Liming Dai joined Case Western Reserve University(CWRU),Cleveland,USA,in fall 2009 as the Kent Hale Smith Professor in the Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering.He is also the director of the Center of ...Liming Dai joined Case Western Reserve University(CWRU),Cleveland,USA,in fall 2009 as the Kent Hale Smith Professor in the Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering.He is also the director of the Center of Advanced Science and Engineering for Carbon at CWRU.He received a BSc degree from the Zhejiang University in 1983,and a PhD from the Australian National University in 1991.He accepted a postdoctoral fellowship from the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge,and 2 years later became a visiting fellow in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana‐Champaign.He spent 10 years with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization(CSIRO)in Melbourne,Australia .展开更多
Cobalt-based electrocatalysts take advantage of potentially harmonizable microstructure and flexible coupling effects compared to commercial noble metal-based catalytic materials.However,conventional water electrolysi...Cobalt-based electrocatalysts take advantage of potentially harmonizable microstructure and flexible coupling effects compared to commercial noble metal-based catalytic materials.However,conventional water electrolysis systems based on cobalt-based monofunctional hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)or oxygen evolution reaction(OER)catalysts have certain shortcomings in terms of resource utilization and universality.In contrast,cobalt-based bifunctional catalysts(CBCs)have attracted much attention in recent years for overall water splitting systems because of their practicality and reduced preparation cost of electrolyzer.This review aims to address the latest development in CBCs for total hydrolysis.The main modification strategies of CBCs are systematically classified in water electrolysis to provide an overview of how to regulate their morphology and electronic configuration.Then,the catalytic performance of CBCs in total-hydrolysis is summarized according to the types of cobalt-based phosphides,sulfides and oxides,and the mechanism of strengthened electrocatalytic ability is emphasized through combining experiments and theoretical calculations.Future efforts are finally suggested to focus on exploring the dynamic conversion of reaction intermediates and building near-industrial CBCs,designing advanced CBC materials through micro-modulation,and addressing commercial applications.展开更多
The thermal evolution of the Earth’s interior and its dynamic effects are the focus of Earth sciences.However,the commonly adopted grid-based temperature solver is usually prone to numerical oscillations,especially i...The thermal evolution of the Earth’s interior and its dynamic effects are the focus of Earth sciences.However,the commonly adopted grid-based temperature solver is usually prone to numerical oscillations,especially in the presence of sharp thermal gradients,such as when modeling subducting slabs and rising plumes.This phenomenon prohibits the correct representation of thermal evolution and may cause incorrect implications of geodynamic processes.After examining several approaches for removing these numerical oscillations,we show that the Lagrangian method provides an ideal way to solve this problem.In this study,we propose a particle-in-cell method as a strategy for improving the solution to the energy equation and demonstrate its effectiveness in both one-dimensional and three-dimensional thermal problems,as well as in a global spherical simulation with data assimilation.We have implemented this method in the open-source finite-element code CitcomS,which features a spherical coordinate system,distributed memory parallel computing,and data assimilation algorithms.展开更多
Osteoarthritis(OA)is a common degenerative disease worldwide and new therapeutics that target inflammation and the crosstalk between immunocytes and chondrocytes are being developed to prevent and treat OA.These attem...Osteoarthritis(OA)is a common degenerative disease worldwide and new therapeutics that target inflammation and the crosstalk between immunocytes and chondrocytes are being developed to prevent and treat OA.These attempts involve repolarizing pro-inflammatory M1 macrophages into the anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype in synovium.In this study,we found that phosphoglycerate mutase 5(PGAM5)significantly increased in macrophages in OA synovium compared to controls based on histology of human samples and single-cell RNA sequencing results of mice models.To address the role of PGAM5 in macrophages in OA,we found conditional knockout of PGAM5 in macrophages greatly alleviated OA symptoms and promoted anabolic metabolism of chondrocytes in vitro and in vivo.Mechanistically,we found that PGAM5 enhanced M1 polarization via AKT-mTOR/p38/ERK pathways,whereas inhibited M2 polarization via STAT6-PPARγpathway in murine bone marrow-derived macrophages.Furthermore,we found that PGAM5 directly dephosphorylated Dishevelled Segment Polarity Protein 2(DVL2)which resulted in the inhibition ofβ-catenin and repolarization of M2 macrophages into M1 macrophages.Conditional knockout of both PGAM5 andβ-catenin in macrophages significantly exacerbated osteoarthritis compared to PGAM5-deficient mice.Motivated by these findings,we successfully designed mannose modified fluoropolymers combined with siPGAM5 to inhibit PGAM5 specifically in synovial macrophages via intra-articular injection,which possessed desired targeting abilities of synovial macrophages and greatly attenuated murine osteoarthritis.Collectively,these findings defined a key role for PGAM5 in orchestrating macrophage polarization and provides insights into novel macrophage-targeted strategy for treating OA.展开更多
