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The design of high-entropy oxides (HEOs) with specific morphologies and tunable compositions is of great significance for the development of efficient electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Herein, a series of two-dimensional HEOs with abundant active sites are prepared by a self-sacrificing template method via rapid Joule heating. Among them, high-entropy oxide (FeCoNiMoRu)3O4 exhibits outstanding OER performance with low overpotential (199 mV@10 mA cm—2, 266 mV@100 mA cm—2), small Tafel slope (40 mV dec—1), and excellent long-term stability (operating at 500 mA cm—2 for 100 hours without significant decay). The perfect performance of (FeCoNiMoRu)3O4 can be attributed to the large active surface area generated by the nanosheet structure, shortened ion transport pathway, entropy stabilization mechanism and multi-element synergism. Therefore, the two-dimensional high-entropy oxide prepared by using a carbon sacrificial template is expected to be a promising candidate material for industrial water splitting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The shuttle effect of polysulfides poses a significant obstacle to the commercialization of lithium-sulfur (Li–S) batteries. Covalent organic frameworks have been widely used in Li–S batteries as porous crystalline materials to suppress the shuttle effect. Herein, a 3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)benzyl (BTFMB-TzDa) modified triazine-based covalent organic framework was synthesized. The high electronegativity and large steric hindrance of the BTFMB-TzDa modified separator successfully suppressed the diffusion of polysulfides, leading to improved capacity and cyclic stability of Li–S batteries. Cells with the BTFMB-TzDa modified separator exhibited a high initial capacity of 1205 mA h g−1 at 0.2C and 657 mA h g−1 at 3.0C. Furthermore, the capacity still remained at 501 mA h g−1 after 500 cycles. The BTFMB-TzDa modified separator provides an alternative strategy for the construction of high-performance Li–S batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we designed selectively doped Co3O4 to explore the effect of coordination sites, in which the octahedral and tetrahedral sites were modulated by simple doping with ions of different radiuses (Al and In). Compared to octahedral regulation, the synergistic regulation of both tetrahedral sites and octahedral sites can induce a higher intrinsic activity, which is because they possess improved electrical conductivity and facilitate the formation of highly active Co3+/Co4+ species during the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cobalt-plasma sparked by a pulsed laser was utilized for the first time to modify a BiVO4 photoanode, inducing surface structural reconstruction and CoOx/BiVO4 composite construction. Combining charge redistribution and cobalt, the center of hole accumulation and catalytic activity, the photoanode with optimized charge transfer capacity exhibits a 3 times improvement in photoelectrochemical water oxidation performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic–inorganic hybrid materials hold great promise in commercial energy storage and conversion. This work aims to develop an advanced hybrid material of ultrafine antimony (Sb) nanoparticles uniformly anchored in the pores of COFs (Sb@NGA–CMP) through a facile in situ synthetic strategy. Sb3+ is introduced as an essential catalyst for COF formation and is subsequently fixed in the channels of the COFs by reduction. Such a well-designed architecture affords intimate electron interaction between the Sb nanoparticles and π-conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs) through the nitrogen groups, which greatly accelerates charge transfer along the COF skeleton. Meanwhile, the stable nanostructure of the ultrafine Sb encapsulated in the COFs effectively alleviates the high Sb volume expansion upon long cycling performance. This uniquely designed anode exhibits a high rate performance of 223 mA h g−1 at 5 A g−1 and an excellent sodium storage performance of 344 mA h g−1 after 5000 long cycles at 1 A g−1. Our work provides a promising and facile strategy to construct hybrid organic–inorganic materials for high-performance energy storage applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coordination polymers have received immense attention for proton conduction owing to their highly tunable and designable structures. Herein, based on the flexible ligand 5-(4-pyridine)-methoxyisophthalic acid (H2L), two novel highly chemically stable indium coordination polymers (In-CPs), InL(H2O)Cl·H2O (In–L–Cl) and InL(H2O)(NO3) (In–L–NO3), were synthesized through solvothermal methods. In–L–Cl and In–L–NO3 are isostructural, in which every individual In(III) atom connects to L2− to form a single layer, and coordinated Cl− and NO3− are inserted into the windows of the interlayers. Both of them possess high water and chemical stability. More importantly, the abundant Cl− and NO3− exposed in the interlayer can act as hydrogen bond acceptors to facilitate the formation of a dense hydrogen bonding network, thus improving proton transfer efficiently. