SnS_2@C Hollow Nanospheres with Robust Structural Stability as High?Performance Anodes for Sodium Ion Batteries

Constructing unique and highly stable structures with plenty of electroactive sites in sodium storage materials is a key factor for achieving improved electrochemical properties through favorable sodium ion di usion kinetics. An SnS_2@carbon hollow nanospheres(SnS_2@C) has been designed and fabricated via a facile solvothermal route, followed by an annealing treatment. The SnS_2@C hybrid possesses an ideal hollow structure, rich active sites, a large electrode/electrolyte interface, a shortened ion transport pathway, and, importantly, a bu er space for volume change, generated from the repeated insertion/extraction of sodium ions. These merits lead to the significant reinforcement of structural integrity during electrochemical reactions and the improvement in sodium storage properties, with a high specific reversible capacity of 626.8 mAh g^(-1) after 200 cycles at a current density of 0.2 A g^(-1) and superior high-rate performance(304.4 mAh g^(-1) at 5 A g^(-1)).

Highly sensitive room-temperature gas sensors based on hydrothermal synthesis of Cr_2O_3 hollow nanospheres

This paper reports that Cr2O3 hollow nanospheres （HNs） were synthesized via a hydrothermal approach and characterized by scanning electron microscopy, x-ray powder diffraction, transmission electron microscopy （TEM）, selective area electron diffraction and high resolution TEM, respectively. In addition, the room-temperature （RT） gas sensing properties of Cr2O3 HNs and conventional powders （CPs） were investigated by means of the surface photovoltage technique. The experimental data demonstrate that the RT gas sensor of the as-fabricated HNs reaches below 5 ppm whereas that of the CPs is about 40 ppm, which results from there being much more adsorbed and desorbed oxygen in HNs than in CPs at RT. The as-prepared Cr2O3 HNs could have potential applications as RT nanosensors.

MOF‑Derived CoSe2@N‑Doped Carbon Matrix Confined in Hollow Mesoporous Carbon Nanospheres as High‑Performance Anodes for Potassium‑Ion Batteries

In this work,a novel vacuum-assisted strategy is proposed to homogenously form Metal-organic frameworks within hollow mesoporous carbon nanospheres(HMCSs)via a solid-state reaction.The method is applied to synthesize an ultrafine CoSe2 nanocrystal@N-doped carbon matrix confined within HMCSs(denoted as CoSe2@NC/HMCS)for use as advanced anodes in highperformance potassium-ion batteries(KIBs).The approach involves a solvent-free thermal treatment to form a Co-based zeolitic imidazolate framework(ZIF-67)within the HMCS templates under vacuum conditions and the subsequent selenization.Thermal treatment under vacuum facilitates the infiltration of the cobalt precursor and organic linker into the HMCS and simultaneously transforms them into stable ZIF-67 particles without any solvents.During the subsequent selenization process,the“dual confinement system”,composed of both the N-doped carbon matrix derived from the organic linker and the small-sized pores of HMCS,can effectively suppress the overgrowth of CoSe2 nanocrystals.Thus,the resulting uniquely structured composite exhibits a stable cycling performance(442 mAh g^−1 at 0.1 A g^−1 after 120 cycles)and excellent rate capability(263 mAh g^−1 at 2.0 A g^−1)as the anode material for KIBs.

Template-free synthesis of hollow TiO2 nanospheres supported Pt for selective photocatalytic oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde

Heterogeneous photocatalytic system are widely applied to degrade organic pollutants or converse into high value-added chemicals. Both environmental and energy aspects should be considered to improve these chemical processes, favoring reaction conditions that involve room temperature and ambient O2 pressure. In the present work, hollow titanium dioxide nanospheres were fabricated via template-free method. The prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated by photocatalytic oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde with visible light under atmospheric pressure at room temperature. The designed hollow structure(2%Pt–TiO2–5) not only exhibited a very high surface area,but also promoted photonic behavior and multiple light scattering, which as an efficient photocatalyst performed moderate conversion(about 20%) and high selectivity(> 99%) for oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde at room temperature with visible light in solvent of toluene.This work suggests that both hollow structure and Pt nanoparticles have great potential for execution of oxidative transformations under visible light.

