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Iron–nitrogen–carbon (Fe–N–C) catalysts, although the most active platinum-free option for the cathodic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), suffer from poor durability due to the Fe leaching and consequent Fenton effect, limiting their practical application in low-temperature fuel cells. This work demonstrates an integrated catalyst of a platinum–iron (PtFe) alloy planted in an Fe–N–C matrix (PtFe/Fe–N–C) to address this challenge. This novel catalyst exhibits both high-efficiency activity and stability, as evidenced by its impressive half-wave potential (E1/2) of 0.93 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode (vs RHE) and minimal 7 mV decay even after 50,000 potential cycles. Remarkably, it exhibits a very low hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) yield (0.07%) at 0.6 V and maintains this performance with negligible change after 10,000 potential cycles. Fuel cells assembled with this cathode PtFe/Fe–N–C catalyst show exceptional durability, with only 8 mV voltage loss at 0.8 A cm–2after 30,000 cycles and ignorable current degradation at a voltage of 0.6 V over 85 h. Comprehensive in situ experiments and theoretical calculations reveal that oxygen species spillover from Fe–N–C to PtFe alloy not only inhibits H2O2production but also eliminates harmful oxygenated radicals. This work paves the way for the design of highly efficient and stable ORR catalysts and has significant implications for the development of next-generation fuel cells.

The sodium (Na) metal anode encounters issues such as volume expansion and dendrite growth during cycling. Herein, a novel three-dimensional flexible composite Na metal anode was constructed through the conversion-alloying reaction between Na and ultrafine Sb2S3nanoparticles encapsulated within the electrospun carbon nanofibers (Sb2S3@CNFs). The formed sodiophilic Na3Sb sites and the high Na+-conducting Na2S matrix, coupled with CNFs, establish a spatially confined “sodiophilic-conductive” network, which effectively reduces the Na nucleation barrier, improves the Na+diffusion kinetics, and suppresses the volume expansion, thereby inhibiting the Na dendrite growth. Consequently, the Na/Sb2S3@CNFs electrode exhibits a high Coulombic efficiency (99.94%), exceptional lifespan (up to 2800 h) at high current densities (up to 5 mA cm–2), and high areal capacities (up to 5 mAh cm–2) in symmetric cells. The coin-type full cells assembled with a Na3V2(PO4)3/C cathode demonstrate significant enhancement in electrochemical performance. The flexible pouch cell achieves an excellent energy density of 301 Wh kg–1.

Zinc–iodine batteries are one of the most intriguing types of batteries that offer high energy density and low toxicity. However, the low intrinsic conductivity of iodine, together with high polyiodide solubility in aqueous electrolytes limits the development of high-areal-capacity zinc–iodine batteries with high stability, especially at low current densities. Herein, we proposed a hydrophobic polyiodide ionic liquid as a zinc-ion battery cathode, which successfully activates the iodine redox process by offering 4 orders of magnitude higher intrinsic electrical conductivity and remarkably lower solubility that suppressed the polyiodide shuttle in a dual-plating zinc–iodine cell. By the molecular engineering of the chemical structure of the polyiodide ionic liquid, the electronic conductivity can reach 3.4 × 10–3S cm–1with a high Coulombic efficiency of 98.2%. The areal capacity of the zinc–iodine battery can achieve 5.04 mAh cm–2and stably operate at 3.12 mAh cm–2for over 990 h. Besides, a laser-scribing designed flexible dual-plating-type microbattery based on a polyiodide ionic liquid cathode also exhibits stable cycling in both a single cell and 4 × 4 integrated cell, which can operate with the polarity-switching model with high stability.

