Towards a new avenue for rapid synthesis of electrocatalytic electrodes via laser-induced hydrothermal reaction for water splitting

Electrochemical production of hydrogen from water requires the development ofelectrocatalysts that are active,stable,and low-cost for water splitting.To address these challenges,researchers are increasingly exploring binder-free electrocatalytic integratedelectrodes (IEs) as an alternative to conventional powder-based electrode preparation methods,for the former is highly desirable to improve the catalytic activity and long-term stability for large-scale applications of electrocatalysts.Herein,we demonstrate a laser-inducedhydrothermal reaction (LIHR) technique to grow NiMoO4nanosheets on nickel foam,which is then calcined under H2/Ar mixed gases to prepare the IE IE-NiMo-LR.This electrode exhibits superior hydrogen evolution reaction performance,requiring overpotentials of 59,116 and143 mV to achieve current densities of 100,500 and 1000 mA·cm-2.During the 350 h chronopotentiometry test at current densities of 100 and 500 m A·cm-2,the overpotentialremains essentially unchanged.In addition,NiFe-layered double hydroxide grown on Ni foam is also fabricated with the same LIHR method and coupled with IE-NiMo-IR to achieve water splitting.This combination exhibits excellent durability under industrial current density.The energy consumption and production efficiency of the LIHR method are systematicallycompared with the conventional hydrothermal method.The LIHR method significantly improves the production rate by over 19 times,while consuming only 27.78%of the total energy required by conventional hydrothermal methods to achieve the same production.

A direct laser-synthesized magnetic metamaterial for low-frequency wideband passive microwave absorption

Microwave absorption in radar stealth technology is faced with challenges in terms of its effectiveness in low-frequency regions.Herein,we report a new laser-based method for producing an ultrawideband metamaterial-based microwave absorber with a highly uniform sheet resistance and negative magnetic permeability at resonant frequencies,which results in a wide bandwidth in the L-to S-band.Control of the electrical sheet resistance uniformity has been achieved with less than 5%deviation at 400Ωsq^(-1)and 6%deviation at 120Ωsq^(-1),resulting in a microwave absorption coefficient between 97.2%and 97.7%within a1.56–18.3 GHz bandwidth for incident angles of 0°–40°,and there is no need for providing energy or an electrical power source during the operation.Porous N-and S-doped turbostratic graphene 2D patterns with embedded magnetic nanoparticles were produced simultaneously on a polyethylene terephthalate substrate via laser direct writing.The proposed low-frequency,wideband,wide-incident-angle,and high-electromagnetic-absorption microwave absorber can potentially be used in aviation,electromagnetic interference(EMI)suppression,and 5G applications.

An overview of laser-based multiple metallic material additive manufacturing: from macro- to micro-scales

Additive manufacturing(AM)is an emerging customized three-dimensional(3D)functional product fabrication technology.It provides a higher degree of design freedom,reduces manufacturing steps,cost and production cycles.However,existing metallic component 3D printing techniques are mainly for the manufacture of single material components.With the increasing commercial applications of AM technologies,the need for 3D printing of more than one type of dissimilar materials in a single component increases.Therefore,investigations on multi-material AM(MMAM)emerge over the past decade.Lasers are currently widely used for the AM of metallic components where high temperatures are involved.Here we report the progress and trend in laser-based macro-and micro-scale AM of multiple metallic components.The methods covered in this paper include laser powder bed fusion,laser powder directed energy deposition,and laser-induced forward transfer for MMAM applications.The principles and process/material characteristics are described.Potential applications and challenges are discussed.Finally,future research directions and prospects are proposed.

Two-photon absorption and stimulated emission in poly-crystalline Zinc Selenide with femtosecond laser excitation

The optical nonlinearity in polycrystalline zinc selenide(ZnSe),excited with 775 nm,1 kHz femtosecond laser pulses was investigated via the nonlinear transmission with material thickness and the Z scan technique.The measured two photon absorption coefficientβwas intensity dependent,inferring that reverse saturated absorption(RSA)is also relevant dur-ing high intensity excitation in ZnSe.At low peak intensity I<5 GW cm^(-2),we findβ=3.5 cm GW^(-1) at 775 nm.The spec-tral properties of the broad blueish two-photon induced fluorescence(460 nm-500 nm)was studied,displaying self-ab-sorption near the band edge while the upper state lifetime was measured to be τ_(e)~3.3 ns.Stimulated emission was ob-served when pumping a 0.5 mm thick polycrystalline ZnSe sample within an optical cavity,confirmed by significant line narrowing fromΔλ=11 nm(cavity blocked)toΔλ=2.8 nm at peak wavelength λ_(p)=475 nm while the upper state life-time also decreased.These results suggest that with more optimum pumping conditions and crystal cooling,polycrystal-line ZnSe might reach lasing threshold via two-photon pumping atλ=775 nm.

