The urgent demand for sustainable, high-performance electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials accelerates the development of biomass-derived alternatives. However, achieving simultaneous high shielding effectiveness (SE), low reflection, and lightweight characteristics remains a critical challenge. Herein, an ultrathin, lightweight hollow magnetic CoFe carbon nanocages embedded within bamboo-derived carbonized composites (HCoFe@CN/BC) is reported, engineered via the in situ growth of CoFe Prussian blue analogs on a cellulose scaffold, followed by acid etching, compression, and carbonization. The well-established electric-magnetic coupling network within the composites enables multiple energy dissipation mechanisms and substantially enhances electromagnetic (EM) wave absorption capability. In particular, the unique hollow structure promotes multiple internal reflections of EM waves while simultaneously reducing material density. Consequently, the optimized composites (0.14 mm thickness, 0.278 g cm-3 density) achieve an outstanding EMI SE of 50.1 dB, an ultralow average reflection SE of 6.57 dB, and a specific EMI SE of 12872.6 dB cm2 g-1, outperforming most reported bio-based EMI shielding materials. Additionally, the composites exhibit remarkable Joule heating performance, reach a high surface temperature of 118 degrees C at a low voltage of 2 V. Given these properties, practical demonstrations underscore the potential of HCoFe@CN/BC composites for advanced EMI shielding and thermal management in decorative building materials and smart home systems.

Ice formation in harsh weather conditions poses a significant challenge across various sectors, including transportation, energy, and infrastructure. Researchers have recently developed a variety of solar-driven photothermal slippery interfaces for deicing applications, showcasing excellent anti-icing and de-icing capabilities. However, these interfaces often suffer from low solar efficiency and require high operating temperatures, primarily due to suboptimal photothermal layer design, hindering their broad application. To address these issues, we developed a hierarchically structured photothermal solid slippery interface (P/HPC), consisting of paraffin, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), and carbon black, using a double-template method. The unique micro/nano hierarchical porous structure of the photothermal layer promotes multiple internal reflections of sunlight, thereby enhancing solar absorption and exhibiting superior photothermal properties. Under 1.0 kW/m2 light intensity, this composite interface demonstrates exceptional anti-/de-icing properties, even at temperatures as low as -50 degrees C. Moreover, the interface demonstrates outstanding light-triggered self-healing abilities and stability under harsh conditions, offering a promising solution for anti-/de-icing applications in a variety of extreme environments.

The construction of S-scheme heterojunctions represents a promising strategy for enhancing the photocatalytic activity of semiconductors in wastewater treatment. However, optimizing interfacial interactions between semiconductors to facilitate efficient charge carrier transfer and separation remains a significant challenge. In this study, we developed a novel S-scheme Bi4NbO8Cl/AgFeO2 photocatalyst through oxygen defect engineering. Comprehensive theoretical calculations and experimental investigations demonstrate that the introduced oxygen vacancies facilitate the deposition of AgFeO2 and enable the formation of an optimized heterojunction interface. The resulting Bi4NbO8Cl/AgFeO2 photocatalyst demonstrates exceptional photocatalytic performance, achieving pseudo-first-order degradation rate constants of 8.89 x 10-2 min-1 for rhodamine B and 3.08 x 10-2 min-1 for ciprofloxacin under visible light irradiation. These values represent 2.7-fold and 1.4-fold enhancements, respectively, compared to the photocatalyst without oxygen vacancies. This work provides a practical approach for interface optimization in S-scheme systems through defect engineering, offering new insights into the design of efficient photocatalytic systems for organic pollutant removal from wastewater.

Photocatalytic CO2 reduction offers a promising solution to both the energy crisis and environmental issues. However, existing photocatalysts for simulating photosynthesis at ambient temperature exhibit limited conversion efficiency. In this study, we leveraged the photothermal effect of MnO2 to significantly increase the surface temperature of the catalyst under full-spectrum irradiation, thereby markedly enhancing CO2 conversion efficiency. Photocatalytic performance evaluations and characterization results revealed that the temperature elevation accelerated the generation and transfer of photogenerated electrons. Furthermore, Cd single atoms (Cd SAs) were successfully incorporated onto the MnO2 surface through in-situ redox reaction. Various characterizations and first-principles calculations demonstrated that the incorporation of Cd SAs in Cd-MnO2 created effective atomic-level site for water adsorption and dissociation, providing abundant *H species for CO2 reduction. Cd SAs also modulate the local electronic environment, facilitating CO2 adsorption at adjacent Mn sites and lowering the energy barrier for *COOH formation. Moreover, the spin polarization induced by Cd SAs suppresses photogenerated charge recombination while promoting cyclic regeneration of active Mn sites. Furthermore, the weak adsorption of CO on the catalyst hinders its hydrogenation to CH4, achieving exceptional CO selectivity (98 %) with a production rate of 318.2 mu mol center dot g-1 center dot h-1. These advantages enhanced thermally-assisted photocatalytic performance, providing valuable insights for improving the efficiency of photocatalytic CO2 reduction.

