Towards high-performance and robust anion exchange membranes(AEMs)for water electrolysis:Super-acid-catalyzed synthesis of AEMs

The increasing demand for hydrogen energy to address environmental issues and achieve carbon neutrality has elevated interest in green hydrogen production,which does not rely on fossil fuels.Among various hydrogen production technologies,anion exchange membrane water electrolyzer(AEMWE)has emerged as a next-generation technology known for its high hydrogen production efficiency and its ability to use non-metal catalysts.However,this technology faces significant challenges,particularly in terms of the membrane durability and low ionic conductivity.To address these challenges,research efforts have focused on developing membranes with a new backbone structure and anion exchange groups to enhance durability and ionic conductivity.Notably,the super-acid-catalyzed condensation(SACC)synthesis method stands out due to its user convenience,the ability to create high molecular weight(MW)polymers,and the use of oxygen-tolerant organic catalysts.Although the synthesis of anion exchange membranes(AEMs)using the SACC method began in 2015,and despite growing interest in this synthesis approach,there remains a scarcity of review papers focusing on AEMs synthesized using the SACC method.The review covers the basics of SACC synthesis,presents various polymers synthesized using this method,and summarizes the development of these polymers,particularly their building blocks including aryl,ketone,and anion exchange groups.We systematically describe the effects of changes in the molecular structure of each polymer component,conducted by various research groups,on the mechanical properties,conductivity,and operational stability of the membrane.This review will provide insights into the development of AEMs with superior performance and operational stability suitable for water electrolysis applications.

Corrosion characteristics of single-phase Mg-3Zn alloy thin film for biodegradable electronics

Biodegradable metals as electrodes, interconnectors, and device conductors are essential components in the emergence of transient electronics, either for passive implants or active electronic devices, especially in the fields of biomedical electronics. Magnesium and its alloys are strong candidates for biodegradable and implantable conducting materials because of their high conductivity and biocompatibility, in addition to their well-understood dissolution behavior. One critical drawback of Mg and its alloys is their considerably high dissolution rates originating from their low anodic potential, which disturbs the compatibility to biomedical applications. Herein, we introduce a single-phase thin film of a Mg-Zn binary alloy formed by sputtering, which enhances the corrosion resistance of the device electrode, and verify its applicability in biodegradable electronics. The formation of a homogeneous solid solution of single-phase Mg-3Zn was confirmed through X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. In addition, the dissolution behavior and chemistry was also investigated in various biological fluids by considering the effect of different ion species. Micro-tensile tests showed that the Mg-3Zn alloy electrode exhibited an enhanced yield strain and elongation in relation to a pure Mg electrode. Cell viability test revealed the high biocompatibility rate of the Mg-3Zn binary alloy thin film. Finally, the fabrication of a wireless heater demonstrated the integrability of biodegradable electrodes and highlighted the ability to prolong the lifecycle of thermotherapy-relevant electronics by enhancing the dissolution resistance of the Mg alloy.

Electrochemically Deposited CZTSSe Thin Films for Monolithic Perovskite Tandem Solar Cells with Efficiencies Over 17%

In spite of the high potential economic feasibility of the tandem solar cells consisting of the halide perovskite and the kesterite Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4(CZTSSe),they have rarely been demonstrated due to the difficulty in implementing solution-processed perovskite top cell on the rough surface of the bottom cells.Here,we firstly demonstrate an efficient monolithic two-terminal perovskite/CZTSSe tandem solar cell by significantly reducing the surface roughness of the electrochemically deposited CZTSSe bottom cell.The surface roughness(R_(rms))of the CZTSSe thin film could be reduced from 424 to 86 nm by using the potentiostatic mode rather than using the conventional galvanostatic mode,which can be further reduced to 22 nm after the subsequent ion-milling process.The perovskite top cell with a bandgap of 1.65 eV could be prepared using a solution process on the flattened CZTSSe bottom cell,resulting in the efficient perovskite/CZTSSe tandem solar cells.After the current matching between two subcells involving the thickness control of the perovskite layer,the best performing tandem device exhibited a high conversion efficiency of 17.5%without the hysteresis effect.