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy shows that In–L–Cl and In–L–NO3 display optimized proton conductivities of 1.88 × 10 −3 and 1.00 × 10 −3 S cm−1 at 100% relative humidity (RH) and 80 °C, respectively. The difference in proton conductivity of In–L–Cl and In–L–NO3 likely stems from the variations in the hydrogen bonding networks formed by lattice water and the different electronegativities of the coordinated anionic functional sites. This study provides an alternative way to prepare highly proton-conductive CPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A MOF material has been grown on metallic transition metal nitride for electrocatalytic OER. The as-prepared hierarchical NiFe-MOF@Ni3N nano/microsheet array electrocatalyst exhibits a low overpotential of 281 mV at a current density of 200 mA cm−2 with a remarkable stability of 50 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-supported nickel–iron nitride microsheet arrays coated with carbon are grown on commercial Ni foam (NixFeyN@C/NF) and used as an electrocatalyst for splitting of alkaline seawater. The porous architecture and superhydrophilic/superaerophobic surface ensure sufficient exposure of active sites and mass transfer. The synergetic coupling effect between the carbon coating and NixFeyN facilitates electron transport. The optimal anode (Ni3FeN@C/NF) and cathode (Ni3N@C/NF) electrocatalysts are employed to assemble a two-electrode seawater electrolyzer for overall alkaline seawater electrolysis, which delivers a large current density of 500 mA cm−2 at a low cell voltage of 1.91 V. The superior corrosion-resistance and electron conductivity of the electrocatalyst are responsible for its excellent durability up to 100 hours. This result suggests that transition-metal nitrides coated with carbon offer an effective route to fabricate high-performance and durable hybrid electrocatalysts for hydrogen production from seawater electrolysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing new electrocatalysts with high activity and good stability for hydrogen evolution reactions (HER) and oxygen evolution reactions (OER), in particular superhydrophilic ones that can significantly enhance mass transfer between electrodes and electrolytes at high current densities, remains a challenge. Herein, we report that K2Fe4O7 nanocrystals (nano-KFO) are hydrothermally grown on a nickel foam (NF). The formed nano-KFO/NF exhibits good stability and delivers an extremely large current density up to 2000 mA cm−2 at low overpotentials of 343 mV (HER) and 421 mV (OER) in 1.0 M KOH electrolyte. By employing nano-KFO/NF as both cathode and anode, a water electrolyzer can operate over 60 hours at a current density of 1500 mA cm−2 with cell voltages of 2.01 V in 1.0 M KOH and 1.89 V in 10.0 M KOH, demonstrating the great potential of this bifunctional electrocatalyst for large-scale hydrogen production. Our theoretical calculation reveals that the structure has instinct high catalytic activities for both HER and OER in alkaline media. In addition, the large surface area, good conductivity, and inherent superhydrophilic properties of nano-KFO lead to its highly efficient electrocatalytic water splitting performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel cage-based crystalline covalent organic framework, i.e. Cage-COF-TT (TT = triammonia–terephthalaldehyde), was prepared from a prism-like triammonia-containing molecular cage and terephthalaldehyde. Its ordered structure and porosity are expected to ensure efficient drug delivery as a potent carrier. The excellent cell viability of Cage-COF-TT was testified through MTT assays with respect to both normal mouse cells and normal human hepatocyte cells. In terms of drug delivery performance, Cage-COF-TT exhibit a high loading capacity and efficient drug release profile in a simulated body fluid environment. This work offers new insights into the design and development of a COF-based drug carrier and inspires the development of versatile tools for biomedical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A hollow core–shell magnetic zirconium hydroxide catalyst was synthesized and employed for the catalytic transfer hydrogenation (CTH) ofnumerous biomass-derived platform molecules (furfural and other carbonyl compounds). 