Low-value,renewable,carbon-rich resources,with different biomass feedstocks and their derivatives as typical examples,represent virtually inexhaustive carbon sources and carbon-related energy on Earth.Upon conversion ...Low-value,renewable,carbon-rich resources,with different biomass feedstocks and their derivatives as typical examples,represent virtually inexhaustive carbon sources and carbon-related energy on Earth.Upon conversion to higher-value forms(referred to as“up-carbonization”here),these abundant feedstocks provide viable opportunities for energy-rich fuels and sustainable platform chemicals production.However,many of the current methods for such up-carbonization still lack sufficient energy,cost,and material efficiency,which affect their economics and carbon-emissions footprint.With external electricity precisely delivered,discharge plasmas enable many stubborn reactions to occur under mild conditions,by creating locally intensified and highly reactive environments.This technology emerges as a novel,versatile technology platform for integrated or stand-alone conversion of carbon-rich resources.The plasma-based processes are compatible for integration with increasingly abundant and cost-effective renewable electricity,making the whole conversion carbon-neutral and further paving the plasma-electrified upcarbonization to be performance-,environment-,and economics-viable.Despite the chief interest in this emerging area,no review article brings together the state-of-the-art results from diverse disciplines and underlies basic mechanisms and chemistry underpinned.As such,this review aims to fill this gap and provide basic guidelines for future research and transformation,by providing an overview of the application of plasma techniques for carbon-rich resource conversion,with particular focus on the perspective of discharge plasmas,the fundamentals of why plasmas are particularly suited for upcarbonization,and featured examples of plasma-enabled resource valorization.With parallels drawn and specificity highlighted,we also discuss the technique shortcomings,current challenges,and research needs for future work.展开更多
Continuous accumulation and emission into the atmosphere of anthropogenic carbon dioxide(CO_(2)),a major greenhouse gas,has been recognized as a primary contributor to climate change associated with the global warming...Continuous accumulation and emission into the atmosphere of anthropogenic carbon dioxide(CO_(2)),a major greenhouse gas,has been recognized as a primary contributor to climate change associated with the global warming and acidification of oceans.This has led to drastic changes in the natural ecosystem,and hence an unhealthy ecological environment for human society.Thus,the effective mitigation of the ever increasing CO_(2)emission has been recognized as the most important global challenge.To achieve zero carbon footprint,novel materials and approaches are required for potentially reducing the CO_(2)release,while our current fossil-fuel-based energy must be replaced by renewable energy free from emissions.In this paper,porous carbons with hierarchical pore structures are promising for CO_(2)adsorption and electrochemical CO_(2)reduction owing to their high specific surface area,excellent catalytic performance,low cost and long-term stability.Since efficient gas-phased(electro)catalysis involves the access of reactants to active sites at the gas-liquid-solid triple phase,the hierarchical porous carbon materials possess multiple advantages for various CO_(2)-related applications with enhanced volumetric and gravimetric activities(e.g.,CO_(2)uptake and current density)for practical operations.Recent studies have demonstrated that porous carbon materials exhibited notable activities as CO_(2)adsorbents and provided facile conducting pathways and mass diffusion channels for efficient electrochemical CO_(2)reduction even under the high current operation conditions.Herein,we summarize recent advances in porous carbon materials for CO_(2)capture,storage,and electrochemical conversion.Prospectives and challenges on the rational design of porous carbon materials for scalable and practical CO_(2)capture and conversion are also discussed.展开更多
