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Nickel diselenide (NiSe2) is a promising low-cost catalyst for both hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER), due to its suitable d-electron configuration and high electrical conductivity. Several representative elements, e.g., Co, Fe and P, have been utilized as cation or anion to promote the electrocatalytic activity of NiSe2 by modulating the interaction with Se element, whilst the catalyst stability is less concerned. In this work, the catalytic Ni nanoparticles were in-situ encapsulated in carbon nanotubes grown on three-dimensional conducting carbon framework. Subsequent phosphorization and selenization yield dispersed P-doped NiSe2 nanoparticles protected by carbon shell with highly exposed yet stable active sides, resulting in significantly promoted HER and OER activities as well as accelerated kinetics. In detail, the P-NiSe2@N-CNTs/NC hybrid catalyst deliver low overpotentials of 95 and 306 mV at 10 mA cm−2 for HER and OER in alkaline media, respectively. DFT calculations reveal that P doping reduces the electron density surrounding Ni atoms while accumulates the charges to Se, respectively, which in turn reduces the energy barriers for both water dissociation and intermediates adsorption for both HER and OER. As a concept of proof, a cell assembled by P-NiSe2@N-CNTs/NC hybrid catalyst-based anode and cathode performs a low applied voltage of 1.609 V to reach 10 mA cm−2, and outstanding long-term stability.

The GaN/nanoporous GaN (NP-GaN) distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) with high reflectivity (>95%) at specific wavelengths were designed and fabricated by an electrochemical (EC) etching technique, and then as-grown GaN and DBR were used to grow Eu-doped Lu2O3 high-quality films by Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) method. Structural analyses confirmed the thin film grown at 480 °C has highest crystalline quality. The epitaxial relationship between the film and substrate was determined as Lu2O3 (222) ∥ GaN (0002) with Lu2O3 [ 1 ‾ 10 ] ∥ GaN [ 1 ‾ 2 1 ‾ 0 ] . The photoluminescence (PL) intensity of the Eu-doped Lu2O3 film with an embedded DBR substrate was 3.4 times higher than for reference film on as-grown GaN, which should be attributed to in-coupling and out-coupling of the excitation and emission lights. The enhancement effects of light-coupling were explained by multiple reflection model. Hence, this strategy can be used to enhance the optical signal intensity of scintillators by embedding DBR substrates with proper Bragg wavelength.

Hierarchical 3-dimensional (3D) carbon nanostructures have potential applicability in several electrochemical energy applications own to their sizeable effective surface, specific energy density, cycling stability and flexibility. Herein, combining electrospinning with in situ chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technologies as an efficient and secure procedure is applied for constructing 3D carbon nanostructure-based on carbon fibers (CFs) and electrospun carbon nanofibers (ECNFs). Affect the catalysis type, immersion solution, carbon sources and treat temperature are experimentally demonstrated. Cactus-like 3D carbon nanomaterials are constructed via growth forest-like carbon nanofibers (CNFs) directly on both CNFs and CFs at 900 °C using Ni as a catalyst, cellulose acetate (CA) as carbon source and ethanol-urea as an immersions solution. The Ni/CNFs/ECNFs mat exhibits a large surface area of 342.3 m2 g−1, while just 19.3 m2 g−1 is recorded to Ni/CNFs/CFs. Based on the nano-nonwoven structure and forest-like grown CNFs nanostructure, Ni/CNFs/ECNFs exhibit a favorable hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance in an alkaline medium with a low overpotential of 88 mV to deliver 10 mV cm−2 current density and Tafel slope of 170 mV dec−1. This work proves the synthesis parameters of 3D hierarchical carbon nanostructures and their enticing to apply as an advanced substrate for electrochemical applications.

The nanoporous (NP) GaN wafers which were fabricated by electrochemical etching (EC) method were used as substrates to deposit Er-doped Ga2O3 epitaxial films by pulsed layer deposition (PLD). The epitaxial relationship between the GaN and Er doped β-Ga2O3 film was Ga2O3 (−201) ‖ GaN (0001) with Ga2O3 [010] ‖ GaN [-12-10]. Compared to the Er doped films on the epi-GaN wafers with the porosity of 0%, ~20% and ~60%, the β-Ga2O3 film deposited on the wafer with a porosity of ~40%, which has an energy bandgap of ~4.89 eV, has the best crystal quality and optoelectronic properties. The performance enhancement should be due to improved crystalline quality as a result of the existence of nanopores in the etched substrates. The excellent properties of Er doped Ga2O3 films indicated that the films have great potential to fabricate Ga2O3 optoelectronic devices.

In this study, a hyperbranched chelated hydrophilic swollen-layer was constructed on the surface of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fiber with amino trimethylene phosphoric acid (ATMP) as a terminal group, which applied as an adsorbent for seawater uranium U(VI) extraction. This shows that U(VI) enter the gel-like swollen-layer to form a more complex body structure. The molecular chain conformational extension in the swollen-layer reduces the resistance of the uranyl ion to enter the swollen-layer, which is conducive to the adsorption behavior. The adsorption performance on the U(VI) by the adsorption experiment were found to be consistent with the Langmuir isotherm adsorption model and the pseudo-second-order kinetics, indicating that the adsorption of U(VI) by this material is uniform single-layer chemical adsorption. Ion competition experiments and cyclic adsorption experiments verify the practical application potential of the materials. In the dynamic simulation of seawater adsorption experiments, the adsorption capacity of the adsorbent reached 7.4 mg/g. Studies on the adsorption mechanism have found that a large number of hydroxyl groups in the swollen-layer and ATMP as an end machine have a chelation effect on U(VI).