Construction of highly-stable graphene hollow nanospheres and their application in supporting Pt as effective catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction

The construction and surface modification of three-dimensional(3D) graphene structures have been recognized as effective ways to prepare high-performance graphene-based composites in energy-related applications. Herein, on the basis of well-defined morphology and efficient electron conduction, the 3D highly-stable graphene hollow nanospheres have been synthesized by using sacrificial template method. The asprepared 3D graphene nanospheres exhibit superior mechanical stability, electrochemical stability, and strong hydrophobicity, which may accelerate the emission of H2O in acidic medium-based ORR. Accordingly, the 3D highly-stable graphene nanospheres are used to confine tiny Pt nanoparticles(3Dr-GO@Pt HNSs) for ORR in acidic medium, exhibiting superior activity with 4-electron-transfered pathway. Meanwhile,dramatically improved durability are achieved in terms of both ORR mass activity and electrochemically surface area compared to those of commercial Pt/C.

High-loading, ultrafine Ni nanoparticles dispersed on porous hollow carbon nanospheres for fast (de)hydrogenation kinetics of MgH_(2)

Magnesium hydride(MgH2) is one of the most promising hydrogen storage materials for practical application due to its favorable reversibility, low cost and environmental benign;however, it suffers from high dehydrogenation temperature and slow sorption kinetics.Exploring proper catalysts with high and sustainable activity is extremely desired for substantially improving the hydrogen storage properties of MgH2. In this work, a composite catalyst with high-loading of ultrafine Ni nanoparticles(NPs) uniformly dispersed on porous hollow carbon nanospheres is developed, which shows superior catalytic activity towards the de-/hydrogenation of MgH2. With an addition of 5wt% of the composite, which contains 90 wt% Ni NPs, the onset and peak dehydrogenation temperatures of MgH2are lowered to 190 and 242 ℃, respectively. 6.2 wt% H2is rapidly released within 30 min at 250 ℃. The amount of H2that the dehydrogenation product can absorb at a low temperature of 150 ℃ in only 250 s is very close to the initial dehydrogenation value. A dehydrogenation capacity of 6.4wt% remains after 50 cycles at a moderate cyclic regime, corresponding to a capacity retention of 94.1%. The Ni NPs are highly active,reacting with MgH2and forming nanosized Mg2Ni/Mg2NiH4. They act as catalysts during hydrogen sorption cycling, and maintain a high dispersibility with the help of the dispersive role of the carbon substrate, leading to sustainably catalytic activity. The present work provides new insight into designing stable and highly active catalysts for promoting the(de)hydrogenation kinetics of MgH2.

A NOVEL METHOD TO PREPARE CROSSLINKED POLYETHYLENEIMINE HOLLOW NANOSPHERES

A novel method to prepare crosslinked polyethyleneimine （CPEI） hollow nanospheres was reported. Uniform silica nanospheres were used as templates, 3-aminopropyl trimethoxysilane （APS） was immobilized on the surface of silica nanospheres as couple agent. Aziridine was initiated ring-opening polymerization with the amino groups in APS to form polyethyleneimine （PEI） shell layer. 1,4-Butanediol diacrylate was utilized to crosslink PEI polymeric shell. The silica nanospheres in core were etched by hydrofluoric acid to obtain hollow CPEI nanospheres. The hollow nanospheres were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）, transmission electron microscopy （TEM）, and thermogravimetric analysis （TGA）.

