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In the present work, exfoliated graphitic carbon nitride (g‐CN) is immobilized on carbon paper substrates by a simple electrophoretic route, and subsequently decorated with ultra‐low amounts (≈μg/cm2) of Pt nanoparticles (NPs) by cold plasma sputtering. Optimization of preparative conditions allowed a fine tuning of Pt NPs size, loading and distribution and thus a controlled tailoring of g‐CN/Pt interfacial interactions. Modulation of such features yielded g‐CN‐Pt‐based anode materials with appealing activity and stability towards the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) in alkaline aqueous solutions, as revealed by electrochemical tests both in the dark and under irradiation. The present results provide new insights on the design of nano‐engineered heterocomposites featuring improved performances thanks to Pt coupling with g‐CN, a low‐cost and environmentally friendly visible light‐active semiconductor. Overall, this work might open attractive avenues for the generation of green hydrogen via aqueous ethanol electrolysis and the photo‐promoted alcohol electrooxidation in fuel cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A crucial factor in advancing the broad utilization of electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is the development of efficient catalysts with sufficient active sites. Herein, a hydrothermal approach is utilized to fabricate helical chain stacked two‐dimensional (2D) tellurium (Te) nanoflakes, whose HER performance hasn't been systematically studied yet. It is found that Te nanoflakes transferred on carbon fiber paper (CFP) exhibit impressive HER properties and show a load dependence. The overpotential required for HER is significantly reduced to 279 mV under a load condition of 0.86 mg cm−2 at a current density of 10 mA cm−2. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations are further systematically carried out on Te catalytic sites along the helical chain at [0001] direction with a threefold screw symmetry. It is found that the Gibbs free energy of adsorbed hydrogen atom (ΔGH*) on Te sites is significantly lower than that of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2). Besides, the active sites based on surface atom density calculation reveal that Te provides more adsorption sites than layered MoS2. The decreased adsorption energy and efficient adsorption sites in Te may highlight the promising application of elemental crystal Te in electrocatalytic hydrogen production and pave the way for developing new types of electrocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct air capture (DAC) is a sustainable technology to alleviate the greenhouse effect and a reliable pathway to acquire inexhaustible CO2 for the production of costly chemicals and energy products. Current DAC technologies with amine‐related sorbents rely on chemisorption, while they consume intensive energy for CO2 release and sorbent regeneration by heating. Developing new DAC processes with weak, reversible adsorption can substantially reduce the regeneration energies. Herein, the design of CO2 breathing paper (CBP) is demonstrated toward spontaneous CO2 extraction from ambient air and solar‐driven regeneration. The CBP is fabricated by coupling 2‐ethyl‐4‐methylimidazole to carbon nanotube paper on the basis of density functional theory calculations. At ambient conditions, CBP spontaneously captures atmospheric CO2 with a capacity of 0.14–1.75 mmol g–1 at 0–35 °C through non‐covalent electrostatic interaction. Upon exposure to sunlight, all adsorbed CO2 can be released and converted to concentrated gas for storage. Attractively, the efficiency of solar‐driven CO2 release is much higher than the traditional temperature‐swing method owing to the IR sensitivity of CO2. Besides the reversibility, the mild conditions also ensure the durability of CBP. These findings suggest that the CBP is a promising candidate for cost‐effective DAC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO2RR) holds substantial promise for producing high‐value chemicals and fuels, drawing significant attention from both academia and industry. This work proposes an in‐situ electrodeposition method to prepare indium‐doped copper (Cu)‐based catalysts on carbon paper (Cu100Inx−CP, x=3.9, 4.5, 4.8, 5.1, and 7.6, denoting the molar ratio of In to Cu in the catalyst.). The catalysts Cu100Inx−CP were used for CO2RR to produce multi‐carbon (C2+) products. Characterization results showed that In was highly dispersed in the Cu particles at x<5.1. The Cu100In5.1−CP (containing 0.95 wt % In based on Cu) was very efficient for electrocatalytic CO2RR. The in‐situ Raman spectroscopy showed that Cu100In5.1−CP enhanced *CO intermediate adsorption and promoted the production of C2+ products due to the synergistic effect between In and Cu. In doping could suppress HER, enhanced *CO intermediate adsorption, and C−C coupling for the production of C2+ products in CO2RR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This mini‐review summarises and discusses recent findings form the literature on the degradation of carbon‐based electrodes for vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs). It becomes evident that the focus of current investigations is on carbon paper, carbon felt and graphite felt electrodes, which is understandable from a practical point of view. However, the structural complexity of these materials often prohibits doubtless attribution of observed performance reduction (or increase) to changes in the electrode materials. Among the discussed major causes for degradation are formation or change of surface functional groups, changes in the carbon sp2/sp3 ratio, intercalation of ions as well as formation of inhibiting adsorbates. In order to gain deeper insight into the changes of carbon electrodes in VRFBs under relevant operation conditions, the authors suggest reducing complexity of the investigated materials and applying in situ‐studies under well‐defined and controllable conditions on model electrodes. These studies then should be extended towards more practical systems and may finally help to reduce degradation phenomena including enhanced overvoltages and thus could improve cycling and energy efficiency as well as long‐term stability of vanadium redox flow batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various electrocatalysts are extensively examined for their ability to selectively produce desired products by electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR). However, an efficient CO2RR electrocatalyst doesn't ensure an effective co‐catalyst on the semiconductor surface for photoelectrochemical CO2RR. Herein, Bi2S3 nanorods are synthesized and electrochemically reduced to Bi nanoplates that adhere to the substrates for application in the electrochemical and photoelectrochemical CO2RR. Compared with commercial‐Bi, the Bi2S3‐derived Bi (S‐Bi) nanoplates on carbon paper exhibit superior electrocatalytic activity and selectivity for formate (HCOO−) in the electrochemical CO2RR, achieving a Faradaic efficiency exceeding 93%, with minimal H2 production over a wide potential range. This highly selective S‐Bi catalyst is being employed on the Si photocathode to investigate the behavior of electrocatalysts during photoelectrochemical CO2RR. The strong adhesion of the S‐Bi nanoplates to the Si nanowire substrate and their unique catalytic properties afford exceptional activity and selectivity for HCOO− under simulated solar irradiation. The selectivity observed in electrochemical CO2RR using the S‐Bi catalyst correlates with that seen in the photoelectrochemical CO2RR system. Combined pulsed potential methods and theoretical analyses reveal