Electrocatalysts are one of the essential components for the devices of high-efficiency green energy storage and conversion,such as metal-air cells,fuel cells,and water electrolysis systems.While catalysts made from n...Electrocatalysts are one of the essential components for the devices of high-efficiency green energy storage and conversion,such as metal-air cells,fuel cells,and water electrolysis systems.While catalysts made from noble metals possess high catalytic performance in both oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)and oxygen evolution reaction(OER),their scarcity and expensiveness significantly limit large-scale applications.In this regard,metal-free/non-noble metal carbon-based catalysts have become competitive alternatives to replace catalysts made of noble metals.Nevertheless,low catalytic ORR/OER performance is the challenge of carbon-based catalysts for the commercial applications of metal-air batteries.To solve the problem of poor catalytic performance,two strategies have been proposed:(1)controlling the microstructure of the catalysts to expose more active sites as the channels of rapid mass and electron transfer;and(2)reducing the reaction energy barrier by optimizing the electronic structures of the catalysts via surface engineering.Here,we review different types of bifunctional ORR/OER electrocatalysts with the activated surface sites.We focus on how the challenge can be overcome with different methods of material synthesis,structural and surface characterization,performance validation/optimization,to outline the principles of surface modifications behind catalyst designs.In particular,we provide critical analysis in the challenges that we are facing in structural design and surface engineering of bifunctional ORR/OER catalysts and indicate the possible solution for these problems,providing the society with clearer ideas on the practical prospects of noble-metal-free electrocatalysts for their future applications.展开更多
Since the discovery of the first carbon-based metal-free electrocatalysts(C-MFECs,i.e.,N-doped carbon nanotubes)for the oxygen reduction reaction in 2009,the field of C-MFECs has grown enormously over the last 10 year...Since the discovery of the first carbon-based metal-free electrocatalysts(C-MFECs,i.e.,N-doped carbon nanotubes)for the oxygen reduction reaction in 2009,the field of C-MFECs has grown enormously over the last 10 years.C-MFECs,as alternatives to nonprecious transition metals and/or precious noble metal-based electrocatalysts,have been consistently demonstrated as efficient catalysts for oxygen reduction,oxygen evolution,hydrogen evolution,carbon dioxide reduction,nitrogen reduction,and many other(electro-)chemical reactions.Recent research and development of C-MFECs have indicated their potential applications in fuel cells,metal-air batteries,and hydrogen generation through water oxidation as well as electrochemical production of various commodity chemicals,such as ammonia,alcohols,hydrogen peroxide,and other useful hydrocarbons.Further research and development of C-MFECs would surely revolutionize traditional energy conversion and storage technologies with minimal environmental impact.In this short review article,we summarize the journey of C-MFECs over the past 10 years with an emphasis on materials development and their structure-property characterization for applications in fuel cells and metal-air batteries.Current challenges and future prospects of this emerging field are also discussed.展开更多
Herein,we report on the effect of a high gravity field on metal-free catalytic reduction,taking the nitrobenzene(NB)reduction and methylene blue(MB)degradation as model reactions in a highgravity rotating tube reactor...Herein,we report on the effect of a high gravity field on metal-free catalytic reduction,taking the nitrobenzene(NB)reduction and methylene blue(MB)degradation as model reactions in a highgravity rotating tube reactor packed with three-dimensional(3D)nitrogen-doped graphene foam(NGF)as a metal-free catalyst.The apparent rate constant(kapp)of the metal-free catalytic reduction of NB in the rotating tube reactor under a high gravity level of 6484g(g=9.81 m s-2)was six times greater than that in a conventional stirred reactor(STR)under gravity.Computational fluid dynamics(CFD)simulations indicated that the improvement of the catalytic efficiency was attributed to the much higher turbulent kinetic energy and faster surface renewal rate in the high-gravity tube reactor in comparison w让h those in a conventional STR.The structure of the 3D metal-free catalysts was stable during the reaction process under a high gravity field,as confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS)and Raman spectra.In the other model reaction,the rate of MB degradation also increased as the high gravity level in creased gradually,which aligns with the result for the NB catalytic reduction system.These results demonstrate the potential to use a high-gravity rotating packed tube reactor for the process intensification of metal-free catalytic reduction reactions.展开更多