Rationally designed hollow carbon nanospheres decorated with S,P co-doped NiSe_(2) nanoparticles for high-performance potassium-ion and lithium-ion batteries

Hollow nanostructures with external shells and inner voids have been proved to greatly shorten the transport distance of ions/electrons and buffer volume change,especially for the large-sized potassium-ions in secondary batteries.In this work,hollow carbon(HC) nanospheres embedded with S,P co-doped NiSe_(2)nanoparticles are fabricated by "drop and dry" and "dissolving and precipitation" processes to form Ni(OH)2nanocrystals followed by annealing with S and P dopants to form nanoparticles.The resultant S,P-NiSe_(2)/HC composite exhibits excellent cyclic performance with 131.6 mA h g^(-1)at1000 mA g^(-1)after 3000 cycles for K^(+)storage and a capacity of 417.1 mA h g^(-1)at 1000 mA g^(-1)after1000 cycles for Li^(+)storage.K-ion full cells are assembled and deliver superior cycling stability with a ca pacity of 72.5 mA h g^(-1)at 200 mA g^(-1)after 500 cycles.The hollow carbon shell with excellent electrical conductivity effectively promotes the transporta tion and tolerates large volume variation for both K^(+)and Li^(+).Density functional theory calculations confirm that the S and P co-doping NiSe_(2) enables stronger adsorption of K^(+)ions and higher electrical conductivity that contributes to the improved electrochemical performance.

Preparation of PdCo Bimetallic Hollow Nanospheres and its Electrocatalytic Activity for Oxidation of Formic Acid

The PdCo bimetallic hollow nanospheres with 80 nm average diameter and around 9.0 nm thickness of the shell were prepared with a special reduction method and characterized with transmission electron microscopy （TEM）, X-ray diffraction （XRD） and energy dispersive spectroscopy （EDS）. The electrochemical measurements illustrated that the electrocatalytic activity of the PdCo bimetallic hollow nanospheres for the oxidation of formic acid is much higher than that of the Pd solid nanospheres.

Synthesis of 3D Porous and Interconnected Hollow Carbon Nanospheres Array and Its Applications in Lithium-sulfur Batteries

Lithium-sulfur（Li–S） batteries are receiving much attention due to their high theoretical lithium storage capacity and energy density. However, the commercialization of Li–S batteries is mainly impeded by the inherent poor electrical conductivity of sulfur, the side shuttle behavior of polysulfides, and the volumetric change of sulfur during cycles. To solve these problems, here we report a unique 3D porous and interconnected hollow carbon nanospheres array（3D-HCNA） as sulfur host for lithium-sulfur batteries. This 3D-HCNA was synthesized through a nanocasting approach with sucrose as carbon precursors and mesoporous silica nanospheres as hard-templates. The silica nanospheres with special nanostructure were obtained by a biphase stratification approach. Owing to its unique architecture, as-prepared 3D-HCNA/S cathode with a high sulfur loading of 76 wt% exhibited excellent electrochemical performance. It showed highinitial capacity of 1318 m Ah/g at 0.05 C and good rate capability of 760 m Ah/g at 1 C. Moreover, excellent cycling performance was also observed with a capacity of 757 m Ah/g maintained after 200 cycles at 0.5 C.

Construction of phosphorus-doping with spontaneously developed selenium vacancies: Inducing superior ion-diffusion kinetics in hollow Cu_(2)Se@C nanospheres for efficient sodium storage

Achieving high-efficiency sodium storage in metal selenides is still severely constrained in consideration of their inferior electronic conductivity and inadequate Na^(+)insertion pathways and active sites.Heteroatom doping accompanied by spontaneously developed lattice defects can effectively tune electronic structure of metal selenides,which give a strong effect to motivate fast charge transfer and Na^(+)accessibility.Herein,we finely designed and successfully constructed a fascinating phosphorus-doped Cu_(2)Se@C hollow nanosphere with abundant vacancy defects(Cu_(2)P_(x)Se_(1-x)@C)through a combination strategy of selenization of Cu_(2)O nanosphere template,self-polymerization of dopamine,and subsequent phosphorization treatment.Such exquisite composite possesses enriched active sites,superior conductivity,and sufficient Na^(+)insertion channel,which enable much faster Na^(+)diffusion rates and more remarkable pseudocapacitive features,Satisfyingly,the Cu_(2)P_(x)Se_(1-x)@C composites manifest the supernormal sodium-storage capabilities,that is,a reversible capacity of 403.7 mA h g^(-1) at 1.0 A g^(-1) over 100 cycles,and an ultrastable cyclic lifespan over 1000 cycles at 20.0 A g^(-1) with a high capacity-retention of about249.7 mA h g^(-1).The phase transformation of the Cu_(2)P_(x)Se_(1-x)@C involving the intercalation of Na^(+)into Cu_(2)Se and the following conversion of NaCuSe to Cu and Na2Se were further demonstrated through a series of ex-situ characterization methods.DFT results demonstrate that the coexistence of phosphorusdoping and vacancy defects within Cu_(2)Se results in the reduction of Na^(+)adsorption energy from-1.47to-1.56 eV improving the conductivity of Cu_(2)Se to further accelerate fast Na^(+)mobility.