The urgent demands of energy storage for wearable electronics necessitates the development of flexible supercapacitors (FSCs). However, the service environment of portable/wearable devices requires supercapacitors to possess excellent mechanical properties to withstand harsh straining conditions, such as bending, rolling, and twisting. Hence, to develop a high-performance flexible supercapacitor (FSC) that possesses both superior electrochemical properties and remarkable mechanical capacities is still a formidable challenge. In this paper, we successfully fabricate a 3D heterostructured electrode with bulge structured polypyrrole (PPy) wrapped NiMoO4 nanowires on carbon cloth (CC). Benefiting from the 3D heterostructure and the synergistic effect between NiMoO4 and PPy, the PPy/NiMoO4/CC electrode shows a high areal capacitance of 3.4 F cm−2 and cyclic stability (94% capacitance retention). Moreover, the assembled PPy/NiMoO4/CC//activated carbon (AC)/CC device exhibits a high energy density (0.5 mW cm−2 at a power density of 3.7 mWh cm−2). Furthermore, the CV curves of PPy/NiMoO4/CC//AC/CC show no obvious change under miscellaneous deformation conditions, indicating good flexibility. This work demonstrates that the assembled PPy/NiMoO4/CC//AC/CC FSC possesses notable electrochemical properties and exhibits great potential for application in future wearable energy-storage devices.

The properties of three kinds of superhydrophobic surfaces (SHSs) and three kinds of superslippery liquid-infused surfaces (SLIPSs) composed of microspheres with different morphologies (solid spher...

Inkjet printing is an attractive technique in the field of flexible electronics due to the direct writing, digital controls and non-contact operation process. In this work, we successfully printed graphite oxide and Ag nanoparticles on the substrate of flexible carbon cloth to form a flexible, conductive and hydrophilic layer, which could be used as a new substrate with an electron transport layer of large surface area. In addition, Ni-Co LDH nanosheets as the main active materials were synthesized for improving the electrochemical activity via a convenient electrochemical deposition method. The binder-free Ni-Co LDH/Ag/rGO@CC electrode exhibits outstanding electrochemical performance along with a high capacity of 173 mA h g−1 at 1 A g−1. Moreover, an asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) was assembled with Ni-Co LDH/Ag/rGO@CC electrode as the positive electrode materials and activated carbon coated CC as the negative electrode materials, showing a high capacity of 95 mA h g−1 at 0.6 A g−1, and maximum energy density of 76 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 480 W kg−1.

In recent years, the tenable design and synthesis of the core/shell heterostructure as electrode for the supercapacitor, have attained a huge attention and concerns. In this article, the three-dimensional heterostructure consisting of FeCo2O4 ultrathin nanosheets grown on the space of vertical Co3O4 nanowires has been designed and synthesized onto nickel foam (NF) for pseudocapacitive electrode applications. According to previous research, the NF@ FeCo2O4 electrodes can only exhibit specific capacity of 1172 F g−1 at a current density of 1 A g−1. In addition, although the capacity of the NF@Co3O4 electrodes can reach to 1482 F g−1 and it has the disadvantage of agglomeration, which restricts the diffusion of ions and has a negative effect on the progress of electrochemical reactions. Therefore, a core-shell nanostructure is fabricated by an improved two-step hydrothermal process, which improves the probability of ion reaction with more efficient charge transfer. Furthermore, in as-prepared unique core/shell heterostructure, the resultant electrode possesses the merits of large capacitance of 1680 F g−1 at a current density of 1 A g−1, an excellent rate capability of 70.1% at 20 A g−1 and only 9.8% loss of initial capacitance at a high charge/discharge current density after 2000 cycles. These results demonstrate that this kind of distinct electrode has potential utilization for supercapacitor.

Composite electrodes that possess both rational structures and appropriate integration are needed to deliver high electrochemical performance in energy storage devices. In this paper, a flexible and binder-free electrode material based on a heterogeneous core-shell structure of CuCo2O4@Ni(OH)2 nanosheets grown on carbon cloth was fabricated by a simple method. The unique three-dimensional hierarchical structure gives the electrode a large specific surface area, which enables rapid response and increases of specific capacitance. The CuCo2O4@Ni(OH)2/carbon fiber cloth (CFC) composite electrode exhibited a specific capacitance of 2160 F g−1 at 1 A g−1 and a good rate capability energy of 82.7% at 20 A g−1. A flexible all-solid-state asymmetric supercapacitor (FAASC) was assembled with the CuCo2O4@Ni(OH)2/CFC electrode as the positive electrode, and activated carbon (AC)/CFC as the negative electrode. This device showed both a high energy density and power density (58.9 W h kg−1 at a power density of 400 W kg−1), and good long-term cycling stability. Furthermore, the assembled CuCo2O4@Ni(OH)2/CFC//AC/CFC devices were capable of driving a blue light-emitting diode after a short charge. The remarkable performance of this CuCo2O4@Ni(OH)2/CFC electrode indicates that this heterogeneous structure has great potential for applications in flexible high-performance energy storage devices.

Herein, a design of multifunctional hybrid adsorbent made of a magnetic core and a zeolite imidazolate framework (ZIF-8) shell embedded with carbon dots (CDs) is synthesized to combine detection with separation and recycling of uranium from aqueous solution. The adsorbents retain the strong superparamagnetic behavior of Fe3O4 nanoparticles and similar luminescence of carbon dots. Interestingly, the adsorbents not only exhibit obviously fluorescence response for U (VI) but also enhance U (VI) adsorption performance via assisting with the loaded‑carbon dots. The adsorption processes of U(VI) on Fe3O4-CMC@ZIF-8 and Fe3O4-CMC@ZIF-8@CDs well fit with the pseudo-second-order model. The maximum U(VI) adsorption amount of Fe3O4-CMC@ZIF-8@CDs is high as 606.06 mg/g at pH = 4.0 and T = 298 K with Langmuir model, which is obviously higher than that of Fe3O4-CMC@ZIF-8 (564.97 mg/g). Particularly, BET, FTIR and XPS results show that the improvement of adsorption properties on Fe3O4-CMC@ZIF-8@CDs is mainly ascribed to the large specific surface area and abundant nitrogen/oxygen functional groups on the surface, suggesting that the main interaction mechanisms are diffusion and coordination. The design for hybrid materials provides a convenient way to achieve a multifunctional adsorbent with detection, separation and recycling properties for uranium.

