Nitrogen and sulfur co-doped graphene aerogel with hierarchically porous structure for high-performance supercapacitors

Supercapacitors with unique performance have been widely utilized in many fields. Herein, we report a nitrogen and sulfur co-doped graphene aerogel(N/S-GA-2) prepared using a low toxic precursor for high-performance supercapacitors. The as-obtained material possesses a hierarchically porous structure and a large number of electrochemical active sites. At a current density of 1 Ag^-1, the specific capacitance of the N/S-GA-2 for supercapacitors with the ionic liquid as the electrolyte is 169.4 Fg^-1, and the corresponding energy density is 84.5 Wh kg^-1.At a power density of 8.9 k W kg^-1, the energy density can reach up to 75.7 Wh kg^-1, showing that the N/S-GA-2 has an excellent electrochemical performance. Consequently, the N/S-GA-2 can be used as a promising candidate of electrode materials for supercapacitors with high power density and high energy density.

Boosting ethanol oxidation over nickel oxide through construction of quasi-one-dimensional morphology and hierarchically porous structure

Quasi-one-dimensional NiO with a hierarchically porous structure was synthesized through a facile coordination−precipitation method with the coupling effect of ammonia and a post-calcination treatment.The electrocatalytic properties of NiO fibers for the oxidation of ethanol were compared with those of NiO spheres.The results show that the fibrous NiO possesses a larger specific surface area of 140.153 m2/g and a lower electrical resistivity of 4.5×105Ω·m,leading to an impressively superior electrocatalytic activity to spherical NiO for ethanol oxidation in alkaline media.The current decay on fibrous NiO at 0.6 V in 100−900 s was 0.00003%,which is much lower than that of spherical NiO,indicating its better stability.The unique morphology and hierarchically porous structure give the fibrous NiO great potential to be used as an anodic electrocatalyst for direct ethanol fuel cells.

Soft-template synthesis of hierarchically porous structured polydimethylsiloxane toward flexible capacitive pressure sensor

Flexible pressure sensors play an important role in the field of monitoring, owing to their inherent safety and the fact that they are embedded at the material level. Capacitive pressure sensors have been proven to be quite versatile, with the ability to change the sensitivity and monitoring range by modifying the pore structure of the dielectric layer(elastic modulus). In this paper, capacitive pressure sensors are devised, comprising hierarchical porous polydimethylsiloxane. Due to the inherent hollow and hierarchical micropore structure, the capacitive pressure sensor allows operation at a wider pressure range(~1000 kPa) while maintaining sensitivity(6.33 MPa-1) in the range of 0–300 k Pa. Subsequently, the capacitance output model of the sensor is optimized, which provides an overall approximation of the experimental values for the sensor performance. Additionally, the signal response of the“break up the whole into parts”(by analysis of the whole sensor in parts) is simulated and outputted by the finite element analysis. The simplified analysis model provides a good understanding of the relationship between the local pressure and the signal response of the pressure sensor. For practical applications, seal monitoring and rubber wheel pressure array system are tested, and the proposed sensor shows sufficient potential for application in large deformation elastomer products.

Nano-Au-decorated hierarchical porous cobalt sulfide derived from ZIF-67 toward optimized oxygen evolution catalysis:Important roles of microstructures and electronic modulation