The development of reversible protonic ceramic electrochemical cells (R-PCECs) is hampered by insufficient oxygen electrode activity. This study addresses this challenge by introducing bismuth (Bi) into different lattice sites (A-site, B-site, or both) of Ba(Co0.7Fe0.3)0.85Ta0.15O3-delta (BCFT) to develop novel oxygen electrode materials. Extensive characterizations and density functional theory calculations demonstrate that introducing Bi onto the B-site promotes oxygen vacancy formation and hydration, facilitates proton transportation and improves oxygen exchange ability, leading to the enhanced catalytic activity. In contrast, Bi on the A-site hinders performance. RPCEC using Ba(Co0.7Fe0.3)0.75Bi0.10Ta0.15O3-delta (B-BCFT) oxygen electrode achieves exceptional performance in fuel cell (1.485 W cm- 2 at 650 degrees C) and electrolysis modes (-1.839 A cm- 2 at 1.4 V and 650 degrees C). Notably, B-BCFT demonstrates outstanding operational stability, lasting for 150 h in both modes and enduring 35 cycles of reversible operation. These results make B-BCFT a promising oxygen electrode material candidate for R-PCECs.

A three-component coupling of alkenes, sodium sulfinates and acyl imidazoles to access gamma-keto sulfones with good functional group tolerance via cooperative N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)/photocatalysis is developed. Radical mechanism was proposed for the cascade reaction, revealing that a rare radical/radical cation cross- coupling reaction plays an important role.

Silicon-based (Si-based) materials offer more possibilities for generating new portable electronic devices due to their high specific capacities. However, their inferior electrical conductivity and volume expansion during cycling seriously limit their development. The optimum solution is to select specific materials to establish an exceptionally conductive and volume buffer structure, which can assist Si materials in developing their excellent lithium storage properties. In this study, Si particles were confined in TiO2 carbon fibers (TiO2 CFs) via electrospinning, after which they were encapsulated with MXene and Co-MoS2 (CMS) nanosheets to fabricate hierarchical ST-2@MXene@CMS films. TiO2 CF, MXene and CMS were employed to establish a coherent conductive network with one-, two- and three-dimensional electronic pathways to permit the unimpeded flow of electrons inside the electrode material. TiO2 CF, MXene and CMS acted precisely as multilayered buffers to ameliorate the volume change of Si particles during cycling. In addition, the CMS nanosheets were involved in lithium storage, contributing to the final electrochemical performance. Ultimately, the ST-2@MXene@CMS films served as free-standing electrodes, avoiding the impact of inactive interfaces on the electrochemical performance and fulfilling the lightweight requirement for new energy storage devices.

Due to their high conductivity and unique surface chemical characteristics, MXene and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) have received a great deal of attention in the field of electromagnetic wave absorption (EMA). This study describes the covalent modification of rGO with amino-functionalized MXene to create an electromagnetic absorbent material called MXene-rGO composite. After amidation, an amide bond successfully assembles MXene and rGO. The absorber performs admirably when the mass ratio of MXene to rGO is 1:2 (sample MG-3). With a thickness of 2.7 mm, the best reflection loss (R-L) is -47.98 dB at 6.4 GHz. Additionally, the best effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) (R-L < -10 dB) is 4.08 GHz (11.84-15.92 GHz) with a 1.4 mm matching thickness. The performance of the EMA can be obtained by adjusting the dielectric parameters and the migration rate of the electrons using the covalent bond as a stable carrier channel. The high dielectric loss, superior impedance matching, and strong attenuation ability contribute to the great absorption performance.