With the depletion of terrestrial uranium deposits, a large amount of uranium(VI) (U(VI)) in seawater has attracted the attention of researchers and energy suppliers. However, the extremely low concentration of U(VI) and the complex environment enhance the difficulty of extracting U(VI) from seawater. In this study, a multi-active polyacrylonitrile (PAN) adsorbent was constructed to extract U(VI) from seawater. Poly(amido)amine (PAMAM) with hyperbranched topology was grown onto the surface of PAN fiber by a multi-step method, forming a swollen layer in water. The highest adsorption capacity of the material reached 555.5 mg/g. Importantly, during a continuous 50-day simulated seawater dynamic adsorption process, the material reached an adsorption equilibrium in 15 days, with the adsorption amount of 1.3 mg/g. The ocean test in the Yellow Sea of China showed that the adsorption capacity of the material was 0.6 mg/g in 34 days in seawater environment. The effect of molecular chain conformation and swelling behavior on adsorption properties were investigated. The study on the adsorption mechanism of the material shows that the lone pair of electrons of the N atom coordinates with U(VI).

Recently, taking advantage of slippery liquid-infused surfaces (SLIPS) has been proposed as a simple passive ice removal method. However, the process of frost formation and ice freeze on SLIPS is accompanied by the lubricant migration from the structured substrate to the surface of frozen droplets which would lead to the sacrifice of lubricant. In this paper, highly transparent and robust slippery coatings were carried out by infusing lubricant into tube-like SiO2 composite structure. The tubular material and a stack-hole composite structure contribute a lot to lock the lubricating oil, thus reducing the loss of lubricant during the icing/deicing cycles. The ultra-low ice adhesion strength (∼17 kPa) encourages the SLIPS to be a promising candidate for anti-icing applications. Moreover, capillary action within the unique structure as well endows SLIPS with the self-healing property. As a consequence, the as-prepared samples achieve long-term anti-icing stability while ensuring a glass substrate transmittance of up to 92.01%. In addition, surfaces maintain all the slippery characteristics after being directly exposed to running water for 30 min. Such good stability offers a possibility of applying SLIPS to everyday life.

The lack of flexibility of the substrates and the readily shed off of the active materials during the deformation process limit applications of wearable electronic devices. An effective approach is to design an electrode with both high flexibility and stability, which ensure that the device will not be affected in practical applications. In this paper, we design 3D Cu(OH)2 nanowires directly grown on carbon fiber cloth by a quasi-stable electroless Cu deposition and a rapid alkali assistant oxidation process. The Cu-electroless plating ensures high conductivity and excellent binding force between the active material and the substrate, which issued in low internal resistance and remarkable cycle stability. Moreover, the flexible all-solid-state asymmetric supercapacitor (FASSASC) assembled with the Cu(OH)2/CPCC (Cu-plated carbon cloth) as positive pole, possess high areal capacitances (242.5 mF cm−2 at 1 mA cm−2), relatively large energy and power density (4.9 × 10−2 mWh cm−2, 0.6 mW cm−2 respectively), with outstanding cycling stability and flexibility (90.5% capacitance retention after 5000 cycles under bending). Remarkably, we also assembled a self-charging power pack integrated of flexible all-solid-state asymmetric supercapacitors (FASSASCs) and commercial solar cells, which can capture energy from the sun, and then store it to furnish a durative and stable electrical output. Such a device could be powered by the self-charging function without time and location limit. These superior characteristics demonstrate that the Cu(OH)2/CPCC//AC/CC FASSASC a good candidate for next-generation flexible, wearable and portable electronic devices.

The introduction of organic groups onto graphene oxide (GO) platelets can supply additional active sites for adsorption of uranium(VI) (U(VI)) to improve the adsorption capacity. However, as a result of the existence of stabilizing π-conjugation system, a facile and effective modification method remains a challenge. Therefore, a novel strategy is exploited by nano-sized architectural design of multi-activity GO through post-decoration with amidoxime functionalized diaminomaleonitrile (DM-AO). The post-modification of DM-AO successfully activated the inert sites in GO platelets. Meanwhile, the amidoxime group in DM-AO can improve the adsorption selectivity. Adsorption amount of U(VI) on the as prepared GO-DM-AO reached at 935 mg g−1, which is increased by 209% increment compared with that of pristine GO at the same concentration. The adsorption efficiency of GO-DM-AO is greatly improved, and the time to reach the adsorption equilibrium is half of that of GO. Excitingly, the excellent removal efficiency could still maintained even after 5 cycles of adsorption-desorption. The outstanding adsorption amount, short adsorption equilibrium time, and excellent removal efficiency can provide a theoretical guidance for further immobilization of U(VI) from seawater.

Marine biofouling is a catastrophic problem for maritime industries, which catches researchers’ attention. Antifouling coatings have been proved to be an effective approach to against fouling organisms. Herein, we firstly synthesized polydimethylsiloxane with aminopropyl-terminated pendant groups (APDMS) through a ring opening polycondensation, and then APDMS was reacted with bisphenol A type epoxy resin (DGEBA) to form the epoxy modified polysiloxane-based resin (EAPDMS). The curing behavior of DGEBA/APDMS was studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) with a non-isothermal curing method. The adhesion strength of EAPDMS was remarkably improved. The results of dynamic mechanical properties (DMA) and tensile tests showed an obvious enhancement of mechanical properties in the modified resin system. Marine field tests revealed that coatings exhibited excellent antifouling performance within 3 months. In brief, the EAPDMS coatings possess outstanding mechanical properties and excellent adhesion strength, showing high potential in the marine antifouling field.

Superhydrophobic coatings have been applied in various fields because of their advantages such as self-cleaning, drag reduction, dustproof, anti-icing, corrosion resistant etc. However, in this study, a new idea imitating the process of growing grass was proposed to solve the low adhesion, weak wear resistance and poor corrosion resistance of the general superhydrophobic coatings: the ratio of epoxy resin to ZnO seeds were strictly controlled so that ZnO seeds are not completely coated. On this basis, a cluster-like ZnO coating composed of interdigitated ZnO rods was prepared. After modification with stearic acid, the coating exhibited superhydrophobic properties with a contact angle of 163° and the coating showed excellent abrasion resistance and noticeable robustness. Due to the barrier from both epoxy resin/ZnO seeds and cluster-like ZnO, the coating performed excellent corrosion resistance. At the same time, the cluster-like ZnO/epoxy resin coating prepared like seeds rooting has good firmness and can be adapted to various harsh environments such as tape peeling, friction between objects, etc., which can expand the application of the superhydrophobic coatings.