Enhancing both the number of active sites available and the intrinsic activity of Co-based electrocatalysts simultaneously is a desirable goal.Herein,a ZIF-67-derived hierarchical porous cobalt sulfide decorated by Au nanoparticles(NPs)(denoted as HP-Au@CoxSy@ZIF-67)hybrid is synthesized by low-temperature sulfuration treatment.The well-defined macroporous-mesoporous-microporous structure is obtained based on the combination of polystyrene spheres,as-formed CoxSy nanosheets,and ZIF-67 frameworks.This novel three-dimensional hierarchical structure significantly enlarges the three-phase interfaces,accelerating the mass transfer and exposing the active centers for oxygen evolution reaction.The electronic structure of Co is modulated by Au through charge transfer,and a series of experiments,together with theoretical analysis,is performed to ascertain the electronic modulation of Co by Au.Meanwhile,HP-Au@CoxSy@ZIF-67 catalysts with different amounts of Au were synthesized,wherein Au and NaBH4 reductant result in an interesting“competition effect”to regulate the relative ratio of Co^(2+)/Co^(3+),and moderate Au assists the electrochemical performance to reach the highest value.Consequently,the optimized HP-Au@CoxSy@ZIF-67 exhibits a low overpotential of 340 mV at 10 mA cm^(-2)and a Tafel slope of 42 mV dec-1 for OER in 0.1 M aqueous KOH,enabling efficient water splitting and Zn-air battery performance.The work here highlights the pivotal roles of both microstructural and electronic modulation in enhancing electrocatalytic activity and presents a feasible strategy for designing and optimizing advanced electrocatalysts.

Hierarchically porous Co@N-doped carbon fiber assembled by MOF-derived hollow polyhedrons enables effective electronic/mass transport:An advanced 1D oxygen reduction catalyst for Zn-air battery

Developing advanced oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)electrocatalysts with rapid mass/electron transport as well as conducting relevant kinetics investigations is essential for energy technologies,but both still face ongoing challenges.Herein,a facile approach was reported for achieving the highly dispersed Co nanoparticles anchored hierarchically porous N-doped carbon fibers(Co@N-HPCFs),which were assembled by core-shell MOFs-derived hollow polyhedrons.Notably,the unique one-dimensional(1D)carbon fibers with hierarchical porosity can effectively improve the exposure of active sites and facilitate the electron transfer and mass transfer,resulting in the enhanced reaction kinetics.As a result,the ORR performance of the optimal Co@N-HPCF catalysts remarkably outperforms that of commercial Pt/C in alkaline solution,reaching a limited diffusion current density(J)of 5.85 m A cm^(-2)and a half-wave potential(E_(1/2))of 0.831 V.Particularly,the prepared Co@N-HPCF catalysts can be used as an excellent air-cathode for liquid/solid-state Zn-air batteries,exhibiting great potentiality in portable/wearable energy devices.Furthermore,the reaction kinetic during ORR process is deeply explored by finite element simulation,so as to intuitively grasp the kinetic control region,diffusion control region,and mixing control region of the ORR process,and accurately obtain the relevant kinetic parameters.This work offers an effective strategy and a reliable theoretical basis for the engineering of first-class ORR electrocatalysts with fast electronic/mass transport.

Self-supporting and hierarchically porous Ni_(x)Fe-S/NiFe_(2)O_(4) heterostructure as a bifunctional electrocatalyst for fluctuating overall water splitting

Stable non-noble metal bifunctional electrocatalysts are one of the challenges to the fluctuating overall water splitting driven by re-newable energy.Herein,a novel self-supporting hierarchically porous Ni_(x)Fe-S/NiFe_(2)O_(4) heterostructure as bifunctional electrocatalyst was constructed based on porous Ni-Fe electrodeposition on three-dimensional(3D)carbon fiber cloth,in situ oxidation,and chemical sulfuration.Results showed that the Ni_(x)Fe-S/NiFe_(2)O_(4) heterostructure with a large specific surface area exhibits good bifunctional activity and stability for both hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)and oxygen evolution reaction(OER)because of the abundance of active sites,synergistic effect of the heterostructure,superhydrophilic surface,and stable,self-supporting structure.The results further confirmed that the Ni_(x)Fe-S phase in the heterostructure is transformed into metal oxides/hydroxides and Ni_(3)S_(2) during OER.Compared with the commercial 20wt%Pt/C||IrO_(2)-Ta_(2)O_(5) electrolyzer,the self-supporting Ni1/5Fe-S/NiFe_(2)O_(4)||Ni1/2Fe-S/NiFe_(2)O_(4) electrolyzer exhibits better stability and lower cell voltage in the fluctu-ating current density range of 10-500 mA/cm^(2).Particularly,the cell voltage of Ni1/5Fe-S/NiFe_(2)O_(4)||Ni1/2Fe-S/NiFe_(2)O_(4) is only approximately 3.91 V at an industrial current density of 500 mA/cm^(2),which is lower than that of the 20wt%Pt/C||IrO_(2)-Ta_(2)O_(5) electrolyzer(i.e.,approximately 4.79 V).This work provides a promising strategy to develop excellent bifunctional electrocatalysts for fluctuating overall water splitting.

