Vacancy engineering mediated hollow structured ZnO/ZnS S-scheme heterojunction for highly efficient photocatalytic H_(2) production

Designing a step-scheme(S-scheme)heterojunction photocatalyst with vacancy engineering is a reliable approach to achieve highly efficient photocatalytic H_(2)production activity.Herein,a hollow ZnO/ZnS S-scheme heterojunction with O and Zn vacancies(VO,Zn-ZnO/ZnS)is rationally constructed via ion-exchange and calcination treatments.In such a photocatalytic system,the hollow structure combined with the introduction of dual vacancies endows the adequate light absorption.Moreover,the O and Zn vacancies serve as the trapping sites for photo-induced electrons and holes,respectively,which are beneficial for promoting the photo-induced carrier separation.Meanwhile,the S-scheme charge transfer mechanism can not only improve the separation and transfer efficiencies of photo-induced carrier but also retain the strong redox capacity.As expected,the optimized VO,Zn-ZnO/ZnS heterojunction exhibits a superior photocatalytic H_(2) production rate of 160.91 mmol g^(-1)h^(-1),approximately 643.6 times and 214.5 times with respect to that obtained on pure ZnO and ZnS,respectively.Simultaneously,the experimental results and density functional theory calculations disclose that the photo-induced carrier transfer pathway follows the S-scheme heterojunction mechanism and the introduction of O and Zn vacancies reduces the surface reaction barrier.This work provides an innovative strategy of vacancy engineering in S-scheme heterojunction for solar-to-fuel energy conversion.

Vacancy engineering of oxidized Nb_(2)CTx MXenes for a biased nitrogen fixation

The artificial nitrogen(N_(2)) reduction reaction(NRR) via electrocatalysis is a newly developed methodology to produce ammonia(NH3) at ambient conditions,but faces the challenges in N_(2)activation and poor reaction selectivity.Herein,Nb-based MXenes are developed to remarkably enhance the NRR activity through the engineering of the stretched 3D structure and oxygen vacancies(VO).The theoretical studies indicate that N_(2)could be initially adsorbed on VOwith an end-on configuration,and the potential determining step might be the first hydrogenation step.The catalysts achieve an NH3production rate of 29.1 μg h^(-1)mg_(cat)^(-1)and excellent Faradic efficiency of 11.5%,surpassing other Nbbased catalysts.The selectivity of NRR is assigned to the unique structure of the catalysts,including(1) the layered graphitic structure for fast electron transfer and active site distribution,(2) the reactive VOfor N_(2)adsorption and activation,and(3) the expanded interlayer space for mass transfer.

Alleviating Interfacial Recombination of Heterojunction Electron Transport Layer via Oxygen Vacancy Engineering for Efficient Perovskite Solar Cells Over 23%

Electron transport layer(ETL)is pivotal to charge carrier transport for PSCs to reach the Shockley-Queisser limit.This study provides a fundamental understanding of heterojunction electron transport layers(ETLs)at the atomic level for stable and efficient perovskite solar cells(PSCs).The bilayer structure of an ETL composed of SnO_(2) on TiO_(2) was examined,revealing a critical factor limiting its potential to obtain efficient performance.Alteration of oxygen vacancies in the TiO_(2) underlayer via an annealing process is found to induce manipulated band offsets at the interface between the TiO_(2) and SnO_(2) layers.In-depth electronic investigations of the bilayer structure elucidate the importance of the electronic properties at the interface between the TiO_(2) and SnO_(2) layers.The apparent correlation in hysteresis phenomena,including current density-voltage(J-V)curves,appears as a function of the type of band alignment.Density functional theory calculations reveal the intimate relationship between oxygen vacancies,deep trap states,and charge transport efficiency at the interface between the TiO_(2) and SnO_(2) layers.The formation of cascade band alignment via control over the TiO_(2) underlayer enhances device performance and suppresses hysteresis.Optimal performance exhibits a power conversion efficiency(PCE)of 23.45%with an open-circuit voltage(V_(oc))of 1.184 V,showing better device stability under maximum power point tracking compared with a staggered bilayer under one-sun continuous illumination.

Recent advances in vacancy engineering for reliable lithiumsulfur batteries

The high-energy-density and low-cost features endow lithium-sulfur batteries with broad application prospects.However,many drawbacks,especially the detrimental shuttle effect,have hindered the further development of LSBs.In response,a lot of new structures have been applied to suppress the shuttle effect and promote the development of LSBs.Recently,vacancy engineering has gained the attention of researchers due to its unique electronic structure.This review aims to analyze the application of vacancy engineering in LSBs.Firstly,the electrochemistry of LSBs has been systematically discussed and the existing challenges as well as improvement tactics of LSBs have also been presented.Subsequently,the preparation methods and characterization technologies of various vacancies are summarized,including oxygen vacancies,sulfur vacancies,selenium vacancies,other anion vacancies,cation vacancies,etc.The latest applications of vacancy engineering in LSBs are also summarized in this review.Finally,some prospects and insights for further investigation and practical application of vacancy engineering in LSBs are put forward.

