Tailoring MXene Thickness and Functionalization for Enhanced Room‑Temperature Trace NO_(2) Sensing

In this study,precise control over the thickness and termination of Ti3C2TX MXene flakes is achieved to enhance their electrical properties,environmental stability,and gas-sensing performance.Utilizing a hybrid method involving high-pressure processing,stirring,and immiscible solutions,sub-100 nm MXene flake thickness is achieved within the MXene film on the Si-wafer.Functionalization control is achieved by defunctionalizing MXene at 650℃ under vacuum and H2 gas in a CVD furnace,followed by refunctionalization with iodine and bromine vaporization from a bubbler attached to the CVD.Notably,the introduction of iodine,which has a larger atomic size,lower electronegativity,reduce shielding effect,and lower hydrophilicity(contact angle:99°),profoundly affecting MXene.It improves the surface area(36.2 cm^(2) g^(-1)),oxidation stability in aqueous/ambient environments(21 days/80 days),and film conductivity(749 S m^(-1)).Additionally,it significantly enhances the gas-sensing performance,including the sensitivity(0.1119Ωppm^(-1)),response(0.2% and 23%to 50 ppb and 200 ppm NO_(2)),and response/recovery times(90/100 s).The reduced shielding effect of the–I-terminals and the metallic characteristics of MXene enhance the selectivity of I-MXene toward NO2.This approach paves the way for the development of stable and high-performance gas-sensing two-dimensional materials with promising prospects for future studies.

Reversible Zn/polymer heterogeneous anode

Commercialization of Zn-metal anodes with low cost and high theoretical capacity is hindered by the poor reversibility caused by dendrites growth,side reactions,and the slow Zn^(2+)-transport and reaction kinetics.Herein,a reversible heterogeneous electrode of Zn-nanocrystallites/polyvinylphosphonic acrylamide(Zn/PPAm)with fast electrochemical kinetics is designed for the first time:phosphonic acid groups with strong polarity and chelation effect ensure structural reversibility and stability of the threedimensional Zn-storage-host PPAm network and the Zn/PPAm hybrid;hydrophobic carbon chains suppress side reactions such as hydrogen evolution and corrosion;weak electron-donating amide groups constitute Zn^(2+)-transport channels and promote“desolvation”and“solvation”effects of Zn^(2+)by dragging the PPAm network on the Zn-metal surface to compress/stretch during Zn plating/stripping,respectively;and the heterostructure and Zn nanocrystallites suppress dendrite growth and enhance electrochemical reactivity,respectively.Thus,the Zn/PPAm electrode shows cycle reversibility of over 6000 h with a hysteresis voltage as low as 31 mV in symmetrical cells and excellent durability and flexibility in fiber-shaped batteries.

Uniform Metal Sulfide@N-doped Carbon Nanospheres for Sodium Storage: Universal Synthesis Strategy and Superior Performance

Nitrogen-doped carbon-coated transition-metal sulfides(TMS@NCs)have been considered as efficient anodes for sodium-ion batteries.However,the uncontrollable morphology and weak core-shell binding forces significantly limit the sodium storage performance and life.Herein,based on the reversible ring-opening reaction of the epoxy group of the tertiary amino group-rich epoxide cationic polyacrylamide(ECP)at the beginning of hydrothermal process(acidic environment)and the irreversible ring-opening(cross-linking reactions)at the late hydrothermal period(alkaline environment),47 nm-sized ZnS@NCs were prepared via a one-pot hydrothermal process.During this process,the covalent bonds formed between the ZnS core and elastic carbon shell significantly improved the mechanical and chemical stabilities of ZnS@NC.Benefiting from the nanosize,fast ion/electron transfer,and high stability,ZnS@NC exhibited a high reversible capacity of 421.9 mAh g^(−1) at a current density of 0.1 A g^(−1) after 1000 cycles and a superior rate capability of 273.8 mAh g^(−1) at a current density of 5 A g^(−1).Moreover,via this universal synthesis strategy,a series of TMS@NCs,such as MoS_(2)@NC,NiS@NC,and CuS@NC were developed with excellent capacity and cyclability.

Solid electrolyte-electrode interface based on buffer therapy in solid-state lithium batteries

In the past few years,the all-solid lithium battery has attracted worldwide attentions,the ionic conductivity of some all-solid lithium-ion batteries has reached 10^(-3)-10^(-2) S/cm,indicating that the transport of lithium ions in solid electrolytes is no longer a major problem.However,some interface issues become research hotspots.Examples of these interfacial issues include the electrochemical decomposition reaction at the electrode-electrolyte interface;the low effective contact area between the solid electrolyte and the electrode etc.In order to solve the issues,researchers have pursued many different approaches.The addition of a buffer layer between the electrode and the solid electrolyte has been at the center of this endeavor.In this review paper,we provide a systematic summarization of the problems on the electrode-solid electrolyte interface and detailed reflection on the latest works of buffer-based therapies,and the review will end with a personal perspective on the improvement of buffer-based therapies.

