Textured Asymmetric Membrane Electrode Assemblies of Piezoelectric Phosphorene and Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)MXene Heterostructures for Enhanced Electrochemical Stability and Kinetics in LIBs

Black phosphorus with a superior theoretical capacity(2596 mAh g^(-1))and high conductivity is regarded as one of the powerful candidates for lithium-ion battery(LIB)anode materials,whereas the severe volume expansion and sluggish kinetics still impede its applications in LIBs.By contrast,the exfoliated two-dimensional phosphorene owns negligible volume variation,and its intrinsic piezoelectricity is considered to be beneficial to the Li-ion transfer kinetics,while its positive influence has not been discussed yet.Herein,a phosphorene/MXene heterostructure-textured nanopiezocomposite is proposed with even phosphorene distribution and enhanced piezo-electrochemical coupling as an applicable free-standing asymmetric membrane electrode beyond the skin effect for enhanced Li-ion storage.The experimental and simulation analysis reveals that the embedded phosphorene nanosheets not only provide abundant active sites for Li-ions,but also endow the nanocomposite with favorable piezoelectricity,thus promoting the Li-ion transfer kinetics by generating the piezoelectric field serving as an extra accelerator.By waltzing with the MXene framework,the optimized electrode exhibits enhanced kinetics and stability,achieving stable cycling performances for 1,000 cycles at 2 A g^(-1),and delivering a high reversible capacity of 524 m Ah g^(-1)at-20℃,indicating the positive influence of the structural merits of self-assembled nanopiezocomposites on promoting stability and kinetics.

3D Printing of NiCoP/Ti3C2 MXene Architectures for Energy Storage Devices with High Areal and Volumetric Energy Density

Designing high-performance electrodes via 3D printing for advanced energy storage is appealing but remains challenging.In normal cases,light-weight carbonaceous materials harnessing excellent electrical conductivity have served as electrode candidates.However,they struggle with undermined areal and volumetric energy density of supercapacitor devices,thereby greatly impeding the practical applications.Herein,we demonstrate the in situ coupling of NiCoP bimetallic phosphide and Ti3C2 MXene to build up heavy NCPM electrodes affording tunable mass loading throughout 3D printing technology.The resolution of prints reaches 50μm and the thickness of device electrodes is ca.4 mm.Thus-printed electrode possessing robust open framework synergizes favorable capacitance of NiCoP and excellent conductivity of MXene,readily achieving a high areal and volumetric capacitance of 20 F cm^-2 and 137 F cm^-3 even at a high mass loading of^46.3 mg cm^-2.Accordingly,an asymmetric supercapacitor full cell assembled with 3D-printed NCPM as a positive electrode and 3D-printed activated carbon as a negative electrode harvests remarkable areal and volumetric energy density of 0.89 mWh cm^-2 and 2.2 mWh cm^-3,outperforming the most of state-of-the-art carbon-based supercapacitors.The present work is anticipated to offer a viable solution toward the customized construction of multifunctional architectures via 3D printing for high-energy-density energy storage systems.

Machine learning in materials design:Algorithm and application

Traditional materials discovery is in ‘trial-and-error’ mode, leading to the issues of low-efficiency, high-cost, and unsustainability in materials design. Meanwhile, numerous experimental and computational trials accumulate enormous quantities of data with multi-dimensionality and complexity, which might bury critical ‘structure–properties’ rules yet unfortunately not well explored. Machine learning(ML), as a burgeoning approach in materials science, may dig out the hidden structure–properties relationship from materials bigdata, therefore, has recently garnered much attention in materials science. In this review, we try to shortly summarize recent research progress in this field, following the ML paradigm:(i) data acquisition →(ii) feature engineering →(iii) algorithm →(iv) ML model →(v) model evaluation →(vi) application. In section of application, we summarize recent work by following the ‘material science tetrahedron’:(i) structure and composition →(ii) property →(iii) synthesis →(iv) characterization, in order to reveal the quantitative structure–property relationship and provide inverse design countermeasures. In addition, the concurrent challenges encompassing data quality and quantity, model interpretability and generalizability, have also been discussed. This review intends to provide a preliminary overview of ML from basic algorithms to applications.