stabilization of the OCHO* intermediate on the S‐Bi catalyst under specific conditions, which is critical for developing efficient catalysts for CO2‐to‐HCOO− conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical CO2 reduction is a promising method for converting atmospheric CO2 into valuable low‐carbon chemicals. In this study, a crystalline cadmium sulfide/amorphous cadmium hydroxide composite was successfully deposited on the carbon paper substrate surface by in‐situ chemical bath deposition (named as c‐CdS/a‐Cd(OH)2/CP electrodes) for the efficient electrochemical CO2 reduction to produce CO. The c‐CdS/a‐Cd(OH)2/CP electrode exhibited high CO Faradaic efficiencies (>90 %) under a wide potential window of 1.0 V, with the highest value reaching ~100 % at the applied potential ranging from −2.16 V to −2.46 V vs. ferrocene/ferrocenium (Fc/Fc+), superior to the crystalline counterpart c‐CdS/CP and c‐CdS/c‐Cd(OH)2@CP electrodes. Meanwhile, the CO partial current density reached up to 154.7 mA cm−2 at −2.76 V vs. Fc/Fc+ on the c‐CdS/a‐Cd(OH)2/CP electrode. The excellent performance of this electrode was mainly ascribed to its special three‐dimensional structure and the introduction of a‐Cd(OH)2. These structures could provide more active sites, accelerate the charge transfer, and enhance adsorption of *COOH intermediates, thereby improving the CO selectivity. Moreover, the electrolytes consisting of 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate and acetonitrile also enhanced the reaction kinetics of electrochemical CO2 reduction to CO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (FC), the gas diffusion layer (GDL) is identified as the component that is most affected by mechanical compression. In this article, a particular focus is provided on the methods to measure the three main electrical parameters—contact resistance, through‐plane resistance, and in‐plane resistance—of the GDL under compression. A nonlinear decrease of these resistances under compression is typically observed. In particular, an important decrease is observed from 0 to 2 MPa, then a lower one above 2 MPa. The smallest contact and in‐plane resistances are measured for the graphitized straight carbon papers analyzing GDL resistances under compression gives a first approach to explaining ohmic losses in FCs as a large part of these losses is related to the GDL. This review would be helpful for researchers in better understanding ohmic losses and establishing a database of main GDL electrical resistances and their variations according to several operating parameters. These data could be used in design models to optimize GDL properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sodium‐carbon dioxide (Na‐CO2) batteries are regarded as promising energy storage technologies because of their impressive theoretical energy density and CO2 reutilization, but their practical applications are restricted by uncontrollable sodium dendrite growth and poor electrochemical kinetics of CO2 cathode. Constructing suitable multifunctional electrodes for dendrite‐free anodes and kinetics‐enhanced CO2 cathodes is considered one of the most important ways to advance the practical application of Na‐CO2 batteries. Herein, RuO2 nanoparticles encapsulated in carbon paper (RuCP) are rationally designed and employed as both Na anode host and CO2 cathode in Na‐CO2 batteries. The outstanding sodiophilicity and high catalytic activity of RuCP electrodes can simultaneously contribute to homogenous Na+ distribution and dendrite‐free sodium structure at the anode, as well as strengthen discharge and charge kinetics at the cathode. The morphological evolution confirmed the uniform deposition of Na on RuCP anode with dense and flat interfaces, delivering enhanced Coulombic efficiency of 99.5% and cycling stability near 1500 cycles. Meanwhile, Na‐CO2 batteries with RuCP cathode demonstrated excellent cycling stability (>350 cycles). Significantly, implementation of a dendrite‐free RuCP@Na anode and catalytic‐site‐rich RuCP cathode allowed for the construction of a symmetric Na‐CO2 battery with long‐duration cyclability, offering inspiration for extensive practical uses of Na‐CO2 batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extreme events have further complicated the already closely related carbon‐energy system, but little research has focused on the extreme spillovers between energy and carbon markets. This paper combines quantile vector autoregression with the extended joint connectedness approach to introduce a new quantile extended joint connectedness approach to study the extreme spillover between the carbon market, fossil energy and clean energy markets, using daily data spanning from October 15, 2010 to February 25, 2022. The results show that markets are more closely linked at extreme risk, and the spillover is time‐varying and cyclical. The impact of extreme events will strengthen the links between markets. Further research shows different clean energy have heterogeneous spillovers on the carbon market, especially when impacted by extreme events. Finally, the hedging and portfolio effectiveness of clean energy to carbon market also show the existence of heterogeneity, and clean energy can diversify the portfolio of carbon market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

X-ray spectroscopy is a valuable technique for the study of many materials systems. Characterizing reactions in situ and operando can reveal complex reaction kinetics, which is crucial to understanding active site composition and reaction mechanisms. In this project, the design, fabrication and testing of an open-source and easy-to-fabricate electrochemical cell for in situ electrochemistry compatible with X-ray absorption spectroscopy in both transmission and fluorescence modes are accomplished via windows with large opening angles on both the upstream and downstream sides of the cell. Using a hobbyist computer numerical control machine and free 3D CAD software, anyone can make a reliable electrochemical cell using this design. Onion-like carbon nanoparticles, with a 1:3 iron-to-cobalt ratio, were drop-coated onto carbon paper for testing in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Cyclic voltammetry of the carbon paper showed the expected behavior, with no increased ohmic drop, even in sandwiched cells. Chronoamperometry was used to apply 0.4 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode, with and without 15 min of oxygen purging to ensure that the electrochemical cell does not provide any artefacts due to gas purging. The XANES and EXAFS spectra showed no differences with and without oxygen, as expected at 0.4 V, without any artefacts due to gas purging. The development of this open-source electrochemical cell design allows for improved collection of in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy data and enables researchers to perform both transmission and fluorescence simultaneously. It additionally addresses key practical considerations including gas purging, reduced ionic resistance and leak prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon paper is commonly used for catalytic electrode preparation because of its high conductivity, corrosion resistance, and stability. However, traditional electrode preparation methods are inappropriate for highly hydrophobic carbon paper. In this paper, a high‐activity carbon paper catalytic electrode was prepared using multistrategies cold plasma modification to create atomic structural defects, dope N and Cu elements, and introduce oxygen‐containing functional groups. Analyses show that the bombardment of high‐energy particles caused atomic structural defects. Nitrogen and copper entered the carbon paper through