93.9% conversion of furfural and 97.3% selectivity of furfuryl alcohol was achieved under mild reaction conditions (160 °C, 4 h, 0.1 g catalyst) with 2-propanol as the H-donor. After 7 times of reaction cycles, the catalyst retained excellent conversion (91.1%) and selectivity (97.8%) and no structural damage was found. Furthermore, a scale-up experiment was carried out, and the results proved that the catalyst has a prospect for industrial applications in the CTH reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking the degradation mechanism into consideration, inorganic small-molecular H3BO3 was selected for surface coordination of black phosphorus (BP). The successful coordination between BP and H3BO3 not only improves the ambient stability of BP, but also preserves the intrinsic properties of BP without distorting its structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-cost, efficient and stable electrocatalysts are required for large-scale production of hydrogen by industrial scale water electrolysis. We report here a hybrid bifunctional electrocatalyst, composed of amorphous NiFe LDH nanosheets and metallic Ni3N microsheet arrays grown on Ni foam for water splitting in alkaline electrolyte. This electrocatalyst possesses a typical 3D hierarchical heterostructure architecture and affords abundant exposed active sites. The strong coupling and synergistic effects between the NiFe LDH nanosheets and the Ni3N microsheet arrays provide a robust integrated structure and fast electron transfer. The superhydrophilic/superaerophobic properties of the electrocatalyst promote the mass transfer particularly at a large current density. By employing the NiFe LDH@Ni3N/NF as a bifunctional electrocatalyst for overall water splitting, an alkaline aqueous electrolyzer exhibits a low cell voltage of 1.80 V at a current density of 500 mA cm−2 with a remarkable durability of 100 h. The bifunctional NiFe LDH@Ni3N/NF electrocatalyst is a very promising candidate for scale-up industrial implementation of hydrogen production due to its excellent catalysis activity and high stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A general method for controlling the synthesis of a class of ultrathin PtRuM–O (M = Ni, Fe, Co) NSs is reported for the first time. By optimizing the metal ratio, the Pt7RuNi2–O NS catalyst is found to have the highest electrocatalytic activity (mass activity, 3.57 A mgPt−1) for the MOR among PtRuM–O NSs and PtRu–O NSs, which is 10.5 times higher than that of commercial Pt/C (0.34 A mgPt−1). And the Pt7RuNi2–O NSs also have better stability and CO anti-poisoning properties in the prepared materials. In addition, the ultrathin Pt7RuNi2–O NS catalyst also shows the highest performance among reported Pt-based catalysts for the MOR in acidic medium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The irreversible formation of a solid electrolyte interface (SEI) film on semimetal/semiconductors impedes the electrochemical migration of K+ in potassium-ion batteries due to the inevitable volume expansion of the anode materials. Herein, we report the in situ exsolution of Ag in metastable nanostructured AgBiS2 to spontaneously assist cycling for K+ intercalation. The in situ XRD and ex situ HRTEM techniques revealed unique phase transitions during the uptake of K+ on account of the mixed ion storage mechanism. During the initial reduction process, AgBiS2 underwent K+/AgBiS2 displacement, K+/BiS2 conversion, and K+/Bi alloying reaction. The exsolution of Ag was electrochemically reduced in the process of K+ insertion and remained as an intermediate charge transmitter to sustain a high reversible capacity of 420 mA h g−1 at 0.5 A g−1, superior rate performance of 210 mA h g−1 at 5 A g−1 and long-term (over 300) cycle stability. This work presents a strategy to resolve the issues of single-element anodes in metal-ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermochromic materials are one of the most important types of intelligent materials that show controllable thermal indicator performance in many potential applications. In this paper, we report a host structure for a new family of reversible intermediate-to-high temperature thermochromic materials based on four transition metal doped Ca14Zn6Ga10−xMxO35 (M = Cr, Mn, Fe, Co) materials. The relationship between phase purity and doping level for different dopants was examined using powder X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The crystal structure of Ca14Zn6Ga10O35 is composed of anion-oxygen-centered OZn4-derived four ZnO4 tetrahedral units and isolated (Ga,Zn)O6 octahedral units, which provide versatile possibilities for site-selective doping of the transition metal chromophore ions in the crystal