Vacancy engineering induced reaction kinetics enhancement of cobalt metaphosphate for pH-universal hydrogen evolution

Developing efficient pH-universal hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)catalysts is critical in the field of water electrolysis,however,which is severely hampered by the sluggish kinetics in alkaline media.Herein,a ruthenium(Ru)incorporation induced vacancy engineering strategy is firstly proposed to precisely construct oxygen vacancy(V_(O))-riched cobalt-ruthenium metaphosphate(CRPO)for high-efficiency pH-universal HER.The V_(O) modifies the electronic structure,improves the superficial hydrophilic and gas spillover capacity,it also reduces the coordination number of Ru atoms and regulates the coordination environment.Theoretical calculations indicate that Ru tends to adsorb H_(2)O and H^(*),whereas V_(O) tends to adsorb OH^(-),which greatly promotes the H_(2)O adsorption and the dissociation of HO-H bond.Ultimately,CRPO-2 exhibits remarkable HER performance,the mass activity is about 18.34,21.73,and 38.07 times higher than that of Pt/C in acidic,neutral,and alkaline media,respectively,at the same time maintain excellent stability.Our findings may pave a new avenue for the rational design of electrocatalysts toward pH-universal water electrolysis.

Tungsten Blue Oxide as a Reusable Electrocatalyst for Acidic Water Oxidation by Plasma-Induced Vacancy Engineering

In contrast to alkaline water electrolysis,acidic water electrolysis remains an elusive goal due to the lack of earth-abundant,efficient,and acid-stable water oxidation electrocatalysts.Here,we show that materials with intrinsically poor electrocatalytic activity can be turned into active electrocatalysts that drive the acidic oxygen evolution reaction(OER)effectively.This development is achieved through ultrafast plasma sputtering,which introduces abundant oxygen vacancies that reconstruct the surface electronic structures,and thus,regulated the surface interactions of electrocatalysts and the OER intermediates.Using tungsten oxide(WO_(3))as an example,we present a broad spectrum of theoretical and experimental characterizations that show an improved energetics of OER originating from surface oxygen vacancies and resulting in a significantly boosted OER performance,compared with pristine WO_(3).Our result suggests the efficacy of using defect chemistry to modify electronic properties and hence to improve the OER performance of known materials with poor activity,providing a new direction for the discovery of acid-stable OER catalysts.

Pt/TiO_(2–x) nanofibrous aerogel for effective nitrogen reduction: A simple strategy for simultaneous Pt formation and TiO_(2–x) vacancy engineering

Electrocatalysis plays an increasingly important role in converting atmospheric molecules(e.g.,N_(2),CO_(2) and H_(2)O)to value-added products(e.g.,NH_(3),C_(2)H_(4)and H_(2)).However,developing a simple strategy for preparing catalysts with high performance for the effective conversion of clean energy is still full of chal-lenges.Herein,we describe a straightforward,one-step reduction method to achieve the formation of Pt nanoparticles(NPs)and the vacancy engineering of TiO_(2-x)nanofibers(NFs)simultaneously,which can be accomplished in 5 min.Furthermore,a Pt/TiO_(2-x)nanofibrous aerogel(NA)with an ordered cellular archi-tecture is prepared through a directional freezing technology.The Pt/TiO_(2-x)NA with excellent mechanical properties can be made into a self-supporting electrode for electrocatalytic N_(2)reduction reaction(NRR),showing high NH_(3) yield rate(4.81×10^(-10)mol/s cm^(-2))and Faraday efficiency(14.9%)at-0.35 V vs.RHE.

S vacancy modulated Zn_(x)Cd_(1-x)S/CoP quantum dots for efficient H_(2) evolution from water splitting under visible light

Energy band structure and interfacial compatibility of heterojunctions are crucial for photocatalysts in promoting photogene rated charge separation and transfer.Here,a combined strategy of vacancy engineering and quantum effect via a facile phosphating process is reported,for the first time,to modulate the energy band structure and the interface of Zn_(x)Cd_(1-x)S/CoP quantum dots(ZCS_(v)/CoP QDs)heterojunction.The combined experimental and theoretical investigation revealed that phosphating process transformed CoO_(x) QDs to CoP QDs,and more importantly,generated considerable amount of sulfur vacancies in ZCS_(v).As a result,a TypeⅡZCS_(v)/CoP QDs heterojunction with compatible interfaces was constructed via in-situ generated P-Zn,P-Cd and S-Co bonds,which facilitated the separation and transfer of the photogenerated charge and thus resulted in a high ability towards hydrogen evolution under visible light(17.53 mmol g^(-1) h^(-1)).This work provides an effective and adaptable strategy to modulate band structure and interfacial compatibility of heterojunctions via vacancy engineering and quantum effect.