All-solid-state ionic conductive elastomers (ASSICEs) are emerging as a promising alternative to hydrogels and ionogels in flexible electronics. Nevertheless, the synthesis of ASSICEs with concomitant mechanical robustness, superior ionic conductivity, and cost-effective recyclability poses a formidable challenge, primarily attributed to the inherent contradiction between mechanical strength and ionic conductivity. Herein, we present a collaborative design of high-entropy topological network and multivalent ion–dipole interaction for ASSICEs, and successfully mitigate the contradiction between mechanical robustness and ionic conductivity. Benefiting from the synergistic effect of this design, the coordination, de-coordination, and intrachain transfer of Li+are effectively boomed. The resultant ASSICEs display exceptional mechanical robustness (breaking strength: 7.45 MPa, fracture elongation: 2621%, toughness: 107.19 MJ m−3) and impressive ionic conductivity (1.15 × 10−2S m−1at 25 °C). Furthermore, these ASSICEs exhibit excellent environmental stability (fracture elongation exceeding 1400% at 50 °C or −60 °C) and recyclability. Significantly, the application of these ASSICEs in a strain sensor highlights their potential in various fields, including human-interface communication, aerospace vacuum measurement, and medical balloon monitoring.

Difunctionalization of alkynes represents a powerful and straightforward approach to the synthesis of complex molecules. However, the radical difunctionalization of alkynes mediated by bifunctional reagents remains challenging and underexplored, despite significant progress having been made in alkene difunctionalization. Here, we report a novel arylsulfonylacetate skeleton in which aryl rings are attached to acetates through SO2, serving as a powerful bifunctional reagent for the alkylarylation of alkynes viavinyl-radical intermediate under photoredox conditions. This modular bifunctional reagent enables the simultaneous incorporation of a wide range of functional groups, including (hetero)aryl ring and alkyl carboxylate into alkynes, resulting in synthetically valuable all-carbon tetrasubstituted alkene derivatives. This transformation is distinguished by its redox-neutral nature, readily accessible starting materials, compatibility with diverse functional groups and its capacity to facilitate convergent synthesis. The utility of this approach was further demonstrated by the late-stage functionalization of complex molecules and the preparation of fluorescent molecules and anti-cancer drugs.

Electrochemically converting CO2into specified high-value products is critical for carbon neutral economics. However, governing the product distribution of the CO2electroreduction on Cu-based catalysts remains challenging. Herein, we put forward an anion enrichment strategy to efficiently dictate the route of *CO reduction by a pulsed electrolysis strategy. Upon periodically applying a positive potential on the cathode, the anion concentration in the vicinity of the electrode increases apparently. By adopting KF, KCl, and KHCO3as electrolytes, the dominant CO2electroreduction product on commercial Cu foil can be tuned into CO (53% ± 2.5), C2+ (76.6 ± 2.1%), and CH4(42.6 ± 2.1%) under pulsed electrolysis. Notably, one can delicately tailor the ratios of CO/CH4, CH4/C2+, and C2+/CO by simply changing the composition of the electrolyte. Density functional theory calculations demonstrate that locally enriched anions can affect the key CO2RR intermediates in different ways owing to their specific electronegativity and volume, which leads to the distinct selectivity. The present study highlights the importance of tuning ionic species at the electrode–electrolyte interface for customizing the CO2electroreduction products.

Taurine (TAU) is introduced as an electrolyte additive to simultaneously regulate the coordination environment and construct an in situ SEI layer for achieving stabilized Zn metal anodes and high-performance full batteries.

The electrocatalytic CO2reduction reaction (CO2RR) is a highly promising renewable energy technology that can convert greenhouse gases into valuable fuels and chemicals. However, under ordinary operating conditions, significant dynamic evolution behavior occurs on the catalyst surface, which is mainly manifested as surface morphology evolution and property changes, eventually leading to changes in the active sites of the reaction, affecting selectivity and efficiency. To develop efficient electrocatalytic systems with excellent performance, an essential prerequisite is to understand the underlying mechanism of surface dynamic evolution. Studying the influence of the external environment on dynamic evolution is as important as studying the intrinsic structural properties of catalysts. In this review, we first introduce the concept of dynamic evolution and then emphasize the influence of the external environment (applied potential, temperature, electrolyte, and impurities) on CO2RR dynamic evolution. We also address the use of operando characterization techniques and pulsed CO2electrolysis methods for monitoring and controlling dynamic evolution behaviors under working conditions, along with theoretical methods, including ab initio calculations and machine learning that can simulate dynamic behavior. Finally, we present several current challenges and prospects for the development of techniques for controlling the CO2RR dynamic evolution.