Self-supporting nanoporous Ni/metallic glass composites with hierarchically porous structure for efficient hydrogen evolution reaction

Searching for free-standing and cost-efficient hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)electrocatalysts with high efficiency and excellent durability remains a great challenge for the hydrogen-based energy industry.Here,we report fabrication of a unique hierarchically porous structure,i.e.,nanoporous Ni(NPN)/metallic glass(MG)composite,through surface dealloying of the specially designed Ni_(40)Zr_(40)Ti_(20)MG wire.This porous composite is composed of micrometer slits staggered with nanometer pores,which not only enlarges effective surface areas for the catalytic reaction,but also facilitates the release of H2 gas.As a result,the NPN/MG hybrid electrode exhibited the prominent HER performance with a low overpotential of 78 m V at 10 m A cm^(-2)and Tafel slope of 42.4 m V dec^(-1),along with outstanding stability in alkaline solutions.Outstanding catalytic properties,combining with their free-standing capability and cost efficiency,make the current composite electrode viable for HER applications.

Hierarchically porous nitrogen-doped carbon as cathode for lithium–sulfur batteries

Porous nitrogen-doped carbon is an especially promising material energy storage due to its excellentconductivity, stable physicochemical properties, easy processability, controllable porosity and low price.Herein, we reported a novel well-designed hierarchically porous nitrogen-doped carbon （HPNC） via acombination of salt template （ZnC12） and hard template （SiO2） as sulfur host for lithium-sulfur batter-ies. The low-melting ZnC12 is boiled off and leaves behind micropores and small size mesopores duringpyrolysis process, while the silica spheres are removed by acid leaching to generate interconnected 3Dnetwork of macropores. The HPNC-S electrode exhibits an initial specific capacity of 1355 mAh g^-l at 0.IC （IC= 1675 mAh g^-1 ）, a high-rate capability of 623 mAh g-l at 2 C, and a small decay of 0.13% per cycleover 300 cycles at 0.2 C. This excellent rate capability and remarkable long-term cyclability of the HPNC-Selectrode are attributed to its hierarchical porous structures for confining the soluble lithium polysulfideas well as the nitrogen doping for high absorbability of lithium polysulfide.

Hierarchically porous Cu current collector with lithiophilic CuxO interphase towards high-performance lithium metal batteries

Lithium metal is one of the most promising anode materials for next-generation electrochemical energy storage due to low electrochemical potential and high specific capacity.However,large volume change and uncontrollable formation of lithium dendrite during cycling severely hinder the practical application of rechargeable Li metal batteries.Herein,we report a hierarchically porous Cu covered with lithiophilic CuxO(HPCu-CuxO) via femtosecond laser strategy in about 2 min as current collector for highperformance Li metal batteries.With precisely tunable pore volume and depth as well as lithiophilic CuxO interphase,the HPCu-CuxO not only guides homogeneous Li nucleation,resulting in a smooth and dendrite-free lithium surface,but also provides space to alleviate the volume expansion of Li metal anode,achieving excellent structure stability.Consequently,highly stable Coulombic efficiency and ultralow overpotential of 15 mV even up to 1000 h were achieved at the current density of 1 mA cm^(-2).Moreover,the resultant Li@HPCu-CuxO//LiFePO_(4) full battery delivered outstanding cycle stability and rate capability.These results offer a pathway toward high-energy-density and safe rechargeable Li metal batteries.