Highly Conductive Proton Selectivity Membrane Enabled by Hollow Carbon Sieving Nanospheres for Energy Storage Devices

Ion conductive membranes(ICMs)with highly conductive proton selectivity are of significant importance and greatly desired for energy storage devices.However,it is extremely challenging to construct fast proton-selective transport channels in ICMs.Herein,a membrane with highly conductive proton selectivity was fabricated by incorporating porous carbon sieving nanospheres with a hollow structure(HCSNs)in a polymer matrix.Due to the precise ion sieving ability of the microporous carbon shells and the fast proton transport through their accessible internal cavities,this advanced membrane presented a proton conductivity(0.084 S·cm^(-1))superior to those of a commercial Nation 212(N212)membrane(0.033S·cm^(-1))and a pure polymer membrane(0.049 S·cm^(-1)).The corresponding proton selectivity of the membrane(6.68×10^(5) S·min·cm^(-3))was found to be enhanced by about 5.9-fold and 4.3-fold,respectively,compared with those of the N212 membrane(1.13×10^(5) S·min·cm^(-3))and the pure membrane(1.56×10^(5) S·min·cm^(-3)).Low-field nuclear magnetic resonance(LF-NMR)clearly revealed the fast protonselective transport channels enabled by the HCSNs in the polymeric membrane.The proposed membrane exhibited an outstanding energy efficiency(EE)of 84%and long-term stability over 1400 cycles with a0.065%capacity decay per cycle at 120 mA·cm^(-2) in a typical vanadium flow battery(VFB)system.

Atomically dispersed Fe atoms anchored on N-doped carbon hollow nanospheres boost the electrocatalytic performance for oxygen reduction reaction

Oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)is the key reaction at the cathode of proton exchange membrane fuel cells(PEMFCs)and metal-air batteries(1)To address the challenges associated with Pt-based electrocatalysts having prominent activity for ORR,e.g.scarce abundance,prohibitive cost,poor stability,and vulnerability to reaction intermediates,it is necessary to explore other cost-effective ORR electrocatalysts with competitive or even superior performance to promote the commercialization of the energy conversion devices.

Toward High Capacity and Stable SnO_(2)Hollow Nanosphere Electrode Materials:A Case Study of Ni-substituted Modification

To develop the urgent requirement for high-rate electrodes in next-generation lithium-ion batteries,SnO_(2)-based negative materials have been spotlighted as potential alternatives.However,the intrinsic problems,such as conspicuous volume variation and unremarkable conductivity,make the rate capability behave badly at a high-current density.Here,to solve these issues,this work demonstrate a new and facile strategy for synergistically enhancing their cyclic stability by combining the advantages of Ni doping and the fabrication of hollow nanosphere.Specifically,the incorporation of Ni^(2+)ions into the tetragonal rutile-type SnO_(2)shellsimproves the charge transfer kinetics effectively,leading to an excellent cycling stability.In addition,the growth of surface grains on the hollow nanospheres are restrained after Ni doping,which also reduces theunexpected polarization of negative electrodes.As a result,the as-prepared Ni doped electrode delivers a remarkable reversible capacity of 712 mAh g^(-1)at 0.1 A g^(-1)and exhibits outstanding capacity of 340 mAh g^(-1)at 1.6 A g^(-1),about 2.58 times higher than that of the pure SnO_(2)hollow sample.