Along with the rapid development of flexible and wearable electronic devices,there have been a strong demand for flexible power sources,which has in turn triggered considerable efforts on the research and development ...Along with the rapid development of flexible and wearable electronic devices,there have been a strong demand for flexible power sources,which has in turn triggered considerable efforts on the research and development of flexible batteries.An ideal flexible battery would have not only just high electrochemical performance but also excellent mechanical deformabilities.Therefore,battery constituent components,chemistry systems,device configurations,and practical applications are all pivotal aspects that should be thoroughly considered.Herein,we systematically and comprehensively review the fundamentals and recent progresses of flexible batteries in terms of these important aspects.Specifically,we first discuss the requirements for constituent components,including the current collector,electrolyte,and separator,in flexible batteries.We then elucidate battery chemistry systems that have been studied for various flexible batteries,including lithium-ion batteries,non-lithium-ion batteries,and high-energy metal batteries.This is followed by discussions on the device configurations for flexible batteries,including onedimensional fiber-shaped,two-dimensional film-shaped,and three-dimensional structural batteries.Finally,we summarize recent efforts in exploring practical applications for flexible batteries.Current challenges and future opportunities for the research and development of flexible batteries are also discussed.展开更多
Advances in research and development of carbon-based metal-free electrocatalysts(C-MFECs)have provided potential alternatives to precious metal catalysts for various reactions important to renewable energy and environ...Advances in research and development of carbon-based metal-free electrocatalysts(C-MFECs)have provided potential alternatives to precious metal catalysts for various reactions important to renewable energy and environmental remediation.This timely but critical review provides an overview of recent breakthroughs(within the past 5 years or so)on C-MFECs in all aspects,including the design and regulation of intrinsic catalytic active sites,design and synthesis of carbon composite and hybrid carbon catalysts,mechanism understanding,and potential applications in clean energy storage and energy/chemical conversion.Current challenges and future opportunities in the field of metal-free carbon electrocatalysis are also discussed to provide forward-looking opportunities for their potential applications in various catalytic processes of practical significance.展开更多
Supramolecular chemistry during the synthesis of carbon-nitrogen-based materials has recently experienced a renaissance in the arena of photocatalysis and electrocatalysis.In this review,we start with the discussion o...Supramolecular chemistry during the synthesis of carbon-nitrogen-based materials has recently experienced a renaissance in the arena of photocatalysis and electrocatalysis.In this review,we start with the discussion of supramolecular assemblies-derived carbon-nitrogen-based materials’regulation from the aspect of morphology,chemical composition,and micro/nanostructural control.Afterwards the recent advances of these materials in energy and environment related applications,including degradation of pollutants,water splitting,oxygen reduction reactions,CO_(2) reduction reactions along with organic synthesis are summarized.The correlations between the structural features and physicochemical properties of the carbonnitrogen-based materials and the specific catalytic activity are discussed in depth.By highlighting the opportunities and challenges of supramolecular assembly strategies,we attempt an outlook on possible future developments for highly efficient carbon-based photo/electrocatalysts.展开更多
The organic modification of carbon nanotubes is a novel research field being developed recently. In this article, the history and newest progress of organic modification of carbon nanotubes are reviewed from two aspec...The organic modification of carbon nanotubes is a novel research field being developed recently. In this article, the history and newest progress of organic modification of carbon nanotubes are reviewed from two aspects: organic covalent modification and organic noncovalent modification of carbon nanotubes. The preparation and properties of organic modified carbon nanotubes are discussed in detail. In addition, the prospective development of organic modification of carbon nanotubes is suggested.展开更多
文摘Liming Dai joined Case Western Reserve University(CWRU),Cleveland,USA,in fall 2009 as the Kent Hale Smith Professor in the Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering.He is also the director of the Center of Advanced Science and Engineering for Carbon at CWRU.He received a BSc degree from the Zhejiang University in 1983,and a PhD from the Australian National University in 1991.He accepted a postdoctoral fellowship from the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge,and 2 years later became a visiting fellow in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana‐Champaign.He spent 10 years with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization(CSIRO)in Melbourne,Australia .