Building 3D electron-conducting scaffolds has been proven to be an effective way to alleviate severe dendritic growth and infinite volume change of sodium (Na) metal anodes. However, the electroplated Na metal cannot completely fill these scaffolds, especially at high current densities. Herein, we revealed that the uniform Na plating on 3D scaffolds is strongly related with the surface Na+conductivity. As a proof of concept, we synthesized NiF2hollow nanobowls grown on nickel foam (NiF2@NF) to realize homogeneous Na plating on the 3D scaffold. The NiF2can be electrochemically converted to a NaF-enriched SEI layer, which significantly reduces the diffusion barrier for Na+ions. The NaF-enriched SEI layer generated along the Ni backbones creates 3D interconnected ion-conducting pathways and allows for the rapid Na+transfer throughout the entire 3D scaffold to enable densely filled and dendrite-free Na metal anodes. As a result, symmetric cells composed of identical Na/NiF2@NF electrodes show durable cycle life with an exceedingly stable voltage profile and small hysteresis, particularly at a high current density of 10 mA cm–2or a large areal capacity of 10 mAh cm–2. Moreover, the full cell assembled with a Na3V2(PO4)3cathode exhibits a superior capacity retention of 97.8% at a high current of 5C after 300 cycles.

Direct catalytic non-oxidative coupling is a promising route for the valorization of abundant methane. Understanding the mechanism is difficult because reactions at the surface of the catalyst and in the gas phase viaradicals are important at the high temperatures employed. Herein, a series of Mo-doped CeO2samples with isolated Mo sites were prepared by flame spray pyrolysis method and screened for their performance in non-oxidative coupling of methane. The selectivity to value-added C2hydrocarbons (ethane and ethylene) among gas-phase products could reach 98%. During the reaction, the isolated Mo-oxo species in the as-prepared catalyst are reduced and convert into Mo (oxy-)carbide species, which act as the active sites for methane activation. By varying the available catalyst-free gas volume along the length of the reactor, we studied the contribution of gas-phase reactions in the formation of different products. Ethane is the primary product of non-oxidative methane coupling and, at least, a part of ethylene and most of benzene is formed through gas-phase chemistry. This work provides insights into the design of efficient catalysts for non-oxidative coupling of methane and highlights the importance of reducing the free volume in the reactor to limit secondary gas-phase reactions.

Development of biocompatible hydrogel adhesives with robust tissue adhesion to realize instant hemorrhage control and injury sealing, especially for emergency rescue and tissue repair, is still challenging. Herein, we report a potent hydrogel adhesive by free radical polymerization of N-acryloyl aspartic acid (AASP) in a facile and straightforward way. Through delicate adjustment of steric hindrance, the synergistic effect between interface interactions and cohesion energy can be achieved in PAASP hydrogel verified by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis and simulation calculation compared to poly (N-acryloyl glutamic acid) (PAGLU) and poly (N-acryloyl amidomalonic acid) (PAAMI) hydrogels. The adhesion strength of the PAASP hydrogel could reach 120 kPa to firmly seal the broken organs to withstand the external force with persistent stability under physiological conditions, and rapid hemostasis in different hemorrhage models on mice is achieved using PAASP hydrogel as physical barrier. Furthermore, the paper-based Fe3+transfer printing method is applied to construct PAASP-based Janus hydrogel patch with both adhesive and non-adhesive surfaces, by which simultaneous wound healing and postoperative anti-adhesion can be realized in gastric perforation model on mice. This advanced hydrogel may show vast potential as bio-adhesives for emergency rescue and tissue/organ repair.