Robust ZnS interphase for stable Zn metal anode of high-performance aqueous secondary batteries

Although Zn metal is an ideal anode candidate for aqueous batteries owing to its high theoretical capacity,lower cost,and safety,its service life and efficiency are damaged by severe hydrogen evolution reaction,self-corrosion,and dendrite growth.Herein,a thickness-controlled ZnS passivation layer was fabricated on the Zn metal surface to obtain Zn@ZnS electrode through oxidation–orientation sulfuration by the liquid-and vapor-phase hydrothermal processes.Benefiting from the chemical inertness of the ZnS interphase,the as-prepared Zn@ZnS electrode presents an excellent anti-corrosion and undesirable hydrogen evolution reaction.Meanwhile,the thickness-optimized ZnS layer with an unbalanced charge distribution represses dendrite growth by guiding Zn plating/stripping,leading to long service life.Consequently,the Zn@Zn S presented 300 cycles in the symmetric cells with a 42 mV overpotential,200 cycles in half cells with a 78 mV overpotential,and superb rate performance in Zn||NH;V;O;full cells.

First-principle study of the structural,electronic,and optical properties of SiC nanowires

We preform first-principle calculations for the geometric, electronic structures and optical properties of SiC nanowires（NWs）. The dielectric functions dominated by electronic interband transitions are investigated in terms of the calculated optical response functions. The calculated results reveal that the SiC NW is an indirect band-gap semiconductor material except at a minimum SiC NW（n = 12） diameter, showing that the NW（n = 12） is metallic. Charge density indicates that the Si–C bond of SiC NW has mixed ionic and covalent characteristics： the covalent character is stronger than the ionic character, and shows strong s–p hybrid orbit characteristics. Moreover, the band gap increases as the SiC NW diameter increases. This shows a significant quantum size and surface effect. The optical properties indicate that the obvious dielectric absorption peaks shift towards the high energy, and that there is a blue shift phenomenon in the ultraviolet region. These results show that SiC NW is a promising optoelectronic material for the potential applications in ultraviolet photoelectron devices.

Smart ZnS@C filler for super-anticorrosive self-healing zinc-rich epoxy coating

The zinc-rich epoxy cathodic protection coating is the most widely used anticorrosion material for marine steel.However,traditional conductive fillers lack the intelligent self-healing effect,which limits the long-term anticorrosion performance.Herein,with uniform carbon-coated ZnS(ZnS@C)nanoballs as the smart active release filler,we propose an anticorrosive and self-healing zinc-rich maleic anhydride epoxy coating.Due to the high pore filling efficiency of the nanoballs,the water vapor transmission rate of the coating with an initial corrosion efficiency of 99.92%and a low-frequency impedance of|Z|f=10mHz=3.88×10^(10) Ω·cm^(2),was reduced by 52%.The carbon-shell of the nanoball increases electron transmission paths in the coating and improves conductivity by nearly two orders of magnitude,which effectively activates more Zn-sites and extends the cathodic protection time.Moreover,once the steel-substrate undergoes regional corrosion,the SO_(4)^(2-)hydrolyzes from the ZnS-core of the nanoball and reacts with iron ions on the corroded area accurately and intelligently to fill the gap and self-heals into a new dense barrier layer(Fe_(2)(SO_(4))_(3),etc.),which significantly improves the shielding protection ability during the long-term usage of the coating.The effective anticorrosion time of the proposed coating could be up to 3,400 h.

Computational exploration and screening of novel Janus MA2Z4 (M = Sc–Zn, Y–Ag, Hf–Au;A=Si, Ge;Z=N, P) monolayers and potential application as a photocatalyst

By high-throughput calculations,13 thermally and environmentally stable Janus MA_(2)Z_(4) monolayers were screened from 104 types of candidates.The 13 stable monolayers have very high charge carrier concentrations(×10^(15) cm^(–2)),which are better than those of the well-known graphene and TaS_(2).Because of their excellent conductivity,the 6 monolayers with band gaps less than 0.5 eV are identified as potential electrode materials for hydrogen evolution reaction applications.For potential applications as photoelectric or photocatalytic materials,bandgaps(Eg-HSE)higher than 0.5 eV remained,which resulted in 7 potential candidates.Based on optical absorption analysis in the visible-light range,H-HfSiGeP_(4) and HMoSiGeP_(4) have higher absorption ability and optical conductivity,which is quite impressive for optoelectronic,solar cell device,and photocatalysis applications.Additionally,the transmittance coefficient of Janus MA_(2)Z_(4) monolayers is approximately 70%–80%in the visible-light range,which implies that these monolayers show good light transmittance.For potential applications as photocatalysts,the redox potential and charge effective mass analysis indicate that H-HfSiGeP_(4),HMoSiGeP_(4),T-ScSiGeN_(4),and T-ZrSiGeN_(4) are suitable photocatalysts for CO_(2) reduction reactions.Using high-throughput identification,13 types of new and stable Janus MA2Z4 monolayers were explored,and the basic properties and potential applications were investigated,which can reduce the time for experiments and provide basic data for the material genome initiative.