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(51572166,52102070)the Program for Professor of Special Appointment at Shanghai Institutions of Higher Learning(GZ2020012)+4 种基金the Key Research Project of Zhejiang Laboratory(2021PE0AC02)the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(2021M702073)BAJC R&D Fund Projects(BA23011)Australian Research Council Future Fellowships(FT230100436)the Shanghai Technical Service Center for Advanced Ceramics Structure Design and Precision Manufacturing(20DZ2294000)。
文摘Cobalt-based electrocatalysts take advantage of potentially harmonizable microstructure and flexible coupling effects compared to commercial noble metal-based catalytic materials.However,conventional water electrolysis systems based on cobalt-based monofunctional hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)or oxygen evolution reaction(OER)catalysts have certain shortcomings in terms of resource utilization and universality.In contrast,cobalt-based bifunctional catalysts(CBCs)have attracted much attention in recent years for overall water splitting systems because of their practicality and reduced preparation cost of electrolyzer.This review aims to address the latest development in CBCs for total hydrolysis.The main modification strategies of CBCs are systematically classified in water electrolysis to provide an overview of how to regulate their morphology and electronic configuration.Then,the catalytic performance of CBCs in total-hydrolysis is summarized according to the types of cobalt-based phosphides,sulfides and oxides,and the mechanism of strengthened electrocatalytic ability is emphasized through combining experiments and theoretical calculations.Future efforts are finally suggested to focus on exploring the dynamic conversion of reaction intermediates and building near-industrial CBCs,designing advanced CBC materials through micro-modulation,and addressing commercial applications.
基金the National Supercomputer Center in Tianjin for their patient assistance in providing the compilation environment.We thank the editor,Huajian Yao,for handling the manuscript and Mingming Li and another anonymous reviewer for their constructive comments.The research leading to these results has received funding from National Natural Science Foundation of China projects(Grant Nos.92355302 and 42121005)Taishan Scholar projects(Grant No.tspd20210305)others(Grant Nos.XDB0710000,L2324203,XK2023DXC001,LSKJ202204400,and ZR2021ZD09).
文摘The thermal evolution of the Earth’s interior and its dynamic effects are the focus of Earth sciences.However,the commonly adopted grid-based temperature solver is usually prone to numerical oscillations,especially in the presence of sharp thermal gradients,such as when modeling subducting slabs and rising plumes.This phenomenon prohibits the correct representation of thermal evolution and may cause incorrect implications of geodynamic processes.After examining several approaches for removing these numerical oscillations,we show that the Lagrangian method provides an ideal way to solve this problem.In this study,we propose a particle-in-cell method as a strategy for improving the solution to the energy equation and demonstrate its effectiveness in both one-dimensional and three-dimensional thermal problems,as well as in a global spherical simulation with data assimilation.We have implemented this method in the open-source finite-element code CitcomS,which features a spherical coordinate system,distributed memory parallel computing,and data assimilation algorithms.
基金This work was supported by grants from National Natural Science Foundation of China(81830078,82071868,32370892)Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality(23141901200)+2 种基金Health Commission of Shanghai Municipality(2022JC029)Biomaterials and Regenerative Medicine Institute Cooperative Research Project,Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine(2022LHA11)Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orthopedic Implant(No.KFKT202206).