plasma‐induced chemical recombination and physical adsorption, reaching 5.26% and 3.83%, respectively. Ethanol‐based plasma introduced oxygen‐containing functional groups to improve hydrophilicity. Finally, the plasma‐prepared electrode exhibited a reduction efficiency of 87.69% in an electrocatalytic nitrate reduction reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is identified as a promising reagent for fuel cells, reducing the dependency on carbon‐based fuels. In this work, electrochemically synthesized polymers are employed to improve the efficiency of the oxygen (O2) reduction reaction, thus producing H2O2 in an environmentally friendly way. Two aminoanthraquinones, as well as riboflavin (vitamin B2), are successfully immobilized via oxidative electropolymerization onto both glassy carbon and carbon paper. Of the investigated compounds, polyriboflavin shows a high Faradaic efficiency toward O2 reduction, even at a very low potential of only −0.1 V versus SHE. This catalytic effect is present in neutral and alkaline conditions, using both glassy carbon and carbon paper, but highly pronounced in neutral, aqueous solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microfluidic fuel cells (μFCs) offer a promising avenue for generating energy from glycerol, utilizing flow‐through electrodes to enhance reactant utilization. However, the cathodic reaction must efficiently consume the electrons harvested at the anode side to unlock its full potential. Here, we explore the feasibility of employing liquid oxidants as an alternative to O2 reduction on metal‐free carbon paper (CP) cathodes. We investigated the half‐cell reactions and the energy conversion in a new reusable 3D‐printed μFC. Half‐cell reactions predict spontaneous reactions by coupling glycerol electrooxidation in an alkaline medium with O2, Na2S2O8, and HClO from commercial bleach in an acidic medium. The μFC printed using the stereolithography apparatus technique build microchannels to place the Pt/C/CP anode and CP cathodes. The glycerol/Na2S2O8 μFC delivered a maximum of 32.4 mW cm−2, while glycerol/HClO μFC displayed 55.9 mW cm−2. This research sheds light on the potential of liquid oxidants as effective alternatives to O2 reduction, presenting a pathway toward optimizing μFCs and their practical applications in energy conversion from glycerol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The terrible shuttling of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) is a major obstacle for commercializing lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries as high‐performance energy storage systems. In this study, a carbon‐based interlayer with effective suppression capability on the shuttle effect is developed by simply coating a well‐dispersed mixture of soybean protein isolate/MXene onto the acidified carbon paper (ACP). The resultant composite interlayer (SM@ACP) is able to synergistically diminish the shuttle effect through chemical adsorption and physical blocking. Meanwhile, this interlayer displays excellent conductivity and facilitates the diffusion of Li ions due to the composite coating to promote both electron/ion conduction as well as the porous structure of ACP. Benefiting from the unique properties of the composite interlayer, the as‐assembled Li–S batteries with SM@ACP interlayers show a great improvement in the cycling stability and rate performance, delivering a very low‐capacity decay rate of 0.071% per cycle at 0.5 C even after 800 cycles. This work provides a feasible route to realize rational design and commercial mass production of desirable interlayers for promoting the commercialization of Li–S batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon dots have been widely noticed due to their excellent optical properties, such as good photostability and a wide excitation wavelength range. However, the emission peaks of most known carbon dots (CDs) are in the blue region, which hinders their extensive applications in long‐wavelength emission. In this study, red‐emitting carbon dots (RCDs) that are pH‐responsive are synthesized using citric acid and urea as precursors, and their fluorescence intensity increased gradually with increasing solution pH from 1 to 12. A new mechanism based on H aggregation and Fermi energy level transfer is proposed to explain the pH‐responsive emission of RCDs. In contrast to the narrow response range of most pH‐sensitive CDs reported so far, the pH‐responsive range of RCDs is large, especially in the alkaline range, and their pronounced red light emission is well visualized. The prepared carbon dots have the advantages of non‐toxicity, low cost, and a wide pH response range. In addition, "rose" test paper and carbon dot PVA composite film, RCDs‐PVA film, are made to demonstrate the visualization of carbon dots in pH detection. The "rose" test paper and carbon dot PVA still have good fluorescence intensity. The prepared carbon dots have good application prospects for pH detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electric‐driven conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) to carbon monoxide (CO) under mild reaction conditions offers a promising approach to mitigate the greenhouse effect and the energy crisis. Surface engineering is believed to be one of the prospective methods for enhancing the electrocatalytic activity of CO2 reduction. Herein, hydroxyl (OH) groups were successfully introduced to cadmium nanosheets to form cadmium and cadmium hydroxide nanocomposites (i. e. Cd/Cd(OH)2 nanosheets) via a facile two‐step method. The as‐prepared Cd/Cd(OH)2/CP (CP indicates carbon paper) electrode displays excellent electrocatalytic activity for CO2 reduction to produce CO. The Faradaic efficiency of CO reaches 98.3 % and the current density achieves 23.8 mA cm−2 at −2.0 V vs. Ag/Ag+ in a CO2‐saturated 30 wt% 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazole hexafluorophosphate ([Bmim]PF6)‐65 wt% acetonitrile (CH3CN)‐5 wt% water (H2O) electrolyte. And the CO partial current density can reach up to 71.6 mA cm−2 with the CO Faradaic efficiency of more than 85 % at −2.3 V vs. Ag/Ag+, which stands out against Cd/CP, Cd(OH)2/CP, and Cd/CdO/CP electrodes. The excellent electrocatalytic performance of the Cd/Cd(OH)2/CP electrode can be attributed to its unique structural properties, suitable OH groups, perfect interaction with electrolyte, abundant active sites and fast electron transfer rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical lactate biosensors based on lactate oxidase (LOx) are used for diagnostics, sports medicine, and the food industry. However, samples from these sectors may have acidic levels at which the biocatalytic activity of LOx may be diminished. In this work, the enhancement of the bio‐electrocatalytic activity of LOx at low pH by pKa modulation of its catalytic His265 was studied by rational engineering of lactate oxidase from Aerococcus viridans (AvLOx). Several candidates based on interactions with His265 were selected by in silico structural analysis. The designed variants were heterologously produced, and the S175A mutant showed considerable improvement over its wild‐type counterpart, showing 157 % of the enzymatic activity found in the wild‐type at pH 5. Bioelectrodes were assembled based on Prussian‐blue‐modified carbon paper mediator system. The electrocatalytic performance of the amperometric biosensors of S175A variant at pH 5 exhibited a linear range of 0.2–2 mM measured at 0 V vs SCE, a sensitivity of −17.52 μA/mM ⋅ cm2, representing 240 % of the sensitivity found in the wild‐type biosensor, and a limit of detection of 38 μM, lower than observed with the wild‐type enzyme. These results show that the mutant obtained offers a significant