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The kinetic behaviors of polysulfides related to sluggish/incomplete conversion and repeated shuttles are the key factors behind the unsatisfactory performance of Li–S batteries. Herein, an Au-decorated covalent organic framework/graphene (Au–COF/rGO) is employed to construct a multifunctional interface to solve such issues. The narrow porous structure of COF can confine the diffused polysulfides via a physical barrier, and Au can further anchor and facilitate the catalytic conversion of intercepted polysulfides. Meanwhile, the well-conducting rGO nanosheets are also able to act as an upper current collector to activate polysulfides to quickly participate in the next electrochemical reaction. Thus, an orderly connection between the confinement–capture–conversion of polysulfides is formed. Additionally, the good lithium affinity of Au and imine linkages on COF can promote Li+ diffusion, achieving a fast charge of batteries. Attributed to the multi merits of the Au–COF/rGO interface, the assembled Li–S batteries not only deliver an ultra-high specific capacity (1525 mA h g−1 at 0.1C) with a prominent rate performance (568 mA h g−1 at 4C), but also exhibit outstanding cycling performance in both the cases of conventional and high sulfur loadings. The rational design of the Au–COF/rGO interface provides a new insight into developing advanced Li–S batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quest for efficient hydrogen production highlights the need for cost-effective and high-performance catalysts to enhance the electrochemical water-splitting process. A significant challenge in developing self-supporting catalysts lies in the high cost and complex modification of traditional substrates. In this study, we developed catalysts featuring superaerophobic microstructures engineered on microspherical nickel-coated Chinese rice paper (Ni-RP), chosen for its affordability and exceptional ductility. These catalysts, due to their microspherical morphology and textured surface, exhibited significant superaerophobic properties, substantially reducing bubble adhesion. The nickel oxy-hydroxide (NiO x H y ) and phosphorus-doped nickel (PNi) catalysts on Ni-RP demonstrated effective roles in oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), achieving overpotentials of 250 mV at 20 mA cm -2 and 87 mV at -10 mA cm -2 in 1 M KOH, respectively. Moreover, a custom water-splitting cell using PNi/Ni-RP and NiO x H y /Ni-RP electrodes reached an impressive average voltage of 1.55 V at 10 mA cm -2 , with stable performance over 100 h in 1 M KOH. Our findings present a cost-effective, sustainable, and easily modifiable substrate that utilizes superaerophobic structures to create efficient and durable catalysts for water splitting. This work serves as a compelling example of designing high-performance self-supporting catalysts for electrocatalytic applications., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In this study, a comprehensive characterization was conducted on a chiral starburst molecule (C 57 H 48 N 4 , SBM) using scanning tunneling microscopy. When adsorbed onto the hBN/Rh(111) nanomesh, these molecules demonstrate homochiral recognition, leading to a selective formation of homochiral dimers. Further tip manipulation experiments reveal that the chiral dimers are stable and primarily controlled by strong intermolecular interactions. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations supported that the chiral recognition of SBM molecules is governed by the intermolecular charge transfer mechanism, different from the common steric hindrance effect. This study emphasizes the importance of intermolecular charge transfer interactions, offering valuable insights into the chiral recognition of a simple bimolecular system. These findings hold significance for the future advancement in chirality-based electronic sensors and pharmaceuticals, where the chirality of molecules can impact their properties.