High‐Efficiency Oxygen Reduction to Hydrogen Peroxide Catalyzed by Nickel Single‐Atom Catalysts with Tetradentate N2O2 Coordination in a Three‐Phase Flow Cell

Carbon‐supported Ni^II single‐atom catalysts with a tetradentate Ni‐N₂O₂ coordination formed by a Schiff base ligand‐mediated pyrolysis strategy are presented. A Ni^II complex of the Schiff base ligand (R,R)‐(?)‐N,N′‐bis(3,5‐di‐tert‐butylsalicylidene)‐1,2‐cyclohexanediamine was adsorbed onto a carbon black support, followed by pyrolysis of the modified carbon material at 300 °C in Ar. The Ni‐N₂O₂/C catalyst showed excellent performance for the electrocatalytic reduction of O₂ to H₂O₂ through a two‐electron transfer process in alkaline conditions, with a H₂O₂ selectivity of 96 %. At a current density of 70 mA cm^?2, a H₂O₂ production rate of 5.9 mol g_cat.^?1 h^?1 was achieved using a three‐phase flow cell, with good catalyst stability maintained over 8 h of testing. The Ni‐N₂O₂/C catalyst could electrocatalytically reduce O₂ in air to H₂O₂ at a high current density, still affording a high H₂O₂ selectivity (>90 %). A precise Ni‐N₂O₂ coordination was key to the performance.     

Fabrication of Porous Nitrogen‐Doped Carbon Materials as Anodes for High‐Performance Lithium Ion Batteries

The hierarchical porous nitrogen‐doped carbon materials (HNCs) were prepared by using nitrogen containing gelatin as the carbon source and nano‐silica obtained by a simple flame synthesis approach as the template. All of the as‐obtained HNCs show much higher Li storage capacity as compared with commercial graphite. Specifically, HNC‐700 with biggest micropore volume and highest nitrogen content exhibited optimal reversible capacities of 1084 mAh·g^??1 at the current density of 37.2 mA·g^?1 (0.1 C) and 309 mAh·g^?1 even at 3.72 A·g^?1 (10 C). This result suggests that HNCs should be a promising candidate for anode materials in high‐rate lithium ion batteries (LIBs).     

Engineering Fast Ion Conduction and Selective Cation Channels for a High‐Rate and High‐Voltage Hybrid Aqueous Battery

The rechargeable aqueous metal‐ion battery (RAMB) has attracted considerable attention due to its safety, low costs, and environmental friendliness. Yet the poor‐performance electrode materials lead to a low feasibility of practical application. A hybrid aqueous battery (HAB) built from electrode materials with selective cation channels could increase the electrode applicability and thus enlarge the application of RAMB. Herein, we construct a high‐voltage K–Na HAB based on K₂FeFe(CN)₆ cathode and carbon‐coated NaTi₂(PO₄)₃ (NTP/C) anode. Due to the unique cation selectivity of both materials and ultrafast ion conduction of NTP/C, the hybrid battery delivers a high capacity of 160 mAh g^?1 at a 0.5 C rate. Considerable capacity retention of 94.3 % is also obtained after 1000 cycles at even 60 C rate. Meanwhile, high energy density of 69.6 Wh kg^?1 based on the total mass of active electrode materials is obtained, which is comparable and even superior to that of the lead acid, Ni/Cd, and Ni/MH batteries.     

Construction of CoO/Co‐Cu‐S Hierarchical Tubular Heterostructures for Hybrid Supercapacitors

Hierarchical hollow structures for electrode materials of supercapacitors could enlarge the surface area, accelerate the transport of ions and electrons, and accommodate volume expansion during cycling. Besides, construction of heterostructures would enhance the internal electric fields to regulate the electronic structures. All these features of hierarchical hollow heterostructures are beneficial for promoting the electrochemical properties and stability of electrode materials for high‐performance supercapacitors. Herein, CoO/Co‐Cu‐S hierarchical tubular heterostructures (HTHSs) composed of nanoneedles are prepared by an efficient multi‐step approach. The optimized sample exhibits a high specific capacity of 320 mAh g^?1 (2300 F g^?1) at 2.0 A g^?1 and outstanding cycling stability with 96.5 % of the initial capacity retained after 5000 cycles at 10 A g^?1. Moreover, an all‐solid‐state hybrid supercapacitor (HSC) constructed with the CoO/Co‐Cu‐S and actived carbon shows a stable and high energy density of 90.7 Wh kg^?1 at a power density of 800 W kg^?1.     