improvement in lactate biosensing at low pH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale: Rapid on‐site detection of persistent organic pollutants (POP) is highly desirable for environmental protection. Methods: Herein, a rapid on‐site analytical workflow was developed for the investigation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and perfluorinated compounds using multiwalled carbon nanotube–modified paper spray ionization (PSI) coupled with a miniature ion trap mass spectrometer. Critical parameters regarding PSI and miniature mass spectrometry analysis were optimized. Results: The analytical performance of the developed method was evaluated under optimized conditions, obtaining a short analysis duration of less than 1 min, sufficient linearity with correlation coefficients greater than 0.99, acceptable recovery rates of 93.1%–105.8% with relative standard deviations of between 3.5% and 10.3%, and reasonable sensitivity with limits of detection and quantitation of 2–200 and 5–500 μg/L, respectively. Conclusions: Considering these aspects, it was concluded that the present approach demonstrated a promising solution for rapid on‐site detection of emerging POPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electrochemical detection of BPA often requires modification of electrodes to overcome BPA′s slower kinetics and higher oxidation potential. This work reports a modification‐free, paper electrode based on vacuum‐filtered SWCNT thin film. The prepared electrode does not need to be polished or transferred into the conducting substrates. The linear sweep voltammetric detection showed a linear response from 0.5–10 μM and 25–100 μM with the experimental LOD of 1.0 μM (S/N=3). The interference study and good recovery percentage (93–105 %) in real water samples demonstrated the method's selectivity. The sensor can be promising for developing a simple, low‐cost, portable, and paper‐based BPA monitoring system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Without excess Li, anode‐free Li‐metal batteries (AFLMBs) have been proposed as the most likely solution to realizing highly‐safe and cost‐effective Li‐metal batteries. Nevertheless, short cyclic life puzzles conventional AFLMBs due to anodic dead Li accumulation with a local current concentration induced by irreversible electrolyte depletion, insufficient active Li reservoir and slow Li+ transfer at the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI). Herein, SrI2 is introduced into carbon paper (CP) current collector to effectively suppress dead Li through synergistic mechanisms including reversible I−/I3− redox reaction to reactivate dead Li, dielectric SEI surface with SrF2 and LiF to prevent electrolyte decomposition and highly ionic conductive (3.488 mS cm−1) inner layer of SEI with abundant LiI to enable efficient Li+ transfer inside. With the SrI2‐modified current collector, the NCM532/CP cell delivers unprecedented cyclic performances with a capacity of 129.2 mAh g−1 after 200 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NiFe layered double hydroxide (LDH) films with different Ni/Fe molar ratios were successfully prepared on carbon paper (CP) by the potentiostatic method and were used for the removal of chloride ions (Cl−) by electrically switched ion exchange (ESIX) technology. The results showed that the Ni/Fe ratios had a significant effect on the adsorption performance of LDH for Cl−. The prepared NiFe LDH film with Ni/Fe molar ratio of 1 : 1 showed the best Cl− ESIX performance and the maximum adsorption capacity could reach 43.8 mg ⋅ g−1 at 1.4 V (vs. SCE) in 20 ppm Cl− solution. The excellent adsorption performance of LDH for Cl− was mainly due to the coupling of the interlayer anion exchange mechanism and the electroactivity‐variable valence mechanism. In addition, the Cl− regeneration rate remained above 95 % during five repeated adsorption/desorption experiments, and the charging capacity was still about 96 % of the initial capacity even after 1000 CV cycles. Therefore, the NiFe LDH film could be a promising electroactive material for the removal of Cl− from aqueous solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rational interphase reaction provides a feasible method to overcome the matters of insufficient adsorption of CO2 molecules at the catalytic sites and competitive hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), which can increase the formation rate and selectivity of carbon derivatives in photocatalytic CO2 reduction. Herein, a hydrophobic photocatalyst with TiO2 nanosheet arrays grown on hydrophobic carbon paper (TiO2‐HCP) is fabricated using a combination of magnetron sputtering and hydrothermal method, and its unique structure not only endows it excellent light absorption and effective carrier spatial separation but also avoids the hydrophobic reagent covering reactive sites. When the interphase reaction shifts from solid–liquid diphase to gas‐liquid‐solid tri‐phase, the photocatalytic CO2 reduction over TiO2‐HCP mainly generates CO molecules and effectively suppresses HER due to the HCP suppressing the mass transfer of H2O molecules to active sites. Notably, amounts of H2 byproduct can further react with CO2/CO to produce high value‐added CH4 resultant by modifying the N‐doped TiO2‐HCP with nickel/nickel oxide species. In the tri‐phase interfacial CO2 photoreduction system, the CH4 formation rate of Ni@N‐doped TiO2‐HCP reaches 134.17 µmol m−2 h−1 (about 74.6% selectivity) and total carbon derivatives selectivity is about 93%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon paper has been synthesized by paper making process followed by composite formation, and further chemically oxidized by immersing into a mixture of sulphuric acid and potassium dichromate to be used as an electrode for supercapacitor applications. XRD and Raman spectra were used to analyze the structure, and the defects in the samples respectively, in due course of oxidation. FESEM images revealed the morphology of oxidized samples to be rougher, which contributes towards increased active sites for reaction. The sample (COCP‐60) optimized via electrochemical studies, was further tested in various electrolytes to study the electrode/electrolyte interaction. It delivered a highest areal capacitance of 6.02 F/cm2 (231.5 F/g) in acidic electrolyte at a current density of 5 mA/cm2 (0.19 A/g). This findings were further corroborated by surface and diffusion contribution studies wherein it was found that diffusion is more profound with acidic electrolyte. The supercapacitor device fabricated with COCP‐60 electrode delivered an energy density of 0.41 Wh/cm2 at 2.83 W/cm2 power density with coulombic efficiency of 98 %, and cyclic stability of ∼90 % for over 5000 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium is perceived as an ideal anode for next generation batteries with high‐energy density. However, the critical issue of the intractable growth of Li dendrites, which leads to a poor cycling life, still remains. Herein, a hierarchical surface is designed and constructed on carbon fiber (CF) using binders in fabricated CF paper (CFP). The lightweight CF with high mechanical properties is facilitated to establish a 3D network structure as an alternative to Cu foil. The binders are transformed into oxygen‐containing amorphous carbon and sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) using a low‐temperature carbonization process, leading to uniform Li nucleation and a stable solid electrolyte interphase layer with inorganic components. In the electrochemical test, the CFP with amorphous carbon and Na2CO3 (ANCFP) shows a low Li nucleation overpotential and smooth dendrite‐free Li plating. Furthermore, the ANCFP electrode