Biomass Homogeneity Reinforced Carbon Aerogels Derived Functional Phase-Change Materials for Solar–Thermal Energy Conversion and Storage

We deviseda functional form stable compositephase-change materials(PCMs)toachieve a three-dimensional(3D)interconnectedporous carbon aerogel structure for encapsulating polyethyleneglycol(PEG).Anovelhomogeneity reinforced carbonaerogel witha well-interconnected porous structure was constructed bycombining a flexible carbonresource from biomass guar gum with hard-brittle carbonfrom polyimide,to overcome severeshrinkage andpoor mechanical performance of traditionalcarbon aerogel.Thesupportingcarbon aerogel-encapsulated PEG produced thenovel composite PCMswithgood structure stability andcomprehensive energy storage performance.Theresults showed thatthecomposite PCMsdisplayed awell-defined 3Dinterconnected structure,and theirenergy storage capacities were 171.5 and169.5 J/g,which changed onlyslightlyafter 100 thermalcycles,andthe compositescould maintainthe equilibrium temperature at50.0−58.1℃ for about 760.3 s.The thermal conductivityofthe compositescould reach0.62 W m^(−1) K^(−1),which effectively enhanced the thermalresponse rate.And thecomposite PCMs exhibited good leakage-proof performance andexcellent light–thermal conversion.The compressive strengthof thecomposite PCMscan improveupto 1.602 MPa.Results indicatethatthisstrategy canbe efficiently usedtodevelop novel composite PCMswithimproved comprehensive thermalperformance and high light–thermal conversion.

Rambutan-like hierarchically porous carbon microsphere as electrodematerial for high-performance supercapacitors

Used as high-performance electrodes,both structural and compositional alterations of carbon materials play very important roles in energy conversion/storage devices.Especially in supercapacitors,hierarchical pores and heteroatom doping in carbon materials are indispensable.Here the rambutan-like hierarchically porous carbon microspheres(PCMs)have been constructed via a hydrothermal treatment,followed by carbonization/activation.The hierarchically porous microstructure is composed of three-dimensional porous carbon networks,which give rise to a large surface area.Moreover,N and O functional groups are introduced in the as-prepared samples,which could generate the extra pseudocapacitance.Benefitting from the interconnected hierarchical and open structure,PCM exhibits outstanding capacitive performance,for example,superior specific capacitance and rate capability(397 and 288 F g^(−1) at 0.5 and 20A g^(−1),respectively),as well as long cycling stability(about 95%capacitance retention after 10,000 cycles).These encouraging results may pave an efficient way to fabricate advanced supercapacitors in the future.

析氧反应中的磁增强效应与研究进展

利用可再生能源产生的电能来电解水制氢,可有效解决可再生能源供应不稳定和分布不均匀的问题,有利于早日实现碳中和目标.然而,在电解水过程中,阳极发生的析氧反应(oxygen evolution reaction,OER)具有缓慢的动力学反应过程,严重制约了电解水的速度和效率.前期,研究者希望寻找合适的催化剂以提高电解水反应速率.后来,研究发现催化剂活性和稳定性之间存在矛盾.近年的研究表明,通过在电催化过程引入外磁场,可以在保证稳定性的前提下,有效提高其电催化性能.而磁场对OER过程存在几种增效机理,主要包括磁热效应、磁流体动力学效应、自旋选择效应,实际反应中往往存在协同作用.本文总结有关机理,并简要介绍磁场增强OER过程相关的研究进展.最后,对外磁场在OER过程的进一步应用进行了展望.

Chalcogenide-based S-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts

The unique photocatalytic mechanism of S-scheme heterojunction can be used to study new and efficient photocatalysts.By carefully selecting semiconductors for S-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts,it is possible to reduce the rate of photogenerated carrier recombination and increase the conversion efficiency of light into energy.Chalcogenides are a group of compounds that include sulfides and selenides(e.g.,CdS,ZnS,Bi_(2)S_(3),MoS_(2),ZnSe,CdSe,and CuSe).Chalcogenides have attracted considerable attention as heterojunction photocatalysts owing to their narrow bandgap,wide light absorption range,and excellent photoreduction properties.This paper presents a thorough analysis of S-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts based on chalcogenides.Following an introduction to the fundamental characteristics and benefits of S-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts,various chalcogenide-based S-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst synthesis techniques are summarized.These photocatalysts are used in numerous significant photocatalytic reactions,in-cluding the reduction of carbon dioxide,synthesis of hydrogen peroxide,conversion of organic matter,generation of hydrogen from water,nitrogen fixation,degradation of organic pollutants,and sterilization.In addition,cutting-edge characterization techniques,including in situ characterization techniques,are discussed to validate the steady and transient states of photocatalysts with an S-scheme heterojunction.Finally,the design and challenges of chalcogenide-based S-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts are explored and recommended in light of state-of-the-art research.