Uranium (VI) is very essential element in nuclear technique and the enrichment uranium has attracted lots of attention. In this work, l -Arginine and Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) functionalized reduced graphene oxide ternary hydrogel composites (Ag- l -Arg-rGH) were successfully synthesized, which combined the insertion of AgNPs with one-step thermal reduction and an assembly of graphene oxide nanosheets, using l -Arginine ( l -Arg) as both a functional and cross-linking agents. The Ag- l -Arg-rGH composites exhibited great enhanced sorption capacity. Kinetic data best fitted the pseudo-second-order model. The thermodynamic data fitted the Langmuir isotherm model and the calculated maximum adsorption capacity is 434.78 mg/g. In addition, the anti-algae experimental results indicated adsorbent showed marked algal inhibition with the presence of AgNPs in the Ag- l -Arg-rGH composites. In the simulated seawater experiments, The distribution coefficient (Kd) value of uranium(VI) with other competing ions was 2.41 × 104 mL g−1. Thereby, the Ag- l -Arg-rGH composites possessed a promising potential for the enrichment uranium (VI) from nature seawater.

High electrochemical properties of negative electrode materials are highly desirable for flexible asymmetric supercapacitors (ASCs). Although benefiting from the unique structure and broad operation potential, molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) has caused concern as a negative electrode material because its low electrochemical stability and poor conductivity hinder the exploitation of its application in flexible ASCs. Here we investigated a facile two-step hydrothermal approach to fabricate MoS2/Ketjen black (KB) composites on flexible carbon cloth. Following the construction of flower-like MoS2 on carbon cloth, KB nanospheres were embedded in MoS2 via a secondary hydrothermal route. The as-prepared MoS2/KB electrode presents a high capacitance of 429 F g−1 at a current specific of 1 A g1. In addition, the hybrid ASC device of NiCo2O4//MoS2/KB was built, which delivers a high energy density of 25.7 Wh kg−1 and power density of 16 kW kg−1. These results are ascribed to the favorable structure of MoS2 and inherently superior conductivity of KB, which improves wettability, structural stability and electronic conductivity. In brief, the proposed all-solid-state ASC device offers potential application in future portable electronics and flexible energy storage devices.

In recent years, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), especially zeolite-imidazole frameworks (ZIFs), have been attracting widespread attention as templates for the synthesis of sensing materials. Limited researches, however, have been carried out to utilize bimetallic ZIFs in gas sensing, as the existing studies mostly involve monometallic ZIFs. Here in, the core-shell structure of ZnO and Co3O4 composite (CS-ZnO/Co3O4) was synthesized via chemical etched to Co/Zn based zeolitic imidazolate framework (Co/Zn-ZIF) with subsequent annealing. The morphology, composition and surface characteristics of the as-obtained samples were confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET). Moreover, the gas sensing measurements were implemented under various atmospheres. The response of CS-ZnO/Co3O4 sensor to 100 ppm ethanol at 200 °C achieves 38.87, which is 2.8 times that of single-shell ZnO/Co3O4 (SS-ZnO/Co3O4). The improved response is mainly attributed to the core-shell structure, which offers larger surface area, more active sites for gas diffusion and the formation of p-n heterojunction between ZnO and Co3O4.

3D Ni-Multiwall carbon nanotubes/carbon nanofibers nanostructure has received many attentions due to the large specific surface and excellent electrochemical performance. The aggregation of CNTs and high-cost manufacturing are challenges facing the preparation of hybrid 3D Ni-MWCNTs/CNFs nanomaterials. In this article, MWCNTs have grown on electrospun CNFs by using low-cost reagents and an efficient production process. The direct growth of CNTs on electrospun CNFs completed via one-step process electrospinning of Ni (AC)/PVP/PAN solution and following CVD treatment. The hybrid 3D Ni-MWCNTs/CNFs showed a large surface area of 530 m2/g higher than Ni/CNFs of 375 m2/g. The diameter of the electrospun CNFs and grown CNTs about 150 and 20 nm of hierarchical 3D Ni-MWCNTs/CNFs observed by SEM and TEM images, respectively. The hybrid structure and full carbonization were confirmed by XRD and Raman spectrums. The 3D Ni-MWCNTs/CNFs showed a comparable gas sensing properties with high response and rapid response-recovery times versus Ni/CNFs, electrospun CNFs, and commercial CNTs at RT toward 100 ppb DMMP gas (Dimethyl methyl phosphonate is a simulant gas for sarin nerve agent) with excellent selectivity. In fact, the synthetic procedure promises to be an effective approach to synthesize the hybrid 3D CNTs/CNFs nanomaterials with high sensing performance.

Mussels are typical marine fouling organisms that attach to surfaces though secretions, which is generally the focus of research on mussel-related fouling. This study reveals “a flowering tree” structure on mussel shells with antifouling performance. Based on the antifouling mechanism of surface microstructure, we prepared mussel-like shells (P) using the biomimetic replication method. Mussel adhesion experiments were conducted to examine the anti-mussel performances of the mussel shells and P. The anti-diatom performances of the mussel-like shells were also evaluated using three types of diatoms. The mussels responded differently to different locations on the shells, and the flowering tree microstructure exhibited excellent antifouling performance. In addition, VP (P immersed in vinyl silicon oil) and HP (P immersed in hydroxyl silicone oil) were prepared. The anti-diatom performance of VP was better than those of P and HP, indicating that hydrophobicity has a greater influence on anti-diatom performance than electronegativity. The newly discovered antifouling micro-nano structure was parameterized, revealing that a branch of the flowering tree has an inclination of 13.3° to the surface with a height of 210.1 nm. The results of this study provide insights for further investigations of bionic micro-nano structures in the field of antifouling.

With the growing demand for nuclear energy, uranium extraction from seawater (UES) is becoming increasingly important due to the ocean reserves 4.5 billion tons for uranium(VI) [U(VI)]. Herein, two kinds of amidoxime modified bamboo charcoal (AOOBCS and AOOBCH) with porous structure, anti-bacterial, and super-hydrophilic properties were successfully synthetized by two etching methods (soaking and hydrothermal). The super-hydrophilic property of AOOBCH accelerated the contact between the amidoxime group and uranyl ions (UO22+), and promoted the action of anti-bacterial substances (bamboo-quinone) on bacteria to restrain the form of bacterial membrane. In addition, the amidoxime groups not only didn’t destroy the super-hydrophilic surface, but also adjusted the adsorbents’ pKa by changing the amidoxime grafting rate. Under PH = 7, the adsorption capacity of AOOBCH was about 1.97 times that of AOOBCS and 2.95 times that of BC. Importantly, the AOOBCH exhibited ultra-high uptake capacity (6.37 mg g−1) and exceptional selectivity for U(VI) in 100-fold interfering ions simulated seawater system due to the chelation between C(NH2) N O H and UO22+ to form a more stable coordination structure (Eads = −36.56 eV). Benefiting from the superior performance and selectivity, the AOOBCH is a potential candidate for UES.