Development of exosome membrane materialsfused microbubbles for enhanced stability and efficient drug delivery of ultrasound contrast agent

Lipid-coated microbubbles are widely used as an ultrasound contrast agent,as well as drug delivery carriers.However,the two main limitations in ultrasound diagnosis and drug delivery using microbubbles are the short half-life in the blood system,and the difficulty of surface modification of microbubbles for active targeting.The exosome,a type of extracellular vesicle,has a preferentially targeting ability for its original cell.In this study,exosome-fused microbubbles(Exo-MBs)were developed by embedding the exosome membrane proteins into microbubbles.As a result,the stability of Exo-MBs is improved over the conventional microbubbles.On the same principle that under the exposure of ultrasound,microbubbles are cavitated and self-assembled into nano-sized particles,and Exo-MBs are self-assembled into exosome membrane proteins-embedded nanoparticles(Exo-NPs).The Exo-NPs showed favorable targeting properties to their original cells.A photosensitizer,chlorin e6,was loaded into Exo-MBs to evaluate therapeutic efficacy as a drug carrier.Much higher therapeutic efficacy of photodynamic therapy was confirmed,followed by cancer immunotherapy from immunogenic cell death.We have therefore developed a novel ultrasound image-guided drug delivery platform that overcomes the shortcomings of the conventional ultrasound contrast agent and is capable of simultaneous photodynamic therapy and cancer immunotherapy.

Effect of Hydrostatic Pressure on LPSO Kinking and Microstructure Evolution of Mg–11Gd–4Y–2Zn–0.5Zr Alloy

Two different kinds of hot compressions,namely normal-compression and can-compression,were performed on the Mg–11 Gd–4 Y–2 Zn–0.5 Zr alloy,featured with long period stacking ordered(LPSO)phase.The kinking behavior of LPSO phase and microstructure evolution was investigated to clarify the effect of levels of imposed hydrostatic pressure.The results suggest that the LPSO phases including both the intragranular 14 H-LPSO phase and intergranular 18 R-LPSO phase suffer severe kinking behavior under higher hydrostatic pressure induced by can-compression,which is firstly characterized with more kinking times and smaller relative kinking width.The main reason for such enhanced LPSO kinking during cancompression may be mainly ascribed to the higher dislocation density under a higher level of hydrostatic pressure.Meanwhile,a competitive relationship between the kink behaviors of intergranular 18 R-LPSO phase and intragranular 14 H-LPSO phase was observed.That is,the intergranular 18 R-LPSO phase only kinks obviously on the condition that the surrounded intragranular 14 H-LPSO phase scarcely kinks.In contrast to the distinctive kinking of LPSO phase,the dynamic recrystallization(DRX)mechanism shows less dependence on the hydrostatic pressure.Resultantly,similar DRX fractions and crystallographic texture were attained for two compression processes owing to the similar operation of deformation mode.

NaF-FeF2 nanocomposite： New type of Na-ion battery cathode material

Na-ion batteries （NIBs） are considered one of the most attractive alternatives for Li-ion batteries （LIBs） because of the natural abundance of Na and the similarities between the NIB technology and the well-established LIB technology. However, the discovery of high-performance electrode materials remains a key factor in the success of NIBs. Herein, we propose a new type of cathode material for NIBs based on a nanocomposite of an alkali metal fluoride （NaF） and a transition metal fluoride （FeF2）. Although neither of these components is electrochemically active with Na, the nanoscale mixture of the two can deliver a reversible capacity of -125 mAh/g in the voltage range of 1.2--4.8 V vs. Na/Na＋ via an Fe2＋/Fe3＋ redox couple. X-ray absorption spectroscopy reveals that the reversible Na storage is aided by the F-ions due to the decomposition of NaF, which are absorbed on the surface of FeF2, promoting the redox reaction of Fe and triggering the gradual transformation of the mother structure （FeF2） into a new （FeFB-like） host structure for the Na ions. This unique Na-ion storage phenomenon, which is reported for the first time, will introduce an avenue for designing novel cathode materials for NIBs.