Abnormal interfacial bonding mechanisms of multi-material additive-manufactured tungsten-stainless steel sandwich structure

Tungsten(W)and stainless steel(SS)are well known for the high melting point and good corrosion resistance respectively.Bimetallic W-SS structures would offer potential applications in extreme environments.In this study,a SS→W→SS sandwich structure is fabricated via a special laser powder bed fusion(LPBF)method based on an ultrasonic-assisted powder deposition mechanism.Material characterization of the SS→W interface and W→SS interface was conducted,including microstructure,element distribution,phase distribution,and nano-hardness.A coupled modelling method,combining computational fluid dynamics modelling with discrete element method,simulated the melt pool dynamics and solidification at the material interfaces.The study shows that the interface bonding of SS→W(SS printed on W)is the combined effect of solid-state diffusion with different elemental diffusion rates and grain boundary diffusion.The keyhole mode of the melt pool at the W→SS(W printed on SS)interface makes the pre-printed SS layers repeatedly remelted,causing the liquid W to flow into the sub-surface of the pre-printed SS through the keyhole cavities realizing the bonding of the W→SS interface.The above interfacial bonding behaviours are significantly different from the previously reported bonding mechanism based on the melt pool convection during multiple material LPBF.The abnormal material interfacial bonding behaviours are reported for the first time.

Localized in‑situ deposition:a new dimension to control in fabricating surface micro/nano structures via ultrafast laser ablation

Controllable fabrication of surface micro/nano structures is the key to realizing surface functionalization for various applications.As a versatile approach,ultrafast laser ablation has been widely studied for surface micro/nano structuring.Increasing research eforts in this feld have been devoted to gaining more control over the fabrication processes to meet the increasing need for creation of complex structures.In this paper,we focus on the in-situ deposition process following the plasma formation under ultrafast laser ablation.From an overview perspective,we frstly summarize the diferent roles that plasma plumes,from pulsed laser ablation of solids,play in diferent laser processing approaches.Then,the distinctive in-situ deposition process within surface micro/nano structuring is highlighted.Our experimental work demonstrated that the in-situ deposition during ultrafast laser surface structuring can be controlled as a localized micro-additive process to pile up secondary ordered structures,through which a unique kind of hierarchical structure with fort-like bodies sitting on top of micro cone arrays were fabricated as a showcase.The revealed laser-matter interaction mechanism can be inspiring for the development of new ultrafast laser fabrication approaches,adding a new dimension and more fexibility in controlling the fabrication of functional surface micro/nano structures.

Laser solid-phase synthesis of single-atom catalysts

Single-atom catalysts(SACs)with atomically dispersed catalytic sites have shown outstanding catalytic performance in a variety of reactions.However,the development of facile and high-yield techniques for the fabrication of SACs remains challenging.In this paper,we report a laser-induced solid-phase strategy for the synthesis of Pt SACs on graphene support.Simply by rapid laser scanning/irradiation of a freeze-dried electrochemical graphene oxide(EGO)film loaded with chloroplatinic acid(H2PtCl6),we enabled simultaneous pyrolysis of H2PtCl6 into SACs and reduction/graphitization of EGO into graphene.The rapid freezing of EGO hydrogel film infused with H2PtCl6 solution in liquid nitrogen and the subsequent ice sublimation by freeze-drying were essential to achieve the atomically dispersed Pt.Nanosecond pulsed infrared(IR;1064 nm)and picosecond pulsed ultraviolet(UV;355 nm)lasers were used to investigate the effects of laser wavelength and pulse duration on the SACs formation mechanism.The atomically dispersed Pt on graphene support exhibited a small overpotential of−42.3 mV at−10 mA cm−2 for hydrogen evolution reaction and a mass activity tenfold higher than that of the commercial Pt/C catalyst.This method is simple,fast and potentially versatile,and scalable for the mass production of SACs.

Label-free super-resolution imaging of adenoviruses by submerged microsphere optical nanoscopy

Because of the small sizes of most viruses(typically 5–150 nm),standard optical microscopes,which have an optical diffraction limit of 200 nm,are not generally suitable for their direct observation.Electron microscopes usually require specimens to be placed under vacuum conditions,thus making them unsuitable for imaging live biological specimens in liquid environments.Indirect optical imaging of viruses has been made possible by the use of fluorescence optical microscopy that relies on the stimulated emission of light from the fluorescing specimens when they are excited with light of a specific wavelength,a process known as labeling or self-fluorescent emissions from certain organic materials.In this paper,we describe direct white-light optical imaging of 75-nm adenoviruses by submerged microsphere optical nanoscopy(SMON)without the use of fluorescent labeling or staining.The mechanism involved in the imaging is presented.Theoretical calculations of the imaging planes and the magnification factors have been verified by experimental results,with good agreement between theory and experiment.

Defective molybdenum sulfide quantum dots as highly active hydrogen evolution electrocatalysts

Molybdenum disulfide （MoS2）, a promising non-precious electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction with two-dimensional layered structure, has received increasing attention in recent years. Its electrocatalytic performance has been limited by the low active site content and poor conductivity. Herein, we report a facile and general ultrafast laser ablation method to synthesize MoS2 quantum dots （MS-QDs） for electrocatalytic HER with fully exposed active sites and highly enhanced conductivity. The MS-QDs were prepared by ultrafast laser ablation of the corresponding bulk material in aqueous solution, during which they were partially oxidized and formed defective structures. The as-prepared MS-QDs demonstrated high activity and stability in the electrocatalytic HER, owing to their very large surface area, defective structure, abundance of active sites, and high conductivity. The present MS-QDs can also find application in optics, sensing, energy storage, and conversion technologies.