Recent advances in the synthesis of nanoscale hierarchically porous metal–organic frameworks

Nanoscale hierarchically porous metal–organic frameworks(NHP-MOFs)have received unprecedented attention in many fields owing to their integration of the strengths of nanoscale size(<1μm)and hierarchical porous structure(micro-,meso-and/or macro-pores)of MOFs.This review focuses on recent advances in the main synthetic strategies for NHP-MOFs based on different metal ions(e.g.,Cu,Fe,Co,Zn,Al,Zr,and Cr),including the template method,composite technology,post-synthetic modification,in situ growth and the grind method.In addition,the mechanisms of synthesis,regulation techniques and the advantages and disadvantages of various methods are discussed.Finally,the challenges and prospects of the commercialisation of promising NHP-MOFs are also presented.The purpose of this review is to provide a road map for future design and development of NHP-MOFs for practical application.

Cocoon Silk-Derived, Hierarchically Porous Carbon as Anode for Highly Robust Potassium-Ion Hybrid Capacitors

Potassium-ion hybrid capacitors(KIHCs) have attracted increasing research interest because of the virtues of potassium-ion batteries and supercapacitors.The development of KIHCs is subject to the investigation of applicable K+storage materials which are able to accommodate the relatively large size and high activity of potassium.Here,we report a cocoon silk chemistry strategy to synthesize a hierarchically porous nitrogen-doped carbon(SHPNC).The as-prepared SHPNC with high surface area and rich N-doping not only offers highly efficient channels for the fast transport of electrons and K ions during cycling,but also provides sufficient void space to relieve volume expansion of electrode and improves its stability.Therefore,KIHCs with SHPNC anode and activated carbon cathode afford high energy of 135 Wh kg-1(calculated based on the total mass of anode and cathode),long lifespan,and ultrafast charge/slow discharge performance.This study defines that the KIHCs show great application prospect in the field of high-performance energy storage devices.

Nitrogen-rich hierarchically porous carbon foams as high-performance electrodes for lithium-based dual-ion capacitor

Nitrogen-rich porous carbonaceous materials have shown great potential in energy storage and conversion applications due to their facile fabrication,high electronic conductivity,and improved hydrophilic property.Herein,three-dimensional porous N-rich carbon foams are fabricated through a one-step carbonization-activation method of the commercial melamine foam,and displaying hierarchically porous structure(macro-,meso-,and micro-pores),large surface area(1686.5 m2 g^-1),high N-containing level(3.3 at%),and excellent compressibility.The as-prepared carbon foams as electrodes for quasi-solid-state supercapacitors exhibit enhanced energy storage ability with 210 F g^-1 and 2.48c at 0.1 A g^-1,and150 F g^-1 and 1.77 F cm^-2 at 1 A g^-1,respectively.Moreover,as an electrode for lithium-based dual-ion capacitor,this distinctive porous carbon also delivers remarkable specific capacitance with 143.6 F g^-1 at0.1 A g^-1 and 116.2 F g^-1 at 1 A g^-1.The simple preparation method and the fascinating electrochemical performance endow the N-rich porous carbon foams great prospects as high-performance electrodes for electrochemical energy storage.

Enhanced stability of highly-dispersed copper catalyst supported by hierarchically porous carbon for long term selective hydrogenation

Copper based catalysts have high potential for the substituent of noble-metal based catalysts as their high selectivity and moderate activity for selective hydrogenation reaction;however,achieving further high catalytic stability is very difficult.In this work,the carbonization process of Cu-based organic frameworks was explored for the synthesis of highly-dispersed Cu supported by hierarchically porous carbon with high catalytic performance for selective hydrogenation of 1,3-butadiene.The porous hierarchy of carbon support and the dispersion of copper nanoparticles can be precisely tuned by controlling the carbonization process.The resultant catalyst carbonized at 600°C exhibits a rather low reaction temperature at 75°C for 100%butadiene conversion with 100%selectivity to butenes,due to its reasonable porous hierarchy and highly-dispersed copper sites.More importantly,unprecedentedly stability of the corresponding Cu catalyst was firstly observed for selective 1,3-butadiene hydrogenation,with both 100%butadiene conversion and 100%butenes selectivity over 120 h of reaction at 75°C.This study verifies that a simply control the carbonization process of metal organic frameworks can be an effective way to obtain Cu-based catalysts with superior catalytic performance for selective hydrogenation reaction.