Vacancy-engineering-mediated activation of excitonic transition for boosting visible-light-driven photocatalytic oxidative coupling of amines

The light absorption properties of semiconductor-based photocatalysts to a large extent determine the relevant catalytic performance.Traditional strategies in broadening the light absorption range are usually accompanied with unfavorable changes in redox ability and dynamics of photoinduced species that would confuse the comprehensive optimization.In this work,we propose a nontrivial excitonic transition regulation strategy for gaining sub-bandgap light absorption in low-dimensional semiconductor-based photocatalysts.Using bismuth oxybromide(BiOBr)as a model system,we highlight that the light absorption cut-off edge could be effectively extended up to 500 nm by introducing Bi vacancies.On the basis of theoretical simulations and spectroscopic analyses,we attributed the broadening of light absorption to the promotion of excitonic transition that is generally forbidden in pristine BiOBr system,associated with Bi-vacancy-induced excited-state symmetry breaking.In addition,Bi vacancy was demonstrated to implement negligible effects on other photoexcitation properties like excited-state energy-level profiles and kinetics.Benefiting from these features,the defective sample exhibits a notable advantage in gaining visible-light-driven photocatalytic reactions.

Vacancy defect engineering in semiconductors for solar light‐driven environmental remediation and sustainable energy production

The introduction of vacancy defects in semiconductors has been proven to be a highly effective approach to improve their photocatalytic activity owing to their advantages of promoting light absorption,facilitating photogenerated carrier separation,optimizing electronic structure,and enabling the production of reactive radicals.Herein,we outline the state-of-the-art vacancy-engineered photocatalysts in various applications and reveal how the vacancies influence photocatalytic performance.Specifically,the types of vacancy defects,the methods for tailoring vacancies,the advanced characteri-zation techniques,the categories of photocatalysts with vacancy defects,and the corresponding photocatalytic behaviors are presented.Meanwhile,the methods of vacancies creation and the related photocatalytic performance are correlated,which can be very useful to guide the readers to quickly obtain in-depth knowledge and to have a good idea about the selection of defect engineering methods.The precise characterization of vacancy defects is highly challenging.This review describes the accurate use of a series of characterization techniques with detailed comments and suggestions.This represents the uniqueness of this comprehensive review.The challenges and development prospects in engineering photocatalysts with vacancy defects for practical applications are discussed to provide a promising research direction in this field.

High content anion(S/Se/P)doping assisted by defect engineering with fast charge transfer kinetics for high-performance sodium ion capacitors

The rate-determining process for sodium storage in TiO2 is greatly depending on charge transfer happening in the electrode materials owing to its inferior diffusion coefficient and electronic conductivity.Apart from reducing the diffusion distance of ion/electron,the increasement of ionic/electronic mobility in the crystal lattice is also very important for charge transport.Here,an oxygen vacancy(OV)engineering assisted in high-content anion(S/Se/P)doping strategy to enhance charge transfer kinetics for ultrafast sodium-storage performance is proposed.Theoretical calculations indicate that OV-engineering evokes spontaneous S doping into the TiO2 phase and achieves high dopant concentration to bring about impurity state electron donor and electronic delocalization over S occupied sites,which can largely reduce the migration barrier of Na+.To realize the speculation,high-content anion doped anatase TiO2/C composites(9.82 at%for S in A-TiO2–x-S/C)are elaborately designed.The optimized A-TiO2–x-S/C anode exhibits extraordinarily high-rate capability with 209.6 mAh g-1at 5000 mA g-1.The assembled sodium ion capacitors deliver an ultrahigh energy density of 150.1 Wh kg-1at a power density of 150 W kg-1when applied as anode materials.This work provides a new strategy to realize high content anion doping concentration,and enhances the charge transfer kinetics for TiO2,which delivers an efficient approach for the design of electrode materials with fast kinetic.

Single MoTe_(2) sheet electrocatalytic microdevice for in situ revealing the activated basal plane sites by vacancies engineering

Activating basal plane inert sites will endow MoTe_(2) with prominent hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)catalytic capability and arouse a new family of HER catalysts.Herein,we fabricated single MoTe_(2) sheet electrocatalytic microdevice for in situ revealing the activated basal plane sites by vacancies introducing.Through the extraction of electrical parameters of single MoTe_(2) sheet,the in-plane and interlayer conductivities were optimized effectively by Te vacancies due to the defect levels.More deeply,Te vacancies can induce the delocalization of electrons around Mo atoms and shift the d-band center,as a consequence,facilitate the adsorption of H from the catalyst surface for HER catalysis.Benefiting by the coordinated regulation of band structure and local charge density,the overpotential at−10 mA·cm^(−2)was reduced to 0.32 V after Te vacancies compared to 0.41 V for the basal plane sites of same MoTe_(2) nanosheet.Meanwhile,the insights gained from single nanosheet electrocatalytic microdevice can be applied to the improved HER of the commercial MoTe_(2) power.That the in situ testing of the atomic structure-electrical behavior-electrochemical properties of a single nanosheet before/after vacancies introducing provides reliable insight to structure-activity relationships.