lattice. All of the four sets of dopants could clearly induce the thermochromic property of the materials, with the colors of reddish-brown, greenish-yellow, pale-yellow, and pale-green, for Cr, Mn, Fe, and Co doped samples, respectively. Among the four series of samples, Mn-doped samples show the best thermochromic performance, due to the co-contribution of Mn4+ and Mn5+ in the tetrahedral sites. The thermochromic phenomenon for all of the materials is reversible in the temperature range from 25 to 460 °C with the highest chromatic aberration value of 51 (Ca14Zn6Ga10−xMnxO35, x = 0.8). The absorbance spectra of the materials indicate that Cr and Fe occupy the octahedral sites, while Mn and Co occupy the tetrahedral sites in the structure. The thermochromic mechanism of the materials could be ascribed to thermally induced lattice expansion, which changes the positions and intensities of the absorption bands of chromophore ions in different crystal fields. The presented new family of intermediate-to-high temperature thermochromic materials may find promising applications in various thermal indicator fields in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Li-based reduced (r)GO-Ni (Li/rGO-Ni) was prepared by a thermal-infusion method. Li/rGO-Ni based symmetric cells have high cycling stability and small voltage hysteresis at various current densities. Furthermore, the Li/rGO-Ni based Li–O2 batteries exhibit good performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A stable nanoscaled single-excitation ratiometric luminescent pH sensor (MPDB-PCN) over a broad pH range from 2.5 to 8.6 is fabricated through post-synthetic modification of PCN-224 with naphthalimide-derived molecules. Due to the rapid, sensitive and linear response to pH, MPDB-PCN is capable of detecting 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NPA), an acid neurotoxin in food safety, with a low detection limit of 15 μM in sugarcane juice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we successfully regulated phosphorus vacancies in Co0.68Fe0.32P through Ar-plasma treatment. The Ar-plasma treated Co0.68Fe0.32P exhibits a delicate surface state where the surface Co and Fe ions show an unusual electron loss. The unique surface state enhances the oxygen evolving performance of the phosphide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A porous NH2-MOF-76(Eu) (MOF 1) with unexpected non-luminescence was designed and synthesized. It exhibits selective fluorescence recovery for sensing dipicolinic acid (DPA), a biomarker of Bacillus anthracis. Moreover, a new europium-based MOF (MOF 2) with evident channel changes was obtained through a single-crystal to single-crystal phase transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple basic zirconium carbonate (BZC), which can be produced on a large scale in industry, was studied for hydrogen transfer of biomass-derived carboxides and exhibited excellent catalytic properties at low temperatures, especially for the conversion of furfural (FUR) to furfuryl alcohol (FFA). With the catalyst, the reduction reaction of FUR was efficiently performed at low temperatures (below 100 °C) and an FFA yield of 98.66% was obtained even at room temperature. When the temperature reached 180 °C, the yield of FFA quickly reached 90.29% within 15 minutes. During the reaction, the changes of the functional groups of the reactants and products were monitored by in situ ATR-IR spectroscopy in real time, which provided a basis for the proposed reaction mechanism. Further, the ATR-IR spectroscopy and XPS results of the different catalysts showed that BZC has the strongest acidity among all the comparative catalysts, which is consistent with its best catalytic performance. In addition, reaction kinetics were also studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have shown great potential for use in ion sensing; however, applications of existing COFs are limited to sensing either cations or anions. In this study, a three-dimensional COF, COF-TT, is constructed by reacting the bis(tetraoxacalix[2]arene[2]triazine) core with tetra(p-aminophenyl)methane to provide a luminescent sensor. COF-TT exhibits ultrahigh thermal stability and exceptional chemical stability in aqueous solutions over a broad pH range from 2 to 14, which signifies immense practical potential for sensing applications. Excellent selectivity and high sensitivity of COF-TT toward Fe3+ cations and CrO42−, Cr2O72−, and MnO4− anions are evident via luminescence quenching. COF-TT also exhibits excellent recyclability in terms of washing and re-exposure cycles. Both experimental data and theoretical calculations are employed to unveil the mechanisms of the quenching effect and sensing properties of