich oxygen-containing, sulfur-containing, and nitrogen-containing functional groups, and comparative experiments confirmed that the doped N and S heteroatoms had a synergistic effect and promoted the adsorption performance, demonstrating exceptional removal efficiency (96%) for the high-concentration Pb(ii) solution (1500 mg L-1), with a maximum adsorption capacity of 149.2 mg g-1. Through adsorption kinetics and isotherm studies, it was confirmed that the adsorption process of Pb(ii) on NS-PVC was endothermic and consistent with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir models. By comparing the physicochemical properties of NS-PVC before and after the adsorption of Pb(ii), it was confirmed that the adsorption of Pb(ii) on NS-PVC was controlled by a combination of chemisorption and physisorption, including ion exchange, surface complexation, pore filling and electrostatic attraction.

The design of ionic channels can effectively alleviate ion diffusion limitations in electrodes for supercapacitors, thereby enhancing the performance of energy storage devices. However, few methods have been reported that can tailor ionic channels of electrodes with binders. Herein, we report a nonsolvent-induced phase separation (NIPS) strategy to regulate ionic channels within carbon-binder domains (CBD) of carbon-based electrodes. By systematically analyzing the thermodynamics of different NIPS systems, we established several design principles for tailoring ionic channel structures in CBD. Electrodes with pore sizes ranging from 304 to 740 nm in the CBD and porosities from 0.45 to 1.46 cm3 g- 1 are obtained. The capacitive performance of these electrodes in different electrolytes is strongly dependent on the characteristics of the resulting ionic channel structures in CBD. In aqueous electrolytes, high specific surface area (SSA) and well-developed ionic channels in CBD are critical for enhancing electrode capacitive performance. However, in ionic liquid electrolytes, porosity rather than SSA governs the capacitive performance. This work offers a simple and versatile approach for regulating ionic channels in electrode systems with binders.

Lignin, often regarded as an agricultural waste, possesses notable advantages such as renewability, degradability and non-toxicity, enabling it as an emerging and promising adsorbent for wastewater remediation. Native lignin is typically modified to enhance its removal performance. This review provides an overview of lignin's versatility, discusses chemical modifications for its functionalization, and summarizes the potential interaction mechanisms of lignin-based adsorbents in wastewater remediation. After that, based on the guidance of aforementioned mechanisms, different synthesis methods for lignin-modified adsorbent materials, including organic (anionic and cationic surfactants), inorganic (iron and other metal component modification), and composite modification, are summarized. Subsequently, applications of lignin-based adsorbent materials in wastewater treatment are reviewed, including the removal of heavy metals, antibiotics and the combined pollutants. Finally, the review identifies current challenges and explores future development directions for lignin-based adsorbent materials.