Emerging Bismuth-Based Step-Scheme Heterojunction Photocatalysts for Energy and Environmental Applications

Photocatalysis has been expected to be a promising advanced oxidation process to endlessly convert exhaustless solar energy into storable,transportable,and usable chemical energy.As a kind of visible light-response semiconductors,Bi-based semiconductors can be developed into step-scheme(S-scheme)heterojunction photocatalysts,consisting of a reductive photocatalyst(RP)and an oxidative photocatalyst(OP)with band edge bending.This review sums up the state-of-the-art progress in Bi-based S-scheme heterojunctions,as well as the in-/ex-situ experiments and theoretical calculations to uncover the unique heterostructure and charge transfer mechanism of Bi-based S-scheme heterojunctions in depth.We can find that Bi-based S-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts have advantages in impeding the recombination of photo-induced electron-hole pairs,expediting the charge transfer,broadening solar energy utilization,and maximizing the potential energy of photo-redox reaction sites.Additionally,the recently published work on the potential applications of Bi-based S-scheme heterojunctions is also summarized,including photocatalytic H_(2) production,CO_(2) reduction with water,pollutant degradation,H_(2)O_(2) production,and N_(2) photofixation for ammonia and urea production by comparing and discussing their photocatalytic efficiency.On the basis of research progress,the immediate challenges and future perspectives of Bi-based S-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts are critically debated.

Cu_(1.8)S基合金的热电性能和电稳定性增强:熵工程和Cu空位工程

无污染、低成本和高性能Cu_(1.8)S基类液态热电材料受到关注.但是,其过高的本征Cu空位和Cu离子迁移特性限制了其性能和电稳定性的进一步提升.本研究采用机械合金化结合放电等离子体烧结制备了一系列Cu_(1.8)S和Mn_(x)Cu_(1.8)S_(0.5)Se_(0.5)(0.01≤x≤0.06)块体热电材料.随着Se和Mn的引入,体系由低熵Cu_(1.8)S(0.4R^(*))转变为中熵MnxCu_(1.8)S_(0.5)Se_(0.5)(1.2R^(*)).构型熵的增加不仅提高了体系的结构对称性,MnxCu_(1.8)S_(0.5)Se_(0.5)室温下呈立方相结构,还增大了Mn的固溶度.高浓度Mn固溶有效填补了过高的本征Cu空位,降低了载流子浓度,优化了能带结构,提升了电输运性能.熵工程一方面增大了Cu离子迁移势垒,抑制Cu离子迁移.750 K下,即使电流密度达到24 A cm^(-2),Mn_(0.03)Cu_(1.8)S_(0.5)Se_(0.5)的电阻也几乎没有变化,显示出优异的电稳定性;同时可降低声速,软化晶格,降低晶格热导率.Mn_(0.06)Cu_(1.8)S_(0.5)Se_(0.5)的块体样品在773 K时获得最大ZT值0.79,相较于初始样品提高了两倍.结果表明熵工程结合Cu空位工程是提升Cu_(1.8)S基热电材料性能的有效策略.

Sulfur-deficient Bi_(2)S_(3-x) synergistically coupling Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)-MXene for boosting electrocatalytic N_(2) reduction

Electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction(NRR)is an appealing route for the sustainable NH_(3)synthesis,while developing efficientand durable NRR catalysts remains at the heart of achieving high-efficiency N_(2)-to-NH_(3)electrocatalysis.Herein,we rationally combine vacancy and interface engineering to design sulfur-deficient Bi2S3 nanoparticles decorated Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)-MXene as an effective NRR catalyst.The developed Bi2S3 nanoparticles decorated Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)-MXene(Bi2S3-xTi_(3)C_(2)T_(x))naturally contained abundant S-vacancies and exhibited a dramatically boosted NRR activity with an NH_(3)yield of 68.3μg·h^(-1)mg^(-1)(-0.6 V)and a Faradaic efficiency of 22.5%(-0.4 V),far superior to pure Bi_(2)S_(3)and Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)and surpassing almost all ever reported Bi-and MXene-based NRR catalysts.Theoretical investigations unveiled that the exceptional NRR activity of Bi_(2)S_(3-x)/Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)stemmed from its dual-active-center system involving both S-vacancies and interfacial-Bi sites,which could synergistically promote N_(2)adsorption and*N_(2)H formation to result in an energetic-favorable NRR process.