Tailoring the Porous Structure of Mono-dispersed Hierarchically Nitrogen-doped Carbon Spheres for Highly Efficient Oxygen Reduction Reaction

The search for a low-cost metal-free cathode material with excellent mass transfer structure and catalytic activity in oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)is one of the most challenging issues in fuel cells.In this work,nitrogen-rich mphenylenediamine is introduced into the synthesis of porous carbon spheres to tune the pore structure and nitrogen-doped active sites.As a result,more pyridinic N and pyrrolic N functional species were observed at the interior and surface of the carbon spheres.The introduction of m-phenylenediamine also regulated the nucleating of precursors,an urchin-like mesoporous surface structure ensures point contact and less agglomeration between each particle was obtained.With optimized proportion of micropores/mesopores and improved nitrogen-contained functional species,the ORR activity can be remarkably improved.The half-wave potential of this catalyst could achieve to 0.81 V(versus RHE)which is only 42 m V lower than commercial Pt/C catalyst.Furthermore,the optimized cathode catalyst achieved a 69 m W cm-2 maximum power density when operated in direct methanol fuel cells at room temperature.

Construction of ternary Sn/SnO_(2)/nitrogen-doped carbon superstructures as anodes for advanced lithium-ion batteries

Pristine tin (Sn) and tin dioxide (SnO_(2)) have sparked wide interest owing to their abundant resources and superior theoretical capacity. Nevertheless, the obvious volume expansion effect upon cycling and undesirable conductivity of Sn-based materials lead to undesirable specific capacity. In this work, a nanostructured Sn/SnO_(2)/nitrogen-doped carbon (NC) superstructure was prepared through a facile electrospray-carbonization strategy. The Sn/SnO_(2) nanoparticles (NPs) were uniformly dispersed in a spherical NC matrix, which prevented the volume expansion and aggregation of NPs and facilitated the ion diffusion and charge transfer kinetics. When the optimized Sn/SnO_(2)/NC superstructures were employed as lithium-ion battery anodes, a remarkable specific capacity of 747.9 mAh·g^(−1) over 200 cycles at 0.5 A·g^(−1) and a superior cyclability of 644.1 mAh·g^(−1) over 1000 cycles at 2 A·g^(−1) were obtained. This effective synthetic strategy for synthesizing superstructures provides valuable insights for the advancement of lithium-ion batteries.

Recent advances in producing hollow carbon spheres for use in sodium−sulfur and potassium−sulfur batteries

Sodium-sulfur(Na-S)and potassium-sulfur(K-S)batteries for use at room temperature have received widespread attention because of the abundance and low cost of their raw materials and their high energy density.However,their development is restricted by the shuttling of polysulfides,large volume expansion and poor conductivity.To overcome these obstacles,an effective approach is to use carbon-based materials with abundant space for the sulfur that has sulfiphilic sites to immobilize it,and a high electrical conductivity.Hollow carbon spheres(HCSs)with a controllable structure and composition are promising for this purpose.We consider recent progress in optimizing the electrochemical performance of Na-/K-S batteries by using these materials.First,the advantages of HCSs,their synthesis methods,and strategies for preparing HCSs/sulfur composite materials are reviewed.Second,the use of HCSs in Na-/K-S batteries,along with mechanisms underlying the resulting performance improvement,are discussed.Finally,prospects for the further development of HCSs for metal−S batteries are presented.

Core-shell mesoporous carbon hollow spheres as Se hosts for advanced Al-Se batteries

Incorporating a selenium(Se)positive electrode into aluminum(Al)-ion batteries is an effective strategy for improving the overall battery performance.However,the cycling stability of Se positive electrodes has challenges due to the dissolution of intermediate reaction products.In this work,we aim to harness the advantages of Se while reducing its limitations by preparing a core-shell mesoporous carbon hollow sphere with a titanium nitride(C@TiN)host to load 63.9wt%Se as the positive electrode material for Al-Se batteries.Using the physical and chemical confinement offered by the hollow mesoporous carbon and TiN,the obtained core-shell mesoporous carbon hollow spheres coated with Se(Se@C@TiN)display superior utilization of the active material and remarkable cycling stability.As a result,Al-Se batteries equipped with the as-prepared Se@C@TiN composite positive electrodes show an initial discharge specific capacity of 377 mAh·g^(-1)at a current density of 1000 mA·g^(-1)while maintaining a discharge specific capacity of 86.0 mAh·g^(-1)over 200 cycles.This improved cycling performance is ascribed to the high electrical conductivity of the core-shell mesoporous carbon hollow spheres and the unique three-dimensional hierarchical architecture of Se@C@TiN.