Seawater environmental limitation from antifouling due to microorganisms presents a great challenge in uranium extraction from seawater. Herein, a bifunctional graphene oxide-silver ions-zeolitic imidazolate framework-67 composite was successfully synthesized for minimizing the effects of antifouling in the enrichment of uranium. A series of antialga assays were carried out using Phaeodactylum tricornutum as a fouling template alga. Interestingly, the adsorbents clearly display an algae inhibitory behavior with more than 80% alga death rate after 7 days, as well as enhance U(VI) adsorption performance via the coassistance of graphene oxide and silver ions. Adsorption amounts of composites reach 189.36 mg g–1 at a pH 7.0. In addition, composites still retain a high U(VI) adsorption amount which increases by 177% in comparison to the zeolitic imidazolate framework-67 at pH 8.0 (nearly seawater pH). The adsorption experiment was carried out in actual seawater, with the removal rate of U(VI) reaching nearly 7...

Diatoms are one of the biofouling species attached to the substrate that can cause substrate corrosion, fuel consumption and destruction of the ecological balance. Therefore, the study of single-cellfouling organisms, particularly, the quantitative analysis of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) is essential for antifouling. Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) was used to quantify three types of diatoms: Nitzschia closterium (N. closterium), Phaeodactylum tricornutum (P. tricornutum) and Halamphora sp. The situation of N. closterium was analyzed multiple times and the results showed that the adhesion value range of N. closterium with nacked chromatophores was three times larger than the mature one. The discovery of the EPS secretion from chromatophore is discussed in this paper, and the proposed mechanism has special implications to study the adhesive protein. Adhesion capabilities of different diatom genera and species were revealed as well. The average adhesion values of N. closterium, P. tricornutum and Halamphora sp. were about 1.7 nN, 3.3 nN and 2.5 nN, respectively, which suggest P. tricornutum could be a better candidate for testing diatom resistance on epoxy materials in the lab. Experimental data and discussions in this paper provide insights for further study of diatoms in the field of antifouling.

Developing noble-metal-free electrocatalysts with high efficiency and low cost in the all-pH range is highly desired but challenging. Herein, we constructed the hybrid interface structure of NiSe2 ...

Undesirable bio-adhesion of microalgae on adsorbent can influence its adsorption capacity. In this report, we fabricated a novel mussel-inspired antifouling magnetic activated carbons which derived orange peel by integrated biosorption-pyrolysis process (MACs@PDA-Ag), via co-functionalization of poly-dopamine (PDA) and Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs), for the recovery of uranium (VI) from simulated seawater with antimicrobial adhesion performance; this process did not require an additional reducing agent. The effect of pH, concentration, contact time, fouling test against nitzschia closterium f.minutissima (GY-H8) were studied. Compared with MACs (632.91 mg/g at pH 7.0), the calculated maximum adsorption capacity of MACs@PDA-Ag increased to 657.89 mg/g at pH 8.0 and showed good recyclability. These data all fitted well with the Langmuir and pseudo-second order models. The possible removal mechanism by XPS is chelation (catechol hydroxyls, amine/imine units, the metal-oxygen and carboxylic) with uranium (VI). The antifouling tests indicated that the AgNPs-modified materials displayed the antimicrobial adhesion behavior, and the viability of the microorganism was not impacted. Thereby, the direct deposition of AgNPs onto the adsorbent has shown great potential for uranium (VI) recovery with an antifouling benefit and is environmentally friendly.

Pure and 1–4 mol% cobalt doped indium oxide (Co-doped In2O3) sponge-like microstructures with high specific surface area were fabricated by a simple and environmentally friendly hydrothermal method. The specific surface area and porosity of Co-doped sponge-like In2O3 microstructures can be regulated through the modulation of Co/In molar ratios. The as-prepared sensors based on Co-doped In2O3 exhibit favorable gas sensing properties toward acetone gas; their porous structure can create more adsorption sites for the adsorption of oxygen molecules and the diffusion of the target gas, leading to significant improvement in sensing performance. In particular, 3 mol% Co-doped In2O3 presents the greatest response to acetone vapor at 240 °C, which is about 3.25 times higher than that of pure In2O3. The sensor also exhibits rapid response-recovery time (1.143 s/37.5 s), low detection limit (2.76 at 5 ppm), good reproducibility and high selectivity, making it a promising material for acetone detection.

Herein, a dendritic fibrous nanosilica (DFNS)-based adsorbent was constructed through bio-inspired bifunctional stimulation as a rapid and efficient trap for uranium(VI). Amino-amidoxime bifunctional polyacrylonitrile (AOPNI-NH2) firmly adhered to the DFNS substrate through the polymerization of mussel-inspired dopamine (DA) with a large amount of amine and carbonyl groups. Meanwhile, the amine group of the introduced AOPNI-NH2 not only suppressed the ring-closing reaction of amidoxime groups to increase the active sites, but also improved their adsorption rate. The adsorption amount of U(VI) on as-prepared DFNS/pDA/AOPNI-NH2 reached qm = 678 mg g−1, which represented a 118% increase compared with the original DFNS under the same conditions. Finally, the adsorption capacity demonstrated the potential for the application of this adsorbent in a seawater environment.

Slippery lubricant-infused porous surfaces (SLIPS), which typically rely on surface structure and chemical properties to store and maintain the lubricant, usually lack fast self-replenishing ability due to the limited storage capacity of the lubricant or structure obstruction to fluid flow. Here, a practical and dexterous strategy for creating a lubricant-infused fibrous porous surface (LIFPS) which combines ultra-large capacity with fast self-replenishment is reported. This capability stems from the well-designed internal and surface hierarchical microstructures. Regularly arranged cavities designed to store the lubricant, similar to the nectaries of Nepenthes, are embedded inside the material and interconnected by a 3D fibrous porous network to promote rapid circulation of the lubricant. The internal pore structure and surface are interconnected by a 3D network of fibrous fine pores, and thereby form the surface microstructure, which effectively controls the leakage of the internal lubricant and maintains the stability of the surface lubricant film. Surface damage test shows that it is suitable for rapid healing of surface properties. This novel structural design, preparation method and the resulting surfaces are critical for designing advanced and fast self-replenishing slippery surfaces and driving their application.