文摘Osteoarthritis(OA)is a common degenerative disease worldwide and new therapeutics that target inflammation and the crosstalk between immunocytes and chondrocytes are being developed to prevent and treat OA.These attempts involve repolarizing pro-inflammatory M1 macrophages into the anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype in synovium.In this study,we found that phosphoglycerate mutase 5(PGAM5)significantly increased in macrophages in OA synovium compared to controls based on histology of human samples and single-cell RNA sequencing results of mice models.To address the role of PGAM5 in macrophages in OA,we found conditional knockout of PGAM5 in macrophages greatly alleviated OA symptoms and promoted anabolic metabolism of chondrocytes in vitro and in vivo.Mechanistically,we found that PGAM5 enhanced M1 polarization via AKT-mTOR/p38/ERK pathways,whereas inhibited M2 polarization via STAT6-PPARγpathway in murine bone marrow-derived macrophages.Furthermore,we found that PGAM5 directly dephosphorylated Dishevelled Segment Polarity Protein 2(DVL2)which resulted in the inhibition ofβ-catenin and repolarization of M2 macrophages into M1 macrophages.Conditional knockout of both PGAM5 andβ-catenin in macrophages significantly exacerbated osteoarthritis compared to PGAM5-deficient mice.Motivated by these findings,we successfully designed mannose modified fluoropolymers combined with siPGAM5 to inhibit PGAM5 specifically in synovial macrophages via intra-articular injection,which possessed desired targeting abilities of synovial macrophages and greatly attenuated murine osteoarthritis.Collectively,these findings defined a key role for PGAM5 in orchestrating macrophage polarization and provides insights into novel macrophage-targeted strategy for treating OA.
基金support from the National Key R&D Program of China(2020YFD0900900)Science and Technology Planning Project of Zhoushan of China(2022C41001)Zhejiang Ocean University(11135091221)。
文摘Low-value,renewable,carbon-rich resources,with different biomass feedstocks and their derivatives as typical examples,represent virtually inexhaustive carbon sources and carbon-related energy on Earth.Upon conversion to higher-value forms(referred to as“up-carbonization”here),these abundant feedstocks provide viable opportunities for energy-rich fuels and sustainable platform chemicals production.However,many of the current methods for such up-carbonization still lack sufficient energy,cost,and material efficiency,which affect their economics and carbon-emissions footprint.With external electricity precisely delivered,discharge plasmas enable many stubborn reactions to occur under mild conditions,by creating locally intensified and highly reactive environments.This technology emerges as a novel,versatile technology platform for integrated or stand-alone conversion of carbon-rich resources.The plasma-based processes are compatible for integration with increasingly abundant and cost-effective renewable electricity,making the whole conversion carbon-neutral and further paving the plasma-electrified upcarbonization to be performance-,environment-,and economics-viable.Despite the chief interest in this emerging area,no review article brings together the state-of-the-art results from diverse disciplines and underlies basic mechanisms and chemistry underpinned.As such,this review aims to fill this gap and provide basic guidelines for future research and transformation,by providing an overview of the application of plasma techniques for carbon-rich resource conversion,with particular focus on the perspective of discharge plasmas,the fundamentals of why plasmas are particularly suited for upcarbonization,and featured examples of plasma-enabled resource valorization.With parallels drawn and specificity highlighted,we also discuss the technique shortcomings,current challenges,and research needs for future work.
基金he Australian Research Council for financial support(ARC,DE190100965,FL190100126 and CE230100032).
文摘Continuous accumulation and emission into the atmosphere of anthropogenic carbon dioxide(CO_(2)),a major greenhouse gas,has been recognized as a primary contributor to climate change associated with the global warming and acidification of oceans.This has led to drastic changes in the natural ecosystem,and hence an unhealthy ecological environment for human society.Thus,the effective mitigation of the ever increasing CO_(2)emission has been recognized as the most important global challenge.To achieve zero carbon footprint,novel materials and approaches are required for potentially reducing the CO_(2)release,while our current fossil-fuel-based energy must be replaced by renewable energy free from emissions.In this paper,porous carbons with hierarchical pore structures are promising for CO_(2)adsorption and electrochemical CO_(2)reduction owing to their high specific surface area,excellent catalytic performance,low cost and long-term stability.Since efficient gas-phased(electro)catalysis involves the access of reactants to active sites at the gas-liquid-solid triple phase,the hierarchical porous carbon materials possess multiple advantages for various CO_(2)-related applications with enhanced volumetric and gravimetric activities(e.g.,CO_(2)uptake and current density)for practical operations.Recent studies have demonstrated that porous carbon materials exhibited notable activities as CO_(2)adsorbents and provided facile conducting pathways and mass diffusion channels for efficient electrochemical CO_(2)reduction even under the high current operation conditions.Herein,we summarize recent advances in porous carbon materials for CO_(2)capture,storage,and electrochemical conversion.Prospectives and challenges on the rational design of porous carbon materials for scalable and practical CO_(2)capture and conversion are also discussed.