Effects of discharge parameters on the micro-hollow cathode sustained glow discharge

The effects of parameters such as pressure,first anode radius,and the cavity diameter on the micro-hollow cathode sustained glow discharge are investigated by using a two-dimensional self-consistent fluid model in pure argon.The results indicate that the three parameters influence the discharge in the regions inside and outside of the cavity.Under a fixed voltage on each electrode,a larger volume of high density plasma can be produced in the region between the first and the second anodes by selecting the appropriate pressure,the higher first anode,and the appropriate cavity diameter.As the pressure increases,the electron density inside the hollow cathode,the high density plasma volume between the first anode and second anodes,and the radial electric field in the cathode cavity initially increase and subsequently decrease.As the cavity diameter increases,the high-density plasma volume between the first and second anodes initially increases and subsequently decreases;whereas the electron density inside the hollow cathode decreases.As the first anode radius increases,the electron density increases both inside and outside of the cavity.Moreover,the increase of the electron density is more obvious in the microcathode sustained region than in the micro cavity region.The results reveal that the discharge inside the cavity interacts with that outside the cavity.The strong hollow cathode effect and the high-density plasma inside the cavity favor the formation of a sustained discharge between the first anode and the second anodes.Results also show that the radial boundary conditions exert a considerably weaker influence on the discharge except for a little change in the region close to the radial boundary.

Preparation of micro-nano hollow multiphase ceramic microspheres containing MnFe_2O_4 absorbent by self-reactive quenching method

Fe–Fe2O3–MnO2–sucrose–epoxy resin and O2 as reaction system and feed gas,separately,were used to prepare micro-nano hollow multiphase ceramic microspheres containing MnFe2O4absorbent by self-reactive quenching method which is integrated with flame jet,selfpropagating high-temperature synthesis(SHS),and rapidly solidification.The morphologies and phase compositions of hollow microspheres were studied by scanning electron microscope(SEM),transmission electron microscope(TEM),X-ray diffraction(XRD),and energy dispersive spectroscopy.The results show that the quenching products are regular spherical substantially with hollow structure,particle size is between few hundreds nanometers and 5 lm.Phase compositions are diphase of Fe3O4,Mn3O4,and MnFe2O4,and the spinel soft magnetic ferrite MnFe2O4 with microwave magnetic properties is in majority.Collisions with each other,burst as well as‘‘refinement’’of agglomerate powders in flame field may be the main reasons for the formation of micro-nano hollow multiphase ceramic microspheres containing MnFeOabsorbent.

Cylindrical Micro-hollow Cathode Discharge at Atmospheric Pressure

The mechanism of micro-hollow cathode discharge at atmospheric pressure is investigated through simulations using two-dimensional fluid model combined with a transport model for metastable atoms.In the simulations,electric potential,electric field,particle density,and mean electron energy of the discharge are calculated.The results show that the two characteristic regions of the discharge,i.e.cathode drop and negative glow can be distinguished in the simulation.The cathode drop is characterized by strong electric field and high mean electron energy,while quasi-neutral plasma of high density and exists in the negative glow.The peak value of electron density can reach the order of 1017cm-3.The electron temperature varies from several eV to tens of eV.The influence of cathode dimension on the discharge characteristics is also investigated.