COF-TT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tyrosine phosphorylation regulates the upstream signaling pathway but accounts for less than 0.1% of total phosphorylation in human cells. Herein, molecularly imprinted mesoporous materials were first synthesized to recognize the phosphorylated tyrosine residue from other phosphorylated residues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Distance between O p-band center and the Fermi level, as an OER activity descriptor of perovskite oxides, could be shortened by a charge transfer between a LaCoO3 film and an active layer under the film. With an optimized band structure, the OER activity and the energy conversion efficiency of LaCoO3 were enhanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The metallic Li electrode is considered as the most promising anode candidate for next-generation rechargeable batteries due to its super-high energy density. However, the safety and passivation issue, low coulombic efficiency and short cycle-life derived from uneven Li dendrites and an unstable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) have hindered the practical application of Li metal batteries, especially Li–air batteries. Herein, we have synthesized Co4N-doped Co nanoparticles embedded into hollow nitrogen (N)-doped carbon nanocubes (Co/Co4N-NC) through the pyrolysis of a metal–organic framework (MOF), and further applied it as the Li plating matrix. The high content of lithiophilic Co4N, pyridinic and pyrrolic N species in Co/Co4N-NC can effectively ensure the uniform distribution of Li. In addition, the intercalation reaction in graphitized carbon coupled with electrodeposition reaction in the porous framework can further enhance the Li storage capacity of Co/Co4N-NC. Moreover, we have also demonstrated the formation of a stable SEI layer on the Co/Co4N-NC electrode during the Li plating process. Hence, the Co/Co4N-NC electrode can significantly suppress dendritic Li and shows a high coulombic efficiency of 98.5% over 300 cycles. More importantly, a Li–air battery using the lithiated Co/Co4N-NC electrode displays better cycle performance than a Li–air cell with a Li-anode in ambient air. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Constructing high-areal-capacity anodes with high loading for Li-ion batteries is still an enormous challenge, due to the drastic volume change of large-capacity anode materials during cycling. The conventional PVDF binder system fails to withstand the degradation of high-loading electrodes. Therefore, advanced binders are urgently required. Herein, for the first time, the guar gum (GG) biopolymer has been exploited as a robust binder for micro-sized ZnCo2O4 (ZCO) anode materials. Because of its robust mechanical properties and strong interactions with ZCO, the cycling stability of the ZCO anode has been significantly improved with a capacity of 412 mA h g−1 after 600 cycles at 1200 mA g−1. More importantly, the ZCO can act as a “crosslinking agent” to in situ form a robust network with GG, which efficiently maintains the electrode structure stability. Hence, a ZCO anode with an ultrahigh loading of 6.73 mg cm−2 can be achieved and deliver a high areal capacity of 5.6 mA h cm−2. Simultaneously, benefiting from the high tap density of micro-ZCO, the ZCO anode gives a high volumetric capacity of 1179 mA h cm−3. This study will make a significant contribution to accelerating the progress of designing high-areal-capacity anodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new 3D open-framework potassium ferrite, K2Fe4O7 (1), has been successfully synthesized under hydrothermal conditions. The framework of 1 consists of both FeO6 octahedral and FeO4 tetrahedral units with shared vertices and edges where there are 6- and 3-ring channels parallel to the trigonal a- and c-axes, enabling many highly mobile potassium ions to move quickly through the channels. The K+ ion conductivity of the polycrystalline sample was 5.0 × 10−2 S cm−1 at room temperature. Interestingly, conductivities along the a-axis direction in single crystal K2Fe4O7 reached 3.5 × 102 S cm−1 at 25 °C and 5.0 × 102 S cm−1 at 500 °C with an activation energy of 0.08 eV. The conductor possessed a wide voltage stability up to 5 V vs. K/K+. Using the K2Fe4O7 electrolyte, we demonstrate an all-solid-state potassium metal battery employing a Prussian blue cathode with a high charge/discharge rate of 250C (charge/discharge in 14 s, 1C = 87 mA h g−1). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is highly desirable to develop new semiconductors for the photocatalytic reduction of CO2 to CH4 and CO to solve greenhouse effect and energy issues. Defect pyrochlore oxides have a flexible composition and the electron/hole mobility can be manipulated by introducing foreign cations into the structure. Through Sn doping into the defect pyrochlore oxide KNbWO6·H2O, we successfully obtained a 2-times higher photocatalytic activity for converting CO2 to CO, CH4 and O2 compared to the original KNbWO6·H2O. According to the data from UV-vis, photoluminescence, and hydroxyl radical amount-related fluorescence spectra, and CO2 adsorption, the improved photocatalytic activity can be attributed to the extended visible light response, the enhanced charge separation and the improved CO2 adsorption due to Sn doping. Our results provide a new strategy for developing high-performance photocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible Li–air batteries have been proposed as a potential power source for next-generation flexible electronics due to their super-high theoretical energy density. However, the safety problems derived from dendritic-deposition and high-activity of a Li anode and the leakage and volatilization of liquid electrolyte severely impede their practical application. Herein, we design a flexible belt-shaped Li–air battery with high stability and safety, which is constructed by using a reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/Li anode, gel polymer electrolyte containing LiI and 4 wt% SiO2 (4% SiO2–LiI-GPE). The rGO/Li anode shows lower mass density, better toughness and less dendrite growth compared with a pure Li anode. Additionally, 4% SiO2–LiI-GPE has a high ionic conductivity of 1.01 mS cm−1, flame-resistant polymer matrix, excellent protective effect on the Li anode and no-leakage properties. Furthermore, the synergy of the LiI and SiO2 additives promotes the decomposition of discharge products and improves the safety of the battery at the same time. As a result, this belt-shaped Li–air battery can steadily run for 100 cycles with a small average overpotential of ∼1.45 V in ambient air (relative humidity of 15%) under different mechanical deformations. Moreover, its voltage curves over operation could remain almost unchanged under a series of bending conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three-dimensional (3D) cationic frameworks are rare but crucial host materials with vast industrial applications. However, the controlled synthesis of 3D inorganic cationic framework (ICF) materials still remains a challenge. Here, we develop a new strategy to construct 3D inorganic cationic frameworks by octahedral metal-hydroxide (M(OH)6) unit induced reconstruction of layered rare-earth hydroxides. Based on this strategy, a large family (＞187 members) of 3D-ICF with a general formula: RE12(OH)18((RE1−x−y,MxM′y)(OH)6)4·ACl6 (RE = Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Y; M = Al, Cr; M′ = Mg, Al, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn; A = Na, K) were achieved. This newly constructed strategy would greatly promote the development of 3D inorganic cationic materials. Furthermore, the discovery of this new family of cationic frameworks would pave the way for the potential application of cationic materials in different sorts of fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mineralizer is a key factor in the hydrothermal crystallization of most metal oxide materials. However, the effect of mineralizer on crystal facet growth is not well understood. Herein, YbFeO3 is taken as a model compound to determine the effect of mineralizer on its shape evolution during a mild hydrothermal crystallization process. By adjusting the concentration and ratio of NaOH and KOH, the shapes of YbFeO3 crystals showed two different facet formation routes: NaOH stabilizes {110} and {002} facets, while KOH stabilizes {101} facets. The percentage of each family of crystal facets could be tailored by changing the concentrations of mineralizer and NH4+. The shape formation mechanism of YbFeO3 was analyzed based on Bravais–Friedel–Donnay–Harker theory, in addition to their facet structures and interactions between crystal facets and Na+, K+ and NH4+. This study will not only improve understanding of the role of mineralizers in oxide crystallization, but also provide a crystal facet controllable method for the hydrothermal synthesis of oxide materials with potential anisotropy applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a room-temperature route for synthesizing a dandelion-like CuO–Ag hybrid hierarchical nanostructure through an electric field induction of electrosprayed Ag ions or clusters. The basic preparation process involved producing charged Ag clusters by carrying out atmospheric pressure ionization and soft landing and electrostatically induced self-assembly of the generated ions on the tips of CuO nanowires. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]