exhibits good cycling stability in half and symmetrical cells. A full‐cell assembled using a LiFePO4 cathode with high loading (≈13 mg cm−2) achieves a high‐energy density of 428 Wh kg−1 (at 0.1 C) and an excellent capacity retention of 85% at 1 C after 300 cycles. This strategy is expected to help realize highly stable Li metal anodes for practical application by suppressing Li dendrite growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scale‐up synthesis of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) with uniform structure and properties is of great importance for their practical applications. Here, we proposed a facile way to massively produce phthalocyanine‐like COFs (COFBTC) via high‐gravity intensified synthesis. Alcoholic solvent and basic catalyst were discovered synergically improved the formation of COFBTC. High concentration and reaction temperature were beneficial for high production as well. The intensified mass and heat transfer at high‐gravity promoted the scaling‐up of COFBTC with homogeneous structures and properties. A high space time yield of 305.9 kg∙(m3 D)−1 was achieved for Fe‐COFBTC under optimized condition. The massively produced Fe‐COFBTC presented good solubility in alkaline and polar organic solvents, thus allow to process as homogeneous or heterogenous electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction. The catalyst exhibited good performance of 0.79 V (vs. RHE, half‐wave) and >95% recovery in homogeneous electroreduction of O2 in 0.1 M KOH. A superior performance of 0.86 V was achieved by sol–gel‐like processing of Fe‐COFBTC on carbon paper due to the enhanced conductivity. The scale‐up soluble catalysts with uniform properties provide more opportunities for practical applications of COFBTC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the unprecedented electrocatalytic activity of a series of molecular nickel thiolate complexes (1–5) in reducing CO2 to C1–3 hydrocarbons on carbon paper in pH‐neutral aqueous solutions. Ni(mpo)2 (3, mpo=2‐mercaptopyridyl‐N‐oxide), Ni(pyS)3− (4, pyS=2‐mercaptopyridine), and Ni(mp)2− (5, mp=2‐mercaptophenolate) were found to generate C3 products from CO2 for the first time in molecular complex. Compound 5 exhibits Faradaic efficiencies (FEs) of 10.6 %, 7.2 %, 8.2 % for C1, C2, C3 hydrocarbons respectively at −1.0 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode. Addition of CO to the system significantly promotes the FEC1–C3 to 41.1 %, suggesting that a key Ni−CO intermediate is associated with catalysis. A variety of spectroscopies have been performed to show that the structures of nickel complexes remain intact during CO2 reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the core of carbon monoxide dehydrogenase (CODH) active site two metal ions together with hydrogen bonding scheme from amino acids orchestrate the interconversion between CO2 and CO. We have designed a molecular catalyst implementing a bimetallic iron complex with an embarked second coordination sphere with multi‐point hydrogen‐bonding interactions. We found that, when immobilized on carbon paper electrode, the dinuclear catalyst enhances up to four fold the heterogeneous CO2 reduction to CO in water with an improved selectivity and stability compared to the mononuclear analogue. Interestingly, quasi‐identical catalytic performances are obtained when one of the two iron centers was replaced by a redox inactive Zn metal, questioning the cooperative action of the two metals. Snapshots of X‐ray structures indicate that the two metalloporphyrin units tethered by a urea group is a good compromise between rigidity and flexibility to accommodate CO2 capture, activation, and reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of low‐cost, green, and pollution‐free counter electrode materials with high catalytic activity plays a critical role in improving the photovoltaic performance of dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). In recent years, transition metal phosphides have been widely used in DSSCs due to their outstanding catalytic activity and stability. Herein, a novel binary phosphide is immobilized on carbon paper (CP) by a two‐step strategy. This strategy involves the preparation of WO3 precursor by the hydrothermal method, and synthesis of tungsten phosphide (WP) with the vapor deposition method, which finally leads to the uniform dispersion of WP on carbon paper. The acquired WP/CP counter electrode demonstrates high electrical conductivity and prefect catalytic ability for reducing triiodide, and the DSSCs assembled with WP/CP counter electrode achieve a high‐power conversion efficiency of 10.29%, which is superior to that of the Pt‐based (7.34%). These findings illustrate that the WP microsheets in‐situ grown on carbon paper are a potential candidate to replace Pt as an economical and efficient counter electrode for DSSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smaller volume/weight and higher output power/energy density are always the goals of electrochemistry energy devices. Here, a simple strategy is proposed to prepare an integrated gas diffusion electrode (GDE) with high conductivity through skin electroplating. The skin electroplating is the combination of magnetron sputtering and spatial confinement electroplating. The electroplated metal obtained by skin electroplating is uniformly, continuously, and tightly attached to the surface of carbon paper like a layer of skin. Uniform and continuous electroplating metal layer endows the integrated electrode excellent conductivity with the square resistance as low as 27 mΩ sq−1. In application, the self‐breathing fuel cell with 1 cm2 active area can harvest ultrahigh volume specific power density (20.9 kW L−1). Additionally, the weight of the fuel cell stack (23 W) with the integrated electrode is only 20 g, which is only 7% of the commercial stack with the same power. The mass specific power density reaches 1150 W kg−1, which is 15 times of the commercial stack. Outstandingly, the stack can charge 4 mobile phones at the same time. More importantly, the skin electroplating provides an effective strategy to improve the specific power density of other energy devices including Zn‐air batteries, Li‐air batteries, and so on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To create a green, safe, and aldehyde‐free indoor heating environment, an eco‐friendly emulsion polymer‐isocyanate (EPI) adhesive was applied to the preparation of electrothermal plywood with built‐in carbon fiber paper. The optimized process parameters of electrothermal plywood were 0.9 MPa, 120°C, 6 min, and 200 g/m2 for hot‐pressing pressure, temperature, time, and glue spread amount, respectively. After water immersion for 24 h, the bonding strength of wet‐treated electrothermal plywood decreased to 0.89 MPa. The pull‐out cracks of the carbon fiber paper were the main fracture form of the wet‐treated electrothermal plywood, and the wood failure percentage was 0%–10% under the tensile load. Hydrolysis of the adhesive layer of the wet‐treated electrothermal plywood occurred. The relative C and N contents in the wet‐treated electrothermal plywood decreased by 6.1% and 25.3%, respectively. Moreover, the resistance of the wet‐treated electrothermal plywood increased by 273.4% because the internal conductive path was interrupted during the intrusion of the water molecules. The highest electric‐to‐radiant transfer efficiency of the electrothermal plywood was 72.4%, with a power density of 200 W/m2. In conclusion, wet treatment has a significant effect on the bonding strength and electrothermal performance of the electrothermal plywood bonded with EPI adhesive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient and durable catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are of great importance for energy storage and conversion devices. However, an objective evaluation and fair comparison of different catalysts remain challenging due to the different catalyst loadings and substrates for OER measurements. In this work, we investigated NiFe layer double hydroxide and commercial Ni/NiO catalysts with different loadings and substrates of glassy carbon (GC), porous nickel foam (NF), and carbon paper (CP). The activity, cycling stability, and potentiostatic stability of the catalysts are compared with respect to the loading and substrate. Catalyst loading exhibits a volcano trend with OER activity, while it has little impact on stability. The 3D substrates NF and CP significantly improved the OER activity of the catalysts compared to GC, especially at higher loadings. The consistent degradation trend of the catalysts confirms the validity of using NF or CP as substrates for the stability test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports the selective hydroxylation of macroscopic carbon surfaces that renders initially hydrophobic carbon fiber paper hydrophilic for more than one year (62 weeks) so far. This long time of sustained hydrophilicity is unprecedented and transforms the utility of macroscopic carbon materials. Quantification of surface oxygenates of a systematic series of 13 chemical treatments reveals that surface hydroxyls are predictors of long‐lasting hydrophilicity. The rapid, mild, acid‐free, transition‐metal‐free treatment does not leave surface residues, inhibits overoxidation of graphitic carbon beyond hydroxyls, and introduces the highest edge density on carbon surfaces, without altering the mesostructure of carbon fiber network architectures and without lowering the flexural strength of carbon fiber paper. Graphitic edges are required for enhanced stability of surface oxygenates that retain a threshold amount of adsorbed water, which is necessary for keeping carbon fiber paper hydrophilic. Application of hydrophilic carbon fiber paper as high‐surface‐area working electrode supports for alkaline water oxidation catalyzed by [NiFe]‐layered double hydroxide nanosheets demonstrates a factor of 60 higher mass activity compared to catalysis on flat basal‐plane highly ordered pyrolytic graphite electrodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current 3D printed electrodes suffer from insufficient multiscale transport speed, which limits the improvement of electrochemical performance of 3D printed electrodes. Herein, a bioinspired hierarchical fast transport network (HFTN) in a 3D printed reduced graphene oxide/carbon nanotube (3DP GC) electrode demonstrating superior electrochemical performance is constructed. Theoretical calculations reveal that the HFTN of the 3DP GC electrode increases the ion transport rate by more than 50 times and 36 times compared with those of the bulk GC electrode and traditional 3DP GC (T‐3DP GC) electrode, respectively. Compared with carbon paper, carbon cloth, bulk GC electrode, and T‐3DP GC electrode, the HFTN in 3DP GC electrode endows obvious advantages: i) efficient utilization of surface area for uniform catalysts dispersion during electrochemical deposition; ii) efficient utilization of catalysts enables the high mass activity of catalysts and low overpotential of electrode in electrocatalytic reaction. The cell of 3DP GC/Ni‐NiO||3DP GC/NiS2 demonstrates a low voltage of only 1.42 V to reach 10 mA cm−2 and good stability up to 20 h for water splitting in alkaline conditions, which is superior to commercialized Pt/C||RuO2. This work demonstrates great potential in developing high‐performance 3D printed electrodes for electrochemical energy conversion and storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple approach to mitigate the use of high voltages on thin bipolar electrodes is described here for the first time. The method involves stacking the desired thin conductor onto a thicker one, thereby creating a pseudo‐single electrode whose width is the sum of the two. Placing the target material on the positive or negative face of the combined bipolar electrode selects which reaction it will be involved in. This method is used to graft sheets of carbon paper, cloth, and buckypaper with an aminophenyl layer that subsequently binds polypyrrole in a simple two stage reaction to create a one‐sided deposit of a supercapacitive material. By itself the necessary driving potential for these reactions exceed 90 V, while with the stack it drops to 9 V. The resulting supercapacitor electrodes display good performance, with specific capacitances up to 210 mF/cm2 and lasting 2500 charge/discharge cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As China's carbon market continues to develop, its close connection with the financial and energy markets is becoming increasingly apparent. A systematic study of the spillover effects between markets is important, as it can help prevent excessive fluctuations in carbon prices. With this in mind, this study proposes a time‐varying parameter vector autoregression with Lanne–Nyberg decomposition extended joint connectedness approach to analyze quantitatively the spillover effects in the "carbon–energy–financial" system. Empirical results show that a bidirectional spillover effect exists among markets. Not only does the carbon market have the most pronounced return (volatility) linkages with the natural gas (clean energy) market, but the information connected with the energy markets is also more closely linked than with the financial markets. We also find that market fluctuations, caused by the China–US trade conflict and the COVID‐19 pandemic, have increased spillovers in the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fabrication of flexible catalytic films with isolated single/dual‐atomic sites and their integration in wearable electronics is challenging. Herein, an efficient method to prepare atomically dispersed binary Ni/Co‐decorated flexible carbon nanofiber (NiCo‐CNF) film using formamide‐derived cyano‐specific NiCo‐NC as nanofillers was developed. The optimized Ni1Co1‐CNF catalytic film, having large‐area, high density of adjacent Ni‐N4 and Co‐N4 active sites, and good mechanical properties under repeated bending and release conditions, possessed high catalytic activity towards oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The ORR/OER potential difference (ΔE10) for Ni1Co1‐CNF at 10.0 mA cm−2 was highly comparable with the Pt/C+RuO2 mixture. In addition, flexible Ni1Co1‐CNF‐assembled Zn‐air battery displayed very good mechanical robustness and cycling stability. Our work may inspire the fabrication of other atomic metal‐decorated films for membrane electrocatalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, Cr7C3 coating is prepared on porous carbon paper by the disproportionation reaction of Cr2+ in NaCl–KCl molten salt at 800–900 °C for 40–80 min. Effects of the molar ratio of chromium powders, temperature, and reaction time are investigated. The composition and microstructure of the coating are characterized by X‐ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. Finally, the growth mechanism of Cr7C3 coating from the perspective of thermodynamics and kinetics is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanostructuring of Pt nanocatalysts increases the surface‐to‐volume ratio, thus enabling efficient usage of Pt for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Direct electrochemical reduction of Pt on the electrode can produce nanostructured Pt catalysts, which has been time‐consuming for the conventional colloidal synthesis. However, carbon‐based growth templates commonly used to create Pt