Hierarchical Metal Sulfide/Carbon Spheres: A Generalized Synthesis and High Sodium‐Storage Performance

The development of suitable anode materials is far from satisfactory and is a major scientific challenge for a competitive sodium‐ion battery technology. Metal sulfides have demonstrated encouraging results, but still suffer from sluggish kinetics and severe capacity decay associated with the phase change. Herein we show that rational electrode design, that is, building efficient electron/ion mixed‐conducting networks, can overcome the problems resulting from conversion reactions. A general strategy for the preparation of hierarchical carbon‐coated metal sulfide (MS?C) spheres through thermal sulfurization of metal glycerate has been developed. We demonstrate the concept by synthesizing highly uniform hierarchical carbon coated vanadium sulfide (V₂S₃?C) spheres, which exhibit a highly reversibly sodium storage capacity of 777 mAh g^?1 at 100 mA g^?1, excellent rate capability (410 mAh g^?1 at 4000 mA g^?1), and impressive cycling ability.     

Selective and Efficient Removal of Fluoride from Water: In Situ Engineered Amyloid Fibril/ZrO2 Hybrid Membranes

We report a new strategy for efficient removal of F^? from contaminated water streams, and it relies on carbon hybrid membranes made of amyloid fibril/ZrO₂ nanoparticles (<10 nm). These membranes exhibit superior selectivity for F^? against various competitive ions, with a distribution coefficient (K_d) as high as 6820 mL g^?1, exceeding commercial ion‐exchange resins (IRA‐900) by 180 times and outdoing the performance of most commercial carbon‐activated aluminum membranes. At both low and high (ca. 200 mg L^?1) F^? concentrations, the membrane efficiency exceeds 99.5 % removal. For real untreated municipal tap water (ca. 2.8 mg L^?1) under continuous operating mode, data indicates that about 1750 kg water m^?2 membrane can be treated while maintaining drinking water quality, and the saturated membranes can be regenerated and reused several times without decrease in performance. This technology is promising for mitigating the problem of fluoride water contamination worldwide.     

Photocatalytic Formic Acid Conversion on CdS Nanocrystals with Controllable Selectivity for H2 or CO

Formic acid is considered a promising energy carrier and hydrogen storage material for a carbon‐neutral economy. We present an inexpensive system for the selective room‐temperature photocatalytic conversion of formic acid into either hydrogen or carbon monoxide. Under visible‐light irradiation (λ>420 nm, 1 sun), suspensions of ligand‐capped cadmium sulfide nanocrystals in formic acid/sodium formate release up to 116±14 mmol H₂ g_cat^?1 h^?1 with >99 % selectivity when combined with a cobalt co‐catalyst; the quantum yield at λ=460 nm was 21.2±2.7 %. In the absence of capping ligands, suspensions of the same photocatalyst in aqueous sodium formate generate up to 102±13 mmol CO g_cat^?1 h^?1 with >95 % selectivity and 19.7±2.7 % quantum yield. H₂ and CO production was sustained for more than one week with turnover numbers greater than 6×10⁵ and 3×10⁶, respectively.     

Boron‐Doped,Carbon‐Coated SnO2/Graphene Nanosheets for Enhanced Lithium Storage

Heteroatom doping is an effective method to adjust the electrochemical behavior of carbonaceous materials. In this work, boron‐doped, carbon‐coated SnO₂/graphene hybrids (BCTGs) were fabricated by hydrothermal carbonization of sucrose in the presence of SnO₂/graphene nanosheets and phenylboronic acid or boric acid as dopant source and subsequent thermal treatment. Owing to their unique 2D core–shell architecture and B‐doped carbon shells, BCTGs have enhanced conductivity and extra active sites for lithium storage. With phenylboronic acid as B source, the resulting hybrid shows outstanding electrochemical performance as the anode in lithium‐ion batteries with a highly stable capacity of 1165 mA h g^?1 at 0.1 A g^?1 after 360 cycles and an excellent rate capability of 600 mA h g^?1 at 3.2 A g^?1, and thus outperforms most of the previously reported SnO₂‐based anode materials.     