Natural Fresh Proteins Directed Hierarchically Porous Nitrogen-doped TiO_(2) as with High Performance as Photocatalyts and Electrode Materials

Fresh EPF proteins from Liangzi Lake were employed as a template to synthesize hierarchically porous nitrogen-doped TiO_(2) in a single process.The experimental results show that N-TiO_(2) sample exhibits significantly enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity in both chemical waste treatment and hydrogen production,and the visible-light photocatalytic activities vary with the concentrations of EPF proteins.The optimal concentration of protein is 600 mg·mL^(-1) and the degradation of RhB could be almost completed in just 25 min.Furthermore,the performance of as-synthesized TiO2 as an electrode for Li-ion battery can be also regulated by the EPF proteins.Natural extrapallial fluid(EPF)proteins extracted from the same kind of mussels living in different regions have significantly different effects on the performances of TiO_(2) as electrode materials for Li-ion battery.The present work highlights the unimaginable effects of natural organic matrix on the synthesis of advanced materials with optimized functional properties.

Ultra-stable and High-rate Lithium Ion Batteries Based on Metal-organic Framework-derived ln2O3 Nanocrystals/Hierarchically Porous Nitrogen-doped Carbon Anode

Exploring electrode materials with attractive specific capacity and prominent cyclic durability is of the essence for promoting lithium ion batteries(LIBs).In2O3 has shown an extraordinary promise for LIBs with advantageous gravimetric capacity(theoretically 965 mA h g-1) and low working voltage.However,In2O3 still suffers from the inherent weaknesses of metal oxides in practical application,especially low conductivity and incorrigible volume expansion upon the cycling process.Here,we demonstrate the architecture of metal-organic framework(MOF)-derived In2O3 nanocrystals/hierarchically porous nitrogen-doped carbon composite(In2O3/HPNC) for ultra-stable LIBs anode.This hierarchically porous structure(micro/meso/macro-pores) with nitrogen doping not only ensures exceptional mechanical strength and accommodates the volume expansion of In2O3 nanocrystals,but also offers electrons and lithium ions efficient interpenetrating pathways to migrate rapidly during charge/discharge processes.Thus,In2O3/HPNC exhibits excellent cyclic stability with a high specific capacity of 623 mA h g-1 over2000 cycles at 1000 mA g-1,corresponding to an ultra-low specific capacity decay of 0.017% per cycle(the best among the ln203-based anode for LIBs),and outstanding rate performance,suggesting a critical step toward achieving long-life and high-rate LIBs in practical devices.

A Novel Hierarchical Porous 3D Structured Vanadium Nitride/Carbon Membranes for High-performance Supercapacitor Negative Electrodes

Transition-metal nitrides exhibit wide potential windows and good electrochemical performance, but usually experience imbalanced practical applications in the energy storage field due to aggregation, poor circulation stability, and complicated syntheses. In this study, a novel and simple multiphase polymeric strategy was developed to fabricate hybrid vanadium nitride/carbon(VN/C) membranes for supercapacitor negative electrodes, in which VN nanoparticles were uniformly distributed in the hierarchical porous carbon 3D networks. The supercapacitor negative electrode based on VN/C membranes exhibited a high specific capacitance of 392.0 F g^(-1) at 0.5 A g^(-1) and an excellent rate capability with capacitance retention of 50.5% at 30 A g^(-1). For the asymmetric device fabricated using Ni(OH)_2//VN/C membranes, a high energy density of 43.0 Wh kg^(-1) at a power density of800 W kg^(-1) was observed. Moreover, the device also showed good cycling stability of 82.9% at a current density of 1.0 A g^(-1) after 8000 cycles. This work may throw a light on simply the fabrication of other high-performance transition-metal nitridebased supercapacitor or other energy storage devices.