轻质储氢材料改性与热力学调控进展

为解决环境与能源问题,氢能作为一种理想的二次能源,受到国内外研究者的关注。众多储氢方式中,固态储氢能量密度高、安全性好,被认为是最具有发展前景的储氢方式之一。由轻质元素组成的储氢材料(包含金属氢化物、硼氢化物、铝氢化物、氨基氢化物、氨硼烷)因其具有高的储能密度成为储氢领域的研究热点。本文从热力学角度出发,对几种轻质储氢材料的研究进展,尤其是材料的改性进行了总结,并对轻质储氢材料的发展趋势进行了展望。

基于材料基因工程的储氢材料数据库构建及其应用

高密度储氢材料的加速研发对于我国能源经济转型、早日实现双碳目标至关重要.集成高通量计算、数据库及机器学习预测的数据驱动材料研发新范式有望缩短研发周期并降低研发成本.由于组分、结构、工艺及形貌等多重复杂性,目前储氢材料相关的数据驱动性能预测研究较少,尚缺乏一个较为系统的性质性能数据库.因此,本文中我们开发了智能化的数据挖掘引擎,通过已发表的学术论文中发掘储氢材料热力学、动力学储氢性能数据,以及现有的材料基因工程数据库数据中获取含氢材料物理化学性质,并结合高通量第一性原理计算数据,构建了储氢材料性质性能数据集.基于所构建的数据集进一步建立了储氢材料数据库,并应用晶体图形神经网络等机器学习方法对储氢材料的吸放氢质量、吸放氢温度进行预测.相关工作将数据驱动的材料研发新模式与储氢材料相结合,为发展实用高效的新型储氢材料提供有效的平台支持、数据支撑、方法指引.

Spacing graphene and Ni-Co layered double hydroxides with polypyrrole for high-performance supercapacitors

The urgent need of high-performance of energy storage devices triggers us to design newly class of materials.Generally,the materials feature with high conductivity,abundant pore s and excellent stability.Here,a sandwiched hybrid composite containing reduced graphene oxide,polypyrrole and Ni-Co layered double hydroxides(RGO/PPy/NiCo-LDH) was prepared in a facile way.The polypyrrole was incorporated in the two dimensional(2D) nanosheets,which not only serve as the spacer to increase the surface area,but also enhance the conductivity of the nanocomposite.The obtained architecture was employed as an advanced electrode in a supercapacitor.The electrode shows an ultrahigh specific capacitance(2534 F g^-1 at 1 A g^-1) and good cycling efficiency(78 % after 5000 cycles).Moreover,an asymmetric cell based RGO/PPy/NiCo-LDH composite demonstrates excellent electrochemical properties and good prospect of practical use.

Binary Co–Ni oxide nanoparticle-loaded hierarchical graphitic porous carbon for high-performance supercapacitors

Heteroatom doped graphitic porous carbon is highly desirable for electrochemical applications because of its excellent conductivity and high surface area.In this study,highly uniform Co-Ni oxide nanoparticleloaded B,N-doped hierarchical graphitic porous carbon was prepared through a dual pyrolysis process.Graphene dispersed chitosan hydrogel was first used as a precursor to fabricate the porous carbon(GCS–C)at 700℃.Co and Ni oxide nanoparticles were further anchored on the porous carbon through chemical reduction and calcined at high temperature.The structure of the porous carbon was optimized by the introduction of graphene to the chitosan hydrogel.The graphitic degree of the porous carbon was significantly improved by the Co and Ni species.The heteroatom B and N were found to be well doped in the composite.These features enable the composite to be an excellent candidate for supercapacitor electrodes.The composite demonstrates a high capacitance(1266.7 F g-1 at 1 A g-1)and excellent stability.

Encapsulation of hollow Cu_(2)O nanocubes with Co_(3)O_(4)on porous carbon for energy-storage devices

Co3 O4 is one of the most studied transition-metal oxides for use in energy-storage devices.However,its poor conductivity and stability limit its application.In this study,a facile method for anchoring Co3 O4-encapsulated Cu2 O nanocubes on porous carbon(PC) to form Cu2 O@Co3 O4/PC was developed.The Cu2 O@Co3 O4/PC composite exhibited superior electrochemical performance as a supercapacitor electrode material.The resultant supercapacitor delivered high specific capacitance(1096 F g^-1 at 1 A g^-1),high rate capability(83 % retention at 10 A g^-1),and excellent cycling stability(95 % retention of initial capacitance after 3000 cycles).Moreover,an asymmetric supercapacitor fabricated by coupling a Cu2 O@Co3 O4/PC positive electrode with a reduced graphene oxide negative electrode exhibited high energy density(32.1 W h kg^-1 at 700 W kg^-1).Thus,our results demonstrate that Cu2 O@Co3 O4/PC is a promising electrode material for energy-storage devices.

Superior performance for lithium storage from an integrated composite anode consisting of SiO-based active material and current collector

Silicon-based material is considered to be one of the most promising anodes for the next-generation lithium-ion batteries(LIBs)due to its rich sources,nontoxicity,low cost and high theoretical specific capacity.However,it cannot maintain a stable electrode structure during repeated charge/discharge cycles,and therefore long cycling life is difficult to be achieved.To address this problem,herein a simple and efficient method is developed for the fabrication of an integrated composite anode consisting of SiO-based active material and current collector,which exhibits a core-shell structure with nitrogen-doped carbon coating on SiO/P micro-particles.Without binder and conductive agent,the volume expansion of SiO active material in the integrated composite anode is suppressed to prevent its pulverization.At a current density of 500 mA·g−1,this integrated composite anode exhibits a reversible specific capacity of 458 mA·h·g−1 after 200 cycles.Furthermore,superior rate performance and cycling stability are also achieved.This work illustrates a potential method for the fabrication of integrated composite anodes with superior electrochemical properties for high-performance LIBs.