Simultaneous Detection of Homocysteine and Cysteine in the Presence of Ascorbic Acid and Glutathione Using a Nanocarbon Modified Electrode

The simultaneous electrochemical detection of homocysteine and cysteine using an absorbed ortho‐quinone species, catechol, at the nanocarbon modified glassy carbon electrode was achieved via 1,4‐Michael addition reaction. The detection was done in the presence and the absence of each other as well as with both glutathione and ascorbic acid present in order to investigate the selectivity of homocysteine and cysteine. A determination of homocysteine sensitivity is (0.882±0.296) nA nM^?1 with a LOD of ca. 11 nM and cysteine sensitivity is (7.501±0.202) mA µM^?1 with a LOD of ca. 5.0 µM within a range of 0–0.1 mM.     

Pyrolysis of Animal Bones with Vitamin B12: A Facile Route to Efficient Transition Metal–Nitrogen–Carbon (TM‐N‐C) Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction

By pyrolyzing cattle bones, hierarchical porous carbon (HPC) networks with a high surface area (2520 m² g^?1) and connected pores were prepared at a low cost and large scale. Subsequent co‐pyrolysis of HPC with vitamin B12 resulted in the formation of three‐dimensional (3D) hierarchically structured porous cobalt–nitrogen–carbon (Co‐N‐HPC) electrocatalysts with a surface area as high as 859 m² g^?1 as well as a higher oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalytic activity, better operation stability, and higher tolerance to methanol than the commercial Pt/C catalyst in alkaline electrolyte.     

Long‐Life Room‐Temperature Sodium–Sulfur Batteries by Virtue of Transition‐Metal‐Nanocluster–Sulfur Interactions

Room‐temperature sodium–sulfur (RT‐Na/S) batteries hold significant promise for large‐scale application because of low cost of both sodium and sulfur. However, the dissolution of polysulfides into the electrolyte limits practical application. Now, the design and testing of a new class of sulfur hosts as transition‐metal (Fe, Cu, and Ni) nanoclusters (ca. 1.2 nm) wreathed on hollow carbon nanospheres (S@M‐HC) for RT‐Na/S batteries is reported. A chemical couple between the metal nanoclusters and sulfur is hypothesized to assist in immobilization of sulfur and to enhance conductivity and activity. S@Fe‐HC exhibited an unprecedented reversible capacity of 394 mAh g^?1 despite 1000 cycles at 100 mA g^?1, together with a rate capability of 220 mAh g^?1 at a high current density of 5 A g^?1. DFT calculations underscore that these metal nanoclusters serve as electrocatalysts to rapidly reduce Na₂S₄ into short‐chain sulfides and thereby obviate the shuttle effect.     

C–C bridged Ni(II) complexes bearing β‐keto‐9‐fluorenyliminato ligands prepared by different in situ bonding mechanisms and their use in catalytic (co)polymerization of norbornene and styrene

Two C–C bridged Ni(II) complexes bearing β‐keto‐9‐fluorenyliminato ligands with electron‐withdrawing groups (─CF₃), Ni{PhC(O)CHC[N(9‐fluorenyl)]CF₂}₂ (Ni 1 ) and Ni{CF₃C(O)CHC[N(9‐fluorenyl)]Ph}₂ (Ni 2 ), were synthesized by metal coordination reaction and different in situ bonding mechanisms. The C–C bridged bonds of Ni 1 were formed by in situ intramolecular trifluoromethyl and 9‐fluorenyl carbon–carbon cross‐coupling reaction and those of Ni 2 were formed by in situ intramolecular 9‐fluorenyl carbon–carbon radical coupling reaction mechanism. The obtained complexes were characterized using ¹H NMR spectroscopy and elemental analyses. The crystal and molecular structures of Ni 1 and Ni 2 with C–C bridged configuration were determined using X‐ray diffraction. Ni 1 and Ni 2 were used as catalysts for norbornene (NB) polymerization after activation with B(C₆F₅)₃ and the catalytic activities reached 10⁶ g_polymer mol_Ni^?1 h^?1. The copolymerization of NB and styrene catalyzed by the Ni 1 /B(C₆F₅)₃ system showed high activity (10⁵ g_polymer mol_Ni^?1 h^?1) and the catalytic activities decreased with increasing feed content of styrene. All vinyl‐type copolymers exhibited high molecular weight (10⁴ g mol^?1), narrow molecular weight distribution (M_w/M_n = 1.71–2.80), high styrene insertion ratios (11.13–50.81%) and high thermal stability (T_d > 380°C) and could be made into thin films with high transparency in the visible region (400–800 nm).     