The booming development of electronic devices has promoted the in-depth research on flexible supercapacitors. The structural design of core@shell can be regarded as an effective method of achieving excellent electrochemical performance and outstanding flexibility of electrode materials. Herein, a special structure of core@shell hybrid Bi2O3-x@carbon fiber@poly (3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (Bi2O3-x@CF@PEDOT) electrode derived from a Bi-metal-organic framework (Bi-MOF) is fabricated by using the electrospinning technique, and using the stabilization, pyrolyzation and polymerization procedures. The amount of Bi-MOF is regulated to obtain an optimized flexible substrate (Bi2O3-x@CF). The free space of the hollow Bi2O3 microrod can effectively alleviate the volume expansion during long cycling processes and further promote ion diffusion. The effective optimizations for the structure and content could significantly improve the conductivity and electrochemical performance of the constructed electrode. The prepared Bi2O3-0.5@CF@PEDOT electrode exhibits a satisfied specific capacitance of 460 F g-1 (1 A g-1) and great cycling stability. The assembled symmetric supercapacitor yields a desired energy density (i.e., 16.4 Wh kg- 1) and power density (i.e., 500.34 W kg- 1), and remarkable cycling performance (i.e., 99 % capacitance retention after 8500 cycles). Moreover, the excellent flexibility of the device is demonstrated by folding the supercapacitor into different angles and without obvious capacitance loss. This work provides a special structural design method of constructing high-performance flexible electrodes.

Silicon-based (Si-based) materials have aroused extensive attention owing to their ultra-high theoretical specific capacity, while the huge volume expansion and inferior electronic conductivity have impeded their practical application in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Rational structural design has been regarded as a fascinating strategy, especially for yolk-shell structures. Herein, Si nanoparticles (Si NPs) were encapsulated in ZIF-67 metal–organic frameworks to obtain Si@ZIF-67 particles, which were wrapped in one-dimensional carbon fibers (CFs) by simple processes of electrospinning, vulcanization and carbonization to obtain a free-standing Si@Co9S8 CF electrode. The yolk-shelled Si@Co9S8 particles could remarkably ameliorate the volume variation of Si materials during the lithiation/de-lithiation cycling and the introduction of CFs endowed an efficient one-dimensional electronic pathway accurately to improve the conductivity of composite materials. In addition, it was not negligible that the as-obtained Si@Co9S8 CF films could be as a self-supporting electrode, which avoided the traditional cumbersome procedure of the electrode preparation. The resulting composite electrodes possess an excellent rate performance and an ultra-stable cycling lifespan. We hope this work can provide some novel insights for the development of the self-supporting Si-based electrode materials.

Lightweight, flexible, patterned, and environmentally friendly electronic devices should be developed to meet the requirements of future high-tech systems such as smart wearables, internet of things and smart cities. Herein, MXene and citrus-based carbon nanosheet composites (MX/CCNS) with excellent energy storage properties and cyclic stability are prepared via electrostatic self-assembly. MX/CCNS can be easily fabricated as flexible self-supporting electrodes by vacuum filtration and configured as ink for screen printing and large-scale contin-uous preparation of patterned electrodes. MX/CCNS film electrodes have high specific capacitance (up to 1825.6 mF/cm2 at a current density of 5 mA/cm2) and high cycling stability (99.82% capacity retention after 10,000 cycles). Meanwhile, MX/CCNS can be assembled into flexible all-solid-state and interdigital devices, all exhib-iting excellent capacitive performance. The capacitance (114.9 mF/cm2) and energy density (12.9 mu Wh/cm2) of the printed interdigital supercapacitors are competitive among MXene-based devices. MX/CCNS has great application prospects in scalable and sustainable production of next-generation wearable intelligent electronics.

Rational structure design and regulation are of paramount importance for obtaining electrode materials with desirable electrochemical performance. Here, a novel binder-free electrode with the hollow Co9 S 8 core@multi-shell structure (CS-x@MXene@Bi2O3) derived from metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) precursor is well designed by the electrospinning, sulfuration, carbonization, and hydrothermal processes. In this architecture, the concentration of Co9S8 (CS-x) is optimized for an ideal flexible substrate, which alleviates the dimensional variation for long cycle life. The unique cores and the MXene flakes engineered by Bi2O3 multiple shells can be responsible for the superior characteristics, including a fast electronic pathway, large specific surface area, enhanced electrical conductivity, and improved electrochemical performance. As expected, the obtained CS-2@MXene@Bi2O3 binder-free electrode exhibits a high discharge capacitance of 646.1 F g -1 (1 A g -1 ). Two binder-free electrodes can be assembled into a solid-state super capacitor with desirable energy and power density, and long-term cyclic stability is demonstrated through 50 0 0 cycles. Given these advantages, the CS-2@MXene@Bi2O3 is selected as the electrode in a foldable supercapacitor. More importantly, the specific capacitance is reserved after various deformations. Therefore, it is expected that binder-free electrode materials with the unique core@shell structure design could be applied in wearable and portable energy conversion devices.(c) 2023 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The editorial office of Journal of Materials Science & Technology.