To meet the demand for ever-increasing energy storage and conversion, it is most important to fabricate high-performance electrodes by matching the electrode materials to nanostructural design. In this research, for the first time, unique hierarchical NiSe@Co2(CO3)(OH)2 heterogeneous nanowire arrays were successfully constructed onto the nickel foam by a simple two-step soft-chemical approach for application as electrodes of supercapacitors. NiSe nanowires with superior conductivity were designed for builting in situ onto the Ni foam to exert their electrochemical properties, and more importantly, to serve as a bridge for high-speed electron transport between the electroactive material and the current collector. Furthermore, Co2(CO3)(OH)2 nanowires were horizontally constructed onto a vertical NiSe precursor to form a 1-D heterostructure, which provided more electrochemically active sites and significantly increased the space utilization of the current collector surface. In particular, abundant pores and heterogeneous interfaces existed in the heterogeneous network that were composed of interlaced nanowires, which worked well with the inherently superior conductivity of the selenide material to provide a fast dual-channel for electrolyte penetration and electron transportation. Moreover, the hierarchical electrode achieved an outstanding areal specific capacitance of 9.56 F cm−2 (at 4 mA cm−2) and a rare capacitance retention of 68.1% (current density increased from 4 to 80 mA cm−2). A hybrid supercapacitor of NiSe@Co2(CO3)(OH)2//AC was assembled and exhibited competitive energy density and power density, confirming its potential as a promising electrode for next-generation electrochemical energy storage.

The reasonable design of semiconductor metal oxides modified by elemental doping and surface functionalization has been proven to be an effective method to improve the gas sensing abilities of chemiresistor-type sensors. In this work, Ni-doped In2O3 nanorods were fabricated via simple oil bath and annealing processes. To further enhance their gas sensing performances, Ag functionalization was carried out by a subsequent chemical reduction process. The experimental results reveal that these composites exhibit excellent formaldehyde sensing performance compared with pure In2O3 nanorods. In particular, 6%-Ag/Ni5.0In presents significantly enhanced gas sensing performance toward 100 ppm formaldehyde gas at a low working temperature (160 °C) with high sensitivity (123.97), fast response speed (1.45 s/58.2 s), and good selectivity and stability. Our research reveals that the improvement in sensing performance toward formaldehyde can be attributed to the large specific surface area, high relative contents of OV and OC components, electronic sensitization and the catalytic effect of Ag. The results provide an effective strategy to achieve excellent gas sensing performance for formaldehyde gas sensors.

In this work, superhydrophobic and superoleophilic nickel foam loaded with ZnO@Co3O4 hierarchical structure was successfully fabricated via a simplified one-pot hydrothermal method, followed by a brief calcination process and, finally, superhydrophobically modification with hexadecyltrimethoxysilan (HDTMS). The as-prepared nickel foam showed excellent abrasion resistance, chemical stability and high oil-water separation efficiency. The chemical composition and morphologies were characterized by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The sample we have manufactured proves to be a potential material for the separation of oil-water mixtures.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are diffusely defined as a promising class of porous material for uranium extraction from seawater, but there are still challenges in their stability and anti-biofouling performance. Herein, a water-stable and anti-biofouling ZIF-67/SAP0.45 composite hydrogel was reported by the sequential processes of electrostatic interactions between the oppositely charged polymer, ionic gelation, and template growth of ZIF-67 crystals. Entanglement of positively charged polyethyleneimine (PEI) and negatively charged sodium alginate (SA) polymer chains provided external porosities, anti-biofouling properties, and mechanical support for the hydrogels and further reduced the possibility of ZIF-67 aggregation. The neutral composite hydrogel possessed the least Nitzschia on the surface after 7 days contact, which endows the adsorbent with a high uranium uptake capacity of 2107.87 ± 41.64 μg g-1 at 1 mg L-1 uranium-containing seawater with 8.6 × 105 mL-1 Nitzschia. Additionally, this adsorbent showed water stability with an uranium uptake capacity of 232.88 ± 8.02 mg g-1 even after five adsorption-desorption cycles because of the excellent preparation method. Benefitting from the distinctive hierarchical structure and large accessible surface area, the resultant adsorbent achieved a high uranium capacity of 6.99 ± 0.26 mg g-1 in real seawater. This flexible and scalable approach made the MOF/SAP composite hydrogel a highly desirable uranium adsorbent.

Metal–organic framework materials (MOFs) have attracted the attention of researchers as a new type of adsorbent material with large specific surface area and high adsorption capacity. In order to o...

A series of the rGO decorated hollow Co 3 O 4 spheres were fabricated via a solvothermal-combination-calcination process with no template. The morphological and crystal structure analysis were carried out through several characterization techniques, including SEM, TEM, XRD and XPS. The results indicate that the hollow Co 3 O 4 microspheres were assembled by nanoparticles with an average diameter of 20 nm and adhered uniformly on rGO nanosheets. According to the gas sensing test, 3 wt% rGO-Co 3 O 4 hollow spheres showed a higher substantial response to 100 ppm ethanol reaching up to 13.5, which is 3.7 times than the pristine Co 3 O 4 at 180 °C. In addition, it also exhibited short response-recovery time and good reproducibility. The enhanced sensing properties probably come from the synergy between rGO and Co 3 O 4 , mesoporous structure, and its high specific surface area (108.2 m 2 /g). This facile method could be used for the fabrication of many advanced materials for sensors, capacitors and electrodes.