nanoparticles offer limited control over morphologies and HER performance. Herein, a facile electrochemical synthesis of Pt nanoflowers (NFs) with well‐defined petals is presented. Semiconducting MoS2 nanosheets are solution processed into a film on a carbon paper (CP) to synthesize Pt NFs upon reduction of Pt precursor. The Pt NFs show higher HER activities than spherical or spiky Pt nanoparticles because of their larger active surface area and enable faster release of hydrogen bubbles during HER. By generating sulfur vacancies and MoOx on the MoS2 template using a reactive ion etching, the areal density and spatial uniformity of Pt NFs can be greatly enhanced and a mass activity can be achieved more than 10 times as high as that of the conventional Pt/C electrode. Multiple electrodes with nearly similar electrochemical properties can be repeatedly produced by using a single precursor solution, which highlights the cost‐efficiency and scalability of our synthesis strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Successful practical implementation of bioelectrochemical systems (BES) requires developing affordable electrode structures that promote efficient electrical communication with microbes. Recent efforts have centered on immobilizing bacteria with organic semiconducting polymers on electrodes via electrochemical methods. This approach creates a fixed biocomposite that takes advantage of the increased electrode's electroactive surface area (EASA). Here, it is demonstrated that a biocomposite comprising the water‐soluble conjugated polyelectrolyte CPE‐K and electrogenic Shewanella oneidensis MR‐1 can self‐assemble with carbon paper electrodes, thereby increasing its biocurrent extraction by ≈6‐fold over control biofilms. A ≈1.5‐fold increment in biocurrent extraction is obtained for the biocomposite on carbon paper relative to the biocurrent extracted from gold‐coated counterparts. Electrochemical characterization revealed that the biocomposite stabilized with the carbon paper more quickly than atop flat gold electrodes. Cross‐sectional images show that the biocomposite infiltrates inhomogeneously into the porous carbon structure. Despite an incomplete penetration, the biocomposite can take advantage of the large EASA of the electrode via long‐range electron transport. These results show that previous success on gold electrode platforms can be improved when using more commercially viable and easily manipulated electrode materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microfluidic fuel cells (MFCs) are potential micro power sources for portable electronics. MFCs utilize the co‐laminar flowing of the solutions in the microchannel and remove the membranes in the traditional fuel cells. Flow‐through electrodes exploit the internal electrode surfaces and improve the MFC performance. Carbon paper (CP) has been widely used as a flow‐through electrode with a limited specific surface area. We have also used graphite felt (GF) with a high specific surface area as the electrode and then compared the performance of the MFCs with the CP and GF as the electrodes, respectively. Firstly, we showed the SEM surface morphologies of the two electrodes with or without the Pd catalysts. Secondly, we compared the electrochemical activities of the two electrodes in the solutions, respectively. The GF electrode always showed higher electrochemical activities than the CP electrode, since the GF electrode owned its larger accessible electrochemical surface area and less electrode resistance than the CP electrode. Thirdly, we compared the performance of the MFCs with the two electrodes. The results showed that the performance of the MFC with the GF electrodes electrodes was optimum, with the peak power density of 175.60 mW cm−2 and limiting current density of 616.53 mA cm−2. Finally, we conducted the discharge performance of the MFCs with the two electrodes. There existed a minor variation in the discharge current densities of the MFCs with the CP cathodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compressing porous carbon electrodes is a common approach to improve flow battery performance, but the resulting impact on electrode structure, fluid dynamics, and cell performance is not well understood. Herein, microtomographic imaging, load cell testing, and flow cell diagnostics are employed to characterize how compression‐induced changes impact pressure drop, polarization, and mass‐transfer scaling. Five different compressions are tested, spanning ranges typically used in literature, for AvCarb 1071 cloth (0%, 9%, 20%, 25%, 32%) and Freudenberg H23 paper (0%, 8%, 12%, 17%, 22%). It is found that the two electrode structures have distinct responses to compression, resulting in differing optimal conditions identified for each material; specifically, the Freudenberg H23 exhibits lower combined ohmic, charge‐transfer, and mass‐transport values at 8% compression, resulting in improved electrochemical performance across all compressive values, as compared to the optimal AvCarb 1071 compression (20%). Overall, Freudenberg H23 exhibits a greater sensitivity to compression with peak electrochemical activity correlating with increased permeability, whereas AvCarb 1071 is insensitive to compressive loads but produces lower electrochemical performance. Herein, the trade‐offs of mechanical robustness on fluid‐dynamic and electrochemical performance between the two electrodes are demonstrated by the aforementioned findings, suggesting each could be used for specific operating environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel electrochemically assisted cycloaddition process is proposed, in which highly efficient coupling of CO2 with styrene oxide (SO) can be achieved to form styrene carbonate (SC) as a high‐value‐added product. A series of Cu catalysts with different morphologies and chemical states were fabricated on carbon paper (CP) by using in‐situ electrodeposition, and the sample with nano‐dendrimer structure was found to exhibit a relatively high activity of 74.8 % SC yield with 92.7 % SO conversion under gentle reaction conditions, thus showing its potential for practical applications. The relatively high electrochemically active surface area and charge transfer ability of dendrimer‐like Cu benefited the electrochemical reaction. In particular, the Cu2+ species that were formed in situ during the reaction played a vital role in enhancing the activity and selectivity of the proposed Cu/CP hybrid catalyst. Cu2+ atoms served as active sites that can not only electrochemically activate CO2 but also facilitate the ring opening of SO. Mechanistic analysis suggested that the reaction followed electrochemical and liquid‐phase heterogeneous paths, which provide a new green and sustainable route for efficient utilization of CO2 resources for fine chemical electrosynthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing facile approaches to fit in large‐scale fabrication of efficient and durable catalytic electrodes is highly desirable for oxygen electrocatalysis and metal–air batteries. Herein, a strategy based on phase separation and laser induction is proposed to prepare 3D binder‐free integrated electrodes (IEs). The phase separation between a polybenzimidazole (PBI) solution and a coagulation bath containing metal precursors occurs to form a 3D interconnected porous catalyst precursor layer. After drying, IEs are obtained by laser induction, which simultaneously converts PBI into hierarchically porous laser‐induced graphene (HPLIG) and reduces metal precursor to tiny nanoparticles. To demonstrate the versatility of this method, IEs with different HPLIG hybrid catalyst layers and substrates are fabricated. IE‐NiFe/HPLIG and IE‐Co/HPLIG using carbon