Metal-water primary batteries hold promise for distributed hydrogen production but suffer from limited renewability of metal electrodes in aqueous electrolytes. Here, we introduce a novel concept of a rechargeable zinc-water battery featuring a reversible zinc anode paired with a bifunctional water electrolysis electrode, realized in a specially designed aqueous electrolyte-a mild zinc triflate aqueous electrolyte with the addition of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium (EDTANa2). The system enables high-purity hydrogen production during discharge and high-purity oxygen production during charge in a membrane-free setup. In the zinc-water battery, EDTANa2enhances the water-splitting electrode's performance by replacing hydrophobic OTF-anions, ensuring optimal water activity. Additionally, EDTANa2enhances Zn electrode reversibility by chelating Zn2+, preventing solvated water decomposition during zinc deposition. This integrated battery continuously undergoes charge-discharge cycles for over 55 h at a current density of 6 mA cm-2. Moreover, it achieves a high hydrogen evolution rate of 12.5 mL cm-2h-1, enabling cost-effective, high-purity hydrogen production without expensive membranes. These findings open new avenues for sustainable hydrogen generation and energy storage in nano energy systems.

The renewable energy-powered electrolytic reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) to methane (CH4) using water as a reaction medium is one of the most promising paths to store intermittent renewable energy and address global energy and sustainability problems. However, the role of water in the electrolyte is often overlooked. In particular, the slow water dissociation kinetics limits the proton-feeding rate, which severely damages the selectivity and activity of the methanation process involving multiple electrons and protons transfer. Here, we present a novel tandem catalyst comprising Ir single-atom (Ir1)-doped hybrid Cu3N/Cu2O multisite that operates efficiently in converting CO2to CH4. Experimental and theoretical calculation results reveal that the Ir1facilitates water dissociation into proton and feeds to the hybrid Cu3N/Cu2O sites for the *CO protonation pathway toward *CHO. The catalyst displays a high Faradaic efficiency of 75% for CH4with a current density of 320 mA cm–2in the flow cell. This work provides a promising strategy for the rational design of high-efficiency multisite catalytic systems.

Na3V2(PO4)2F3has been considered as a promising cathode material for sodium-ion batteries due to its high operating voltage and structural stability. However, the issues about poor cycling performance and lack of understanding for the capacity degradation mechanism are the major hurdle for practical application. Herein, we meticulously analyzed the evolution of the morphology, crystal structure, and bonding states of the cathode material during the cycling process. We observed that capacity degradation is closely related to the shedding of the active material from the collector caused by HF corrosion. Meanwhile, HF is produced through F anion dissolution from Na3V2(PO4)2F3induced by trace H2O during the cycling process. The F–dissolution-induced degradation mechanism based on fluorine-containing cathode materials is proposed for the first time, providing a new insight for the understanding, modification, and performance improvement for fluorophosphate-based cathode materials.

Electrosynthesis has emerged as an enticing solution for hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production. However, efficient H2O2generation encounters challenges related to the robust gas–liquid–solid interface within electrochemical reactors. In this work, we introduce an effective hydrophobic coating modified by iron (Fe) sites to optimize the reaction microenvironment. This modification aims to mitigate radical corrosion through Fe(II)/Fe(III) redox chemistry, reinforcing the reaction microenvironment at the three-phase interface. Consequently, we achieved a remarkable yield of up to 336.1 mmol h–1with sustained catalyst operation for an extensive duration of 230 h at 200 mA cm–2without causing damage to the reaction interface. Additionally, the Faradaic efficiency of H2O2exceeded 90% across a broad range of test current densities. This surface redox chemistry approach for manipulating the reaction microenvironment not only advances long-term H2O2electrosynthesis but also holds promise for other gas-starvation electrochemical reactions.

Hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] is considered a serious environmental pollutant that possesses a hazardous effect on humans even at low concentrations. Thus, the development of a bifunctional material for ultratrace-selective detection and effective elimination of Cr(VI) from the environment remains highly desirable and scarcely reported. In this work, we explore an imidazolium-appended polyfluorene derivative PF-DBT-Im as a highly sensitive/selective optical probe and a smart adsorbent for Cr(VI) ions with an ultralow detection limit of 1.77 nM and removal efficiency up to 93.7%. In an aqueous medium, PF-DBT-Im displays obvious transformation in its emission color from blue to magenta on exclusively introducing Cr(VI), facilitating naked-eye colorimetric detection. Consequently, a portable sensory device integrated with a smartphone is fabricated for realizing real-time and on-site visual detection of Cr(VI). Besides, the imidazolium groups attached onto side chains of PF-DBT-Im are found to be highly beneficial for achieving selective and efficient elimination of Cr(VI) with capacity as high as 128.71 mg g–1. More interestingly, PF-DBT-Im could be easily regenerated following treatment with KBr and can be recycled at least five times in a row. The main factor behind ultrasensitive response and excellent removal efficiency is found to be anion-exchange-induced formation of a unique ground-state complex between PF-DBT-Im and Cr(VI), as evident by FT-IR, XPS, and simulation studies. Thus, taking advantage of the excellent signal amplification property and rich ion-exchange sites, a dual-functional-conjugated polymer PF-DBT-Im is presented for the concurrent recognition and elimination of Cr(VI) ions proficiently and promptly with great prospects in environmental monitoring and water decontamination.

The structure sensitivity of gold-catalyzed CO oxidation is presented by analyzing in detail the dependence of CO oxidation rate on particle size. Clusters with less than 14 gold atoms adopt a planar structure, whereas larger ones adopt a three-dimensional structure. The CO and O2adsorption properties depend strongly on particle structure and size. All of the reaction barriers relevant to CO oxidation display linear scaling relationships with CO and O2binding strengths as main reactivity descriptors. Planar and three-dimensional gold clusters exhibit different linear scaling relationship due to different surface topologies and different coordination numbers of the surface atoms. On the basis of these linear scaling relationships, first-principles microkinetics simulations were conducted to determine CO oxidation rates and possible rate-determining step of Au particles. Planar Au9and three-dimensional Au79clusters present the highest CO oxidation rates for planar and three-dimensional clusters, respectively. The planar Au9cluster is much more active than the optimum Au79cluster. A common feature of optimum CO oxidation performance is the intermediate binding strengths of CO and O2, resulting in intermediate coverages of CO, O2, and O. Both these optimum particles present lower performance than maximum Sabatier performance, indicating that there is sufficient room for improvement of gold catalysts for CO oxidation.

Overall photocatalytic water splitting is one of the most sought after processes for sustainable solar-to-chemical energy conversion. The efficiency of this process strongly depends on charge carrier recombination and interaction with surface adsorbates at different time scales. Here, we investigated how hydration of TiO2P25 affects dynamics of photogenerated electrons at the millisecond to minute time scale characteristic for chemical reactions. We used rapid scan diffuse-reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS). The decay of photogenerated electron absorption was substantially slower in the presence of associated water. For hydrated samples, the charge carrier recombination rates followed an Arrhenius-type behavior in the temperature range of 273–423 K; these became temperature-independent when the material was dehydrated at temperatures above 423 K or cooled below 273 K. A DFT+Uanalysis revealed that hydrogen bonding with adsorbed water stabilizes surface-trapped holes at anatase TiO2(101) facet and lowers the barriers for hole migration. Hence, hole mobility should be higher in the hydrated material than in the dehydrated system. This demonstrates that adsorbed associated water can efficiently stabilize photogenerated charge carriers in nanocrystalline TiO2and suppress their recombination at the time scale up to minutes.

Exploring the unique catalytic properties of gold clusters associated with specific nano-architectures is essential for designing improved catalysts with a high mass-specific activity. We investigate the geometric and electronic structure of hexadecagold clusters in which Rh was doped. Density functional theory calculations demonstrate that the resulting neutral and negatively charged Rh-doped Au16clusters are stable and bind CO and O2stronger than Au16. Consequently, activation barriers for CO oxidation are lowered. Microkinetics simulations predict especially negatively charged Rh-doped Au16clusters to exhibit very high CO oxidation activity, already at sub-ambient temperature. Our findings highlight the promise of alloying gold clusters with more reactive transition metals and the importance of charge transfer from the support in heterogeneous gold systems in catalyzing CO oxidation.