Dual template method to prepare hierarchical porous carbon nanofibers for high-power supercapacitors

Hierarchical porous carbon nanofibers serving as electrode materials are prepared through carbonization and hydrofluoric acid treatment of polyacrylonitrile-based electrospinning involving dual templates. The hierarchical porous structures are synergistically tailored by varying template contents in the spinning solution. The carbon nanofibers prepared from the electrospinning of polyacrylonitrile containing 15/15 wt.% polymethylmethacrylate/tetraethyl orthosilicate exhibit the largest specific surface area (699 m² g^?1) and microporous volume (0.196 cm³ g^?1). In 6 M KOH electrolyte, a symmetrical supercapacitor equipped with the hierarchical porous carbon nanofibers demonstrates its high-end specific capacitance of 170 F g^?1, superior rate capability, and high-power density output up to 14.7 kW kg^?1. Cycling evolution indicates capacitance fading is only 5.8 % of initial capacitance at a current density of 1 A g^?1 even after 8,000 cycles. The excellent electrochemical performances of the carbon nanofiber are mainly ascribed to the optimized pore size distributions of both micropores and mesopores and the unique hierarchical pore structures possessed by abundant micropores.     

Core–Shell Carbon‐Coated CuO Nanocomposites: A Highly Stable Electrode Material for Supercapacitors and Lithium‐Ion Batteries

Herein we present a simple method for fabricating core–shell mesostructured CuO@C nanocomposites by utilizing humic acid (HA) as a biomass carbon source. The electrochemical performances of CuO@C nanocomposites were evaluated as an electrode material for supercapacitors and lithium‐ion batteries. CuO@C exhibits an excellent capacitance of 207.2 F g^?1 at a current density of 1 A g^?1 within a potential window of 0–0.46 V in 6 M KOH solution. Significantly, CuO electrode materials achieve remarkable capacitance retentions of approximately 205.8 F g^?1 after 1000 cycles of charge/discharge testing. The CuO@C was further applied as an anode material for lithium‐ion batteries, and a high initial capacity of 1143.7 mA h g^?1 was achieved at a current density of 0.1 C. This work provides a facile and general approach to synthesize carbon‐based materials for application in large‐scale energy‐storage systems.     

One‐Pot Synthesis of Pomegranate‐Structured Fe3O4/Carbon Nanospheres‐Doped Graphene Aerogel for High‐Rate Lithium Ion Batteries

A unique hierarchically nanostructured composite of iron oxide/carbon (Fe₃O₄/C) nanospheres‐doped three‐dimensional (3D) graphene aerogel has been fabricated by a one‐pot hydrothermal strategy. In this novel nanostructured composite aerogel, uniform Fe₃O₄ nanocrystals (5–10 nm) are individually embedded in carbon nanospheres (ca. 50 nm) forming a pomegranate‐like structure. The carbon matrix suppresses the aggregation of Fe₃O₄ nanocrystals, avoids direct exposure of the encapsulated Fe₃O₄ to the electrolyte, and buffers the volume expansion. Meanwhile, the interconnected 3D graphene aerogel further serves to reinforce the structure of the Fe₃O₄/C nanospheres and enhances the electrical conductivity of the overall electrode. Therefore, the carbon matrix and the interconnected graphene network entrap the Fe₃O₄ nanocrystals such that their electrochemical function is retained even after fracture. This novel hierarchical aerogel structure delivers a long‐term stability of 634 mA h g^?1 over 1000 cycles at a high current density of 6 A g^?1 (7 C), and an excellent rate capability of 413 mA h g^?1 at 10 A g^?1 (11 C), thus exhibiting great potential as an anode composite structure for durable high‐rate lithium‐ion batteries.     

A Hierarchical Tin/Carbon Composite as an Anode for Lithium‐Ion Batteries with a Long Cycle Life

Tin is a promising anode candidate for next‐generation lithium‐ion batteries with a high energy density, but suffers from the huge volume change (ca. 260 %) upon lithiation. To address this issue, here we report a new hierarchical tin/carbon composite in which some of the nanosized Sn particles are anchored on the tips of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) that are rooted on the exterior surfaces of micro‐sized hollow carbon cubes while other Sn nanoparticles are encapsulated in hollow carbon cubes. Such a hierarchical structure possesses a robust framework with rich voids, which allows Sn to alleviate its mechanical strain without forming cracks and pulverization upon lithiation/de‐lithiation. As a result, the Sn/C composite exhibits an excellent cyclic performance, namely, retaining a capacity of 537 mAh g^?1 for around 1000 cycles without obvious decay at a high current density of 3000 mA g^?1.     

