Recent advances in cobalt phosphide-based materials for electrocatalytic water splitting:From catalytic mechanism and synthesis method to optimization design

Electrochemical water splitting has long been considered an effective energy conversion technology for trans-ferring intermittent renewable electricity into hydrogen fuel,and the exploration of cost-effective and high-performance electrocatalysts is crucial in making electrolyzed water technology commercially viable.Cobalt phosphide(Co-P)has emerged as a catalyst of high potential owing to its high catalytic activity and durability in water splitting.This paper systematically reviews the latest advances in the development of Co-P-based materials for use in water splitting.The essential effects of P in enhancing the catalytic performance of the hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen evolution reaction are first outlined.Then,versatile synthesis techniques for Co-P electrocatalysts are summarized,followed by advanced strategies to enhance the electrocatalytic performance of Co-P materials,including heteroatom doping,composite construction,integration with well-conductive sub-strates,and structure control from the viewpoint of experiment.Along with these optimization strategies,the understanding of the inherent mechanism of enhanced catalytic performance is also discussed.Finally,some existing challenges in the development of highly active and stable Co-P-based materials are clarified,and pro-spective directions for prompting the wide commercialization of water electrolysis technology are proposed.

Recent progress of advanced manganese oxide-based materials for acidic oxygen evolution reaction: Fundamentals, performance optimization,and prospects

The oxygen evolution reaction(OER) is the basis of various sustainable energy conversion and storage techniques,especially hydrogen production by water electrolysis.To realize the practical application of hydrogen energy and mass-scale hydrogen production via water electrolysis,several obstacles,such as the multi-electron transfer OER process with sluggish kinetics and overall high reaction barrier,should be overcome.Manganese oxide-based(MnOx) materials,especially MnO_(2),have emerged as promising non-noble electrocatalysts for water electro-oxidation under acidic conditions due to their wellbalanced properties between catalytic activity and stability.This review introduces the fundamental understanding of the catalytic OER process on MnOx-based materials,including the conventional adsorbate evolution mechanism(AEM) and emerging lattice oxygen oxidation mechanism(LOM).The rational screening and prediction of MnOx-based catalysts that can stably catalyze OER in acid are summarized based on Pourbaix diagram analysis and thermodynamic density functional theory(DFT) calculations.Then,the up-to-date progress of upgrading the OER catalytic performance of MnOx-based catalysts by composite construction is reviewed.Afterward,feasible strategies to improve the electrocatalytic activity and lifetime of MnOx-based catalysts are systemically discussed in terms of crystal structure control,reasonable setting of working potential and electrolyte environment,optimal selection of acid-stable conductive supports,and self-healing engineering.Finally,future scientific challenges and research directions are outlined to guide the construction of advanced MnOx-based electrocatalysts for OER in acid.

Deep eutectic solvent-induced synthesis of Ni-Fe catalyst with excellent mass activity and stability for water oxidation

Ni-Fe bimetallic electrodes are currently recognized as a kind of benchmark transition metal-based oxygen evolution reaction(OER)electrocatalysts.Facile synthesis of Ni-Fe bimetallic electrode materials with excellent catalytic activity and satisfied stability by a simple and low-cost route is still a big challenge.Herein,well-defined Ni-Fe nanoparticles in-situ developed on a planar Fe substrate(Ni-Fe NPs/Fe)is fabricated via a facile one-step galvanic replacement reaction(GRR)carried out in an Ethaline-based deep eutectic solvent(DES).The prepared Ni-Fe NPs/Fe exhibits outstanding OER performance,which needs an overpotential of only 319 mV to drive a current density of 10 mA cm^(-2),with a small Tafel slope of 41.2 mV dec^(-1) in 1.0 mol L^(-1) KOH,high mass activity(up to 319.78 A g^(-1) at an overpotential of 300 mV)and robust durability for 200 h.Impressively,the Ni-Fe bimetallic oxygen-evolution electrode obtained from the Ethaline-based DES is catalytically more active and durable than that of its counterpart derived from the 4.2 mol L^(-1) NaCl aqueous solution.The reason for this is mainly related to the different morphology and surface state of the Ni-Fe catalysts obtained from these different solvent environments,particularly for the differences in phy-chemical properties,active species formed and deposition kinetics,offered by the Ethaline-based DES.

Recent progress of precious-metal-free electrocatalysts for efficient water oxidation in acidic media

The realization of efficient oxygen evolution reaction(OER) is critical to the development of multiple sustainable energy conversion and storage technologies, especially hydrogen production via water electrolysis. To achieve the massive application of hydrogen energy and mass-scale hydrogen production from water splitting drives the pursuit of competent precious-metal-free electrocatalysts in acidic media, where the hydrogen evolution reaction(HER) is more facilitated. However, the development of high-efficient and acid-stable OER electrocatalysts, which are robust to function stably at high oxidation potentials in the acidic electrolyte, remains a great challenge. This article contributes a focused, perceptive review of the up-to-date approaches toward this emerging research field. The OER reaction mechanism and fundamental requirements for oxygen evolution electrocatalysts in acid are introduced. Then the progress and new discoveries of precious-metal-free active materials and design concepts with regard to the improvement of the intrinsic OER activity are discussed. Finally, the existing scientific challenges and the outlooks for future research directions to the fabrication of emerging, earth-abundant OER electrocatalysts in acid are pointed out.

Percutaneous absorption and brain distribution facilitation of borneol on tetramethylpyrazine in a microemulsion-based transdermal therapeutic system

In this study, we show that the percutaneous absorption and brain distribution of tetramethylpyrazine(TMP) is enhanced when combined with borneol(BN) in a microemulsionbased transdermal therapeutic system(ME-TTS). The formulation of the TMP and BN microemulsion(TEM-BN-ME) was optimized in skin permeation studies in vitro following a uniform experimental design. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were used for the in vivo pharmacokinetic and tissue distribution studies of TMP-BN-ME-TTS. In the pharmacokinetic study, the TMP-BN-ME-TTS treated rats had significantly higher( P < 0.05) C max and AUC of TMP than the TMP-ME-TTS treated rats, indicating that BN improves the rate and extent of TMP percutaneous absorption. In the tissue distribution study, the AUC of TMP in brain was significantly higher in the TMP-BN-ME-TTS group( P < 0.05), indicating that BN facilitates the distribution of TMP in brain. In summary, BN enhanced the percutaneous absorption and brain distribution of TMP in a microemulsion-based transdermal therapeutic system.

Antimicrobial Materials: New Strategies to Tackle Various Pandemics

Coronaviruses are responsible for a developing budgetary,human and fatality trouble,as the causative factor of infections,for example,severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2).It has been well recognized that SARS-CoV-2 may survive under severe atmosphere circumstances.Hence,efficient containment approaches,for example,sanitizing,are crucial.Commonly,living compounds contribute a substance of chemical heterogeneity,with antiviral movement,and therefore can have efficacy as therapeutic tools toward coronavirus diseases.Here,in this review article,we have described the antimicrobialbased materials,which can be used to inhibit the spreading of the COVID-19.We have categorized these materials in three sections;(i)antimicrobial wall paint,(ii)antimicrobial papers and(iii)antimicrobial materials surface coating to be utilized as the antimicrobial-based materials for controlling the COVID-19.In the last section,we have given the concluding remarks with prospects in this area.