The role of the reducing gas in the direct epoxidation of propene to propene oxide (PO) using O2over a Au/TiO2catalyst was studied through experiments and density functional theory calculations. It was found that PO can be obtained using both H2and CO as co-reactants. The yield of PO was much lower with CO than that with H2. The role of the oxygen atoms of the titania support was studied by quantum-chemical investigations, which show that the mechanism involving CO as a co-reactant should proceed viasurface oxygen vacancies, whereas with H2the well-accepted pathway involving OOH is favored. Steady-state isotopic transient kinetic analysis experiments demonstrate that support oxygen atoms are involved in PO formation when CO is used as the co-reactant.

A heterogeneous interface usually plays a versatile role in modulating catalysis and the durability of hybrid electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER), and its intrinsic mechanism is still in dispute due to an uncertain correlation of initial, intermediate and active phases. In this article, the CoMoO4·0.69H2O/Co3O4heterogeneous interface is configured to understand the evolution kinetics of these correlated phases. Due to the chemically and electrochemically “inert” character of Co3O4support, lattice strain with 3.31% tuning magnitude in primary CoMoO4·0.69H2O can be inherited after spontaneous dissolution of molybdenum cations in electrolyte, dominating catalytic activity of the reconstructed CoOOH. In situRaman spectroscopy demonstrates reversible conversion between active CoOOH and amorphous cobalt oxide during OER when positive and negative potentials are sequentially supplied onto hybrid catalysts with favorable strain. Therefore, superior durability with negligible decay after 10 cycles is experimentally identified for intermittent oxygen evolution. Theoretical calculations indicate that appropriate stress within the electrocatalyst could reduce the reaction energy barrier and enhance the OER performance by optimizing the adsorption of intermediates.

Electrocatalytic CO2reduction powered by renewable electricity has been considered as a promising approach for sustainable energy storage and chemicals production. Herein, ultrathin few-layer SnO2nanosheets exposed with (001) facets were synthesized and exhibited a rather broad potential window (0.8 V) for selective CO2conversion to formate. Both DFT calculations and operandospectroscopic characterizations were carried out to identify key intermediate *OCHO. Systematically tailoring microenvironment in the catalyst layer of gas diffusion electrode (GDE) indicate that both flexible Nafion and solid polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) nanoparticles are essential to create abundant and robust triple-phase boundaries (TPB) with more active sites, where CO2and H2O meet at nanosheet surface to output a high formate partial current density of 380 mA·cm-2with the selectivity of 88.4%. Moreover, such novel Nafion/PTFE/SnO2TPB porous structures above largely enhance the single-pass carbon efficiency up to 29.3% in 1 M KOH. This study implies that engineering TPB active sites is an effective approach to the design of advanced CO2electrolyzers.

Atomically dispersed FeN4catalysts have been considered promising materials to replace the expensive Pt-based catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), the development of which requires a fundamental understanding of the mechanism underlying their catalytic activity. Herein, we simulate the potential-dependent ORR process via density functional theory calculations and find that the O2adsorption step becomes the rate-determining step (RDS) at slightly higher applied voltages and the onset potential is 0.8 V, which is because the substrate (*) and *OH intermediates are stabilized at constant potential states (CPS), yet the O2adsorption becomes thermodynamically unfavorable compared to that at neutral charge states (NCS). The weakened O2adsorption is attributed to the adjusted Fermi level at CPS that broadens the density of state distribution of the Fe 3d orbital. The determined RDS and the onset potential of ORR over FeN4by performing potential-dependent simulations agree well with experimental findings, which improves the understanding of the ORR catalytic activity at applied potentials.

Non-covalent interactions are of significance in supramolecular chemistry and biochemistry, while synthetic procedures driven by these weak interactions remain challenging and rare. Inspired by the lone pair-πinteraction presence in the Z-DNA structure, a light-induced regioselective sulfonation of ethers taking advantage of the lone pair-πinteraction between the oxygen of ethers and sulfonyl chlorides has been disclosed. Moreover, this strategy is also applicable to the sulfonation of aniline derivatives. Features of the methods include readily accessible starting materials, high atom-economy, green and photocatalyst-free conditions and broad functional group tolerance. Mechanism studies suggest that the lone pair-πinteraction plays an important role to initiate the transformation.