Building of lightweight Nb_(2)CT_(x) MXene@Co nitrogen-doped carbon nanosheet arrays@carbon fiber aerogels for high-efficiency electromagnetic wave absorption in X and Ku bands inspired by sea cucumber

The problems of electromagnetic wave(EMW)pollution in X and Ku bands(8–18 GHz)are becoming more and more serious.Therefore,it is urgent to design EMW absorbing materials with high-efficiency such as thin thickness,lightweight,wide bandwidth and strong EMW absorption.Inspired by the biomorph of sea cucumber,Nb_(2)CT_(x) MXene@Co nitrogen-doped carbon nanosheet arrays@carbon fiber aerogels(Nb_(2)CT_(x)@Co-NC@CFA,Nb_(2)CT_(x)=niobium carbide)were constructed by self-assembly,in-situ chemical deposition and subsequent pyrolysis.The carbon fiber aerogel,as the basic skeleton of sea cucumber,forms lightweight three-dimensional interconnected conductive network,enhances the dielectric loss and extends the multiple reflection and absorption paths of EMW.As the tentacles of sea cucumber surface,Nb_(2)CT_(x) MXene and Co nitrogen-doped carbon nanosheet arrays exist rich heterogeneous interfaces,which play an important role in improving EMW polarization loss and optimizing impedance matching.The minimum reflection loss(RLmin)of Nb_(2)CT_(x)@Co-NC@CFA reaches−54.7 dB at 9.84 GHz(2.36 mm)with a low filling ratio of 10 wt.%and the effective absorption bandwidth(EAB)of Nb_(2)CT_(x)@Co-NC@CFA reaches 2.96 GHz(8.48–11.44 GHz)with 2.36 mm and 5.2 GHz(12.8–18 GHz)with 1.6 mm,covering most of X and Ku bands by adjusting thickness.The radar cross section(RCS)value of Nb_(2)CT_(x)@Co-NC@CFA is 26.64 dB·m^(2),which is lower than that of the perfect electrical conductor(PEC),indicating that Nb_(2)CT_(x)@Co-NC@CFA can effectively decrease the probability of the target being detected by the radar detector.This work provides ideas for design and development of EMW absorbing materials with high-efficiency EMW absorption in X and Ku bands.

Poly(ethylenimine)-assisted synthesis of hollow carbon spheres comprising multi-sized Ni species for CO_(2) electroreduction

Electrochemical CO_(2) reduction to produce value-added chemicals and fuels is one of the research hotspots in the field of energy conversion.The development of efficient catalysts with high conductivity and readily accessible active sites for CO_(2) electroreduction remains challenging yet indispensable.In this work,a reliable poly(ethyleneimine)(PEI)-assisted strategy is developed to prepare a hollow carbon nanocomposite comprising a single-site Ni-modified carbon shell and confined Ni nanoparticles(NPs)(denoted as Ni@NHCS),where PEI not only functions as a mediator to induce the highly dispersed growth of Ni NPs within hollow carbon spheres,but also as a nitrogen precursor to construct highly active atomically-dispersed Ni-Nx sites.Benefiting from the unique structural properties of Ni@NHCS,the aggregation and exposure of Ni NPs can be effectively prevented,while the accessibility of abundant catalytically active Ni-Nx sites can be ensured.As a result,Ni@NHCS exhibits a high CO partial current density of 26.9 mA cm^(-2) and a Faradaic efficiency of 93.0% at-1.0 V vs.RHE,outperforming those of its PEI-free analog.Apart from the excellent activity and selectivity,the shell confinement effect of the hollow carbon sphere endows this catalyst with long-term stability.The findings here are anticipated to help understand the structure-activity relationship in Ni-based carbon catalyst systems for electrocatalytic CO_(2) reduction.Furthermore,the PEI-assisted synthetic concept is potentially applicable to the preparation of high-performance metal-based nanoconfined materials tailored for diverse energy conversion applications and beyond.