As promising electrode material contender for supercapacitors, MXene has high conductivity, abundant surface functional groups, and large surface area. However, the self-restacking of MXene leads to poor ion-accessible surface area and restricted ion transport routes. Water-assisted proton channels contained by Polyoxometallate-based coordination polymer (POMCP) can improve the efficiency of ion transport between MXene layers, which is conducive to enhancing the storage capacity and rate performance. Herein, [PW12O40]@ [Cu6O(TZI)(3)(H2O)(6)] (4)center dot OH center dot 31H(2)O (CuCP) decorated Ti3C2Tx (CuCP/MX) was synthesized by in-situ hydrothermal method. Attribute to the extended interlayer space and enhanced ion transport efficiency, CuCP/MX exhibits excellent electrochemical energy storage properties. It is worth revealing that when assembling into an all-solidstate supercapacitor device (SC), excellent specific capacitance (380 mF/cm(2)) and energy density (68.4 mu Wh/cm(2) at 540 mu W/cm(2)) were exhibited. CuCP/MX is a considerable electrode material for supercapacitors for flexible electronic devices.

Silicon-based (Si-based) materials have been highlighted for their high specific capacity and abundant reserves. However, the limited electrical conductivity and the large volume expansion are critical barriers to their extensive application. The most targeted remedy is the incorporation of selected conductive materials and the tailored design of electrode structures. Herein, carbon-MXene (C-MXene) and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) were employed to decorate Si cores to obtain Si-x@C-MXene@PEDOT particles. Among them, the content of Si was regulated for an optimal electrochemical performance. More significantly, given that the common single-layer core-shell structure was inherently inadequate in resisting the volume change, the corebishell structure offered a robust buffer layer that consisted of a hard inorganic C-MXene and an organic PEDOT coating with an elastic conductive network, which collaboratively addressed the volume expansion issue. The resulting Si-2@C-MXene@PEDOT also possessed an excellent conductivity-promoting layer consisting of CMXene and PEDOT, which facilitated the rapid transport of electrons, thus significantly boosting the electrochemical performance of the final electrodes. Also, the core-bishell structure assisted in the formation of a thinner solid electrolyte interface (SEI) film, which avoided the massive consumption of Li+ and enhanced the lithium storage capability. This work was expected to open up possibilities for larger-scale applications of Sibased materials.

Nanoscale aluminium (nAl)-based composites find important applications in propellant, explosives and pyrotechnics, and the improved combustion efficiency is always desirable but challenging. A core-shell nAl@CuO composite with improved combustion performance was prepared by means of a biological interfacial layer, which is inspired by the fast polymerization and strong adhesion of juglone and tannic acid in walnut peel juice. It is found that interfacial layer contains phenolic hydroxyl and amino groups, which could interact with nAl and introduce the growth of CuO crystal, respectively. Obtained nAl@CuO shows higher stability but 1.2 times more heat release than that of the mechanically mixed nAl/CuO. In addition, nAl@CuO also has 5 times faster burning rate than the mechanically mixed one. It is believed that interfacial layer hindered the direct contact of reactants but improved mass transport/diffusion efficiency in nAl@CuO. Thus, Al based composites with higher stability and superior combustion efficiency could be obtained by this interfacial layer.

With the development of electronic technology, portable and wearable electronics are becoming increasingly indispensable in our lives, which promotes a high demand for flexible power supplies. To develop lightweight, flexible, and high performance energy storage devices, we have prepared MXene and Co-TCPP nanosheet composites (CoMX) with excellent electrochemical properties by electrostatic self-assembly. Co-TCPP is inserted between MXene layers and successfully improves ion accessibility and enhances electrochemical performance. CoMX film electrodes fabricated by vacuum filtration show high specific capacitance (1591.7 mF/cm2) and exhibit excellent cycling stability, with a capacity retention rate of 99.81 % after 8000 cycles. Flexible all-solidstate supercapacitors (SC) assembled with CoMX film and interdigital electrodes both exhibit excellent capacitance performance. The in-plane SC exhibits competitive specific capacitance (330.0 mF/cm2) and energy density (37.13 & mu;Wh/cm2 at 450 & mu;W/cm2). The specific capacitance and energy density of interdigital SC achieve 89.9 mF/cm2 and 12.9 & mu;Wh/cm2, respectively. The competitive performance of both devices makes them highly promising for flexible energy storage devices.