Mixed-cation perovskite precursors are stabilized by the reductive amino acids which suppresses degradation reactions between methylamine and formamidinium by consuming the by-product of I2and suppressing the deprotonation of methylammonium.

Ceria-supported Pd is one of the main components in modern three-way catalysts in automotive applications to facilite CO oxidation. The exact form in which Pd displays its high activity remains not well understood. We present a DFT+Ustudy of CO oxidation for single Pd atoms located on or in the ceria surface as well as a Pdnnanorod model on the CeO2(110) surface. The oxidation of Pd to the 2+ state by ceria weakens the Pd–CO bond for the single Pd models and, in this way, facilitates CO2formation. After CO oxidation by O of the ceria surface, Pd relocates to a position below the surface for the Pd-doped model; in this state, CO adsorption is not possible anymore. With Pd on the surface, O2will adsorb and dissociate leading to PdO, which can be easily reduced to Pd. The reactivity of the Pd nanorod is low because of the strong bonds of the metallic Pd phase with CO and the O atom derived from O2dissociation. These findings show that highly dispersed Pd is the most likely candidate for CO oxidation in the Pd–CeO2system.

Solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) possess improved thermal and mechanical stability as safe energy storage devices. However, their low ion mobilities and poor electrochemical stabilities still hinder the wide industrial application of SPEs. Herein, we introduce an SPE design that provides an enormous number of electrochemically stable pathways and space for lithium-ion transport, blending polymer (polydopamine) hollow nanospheres with an inactive inorganic template into a poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) based SPE. Hollow silica acts as a template for polydopamine processing a large contact area with the polymer electrolyte, and the interface between the polymer electrolyte and hollow composite fillers provides amounts of ion transport channels. In addition, theoretical calculations reveal a strong adsorption between polydopamine and TFSI–, which suppresses the TFSI–motion and meanwhile facilitates the selective Li+transport. The hollow polydopamine can serve as a versatile platform for anion trapping and has large compatible and stable depression for a well-defined ion transfer interface layer, forming a three-in-one nanocomposite for the enhancement of ionic conductivity with no sacrifice of the mechanical properties. Experimental data confirmed the high mobility of ions within the composite electrolyte with an ionic conductivity of 0.189 mS cm–1in comparison to the SPE without additives (0.105 mS cm–1) at 60 °C. The mobility of the Li+increases after adding the polymer-coated inorganic additives, associated with a noticeable enlargement of the electrochemical window. Furthermore, an all-solid-state Li/LiFePO4battery with a hollow polydopamine nanoparticle–polymer composite electrolyte shows long life, high reversible capacity (134.9 mAh g–1), and high capacity retention (97.2%) after 205 cycles at 0.2 C.

Solar distillation is a promising and sustainable technique for extracting clean water from seawater and/or wastewater. However, the fabrication of evaporators that can simultaneously exhibit high-efficiency, antifouling, and antibacterial properties remains a great challenge. Herein, we for the first time report the CuxS-based solar water evaporator by assembling and designing the dual-phase CuxS composite nanorods into three-dimensional (3D) hierarchical architecture foam with efficient light trapping, superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic properties. Owing to the enhanced synergistic photothermal conversion and the confined two-dimensional (2D) water path, the fabricated CuxS/Cu foam (SCF) evaporator can achieve extremely high water evaporation rate of 1.96 kg m−2 h−1with energy efficiency of 94.5%, which is among the highest performance for inorganic semiconductor-based evaporators. The developed device can also maintain a high evaporation rate of 1.73 kg m−2 h−1, and an average rate of 5.2 L m−2day−1in a 30-day consecutive outdoor test, for producing clean water from oil-in-water emulsion with excellent antifouling, antibacterial, and ion rejection properties. As a proof-of-concept application, the CuxS-based evaporator is demonstrated to have superior capability for multiphase purification of clean water and organic solvent from dyed solutions.