Oxidative Molecular Layer Deposition Tailoring Eco-Mimetic Nanoarchitecture to Manipulate Electromagnetic Attenuation and Self-Powered Energy Conversion

Advanced electromagnetic devices,as the pillars of the intelligent age,are setting off a grand transformation,redefining the structure of society to present pluralism and diversity.However,the bombardment of electromagnetic radiation on society is also increasingly serious along with the growing popularity of"Big Data".Herein,drawing wisdom and inspiration from nature,an eco-mimetic nanoarchitecture is constructed for the first time,highly integrating the advantages of multiple components and structures to exhibit excellent electromagnetic response.Its electromagnetic properties and internal energy conversion can be flexibly regulated by tailoring microstructure with oxidative molecular layer deposition(oMLD),providing a new cognition to frequency-selective microwave absorption.The optimal reflection loss reaches≈−58 dB,and the absorption frequency can be shifted from high frequency to low frequency by increasing the number of oMLD cycles.Meanwhile,a novel electromagnetic absorption surface is designed to enable ultra-wideband absorption,covering almost the entire K and Ka bands.More importantly,an ingenious self-powered device is constructed using the eco-mimetic nanoarchitecture,which can convert electromagnetic radiation into electric energy for recycling.This work offers a new insight into electromagnetic protection and waste energy recycling,presenting a broad application prospect in radar stealth,information communication,aerospace engineering,etc.

Surface modifications of layered LiNi_(x)Mn_(y)Co_(z)O_(2)cathodes via atomic and molecular layer deposition

Currently,there has an ever-growing interest in layered LiNi_(x)Mn_(y)Co_(z)O_(2)(NMCs,x+y+z=1)cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries(LIBs)and lithium metal batteries(LMBs),due to their low cost and high capacity.However,they still suffer from a series of issues,such as Li/Ni cation mixing,irreversible phase transition,and transition metal dissolution.These issues result in severe capacity degradation and limited cyclability of NMCs.Recently,atomic and molecular layer deposition(ALD and MLD)have emerged as a novel tool to tackle these issues,featuring their unique capabilities to fine-tailor NMCs'surfaces for stable interfaces and improved electrochemical performance in LIBs and LMBs.In this review,we specially summarize the recent advances of different ALD and MLD coatings on NMCs and discuss their working mechanisms.We expect that this review will stimulate more efforts to further develop better NMCs using novel ALD/MLD coatings.

Solvent-Less Vapor-Phase Fabrication of Membranes for Sustainable Separation Processes

Sustainable processes for purifying water,capturing carbon,producing biofuels,operating fuel cells,and performing energy-efficient industrial separations will require next-generation membranes.Solvent-less fabrication for membranes not only eliminates potential environmental issues with organic solvents,but also solves the swelling problems that occur with delicate polymer substrates.Furthermore,the activation procedures often required for synthesizing microporous materials such as metal–organic frameworks(MOFs)can be reduced when solvent-less vapor-phase approaches are employed.This perspective covers several vacuum deposition processes,including initiated chemical vapor deposition(iCVD),initiated plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition(iPECVD),solvent-less vapor deposition followed by in situ polymerization(SLIP),atomic layer deposition(ALD),and molecular layer deposition(MLD).These solvent-less vapor-phase methods are powerful in creating ultrathin selective layers for thin-film composite membranes and advantageous in conformally coating nanoscale pores for the precise modification of pore size and internal functionalities.The resulting membranes have shown promising performance for gas separation,nanofiltration,desalination,and water/oil separation.Further development of novel membrane materials and the scaling up of high-throughput reactors for solvent-less vapor-phase processes are necessary in order to make a real impact on the chemical industry in the future.