Integrated in-memory sensor and computing of artificial vision system based on reversible bonding transition-induced nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (N-CQDs)

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) have been used in memristors due to their attractive optical and electronic properties, which are considered candidates for brain-inspired computing devices. In this work, the performance of CQDs-based memristors is improved by utilizing nitrogen-doping. In contrast, nitrogen-doped CQDs (N-CQDs)-based optoelectronic memristors can be driven with smaller programming voltages (−0.6 to 0.7 V) and exhibit lower powers (78 nW/0.29 µW). The physical mechanism can be attributed to the reversible transition between C–N and C=N with lower binding energy induced by the electric field and the generation of photogenerated carriers by ultraviolet light irradiation, which adjusts the conductivity of the initial N-CQDs to implement resistance switching. Importantly, the convolutional image processing based on various cross kernels is efficiently demonstrated by stable multi-level storage properties. An N-CQDs-based optoelectronic reservoir computing implements impressively high accuracy in both no noise and various noise modes when recognizing the Modified National Institute of Standards and Technology (MNIST) dataset. It illustrates that N-CQDs-based memristors provide a novel strategy for developing artificial vision system with integrated in-memory sensor and computing.

Nitrogen-doped Carbon Nanospheres-Modified Graphitic Carbon Nitride with Outstanding Photocatalytic Activity

Metals and metal oxides are widely used as photo/electro-catalysts for environmental remediation.However,there are many issues related to these metal-based catalysts for practical applications,such as high cost and detrimental environmental impact due to metal leaching.Carbon-based catalysts have the potential to overcome these limitations.In this study,monodisperse nitrogen-doped carbon nanospheres(NCs)were synthesized and loaded onto graphitic carbon nitride(g-C3N4,GCN)via a facile hydrothermal method for photocatalytic removal of sulfachloropyridazine(SCP).The prepared metal-free GCN-NC exhibited remarkably enhanced efficiency in SCP degradation.The nitrogen content in NC critically influences the physicochemical properties and performances of the resultant hybrids.The optimum nitrogen doping concentration was identified at 6.0 wt%.The SCP removal rates can be improved by a factor of 4.7 and 3.2,under UV and visible lights,by the GCN-NC composite due to the enhanced charge mobility and visible light harvesting.The mechanism of the improved photocatalytic performance and band structure alternation were further investigated by density functional theory(DFT)calculations.The DFT results confirm the high capability of the GCN-NC hybrids to activate the electron–hole pairs by reducing the band gap energy and efficiently separating electron/hole pairs.Superoxide and hydroxyl radicals are subsequently produced,leading to the efficient SCP removal.

Nitrogen-doped hierarchically porous carbon spheres for low concentration CO_(2) capture

Synthesis of spherical carbon beads with effective CO_2 capture capability is highly desirable for large scale application of CO2 sorption, but remains challenging. Herein, a facile and efficient strategy to prepare nitrogen-doped hierarchically porous carbon spheres was developed via co-pyrolyzation of poly(vinylidene chloride) and melamine in alginate gel beads. In this approach, melamine not only serves as the nitrogen precursor, but also acts as a template for the macropores structures. The nitrogen contents in the hierarchically porous carbon spheres reach a high level, ranging from 11.8 wt% to 14.7 wt%, as the melamine amount increases. Owing to the enriched nitrogen functionalities and the special hierarchical porous structure, the carbon spheres exhibit an outstanding CO_2 capture performance, with the dynamic capacity of as much as about 7 wt% and a separation factor about 49 at 25 °C in a gas mixture of CO_2/N_2(0.5:99.5, v/v).

Synthesis of nitrogen-doped carbon spheres using the modified Stober method for supercapacitors

Nitrogen-doped carbon spheres (NCSs) with uniform and regular morphology were facilely prepared by the modified Stober method. Hexamethylenetetramine (HMT) was selected as the starting material, which decomposed to provide nitrogen and carbon sources for the synthesis of NCSs. The decomposition product formaldehyde polymerized to form carbon skeleton with resorcinol after carbonization, and the in-situ nitrogen doping was achieved with the decomposed nitrogen source. NCSs were obtained with regular spherical morphology, high specific surface area, and suitable nitrogen doping. When used as the electrode material, NCSs exhibited good capacitance and electrochemical stability, indicating that NCSs be the promising candidate for the electrode material of high-performance supercapacitors.

Low-Temperature Carbonized Nitrogen-Doped Hard Carbon Nanofiber Toward High-Performance Sodium-Ion Capacitors

Carbon nanofiber(CNF)was widely utilized in the field of electrochemical energy storage due to its superiority of conductivity and mechanics.However,CNF was generally prepared at relatively high temperature.Herein,nitrogen-doped hard carbon nanofibers(NHCNFs)were prepared by a lowtemperature carbonization treatment assisted with electrospinning technology.Density functional theory analysis elucidates the incorporation of nitrogen heteroatoms with various chemical states into carbon matrix would significantly alter the total electronic configurations,leading to the robust adsorption and efficient diffusion of Na atoms on electrode interface.The obtained material carbonized at 600°C(NHCNF-600)presented a reversible specific capacity of 191.0 mAh g^(−1)and no capacity decay after 200 cycles at 1 A g^(−1).It was found that the sodium-intercalated degree had a correlation with the electrochemical impedance.A sodium-intercalated potential of 0.2 V was adopted to lower the electrochemical impedance.The constructed sodium-ion capacitor with activated carbon cathode and presodiated NHCNF-600 anode can present an energy power density of 82.1 Wh kg^(−1)and a power density of 7.0 kW kg^(−1).