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(51572166)the project funded by China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(2021 M702073)support from the Program for Professors with Special Appointments(Eastern Scholar:TP2014041)at Shanghai Institutions of Higher Learning。
文摘Electrocatalysts are one of the essential components for the devices of high-efficiency green energy storage and conversion,such as metal-air cells,fuel cells,and water electrolysis systems.While catalysts made from noble metals possess high catalytic performance in both oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)and oxygen evolution reaction(OER),their scarcity and expensiveness significantly limit large-scale applications.In this regard,metal-free/non-noble metal carbon-based catalysts have become competitive alternatives to replace catalysts made of noble metals.Nevertheless,low catalytic ORR/OER performance is the challenge of carbon-based catalysts for the commercial applications of metal-air batteries.To solve the problem of poor catalytic performance,two strategies have been proposed:(1)controlling the microstructure of the catalysts to expose more active sites as the channels of rapid mass and electron transfer;and(2)reducing the reaction energy barrier by optimizing the electronic structures of the catalysts via surface engineering.Here,we review different types of bifunctional ORR/OER electrocatalysts with the activated surface sites.We focus on how the challenge can be overcome with different methods of material synthesis,structural and surface characterization,performance validation/optimization,to outline the principles of surface modifications behind catalyst designs.In particular,we provide critical analysis in the challenges that we are facing in structural design and surface engineering of bifunctional ORR/OER catalysts and indicate the possible solution for these problems,providing the society with clearer ideas on the practical prospects of noble-metal-free electrocatalysts for their future applications.
基金The authors thank our colleagues for their contributions to the work cited.This study was partially supported by the ARC DP190103881,US Air Force Research Laboratory(AFRL),UNSW,and CWRU.
文摘Since the discovery of the first carbon-based metal-free electrocatalysts(C-MFECs,i.e.,N-doped carbon nanotubes)for the oxygen reduction reaction in 2009,the field of C-MFECs has grown enormously over the last 10 years.C-MFECs,as alternatives to nonprecious transition metals and/or precious noble metal-based electrocatalysts,have been consistently demonstrated as efficient catalysts for oxygen reduction,oxygen evolution,hydrogen evolution,carbon dioxide reduction,nitrogen reduction,and many other(electro-)chemical reactions.Recent research and development of C-MFECs have indicated their potential applications in fuel cells,metal-air batteries,and hydrogen generation through water oxidation as well as electrochemical production of various commodity chemicals,such as ammonia,alcohols,hydrogen peroxide,and other useful hydrocarbons.Further research and development of C-MFECs would surely revolutionize traditional energy conversion and storage technologies with minimal environmental impact.In this short review article,we summarize the journey of C-MFECs over the past 10 years with an emphasis on materials development and their structure-property characterization for applications in fuel cells and metal-air batteries.Current challenges and future prospects of this emerging field are also discussed.
基金We are grateful for financial support from National Natural Science Foundation of China(21620102007)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of China(JD2002).
文摘Herein,we report on the effect of a high gravity field on metal-free catalytic reduction,taking the nitrobenzene(NB)reduction and methylene blue(MB)degradation as model reactions in a highgravity rotating tube reactor packed with three-dimensional(3D)nitrogen-doped graphene foam(NGF)as a metal-free catalyst.The apparent rate constant(kapp)of the metal-free catalytic reduction of NB in the rotating tube reactor under a high gravity level of 6484g(g=9.81 m s-2)was six times greater than that in a conventional stirred reactor(STR)under gravity.Computational fluid dynamics(CFD)simulations indicated that the improvement of the catalytic efficiency was attributed to the much higher turbulent kinetic energy and faster surface renewal rate in the high-gravity tube reactor in comparison w让h those in a conventional STR.The structure of the 3D metal-free catalysts was stable during the reaction process under a high gravity field,as confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS)and Raman spectra.In the other model reaction,the rate of MB degradation also increased as the high gravity level in creased gradually,which aligns with the result for the NB catalytic reduction system.These results demonstrate the potential to use a high-gravity rotating packed tube reactor for the process intensification of metal-free catalytic reduction reactions.