Gradient‑Layered MXene/Hollow Lignin Nanospheres Architecture Design for Flexible and Stretchable Supercapacitors

With the rapid development of flexible wearable electronics,the demand for stretchable energy storage devices has surged.In this work,a novel gradient-layered architecture was design based on single-pore hollow lignin nanospheres(HLNPs)-intercalated two-dimensional transition metal carbide(Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x) MXene)for fabricating highly stretchable and durable supercapacitors.By depositing and inserting HLNPs in the MXene layers with a bottom-up decreasing gradient,a multilayered porous MXene structure with smooth ion channels was constructed by reducing the overstacking of MXene lamella.Moreover,the micro-chamber architecture of thin-walled lignin nanospheres effectively extended the contact area between lignin and MXene to improve ion and electron accessibility,thus better utilizing the pseudocapacitive property of lignin.All these strategies effectively enhanced the capacitive performance of the electrodes.In addition,HLNPs,which acted as a protective phase for MXene layer,enhanced mechanical properties of the wrinkled stretchable electrodes by releasing stress through slip and deformation during the stretch-release cycling and greatly improved the structural integrity and capacitive stability of the electrodes.Flexible electrodes and symmetric flexible all-solid-state supercapacitors capable of enduring 600%uniaxial tensile strain were developed with high specific capacitances of 1273 mF cm^(−2)(241 F g^(−1))and 514 mF cm^(−2)(95 F g^(−1)),respectively.Moreover,their capacitances were well preserved after 1000 times of 600%stretch-release cycling.This study showcased new possibilities of incorporating biobased lignin nanospheres in energy storage devices to fabricate stretchable devices leveraging synergies among various two-dimensional nanomaterials.

Cu single atoms embedded on hollow g-C_(3)N_(4)nanospheres with enhanced charge transfer and separation for efficient photocatalysis

Establishing an effective charge transfer mechanism in carbon nitride(g-C_(3)N_(4))to enhance its photocatalytic activity remains a limiting nuisance.Herein,the combination design of a single Cu atom with hollow g-C_(3)N_(4)nanospheres(Cu-N_(3)structure)has been proven to offer significant opportunities for this crucial challenge.Moreover,this structure endows two pathways for charge transfer in the reaction,namely,the N atoms in the three-dimensional planar structure are only bonded with a single Cu atom,and charge transfer occurs between the plane and the layered structure due to the bending of the interlayered g-C_(3)N_(4)hollow nanospheres.Notably,Cu-N_(3)and hollow nanosphere structures have been certified to greatly enhance the efficiency of photogenerated carrier separation and transfer between the layers and planes by ultrafast spectral analysis.As a result,this catalyst possesses unparalleled photocatalytic efficiency.Specifically,the hydrogen production rate up to 2040μmol h^(−1) g^(−1),which is 51 times that of pure C_(3)N_(4)under visible light conditions.The photocatalytic degradation performance of tetracycline and oxidation performance of benzene is also expressed,with a degradation rate of 100%,a conversion of 97.3%and a selectivity of 99.9%.This work focuses on the structure-activity relationship to provide the possibilities for the development of potential photocatalytic materials.

Copper-induced formation of heterostructured Co_(3)O_(4)/CuO hollow nanospheres towards greatly enhanced lithium storage performance

We report a facile template-free fabrication of heterostructured Co_(3)O_(4)/CuO hollow nanospheres using pre-synthesized Co/Cu-glycerate as conformal precursor.The introduction of copper nitrate in the solvothermal reaction system of glycerol/isopropanol/cobalt nitrate readily induces the conversion from solid Co-glycerate to hollow Co/Cu-glycerate nanospheres,and the effect of the Co/Cu atomic ratio on the structure evolution of the metal glycerates as well as their corresponding oxides were investigated.When examined as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries,the well-defined Co_(3)O_(4)/CuO hollow nanospheres with Co/Cu molar ratio of 2.0 demonstrate excellent lithium storage performance,delivering a high reversible capacity of 930 mAh/g after 300 cycles at a current density of 0.5 A/g and a stable capacity of 650 mAh/g after 500 cycles even at a higher current density of 2.0 A/g,which are much better than their counterparts of bare CuO and Co_(3)O_(4).The enhanced lithium storage performance can be attributed to the synergistic effect of the CuO and Co_(3)O_(4)heterostructure with hollow spherical morphology,which greatly enhances the charge/electrolyte transfer and effectively buffers the volume changes upon lithiation/delithiation cycling.