Nitrogen-doped porous carbon nanosheets as both anode and cathode for advanced potassium-ion hybrid capacitors

Potassium-ion hybrid capacitors(PIHCs)as a burgeoning research hotspot are an ideal replacement for lithium-ion hybrid capacitors(LIHCs).Here,we report nitrogen-doped porous carbon nanosheets(NPCNs)with enlarged interlayer spacing,abundant defects,and favorable mesoporous structures.The structural changes of NPCNs in potassiation and depotassiation processes are analyzed by using Raman spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy.Due to the unique structure of NPCNs,the PIHC device assembled using NPCNs as both the anode and cathode material(double-functional self-matching material)exhibits a superior energy density of 128 Wh kg^(-1)with a capacity retention of 90.8%after 9000 cycles.This research can promote the development of double-functional self-matching materials for hybrid energy storage devices with ultra-high performance.

Electrochemical hydrogen evolution efficiently boosted by interfacial charge redistribution in Ru/MoSe_(2) embedded mesoporous hollow carbon spheres

The strong metal-support interaction inducing combined effect plays a crucial role in the catalysis reaction. Herein, we revealed that the combined advantages of MoSe_(2), Ru, and hollow carbon spheres in the form of Ru nanoparticles(NPs) anchored on a two-dimensionally ordered MoSe_(2) nanosheet-embedded mesoporous hollow carbon spheres surface(Ru/MoSe_(2)@MHCS) for the largely boosted hydrogen evolution reaction(HER) performance. The combined advantages from the conductive support, oxyphilic MoSe_(2), and Ru active sites imparted a strong synergistic effect and charge redistribution in the Ru periphery which induced high catalytic activity, stability, and kinetics for HER. Specifically, the obtained Ru/MoSe_(2)@MHCS required a small overpotential of 25.5 and 38.4 mV to drive the kinetic current density of 10 mA cm^(-2)both in acid and alkaline media, respectively, which was comparable to that of the Pt/C catalyst. Experimental and theoretical results demonstrated that the charge transfer from MoSe_(2) to Ru NPs enriched the electronic density of Ru sites and thus facilitated hydrogen adsorption and water dissociation. The current work showed the significant interfacial engineering in Ru-based catalysts development and catalysis promotion effect understanding via the metal-support interaction.

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.

PtZn nanoparticles supported on porous nitrogen-doped carbon nanofibers as highly stable electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction

The oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)electrocatalytic activity of Pt-based catalysts can be significantly improved by supporting Pt and its alloy nanoparticles(NPs)on a porous carbon support with large surface area.However,such catalysts are often obtained by constructing porous carbon support followed by depositing Pt and its alloy NPs inside the pores,in which the migration and agglomeration of Pt NPs are inevitable under harsh operating conditions owing to the relatively weak interaction between NPs and carbon support.Here we develop a facile electrospinning strategy to in-situ prepare small-sized PtZn NPs supported on porous nitrogen-doped carbon nanofibers.Electrochemical results demonstrate that the as-prepared PtZn alloy catalyst exhibits excellent initial ORR activity with a half-wave potential(E_(1/2))of 0.911 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode(vs.RHE)and enhanced durability with only decreasing 11 mV after 30,000 potential cycles,compared to a more significant drop of 24 mV in E_(1/2)of Pt/C catalysts(after 10,000 potential cycling).Such a desirable performance is ascribed to the created triple-phase reaction boundary assisted by the evaporation of Zn and strengthened interaction between nanoparticles and the carbon support,inhibiting the migration and aggregation of NPs during the ORR.