High-throughput computational screening of oxide double perovskites for optoelectronic and photocatalysis applications

Oxide double perovskites A2 B’B"O6 are a class of emerging materials in the fields of optoelectronics and catalysis.Due to the chemical flexibilities of perovskite structures,there are multiple elemental combinations of cations A,B’,and B",which leading to tremendous candidates.In this study,we comprehensively screened stable oxide double perovskite A2 B’B"O6 from a pool of 2,018 perovskite candidates using a high-throughput computational approach.By considering a tolerance factor(t)-octahedral factor(μ) phase diagram,138 candidates with Fm 3 m, P21/c,and R3 c phases were selected and systematically studied via first-principles calculations based on density functional theory.The screening procedure finally predicted the existence of 21 stable perovskites,and 14 among them have never been reported.Verification with existing experimental results demonstrates that the prediction accuracy for perovskite formability is approximately 90%.The predicted oxide double perovskites exhibit quasi-direct bandgaps ranging from 0 to 4.4 eV with a significantly small direct-indirect bandgap difference,balanced electron and hole effective masses,and strong optical absorptions.The newly predicted oxide double perovskites may enlarge the pool of material candidates for applications in optoelectronics and photocatalysis.This study provides a route for computational screening of novel perovskites for functional applications.

Designing N-doped graphene/ReSe_(2)/Ti_(3)C_(2) MXene heterostructure frameworks as promising anodes for high-rate potassium-ion batteries

Developing high-performance anodes for potassium ion batteries(KIBs) is of paramount significance but remains challenging.In the normal sense,electrode materials are prepared by ubiquitous wet chemical routes,which otherwise might not be versatile enough to create desired heterostructures and/or form clean interfacial areas for fast transport of K-ions and electrons.Along this line,rate capability/cycling stability of resulting KIBs are greatly handicapped.Herein we present an all-chemical vapor deposition approach to harness the direct synthesis of nitrogen-doped graphene(NG)/rhenium diselenide(ReSe_2)hybrids over three-dimensional MXene supports as superior heterostructure anode material for KIBs.In such an innovative design,1 T'-ReSe2 nanoparticles are sandwiched in between the NG coatings and MXene frameworks via strong interfacial interactions,thereby affording facile K~+ diffusion,enhancing overall conductivity,boosting high-power performance and reinforcing structural stability of electrodes.Thus-constructed anode delivers an excellent rate performance of 138 mAh g^(-1) at 10.0 A g^(-1) and a high reversible capacity of 90 mAh g^(-1) at 5 A g^(-1) after 300 cycles.Furthermore,the potassium storage mechanism has been systematically probed by advanced in situlex situ characterization techniques in combination with first principles computations.

High performance columnar-like Fe2O3@carbon composite anode via yolk@shell structural design

Conversion-type reaction anode materials with high specific capacity are attractive candidates to improve lithium ion batteries(LIBs), yet the rapid capacity fading and poor rate capability caused by drastic volume change and low electronic conductivity greatly hinder their practical applications. To circumvent these issues, the successful design of yolk@shell Fe2 O3@C hybrid composed of a columnar-like Fe2O3 core within a hollow cavity completely surrounded by a thin, self-supported carbon(C) shell is presented as an anode for high-performance LIBs. This yolk@shell structure allows each Fe2O3 core to swell upon lithiation without deforming the carbon shell. This preserves the structural and electrical integrity against pulverization, as revealed by in situ transmission electron microscopy(TEM) measurement. Benefiting from these structural advantages, the resulting electrode exhibits a high reversible capacity(1013 m Ah g-1 after80 cycles at 0.2 A g-1), outstanding rate capability(710 m Ah g-1 at 8 A g-1) and superior cycling stability(800 m Ah g-1 after 300 cycles at 4 A g-1). A Li-ion full cell using prelithiated yolk@shell Fe2 O3@C hybrid as the anode and commercial Li CoO2(LCO) as the cathode demonstrates impressive cycling stability with a capacity retention of 84.5% after 100 cycles at 1 C rate, holding great promise for future practical applications.