MXene can be used to create bifunctional materials for supercapacitors and electromagnetic wave absorbers by logical composition arrangement and microstructure design. The layered structure, high electrical conductivity, high capacitance, mechanical strength, and flexibility of Ti3C2Tx MXene all make it ideal for use as flexible energy storage devices and electromagnetic wave absorbers. In this study, MXene was innovatively intercalated with g-C3N4 and CNTs to produce MXCN/CNTs ternary hybrid film. The restacking is successfully avoided, and the layer spacing is increased. Meanwhile, g-C3N4 makes the interlayer charge density increase, and CNTs establish the interlayer conducting network, both of which greatly improve the charge transfer efficiency. These ternary hybrid films exhibit superior performance for both supercapacitor electrodes and electromagnetic wave absorbers. The specific capacitance of MXCN/CNTs electrode reaches 477.4 F/g at 1 A/g. The energy density of flexible symmetrical all-solid supercapacitor achieves 25.28 Wh/Kg at 449.99 W/Kg. When bent 180 degrees, the electrochemical performance remains constant. The MXCN/CNTs composites also show excellent electromagnetic wave absorption (EMA) performance. It achieves an optimized absorption intensity of -43.44 dB at 2.6 mm and shows an extremely wide effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 8.94 GHz. This work enhances the application studies of Ti3C2Tx MXene-based composite materials as multifunctional materials.

In this work, N-doped carbon fibers-Co3O4 (NCFs-Co3O4) composites are obtained through electrospinning, carbonization and oxidation processes. When the carbonization temperature is 800 degrees C, NCFs-Co3O4-800 shows efficient electromagnetic (EM) wave absorption properties. The maximum reflection loss (RL) reaches-57.6 dB at 9.04 GHz with a thickness of 3.9 mm. When the thickness is 3.0 mm, the maximum effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) reaches 6.64 GHz. The excellent performance is attributed to the abundant dielectric loss and magnetic loss effects, as well as good impedance matching. The results have positive significance for the research of carbon fiber-based composite absorbers.

Flexible energy storage systems and electromagnetic pollution have become issues that need to be resolved in equipment research and development due to the widespread use of portable electronic devices and 5G networks. MXene is competent for supercapacitors and electromagnetic wave absorbers through sensible composite and microstructure design. Herein, Cu1.5Mn1.5O4 Hollow Nanosphere Decorated Ti3C2Tx MXene (CuMnHS@MX) was prepared by simple electrostatic self-assembly. Hybrid membranes can be quickly prepared by vacuum-assisted filtration. CuMnHS@MX exhibits excellent electromagnetic wave absorption performance and electrochemical energy storage properties. High specific capacitance (2089 mF/cm2 at 2.5 mA/cm2) and excellent cycle stability (99.89% after 8000 cycles) are achieved, which are attributed to the increased interlayer spacing and improved interlayer ion transport efficiency. When assembled into symmetrical flexible all-solid-state supercapacitor (SC), the device has a specific capacitance of 382.9 mF/cm2 and an energy density of 53.18 mu Wh/cm2 at a power density of 277.8 mu W/cm2. Meanwhile, CuMnHS@MX has advantageous absorbing properties. When the thickness is 4 mm, the minimum reflection loss (RLmin) is-53.42 dB at 6.08 GHz. Adjustable absorbing property is achieved, and the absorbing energy efficiency can cover X and most C, Ku bands. These excellent EMA properties are derived from the 3D structure and rich dipole/interface polarization. CuMnHS@MX is a promising bifunc-tional material for electrochemical energy storage and electromagnetic wave absorption.

The continuous copper thermal-diffusion network of graphite flakes (GFs), aluminum sheets (Als), and Al particles (Alp) was prepared via chemical plating methods. After the vacuum-pressure infiltration process, Cu coatings contacted with other components forming three dimensional thermal diffusion pathways. The prepared Als@Cu/Alp@Cu/GFs@Cu/Al composites exhibited high effective thermal transfer properties. Moreover, the thermal conductivity (TC) of the Als@Cu-2/Alp@Cu/GFs@Cu/Al composite showed the optimal value of 542.66 W/m.K, which was larger than the pure Al matrix about 2.30 times. In this study, the innovative preparation method could be applied to fabricate aluminum-based composites with better thermal diffusion performance.