基金financial support from The Special Significant Science and Technology Program of Yunnan Province(No.2016HE001-2016HE002).
文摘Along with the rapid development of flexible and wearable electronic devices,there have been a strong demand for flexible power sources,which has in turn triggered considerable efforts on the research and development of flexible batteries.An ideal flexible battery would have not only just high electrochemical performance but also excellent mechanical deformabilities.Therefore,battery constituent components,chemistry systems,device configurations,and practical applications are all pivotal aspects that should be thoroughly considered.Herein,we systematically and comprehensively review the fundamentals and recent progresses of flexible batteries in terms of these important aspects.Specifically,we first discuss the requirements for constituent components,including the current collector,electrolyte,and separator,in flexible batteries.We then elucidate battery chemistry systems that have been studied for various flexible batteries,including lithium-ion batteries,non-lithium-ion batteries,and high-energy metal batteries.This is followed by discussions on the device configurations for flexible batteries,including onedimensional fiber-shaped,two-dimensional film-shaped,and three-dimensional structural batteries.Finally,we summarize recent efforts in exploring practical applications for flexible batteries.Current challenges and future opportunities for the research and development of flexible batteries are also discussed.
基金This work was partly financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(52172179)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(buctrc202118).
文摘Advances in research and development of carbon-based metal-free electrocatalysts(C-MFECs)have provided potential alternatives to precious metal catalysts for various reactions important to renewable energy and environmental remediation.This timely but critical review provides an overview of recent breakthroughs(within the past 5 years or so)on C-MFECs in all aspects,including the design and regulation of intrinsic catalytic active sites,design and synthesis of carbon composite and hybrid carbon catalysts,mechanism understanding,and potential applications in clean energy storage and energy/chemical conversion.Current challenges and future opportunities in the field of metal-free carbon electrocatalysis are also discussed to provide forward-looking opportunities for their potential applications in various catalytic processes of practical significance.
基金This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(52125202,21908110,U2004209)the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province(BK20190479)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(30922010707).
文摘Supramolecular chemistry during the synthesis of carbon-nitrogen-based materials has recently experienced a renaissance in the arena of photocatalysis and electrocatalysis.In this review,we start with the discussion of supramolecular assemblies-derived carbon-nitrogen-based materials’regulation from the aspect of morphology,chemical composition,and micro/nanostructural control.Afterwards the recent advances of these materials in energy and environment related applications,including degradation of pollutants,water splitting,oxygen reduction reactions,CO_(2) reduction reactions along with organic synthesis are summarized.The correlations between the structural features and physicochemical properties of the carbonnitrogen-based materials and the specific catalytic activity are discussed in depth.By highlighting the opportunities and challenges of supramolecular assembly strategies,we attempt an outlook on possible future developments for highly efficient carbon-based photo/electrocatalysts.
基金Acknowledgements The authors thank the financial support by the National Natural Science Foundation of China （No. 51273008 and 51473008）, the National High-Tech Research and Development Program （No. 2012AA030305）, the National Basic Research Program （No. 2012CB933200）, and NSF （No. CMMI-1400274 and AIR-IIP-1343270）.
基金Acknowledgements The work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China （Nos. 51273008 and 51473008）, the National Basic Research Program of China （No. 2012CB933200）, and the National High-tech R＆D Program of China （No. 2012AA030305）. L. M. D. is grateful to the support from NSF （Nos. AIR-IIP-1343270 and CMMI-1400274）.
基金This work was supported by the Chinese Academy ot Sciences.
文摘The organic modification of carbon nanotubes is a novel research field being developed recently. In this article, the history and newest progress of organic modification of carbon nanotubes are reviewed from two aspects: organic covalent modification and organic noncovalent modification of carbon nanotubes. The preparation and properties of organic modified carbon nanotubes are discussed in detail. In addition, the prospective development of organic modification of carbon nanotubes is suggested.