Hierarchical mesoporous carbon materials: preparation by direct tri-constituent co-assembly and the electrochemical performance

Hierarchical mesoporous carbon materials with large microporosity were prepared by direct tri-constituent co-assembly with the use of resols as the carbon precursor, tetraethyl orthosilicate as the inorganic precursor, and triblock copolymer F127 as the soft template. Bimodal pore size distributions in the range of 1.5–4 and 7.5–12 nm were obtained in the synthesized hierarchical mesoporous carbon materials after etching of silica by HF acid, showing a high surface area of 1,675 m²?g^?1 with a large pore volume of 2.06 cm³?g^?1. The electrochemical performance of the hierarchical mesoporous carbons was evaluated as an electrode material for electrochemical supercapacitor, showing a specific capacitance as high as 152 F?g^?1 at a scan rate of 5 mV?s^?1 in 6 M KOH aqueous solution and a good cycling stability with capacitance retention of 99 % over 500 cycles.     

Synthesis of High‐Surface‐Area Nitrogen‐Doped Porous Carbon Microflowers and Their Efficient Carbon Dioxide Capture Performance

Sustainable carbon materials have received particular attention in CO₂ capture and storage owing to their abundant pore structures and controllable pore parameters. Here, we report high‐surface‐area hierarchically porous N‐doped carbon microflowers, which were assembled from porous nanosheets by a three‐step route: soft‐template‐assisted self‐assembly, thermal decomposition, and KOH activation. The hydrazine hydrate used in our experiment serves as not only a nitrogen source, but also a structure‐directing agent. The activation process was carried out under low (KOH/carbon=2), mild (KOH/carbon=4) and severe (KOH/carbon=6) activation conditions. The mild activated N‐doped carbon microflowers (A‐NCF‐4) have a hierarchically porous structure, high specific surface area (2309 m² g^?1), desirable micropore size below 1 nm, and importantly large micropore volume (0.95 cm³ g^?1). The remarkably high CO₂ adsorption capacities of 6.52 and 19.32 mmol g^?1 were achieved with this sample at 0 °C (273 K) and two pressures, 1 bar and 20 bar, respectively. Furthermore, this sample also exhibits excellent stability during cyclic operations and good separation selectivity for CO₂ over N₂.     

Synthesis of Ordered Mesoporous Carbon Materials by Dry Etching

A novel synthesis method for ordered mesoporous carbons is presented. The inverse replication of a silica template was achieved using the carbonization of sucrose within mesoporous KIT‐6. Instead of liquid acid etching, as in classical nanocasting, a novel dry chlorine etching procedure for template removal is presented for the first time. The resultant ordered mesostructured carbon material outperforms carbons obtained by conventional hard templating with respect to high specific micro‐ and mesopore volumes (0.6 and 1.6 cm³ g^?1, respectively), due to the presence of a hierarchical pore system. A high specific surface area of 1671 m² g^?1 was achieved, rendering this synthesis route a highly convenient method to produce ordered mesoporous carbons.     

Employing an Unsaturated Th4+ Site in a Porous Thorium–Organic Framework for Kr/Xe Uptake and Separation

Actinide based metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are unique not only because compared to the transition‐metal and lanthanide systems they are substantially less explored, but also owing to the uniqueness of actinide ions in bonding and coordination. Now a 3D thorium–organic framework ( SCU‐11 ) contains a series of cages with an effective size of ca. 21×24 Å. Th⁴⁺ in SCU‐11 is 10‐coordinate with a bicapped square prism coordination geometry, which has never been documented for any metal cation complexes. The bicapped position is occupied by two coordinated water molecules that can be removed to afford a very unique open Th⁴⁺ site, confirmed by X‐ray diffraction, color change, thermogravimetry, and spectroscopy. The degassed phase ( SCU‐11‐A ) exhibits a Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area of 1272 m² g^?1, one of the highest values among reported actinide materials, enabling it to sufficiently retain water vapor, Kr, and Xe with uptake capacities of 234 cm³ g^?1, 0.77 mmol g^?1, 3.17 mmol g^?1, respectively, and a Xe/Kr selectivity of 5.7.