Flexible and lightweight wire-shaped supercapacitors are important energy storage devices used for portable or wearable electronics. However, practical applications of flexible supercapacitors are still limited by the relatively poor performances. Herein, the hierarchical carbon cloth@CoMoO4@NiCo-LDH core-shell nanowire arrays supported have been synthesized via a facile two-step hydrothermal route coupled with annealing treatment. In addition, a possible mechanism for the growth of NiCo-LDH nanosheets (NSs) shell onto CoMoO4 nanowires (NWs) core is put forward based on the time-dependent experiments. The CC@CoMoO4@NiCo-LDH-12 h electrode exhibits a high specific capacitance of 2024 F g−1 at 1 A g−1, with 80.3% retention of the initial specific capacitance at 20 A g−1 and outstanding cycling stability. In addition, we have fabricated a flexible all-solid-state asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) which achieves a maximum energy density of 59.5 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 800 W kg−1 and long-term cycling stability (89.7% device capacitance retention over 5000 cycles). The remarkable electrochemical performance can be ascribed to the rational combination of two electroactive materials and the reasonable array configuration.

In this study, double-layer zinc oxide was synthesized on an aluminium substrate by combining a sol-gel and a hydrothermal method. The bottom layer was flower-like and the upper layer was rod-shaped. The aluminium sheet coated with zinc oxide was infiltrated into a lubricating oil for 2 h to obtain an aluminium-based double-layer ZnO super-slippery surface. Testing showed that the surface demonstrated a good anti-fouling effect. The coating was hydrophobic and oleophobic, and even fruit juice and jam slipped down the surface at a small tilt angle (

Waste paper derived carbon coated with poly(dopamine) (WPC@PDA) as a novel adsorbent was synthesized successfully by activation of KOH and carbonization of waste A4 paper, followed by in situ polymerization of dopamine. WPC@PDA composites possessed a 3D hierarchically interconnected porous structure and the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) specific surface area is calculated to be 364.6 m2/g. The enrichment of uranium for WPC@PDA composites from not only aqueous solution (mg/L) but also simulated seawater (μg/L) was fully evaluated under different scenarios. The experimental results indicated the maximum absorption capacity to uranium (VI) of WPC@PDA composites was 384.6 mg/g at pH 7. In addition, the distribution coefficient (Kd) of U (VI) ion with other competing ions for WPC@PDA composites is 1.97 × 104 mg/L and demonstrated excellent selectivity to uranium (VI) in simulated seawater, which augurs well for the application of the adsorbent in seawater.

Fabrication and design of core/shell heterostructures electrodes are considered as a promising strategy to enhance the electrochemical property of the supercapacitors. In this study, we demonstrate...

Extracting U(VI) from seawater is highly appealing as a new energy source with the growing shortage of land supplies. However, the very low concentration of U(VI) and the enormous volume of seawater for throughput pose a considerable challenge for practical application. Herein, we report on an organic–inorganic hybrid adsorbent material with layered double hydroxides (LDHs) anchored onto polyacrylonitrile fibers (PANs) covalently modified with polyethylenimine (PEI) with facile implementation. In addition, the adsorption performance of PAN–PEI/LDH via column sorption under continuous flow was assessed with simulated seawater. From our results, the PAN–PEI/LDH adsorbent exhibits a high adsorption capacity of 553.96 mg g–1 at mg L–1 level, and the maximum amount of U(VI) uptake from seawater is 0.283 mg g–1 under contact with simulated seawater for 42 days; it offers promising potential for PAN–PEI/LDH as an adsorbent in the extraction of U(VI) from seawater.

In order to meet the application requirements of portable and wearable devices, the high-efficiency energy storage units with high energy density, high power density and long cycle life are urgently needed. In this work, we have successfully fabricated novel flexible electrode comprising NiCo2S4@CoMoO4 core–shell nanowire arrays on carbon cloth via a facile three-step hydrothermal process. Benefiting from the unique hierarchical structure and their synergistic effects between CoMoO4 and NiCo2S4, the supercapacitor electrode realizes a fast electron and ion transfer, a large electroactive surface area and superior conductivity. As a result, the NiCo2S4@CoMoO4 electrode exhibits superior performances with an outstanding specific capacitance of 2118.8 F g−1 at 1 A g−1 and an excellent rate capability of 81.6% at 20 A g−1. After 5000 cycles, the NiCo2S4@CoMoO4 electrode shows an excellent cyclic performance with 88.6% capacity retention. The excellent performance of electrode is also confirmed by assembling all-solid-state asymmetric supercapacitor, which delivers a high energy density of 66.6 Wh kg−1 as well as the maximum power density of 16 kW kg−1. This work demonstrates that the NiCo2S4@CoMoO4 electrode provides a promising material for the energy storage applications in the future.

The development of nuclear energy is significant for resource sustainability. Uranium is the main nuclear fuel, and its effective absorption has captured the attention of researchers. In this study, the green technologies hyperaccumulation effect of the plant and ion-imprinted technology were used to prepare the uranium ion-imprinted hierarchically porous carbon material (II-HPC). At the same time, a nonimprinted hierarchically porous carbon (HPC) was prepared for comparison. The adsorption isotherm was fitted to the Langmuir model and maximum sorption capacity of II-HPC was 503.64 mg g–1 at 298 K. The kinetic data followed the pseudo-second-order model, indicating a dominant role of chemisorption. Initial studies were performed on a lab-scale simulated continuous-flow system for the adsorption kinetics testing of II-HPC in simulated seawater. The results showed that the amount of uranium adsorbed after 35 days was 0.379 mg g–1, which determined that II-HPC adsorbent is a potential material for enrichment...

The bioelectrotransformation efficiency of various organic matters and corresponding electrode biofilm community formation as well as electron transfer efficiency in bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) with different modified electrodes has been extensively studied on the anode side. However, the effects of cathode interface characteristics towards the BESs bioelectrotransformation performance remain poorly understood. In this study, the nitrobenzene-reducing biocathode catalytic efficiency and community structure in response to different modified electrodes (control: hydrophobic and no charge; -SH: hydrophobic and single negative charge; -NH2: hydrophilic and single positive charge -NH-NH2: hydrophilic and double positive charges) were investigated. The biocathode transformation efficiency of nitrobenzene (NB) to aniline (AN) (ENB-AN) was affected by the nature of electrode interface as well as the biocathode community formation and structure. Cathodes with hydrophilic surface and positive charges have performed well in the bioelectrotransformation experiments, and especially made an outstanding performance when inorganic NaHCO3 was supplied as carbon source and cathode as the sole electron donor. Importantly, the hydrophilic surfaces with positive charges were dominated by the electroactive nitroaromatic reducers (Enterococcus, Desulfovibrio and Klebsiella) with the relative abundance as high as 72.20 ± 1.87% and 74.86 ± 8.71% for -NH2 and -NH-NH2 groups respectively. This could explain the higher ENB-AN in the hydrophilic groups than that of the hydrophobic -SH modified group. This study provides new insights into the effects of electrode interface characteristics on the BESs biocathode performance and offers some suggestions for the future design for the improvement of bioelectroremediation performance.

