Deformable Catalytic Material Derived from Mechanical Flexibility for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Deformable catalytic material with excellent flexible structure is a new type of catalyst that has been applied in various chemical reactions,especially electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction(HER).In recent years,deformable catalysts for HER have made great progress and would become a research hotspot.The catalytic activities of deformable catalysts could be adjustable by the strain engineering and surface reconfiguration.The surface curvature of flexible catalytic materials is closely related to the electrocatalytic HER properties.Here,firstly,we systematically summarized self-adaptive catalytic performance of deformable catalysts and various micro–nanostructures evolution in catalytic HER process.Secondly,a series of strategies to design highly active catalysts based on the mechanical flexibility of lowdimensional nanomaterials were summarized.Last but not least,we presented the challenges and prospects of the study of flexible and deformable micro–nanostructures of electrocatalysts,which would further deepen the understanding of catalytic mechanisms of deformable HER catalyst.

Effective strategies to promote Z(S)-scheme photocatalytic water splitting

Artificial Z(S)-scheme photocatalytic water splitting systems have attracted extensive attention due to their advantages such as wide light absorption range,high charge separation efficiency and strong carrier redox ability.However,it is still challenging to design and prepare Z(S)-scheme photocatalysts with low-cost and highly stability for efficiently photocatalytic overall water splitting using solar energy.This review mainly introduces various strategies to improve the photocatalytic water splitting performance of Z(S)-scheme systems.These strategies mainly focus on enhancing or extending the range of light absorption,promoting charge separation,and enhancing surface redox reaction in Z(S)-scheme systems.Finally,the main challenges of Z(S)-scheme photocatalytic water splitting systems and their future development directions are pointed out.This review would be beneficial to understanding the challenges and opportunities faced by the research field of Z(S)-scheme photocatalytic systems,and has important guiding significance for the development and utilization of high-performance Z(S)-scheme photocatalytic reaction system in the future.

Advanced emerging ambient energy harvesting technologies enabled by transition metal dichalcogenides: Opportunity and challenge

Environmental pollution and global warming caused by fossil fuels have become increasingly serious issues. Therefore, it is urgent to explore novel strategies to obtain sustainable, renewable and clean energy. Fortunately, ambient energy harvesting technologies, which are receiving increasing attention, provide an optimal solution. Additionally, the investigation of two-dimensional (2D) materials represented by transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) significantly facilitates the advancement of ambient energy harvesting technologies due to their unique properties, enabling the application of ambient energy harvesting. Herein, we summarized recent advances in the application of TMDs in thermal energy harvesting, osmotic energy harvesting, mechanical energy harvesting, water energy harvesting and radiofrequency energy harvesting respectively. In the meanwhile, we listed some representative structure and device optimization strategies for enhancing the energy conversion performance of these ambient energy harvesters, aiming to provide valuable insights for future investigations towards further optimization. Finally, we highlight the pressing issues currently faced in the application of the TMDs ambient energy harvesting technologies and propose some potential solutions to these challenges. We aimed to provide a comprehensive review in the applications of the energy harvesting technologies, in order to provide innovative insights for optimizing existing TMDs-based technologies.

External field assisted hydrogen evolution reaction

As a clean,efficient,and sustainable energy,hydrogen is expected to replace traditional fossil energy.A series of studies focusing on morphology regulation,surface modification,and structural reconstruction have been devoted to improving the intrinsic catalytic activity of non-noble metal catalysts.However,complex system structure design and the mutual interference of various chemical components would hinder the further improvement of hydrogen evolution performance.In recent years,external field assisted hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)has become a new research hotspot.Herein,we systematically summarize the promoting effects of various external fields on catalytic hydrogen production from the aspects of system design and catalytic mechanism,including electric field,thermal field,optical field,magnetic field,and acoustic field.Ultimately,we discuss the key challenges facing this external field regulation strategy and put forward the prospect of future research topics.We sincerely expect that this review could not only provide a new insight into the basic mechanism of external-assisted catalysis,but also promote further research on improving HER performance from a more diverse and comprehensive perspective.