3D hierarchically porous NiO/Graphene hybrid paper anode for long-life and high rate cycling flexible Li-ion batteries

With the rapid emergence of wearable devices, flexible lithium-ion batteries(LIBs) are much more needed than ever. Free-standing graphene-based composite paper electrodes with various active materials have appealed wide applications in flexible LIBs. However, due to the prone-to-restacking feature of graphene layers, a long cycle life at high current densities is rather difficult to be achieved. Herein, a unique threedimensional(3D) hierarchically porous NiO micro-flowers/graphene paper(fNiO/GP) electrode is successfully fabricated. The resulting fNiO/GP electrode shows superior long-term cycling stability at high rates(e.g., storage capacity of 359 mAh/g after 600 cycles at a high current density of 1 A/g). The facile 3D porous structure combines both the advantages of the graphene that is highly conductive and flexible to ensure rapid electrons/ions transfer and buffer the volume expansion of NiO during charge/discharge,and of the micro-sized NiO flowers that induces hierarchical between-layer pores ranging from nanomicro meters to promote the penetration of the electrolyte and prevent the re-stacking of graphene layers. Such structural design will inspire future manufacture of a wide range of active materials/graphene composite electrodes for high performance flexible LIBs.

Fabrication, characterization and electrochemical properties of porous palladium bulk samples with high porosity and hierarchical pore structure

In the present study,porous bulk palladium samples were prepared by sodium chloride salt powder spacer incorporation and removal combined with dealloying.The obtained porous Pd bulks were characterized by X‐ray diffraction,field‐emission scanning electron microscopy and N2adsorption isotherm measurements.The prepared porous Pd bulk samples showed a hierarchical pore structure,a high porosity of^88%,a high surface area of^54m2/g,and a compression strength of^0.5MPa.Electrochemical measurements were performed to evaluate the electrocatalytic properties of the porous Pd bulk samples,revealing their effectiveness for ethanol oxidation.

Effect of TiO_2 Sol Impregnation on Biogenic Hierarchical Porous Structure of Rice Husk after High Temperature Treatment

Biogenic hierarchical porous rice husk SiO2 samples were prepared from pre-treating rice husk （RH） at low temperatures following TiO2 sol impregnation and pyrolysis process.The samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy,X-ray diffraction and energy dispersive spectrometer.Biogenic hierarchical porous structure of untreated RH SiO2 starts to crack and break down from 800 ℃,whereas TiO2 grain film is formed on the pore wall and surface of RH SiO2 after sol impregnation and heat treatment,which enhances the skeleton strength ; the biogenic hierarchical porous structure of the rice husk still maintains after firing at 1 400 ℃.

Hierarchically Macroporous Zeolite ZSM-5 Microspheres for Efficient Catalysis

Hollow zeolite microspheres have recently attracted much attention for their applications in catalysis,microreactors and biomedicine.Herein,we present hierarchically structured zeolite ZSM-5 microspheres with unique,abundant macropores that allow more efficient use for catalysis.The hierarchically macroporous zeolite ZSM-5 microspheres are synthesized under the assistance of water/oil emulsions and using polystyrene nanospheres as templates.The zeolite microsphere is assembled by uniform hollow zeolite nanospheres.Their large inner cavities and thin zeolite shells lead to smaller diffusion channel and higher improved accessibility to active sites,contributing to high catalytic performance in the catalytic conversion of benzyl alcohol in mesitylene.Such novel zeolite microspheres with impressive performance will be applied to numerous other industrial catalytic reactions.