paper as a substrate exhibit superior oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) performance respectively. Flexible IE‐NiCoFe/HPLIG with OER and ORR bifunctionality using carbon cloth as the substrate is applied as an air cathode in rechargeable aqueous Zinc–air batteries (ZABs) and provides a satisfactory power density of 163 mW cm−2 and cycling stability of 1800 h at 10 mA cm−2. The electrode also endows solid ZABs with good flexibility. This work offers an industrially viable solution to the challenge of rapid fabrication of IEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct formic acid fuel cells (DFAFCs) possess the advantages of high power density and theoretical cell potential. Exploring robust catalysts for electrochemical formic acid electro‐oxidation (FAO) is greatly essential for the wide spread uptake of DFAFCs. However, many electrodes with attractive catalysts suffer limited mass transport due to sluggish CO2 bubble growth and departure steps on its surface. In this study, a superaerophobic electrode is developed by depositing fern‐shaped palladium nanostructured arrays on the carbon paper (Pd‐nanoarray@CP). Its unique superaerophobic feature successfully facilitates the CO2 bubble releasing from the catalyst surface in a significantly small size. With the merits of specific nanoarray morphology, superior under water superaerophobicity, and rapid gas bubble release, the Pd‐nanoarray@CP shows fast charge/mass transport rate, high electrocatalytic activity, and great stability for FAO. A direct formic acid fuel cell equipped with the Pd‐nanoarray@CP anode is successfully fabricated on a microfluidic platform. A peak power density of 35.8 mW cm−2 and limiting current density of 173.3 mA cm−2 are obtained, respectively, which are 49.2% and 33.0% higher than that of conventional Pd‐black anodes. The electrode with superaerophobic interface allows deeper insight into the mechanism of FAO efficiency and holds promise for possible applications of commercially viable DFAFCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zinc‐air batteries (ZABs) have anodic challenges to overcome such as passivation, shape changes, and hydrogen evolution. In this work, zinc anodes were electrosynthesized on carbon paper electrodes using organic additives (Zn/CP) to investigate their viability as an alternative to benchmarked Zn foils. Additionally, the typical aqueous electrolyte (6 M KOH) was replaced by a gel polymer electrolyte (GPE) to assist Zn/CP to decrease anodic issues. In 6 M KOH, the current density of the ZAB with Zn/CP was 42 mA cm−2 @ 0.6 V vs. 28 mA cm−2 for Zn foil. However, chronopotentiometric tests demonstrated that the ZAB with Zn foil possessed a higher stability. SEM images after the stability tests and tests by linear‐sweep voltammetry revealed that Zn/CP suffers a higher formation of hydrogen gas, promoting such morphological changes, decreasing the number of active sites and, thus, stability. The aqueous media was then replaced by the GPE based on polyacrylic acid cross‐linked with potassium (PAAK). Tests revealed that the GPE at different compositions (from 3 to 10 wt.%) significantly decreased the Zn issues, where the GPE at 3 wt.% of PAAK was the most favorable composition, providing comparable current/power densities to the obtained at 6 M KOH (40 vs. 42 mA cm−2 and 25.2 vs. 26.8 mW cm−2). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decorating metallic nanoparticles on the surface of oxide support is a promising approach to tailor the catalytic activity of perovskite. Here, for the first time using thermal shock to rapidly fabricate nanoparticle‐decorated materials (NDMs) is proposed. Low‐cost and size‐tailorable carbon paper is used as the heating source during the thermal shock. It is reported that by thermal shock technique, only ≈13 s including heating and treating time is needed to fabricate the exsolution‐based NDMs (the fastest method to date). Benefitted by the sufficiently provided driving force and the short treating time, as compared to the product prepared by the conventionally furnace‐based method, higher particle density and smaller particle size of the exsolved catalysts are acquired for the thermal shock fabricated NDM, giving rise to a fascinating improvement (12‐fold) of the electrochemical performance. This work develops a new technique to rapidly fabricate NDMs in an economic and high‐throughput manner, profoundly improving the flexibility of the application of exsolution‐based materials in electrochemical devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Constructing sodium‐ion battery anodes with efficient ion/electron transport and high cycling stability is significantly promising for applications but still remains challenging. Here, "three‐in‐one" multi‐level design is performed to develop a carbon‐coated phosphorous‐doped MoS2 anchored on carbon nanotube paper (P‐MoS2@C/CNTP). The Na+ diffusion and electron transport, as well as the structural stability of the whole anode are simultaneously enhanced through the synergistically optimization of P‐MoS2@C/CNTP at atomic, nanoscopic, and macroscopic levels. Resulted from the multi‐level modification, the synergetic mechanism has been demonstrated by electrochemical measurement and theoretical calculation. As a result, the free‐standing P‐MoS2@C/CNTP anode presents a high rate performance (150 mA h g−1 at 5 A g−1) and a long cycling life (1 A g−1, 1200 cycles, 249 mA h g−1). This work provides a new approach to the design and fabrication of high‐performance conversion‐type electrode materials for rechargeable batteries application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we successfully construct the 3D biocompatible graphene through crosslinking 2D graphene nanosheet onto carbon fiber paper with poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) as anode of the alcohol biofuel cell. Compared with the bioanode without 3D graphene, the current density and output power of PDDA‐graphene‐ADH bioanode is increased by 23 % and 41 % at a high concentration of ethanol at pH 8.9, suggesting the stabilization role of graphene in enzyme loading. The study provides us a deep analysis on structures and performances of the bioanode incl. electrochemistry, X‐ray photoelectron spectra, and atomic force microscopy images, which is significant to develop the new methods to construct 3D porous electrodes in energy conversion device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct growth of resorcinol−formaldehyde carbon aerogels (CAGs) on carbon paper electrodes was achieved using a new approach. Materials with variations in density, mesoporosity and microporosity were prepared. Microstructural properties of the resultant thin electrodes are shown to directly influence performance in zero‐gap redox flow battery (RFB). BET analysis shows a total surface area between 643 to 931 m2 g−1. Deposition of only ≈15 wt.% CAG on the carbon electrode leads to a 320‐fold increase in electrochemical surface area. Analysis of the results saw a strong positive correlation of RFB performance with surface area. The best performing electrodes had a good balance between microporous and external surface area, and on the macroscopic scale had sufficiently large pores to allow efficient electrolyte permeation. The poorest performing electrodes which had the highest surface area, also had poor macroscopic porosity leading to large mass transport and solution resistance losses. The best performing electrodes were tested in a zero‐gap setup using polarization curves, showing a 25 % increase in power density at 100 mA cm−2 and a peak power density of 706 mW cm−2 at 1 V using thin electrodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]