High-performance Pt catalysts supported on hierarchical nitrogen-doped carbon nanocages for methanol electrooxidation

Hierarchical nitrogen-doped carbon nanocages （hNCNC） with large specific surface areas were used as a catalyst support to immobilize Pt nanoparticles by a microwave-assisted polyol method. The Pt/hNCNC catalyst with 20 wt% loading has a homogeneous dispersion of Pt nanoparticles with the average size of 3.3 nm, which is smaller than 4.3 and 4.9 nm for the control catalysts with the same loading supported on hierarchical carbon nanocages （hCNC） and commercial Vulcan XC-72, respec- tively. Accordingly, Pt/hNCNC has a larger electrochemical surface area than Pt/hCNC and Pt/XC-72. The Pt/hNCNC catalyst exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity and stability for methanol oxidation, which was better than the control catalysts. This was attributed to the en- hanced interaction between Pt and hNCNC due to nitrogen participation in the anchoring function. By making use of the unique advantages of the hNCNC support, a heavy Pt loading up to 60 wt% was prepared without serious agglomeration, which gave a high peak-current density per unit mass of catalyst of 95.6 mA/mg for achieving a high power density. These results showed the potential of the Pt/hNCNC catalyst for methanol oxidation and of the new hNCNC support for wide applications.

Preparation of nitrogen-doped carbon nanoblocks with high electrocatalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction in alkaline solution

The oxygen reduction reaction （ORR） is traditionally performed using noble‐metals catalysts, e.g. Pt. However, these metal‐based catalysts have the drawbacks of high costs, low selectivity, poor stabili‐ties, and detrimental environmental effects. Here, we describe metal‐free nitrogen‐doped carbon nanoblocks （NCNBs） with high nitrogen contents （4.11%）, which have good electrocatalytic proper‐ties for ORRs. This material was fabricated using a scalable, one‐step process involving the pyrolysis of tris（hydroxymethyl）aminomethane （Tris） at 800℃. Rotating ring disk electrode measurements show that the NCNBs give a high electrocatalytic performance and have good stability in ORRs. The onset potential of the catalyst for the ORR is-0.05 V （vs Ag/AgCl）, the ORR reduction peak potential is-0.20 V （vs Ag/AgCl）, and the electron transfer number is 3.4. The NCNBs showed pronounced electrocatalytic activity, improved long‐term stability, and better tolerance of the methanol crosso‐ver effect compared with a commercial 20 wt%Pt/C catalyst. The composition and structure of, and nitrogen species in, the NCNBs were investigated using Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and X‐ray diffraction. The pyroly‐sis of Tris at high temperature increases the number of active nitrogen sites, especially pyridinic nitrogen, which creates a net positive charge on adjacent carbon atoms, and the high positive charge promotes oxygen adsorption and reduction. The results show that NCNBs prepared by pyrolysis of Tris as nitrogen and carbon sources are a promising ORR catalyst for fuel cells.

Highly crystalline carbon nitride hollow spheres with enhanced photocatalytic performance

Graphitic carbon nitride(g-C_(3)N_(4))has emerged as a remarkably promising photocatalyst for addressing environmental and energy issues;however,it exhibits only moderate photocatalytic activity because of its low specific surface area and high recombination of carriers.Preparation of crystalline g-C_(3)N_(4) by the molten salt method has proven to be an effective method to improve the photocatalytic activity.However,crystalline g-C_(3)N_(4) prepared by the conventional molten salt method exhibits a less regular morphology.Herein,highly crystalline g-C_(3)N_(4) hollow spheres(CCNHS)were successfully prepared by the molten salt method using cyanuric acid-melamine as a precursor.The higher crystallization of the CCNHS samples not only repaired the structural defects at the surface of the CCNHS samples but also established a built-in electric field between heptazine-based g-C_(3)N_(4) and triazine-based g-C_(3)N_(4).The hollow structure improved the level of light energy utilization and increased the number of active sites for photocatalytic reactions.Because of the above characteristics,the as-prepared CCNHS samples simultaneously realized photocatalytic hydrogen evolution with the degradation of the plasticizer bisphenol A.This research offers a new perspective on the structural optimization of supramolecular self-assembly.

Resorcinol-formaldehyde resin-based porous carbon spheres with high CO_2 capture capacities

Porous carbon spheres are prepared by direct carbonization of potassium salt of resorcinol-formaldehyde resin spheres, and are investigated as COadsorbents. It is found that the prepared carbon materials still maintain the typical spherical shapes after the activation, and have highly developed ultra-microporosity with uniform pore size, indicating that almost the activation takes place in the interior of the polymer spheres. The narrow-distributed ultra-micropores are attributed to the "in-situ homogeneous activation"effect produced by the mono-dispersed potassium ions as a form of -OK groups in the bulk of polymer spheres. The CS-1 sample prepared under a KOH/resins weight ratio of 1 shows a very high COcapture capacity of 4.83 mmol/g and good CO/Nselectivity of7-45. We believe that the presence of a welldeveloped ultra-microporosity is responsible for excellent COsorption performance at room temperature and ambient pressure.

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.