Made available in DSpace on 2018-12-11T16:50:23Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2018-05-01 Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) National Natural Science Foundation of China Ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) on Pd2Ru/C and Pd/C catalysts in alkaline media is studied comprehensively by cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry, in situ FTIR, single fuel cell test and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements. The results show that, as compared to Pd/C, Pd2Ru/C favors acetaldehyde formation and hinders its oxidation. Based on X-ray absorption data, which evidence that Ru promotes a larger electronic vacancy of the Pd 4d band, it is expected that the formation of adsorbed ethoxy is favored on Pd2Ru/C and followed by its oxidation to acetaldehyde facilitated by oxygenated species provided by Ru. In contrast, acetaldehyde oxidation is more difficult on Pd2Ru/C than on Pd/C likely because the adsorption energy of the reactive species is increased. We also show that the performance of Pd2Ru/C anode in alkaline direct ethanol fuel cell (ADEFC) is initially better but degrades much more rapidly than that with Pd/C anode under the same test conditions. The degradation is demonstrated to result from the accumulation of large amounts of acetaldehyde, which in alkaline media forms dimers by the aldol condensation reaction. The dimers tend to be responsible for blocking the active sites for further ethanol oxidation. This comprehensive study provides new understandings of the roles of Ru in Pd2Ru/C for EOR in alkaline media, unveils the causes of the performance degradation of fuel cells with Pd2Ru/C and demonstrates that initial good performances are not necessarily a valid criterion for selecting appropriate anode catalysts for ADEFC applications. Richard G. Lugar Center for Renewable Energy Indiana University Purdue University Department of Chemical Engineering University of Toledo State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces Department of Chemistry College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering School of Energy Research Xiamen University Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) Instituto de Química Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) Instituto de Química FAPESP: 2013/50206-4 FAPESP: 2014/12255-6 National Natural Science Foundation of China: 21361140374

The N-doped porous carbon (HPNCs) are prepared via facile carbonization of zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIF-8) by controllable synthesis and appropriate temperature. In this work, we have discussed different preparation methods and conditions about HPNCs. The material which is carbonated at 800 °C and used zinc acetate during preparation process exhibits excellent electrochemical performance with a high specific capacitance of 245 F g− 1 in 6 M KOH electrolyte at a current density of 1 A g− 1 and low resistance. Moreover, the symmetric supercapacitor of HPNCs-C8//HPNCs-C8 exhibits a special energy density about 24.8 Wh kg1 at the power density of 0.79 kW kg− 1 in the wide voltage region of 0–1.8 V. Such outstanding electrochemical behavior shows that the HPNCs-C8//HPNCs-C8 symmetric supercapacitor is a promising practical energy-storage facility.

Flexible supercapacitors are important energy storage devices used for wearable and smart electronics. The key to fabricating flexible supercapacitors lies in the acquirement of flexible electrodes. However, design and fabrication of flexible electrodes with both high energy and power densities as well as long cycling life is still a challenge work. Herein, a novel flexible supercapacitor electrode composed of hierarchical FeCo2O4@NiCo-LDH core/shell heterostructures on carbon cloth is reported by a facile and cost-effective method. The electrode exhibits a remarkable specific capacitance of 2426 F g−1 at 1 A g−1, and ultrahigh rate capability with 72.5% capacitance retention at 20 A g−1, as well as excellent cycling stability with a capacitance retention of 91.6% after 5000 cycles. Furthermore, the FeCo2O4@NiCo-LDH/CC as the positive electrode, active carbon as the negative electrode, and PVA-KOH gel as both the solid state electrolyte and separator were assembled into flexible all-solid-state asymmetric supercapacitor. The resulting FeCo2O4@NiCo-LDH//AC ASC device exhibits a maximum energy density of 94.9 Wh kg−1, and a favorable energy density of 66.5 Wh kg−1 is still achieved at a high power density of 1.6 kW kg−1, as well as excellent cycling stability of 88.2% after 5000 cycles. Moreover, the ASC device exhibits outstanding flexible and reliability with no degradation under large twisting, which can light one red LED indicators efficiently. The work presented herein hold promise in energy storage for future portable and wearable electronic devices.

Herein, we report on magnetic microspheres with numerous imine groups on the surface, which have great potential for U(VI) recovery in seawater. Hyperbranched polyethylenimine (HPEI) was covalently grafted onto the surface of the core–shell structured microspheres Fe3O4@SiO2. The microstructure and chemical composition of Fe3O4@SiO2-HPEI were comprehensively characterized. Consequently, the adsorption performance at low concentrations (3–30 μg L−1) under simulated seawater was investigated and the removal rate reached more than 90%. The superior performance of the Fe3O4@SiO2-HPEI is attributed to electrostatic force and chemical bonding (between amine/imine groups and U(VI)). We recommend, therefore, Fe3O4@SiO2-HPEI as a prospective alternative adsorbent in U(VI) recovery from seawater.

Transition metal selenides have served as potential electrocatalysts due to their high electroconductivity, while their electrocatalytic performance is still far from being satisfactory. Herein, we report the construction of intrinsically metallic NiCoSe2 on carbon cloth with a crimped nanosheet configuration and highly open structure. This unique morphology endows NiCoSe2 with superhydrophilic properties, leading to close affinity with the electrolyte. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate the combined contribution of Ni and Co elements to the electronic structure of the bimetallic selenides, revealing the strong interaction of the two metals toward enhanced electrical conductivity. Benefiting from the cooperative effects of the structural features, metallic nature and bimetal effect, NiCoSe2 exhibits superior electrocatalytic performance and robust durability toward overall water splitting, especially toward the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) with a low overpotential of 255.8 mV to deliver 10 mA cm−2 current density, indicating its enticing prospect in water electrolysis.