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• For the first time, Co-metal was used for synthesis of carbon nanopearl chains. • A brand-new carbon nanostructure composed of nanospheres and nanofibers. • Growth based on liquid carbon droplets and Rayleigh's instability. Carbon nanopearl chains (CNPCs) consisted of carbon nanospheres and carbon nanofibers were prepared by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method using benzene as the carbon source and Co particles on Si-substrate as the catalyst. The characterized results confirmed that the carbon nanospheres with a diameter between 80 nm and 300 nm have solid structure and wavy graphite layered surface, while the carbon nanofibers (diameter: 16 nm) showed amorphous structure and excellent flexibility. Therefore, these synthesized CNPCs can be potentially applied as the reinforcing matrix. Moreover, the growth mechanism of CNPCs has also been proposed by investigating the effects of Co catalyst, thiophene promoter and gas-flow during the growth process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Self-O-doped Alpinia galanga stem-based carbon nanofiber succesfully synthesis. • The hierarchical porous carbon exhibit high specific surface area of 1065.58 m2/g. • The porous carbon was performed in solid-free binder form. • In 2-electrode system, supercapacitor possessed specific capacitance of 226F g−1. In this study, activated carbon with hierarchical pores and a nanofiber structure doped with oxygen was prepared using a pure biomass-based sustainable strategy involving integrated chemical impregnation and pyrolysis. Alpinia galangal stem was chosen as it functions as fast conductive network with abundant electrochemical active sites for high-grade electrode materials. The optimal precursor exhibited self-doping of oxygen ranging from 6.15 to 15.69 % with 1065.58 m2/g, which contributed to the redox reaction of the electrode material. When tested in a 2-electrode system, the porous carbon nanofibers showed a high specific capacitance of 226F g−1 at 1 A g−1 in 1 M H 2 SO 4 electrolyte, producing an energy density of 9.3483 Wh kg−1 with a coulombic efficiency of 89.01 %. The results showed that oxygen-doped hierarchical porous carbon nanofibers produced from Alpinia galangal stem biomass and designed to be solid-free of binders are highly promising as high-quality electrode materials that can improve sustainable supercapacitor performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A facile method was reported by us to sustainably obtain 3D and defective nanocarbon from waste RS residue. • The key role of bacterial played in the formation of RS residue with unque structure and composition was revealed. • The underlying pyrolysis mechanism of RS residue is explored. • The obtained bio-char was demonstrated as a promising candidate for supercapacitor. Defective carbon nanomaterials with three-dimensional (3D) structure are showing great potential for advanced electrochemical storage and conversion devices, but its application is restricted by the synthesis, which is usually involved with complicate and energy-intensive processes. Herein, pyrolysis of rice straw (RS) residue, of which is collected from the bacterial assisted hydrolysis, is proposed by us here, and the obtained bio-char is defective with 3D structure and rich in oxygen-containing functional groups. Compared to the pristine one, specific surface area of the representative RS carbon (RSC2) was increased from 428.8 to 1131.7 m2 g−1. The assembled supercapacitor with RSC2 showed a high specific capacitance of 331F g−1 at a charge–discharge current density of 0.5 A g−1, and a capacity retention of 97.6% was maintained at 5 A g−1 even after 10,000 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Photo-anodes based on TiO 2 nanofibers decorated with carbon dots. • High enhancement of photo-electrochemical properties in the presence of carbon dots. • Application in the field of hydrogen evolution. Wide band-gap semiconductor TiO 2 is an efficient anode material for photo-electrocatalytical (PEC) applications. Its light-sensitivity is limited to the UV but can be extended to the visible by chemical doping or chromophore sensitization. Moreover, its conductivity can be enhanced by coupling with carbon materials, which should limit back electron-hole recombination. In this context, we prepared hetero-nanostructures based on TiO 2 nanofibers supported on Ti sheet and impregnated with carbon dots (CDs), and used them as photo-anodes in photo-electrochemical cells. They showed a higher photocurrent than non-CD-impregnated photo-anodes, underlining the importance of CDs for water-splitting processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silicon/graphene/carbon composite nanofibers (Si@RGO@C NFs) with a hierarchical structure are prepared by encapsulating graphene coated Si nanoparticles in the interconnected carbon nanofibers based on an electrospinning technology. For the hierarchical structure, Si nanoparticles are embedded in the graphene and the core-shell structure formed, which is further wrapped by the carbon nanofibers. As lithium ion battery anode, the well-defined Si@RGO@C NFs demonstrates a reversible capacity of 1228 mAh g −1 and a capacity retention of 72% after 100 cycles with a current density of 800 mA g −1 . With the current density gradually increasing to 4000 mA g −1 , the electrode displays a specific capacity of 954 mAh g −1 , exhibiting superior rate capability compared to the Si nanoparticles. These excellent electrochemical properties are attributed to the hierarchical core shell structure and cross linked network for Si@RGO@C NFs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The combination of graphene nanoplatelets and carbon nanofibers were successfully fabricated by utilizing a one-step solution based on the electrospinning technique. A distinctive morphology was observed in which the platelets were suspended between the fibrous structure that significantly improved the specific capacitance of the nanofiber to 86.11 F g −1 , twice the increment from its original structure. Furthermore, all of the graphene nanoplatelets-reinforced samples recorded an optimal performance of over 90% capacitive retention after 1000 continuous charge/discharge cycles, regardless of the GnP concentration. These findings indirectly reflect the potential of CNF as the electrode material in the fabrication of high performance supercapacitor devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The 3D honeycomb-like carbons (3DHCs) constructed by interconnected carbon nanosheets were prepared. • The 3DHCs present high specific surface area and 3D honeycomb-like structures. • The 3DHCs display high capacitance, high energy density and excellent cycle stability. Herein, the 3D honeycomb-like carbons constructed by interconnected carbon nanosheets (3DHCs) were prepared by salt template strategy. The 3DHCs present high specific surface area, honeycomb-like structures and 3D interconnected sheet-like network. As a result, the 3DHC displays high gravimetric capacitance of 326.5F g−1 at 0.05 A g−1, excellent rate capability of 246.3F g−1 at 50 A g−1 and high energy density of 11.3 Wh kg−1 when used as electrode for supercapacitor. Impressively, the capacitance of 3DHC 850 -based supercapacitor only decays 0.2% after 15,000 cycles. This work offers a low-cost, environmental-friendly method for the design of electrode materials for high-performance supercapacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Porous carbon nanoparticles were derived from ZIF-8 carbonization. • Thin-film nanocomposite membrane was prepared by incorporation of porous carbon. • Water flux and antifouling performance were enhanced for TFN membranes. In this study, we investigated the influences of zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 derived porous carbon (CZIF-8) on the permeation and antifouling property of thin-film nanocomposite membranes (TFN). The incorporation of CZIF-8 into polyamide layer enhanced the water flux from 11.64 to 18.23 L/m2∙h without decreasing NaCl rejection. Dynamic fouling tests with bovine serum albumin illustrated that the TFN membrane possessed an enhanced antifouling property after three cycles. The higher water flux recovery ratio and the lower fouling ratio of TFN membranes are attributed to the changes in physiochemical property of membrane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• CNF tentacles were vertically constructed on CC matrix as conductive framework. • N and Co doping accelerate the physically and chemically adsorption of polysulfides. • Significantly improved Li-S performance was achieved by S/NCoC@CC current collector. We developed a strategy to inhibit lithium sulfide shuttle effect and to improve electrochemical performance of lithium sulfur batteries. Our approach included incorporation of N-doped carbon nanofibers containing uniformly distributed Co nanoparticles in to a carbon cloth (CC). The resulting novel 3D structured material does not only possess excellent short-and long-range electrical conduction, but, when used as a current collector in Li-S batteries, can also mitigate volume expansion associated with the charge-discharge processes. In addition, structural and morphological change associated with Co nanoparticles presence and N-doping provide efficient adsorption as well as accelerate the conversion of lithium polysulfide. Additionally, current collector based on this carbon-cloth composite demonstrated excellent cycle and rate performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]