Confining TiO_2 Nanotubes in PECVD-Enabled Graphene Capsules Toward Ultrafast K-Ion Storage: In Situ TEM/XRD Study and DFT Analysis

Titanium dioxide(TiO2) has gained burgeoning attention for potassium-ion storage because of its large theoretical capacity,wide availability,and environmental benignity.Nevertheless,the inherently poor conductivity gives rise to its sluggish reaction kinetics and inferior rate capability.Here,we report the direct graphene growth over TiO2 nanotubes by virtue of chemical vapor deposition.Such conformal graphene coatings effectively enhance the conductive environment and well accommodate the volume change of TiO2 upon potassiation/depotassiation.When paired with an activated carbon cathode,the graphene-armored TiO2 nanotubes allow the potassium-ion hybrid capacitor full cells to harvest an energy/power density of 81.2 Wh kg-1/3746.6 W kg-1.We further employ in situ transmis sion electron microscopy and ope rando X-ray diffraction to probe the potassium-ion storage behavior.This work offers a viable and versatile solution to the anode design and in situ probing of potassium storage technologies that is readily promising for practical applications.

Comprehensive first-principles studies on phase stability of copper-based halide perovskite derivatives A_lCu_mX_n(A = Rb and Cs;X = Cl, Br, and I)

Recently,inorganic copper-based halide perovskites and their derivatives(CHPs)with chemical formulas AlCumXn(A=Rb and Cs;X=Cl,Br and I;l,m,and n are integers.),have received increasing attention in the photoluminescence field,due to their lead-free,cost-effective,earth-abundant and low electronic dimensionality.Ascribed to flexible valence charge of Cu(Cu1+and Cu2+)and complex competing phases,the crystal structures and phase stabilities of CHPs are complicated and ambiguous,which limits their experimental applications.Via comprehensive first-principles calculations,we have investigated thermodynamic stabilities of possible crystal phases for AlCumXn by considering all the possible secondary phases existing in inorganic crystal structure database(ICSD).Our results are in agreement with existing experiments and further predicted the existence of 10 stable CHPs,i.e.Rb3 Cu2 Br5,Rb3 Cu2 I5,Rb Cu2 Cl3,Rb2 Cu I3,Rb2 Cu Br4,Rb Cu Br3,Rb3 Cu2 Br7,Cs3 Cu2 Br7,Cs3 Cu2 Cl7 and Cs4 Cu5 Cl9,which have not yet been reported in experiments.This work provides a phase and compositional map that may guide experiments to synthesize more novel inorganic CHPs with diverse properties for potential functional applications.

Designing solar-cell absorber materials through computational high-throughput screening

Although the efficiency of CH3 NH3 PI3 has been refreshed to 25.2%,stability and toxicity remain the main challenges for its applications.The search for novel solar-cell absorbers that are highly stable,non-toxic,inexpensive,and highly efficient is now a viable research focus.In this review,we summarize our recent research into the high-throughput screening and materials design of solar-cell absorbers,including single perovskites,double perovskites,and materials beyond Perovskites.BazrS3(single perovskite),Ba2 BiNbS6(double perovskite),HgAl2 Se4(spinel),and IrSb3(skutterudite)were discovered to be potential candidates in terms of their high stabilities,appropriate bandgaps,small carrier effective masses,and strong optical absorption.

A Natural Polymer Captor for Immobilizing Polysulfide/Polyselenide in Working Li-SeS_(2) Batteries

SeS_(2) has become a promising cathode material owing to its enhanced electrical conductivity over sulfur and higher theoretical specific capacity than selenium;however,the working Li-SeS_(2) batteries have to face the practical challenges from the severe shuttling of soluble dual intermediates of polysulfide and polyselenide,especially in high-SeS_(2)-loading cathodes.Herein,a natural organic polymer,Nicandra physaloides pectin(NPP),is proposed to serve as an effective polysulfide/polyselenide captor to address the shuttling issues.Informed by theoretical calculations,NPP is competent to provide a Lewis base-based strong binding interaction with polysulfides/polyselenides via forming lithium bonds,and it can be homogeneously deposited onto a three-dimensional double-carbon conductive scaffold to finally constitute a polysulfide/polyselenide-immobilizing interlayer.Operando spectroscopy analysis validates the enhanced polysulfide/polyselenide trapping and high conversion efficiency on the constructed interlayer,hence bestowing the Li-SeS_(2) cells with ultrahigh rate capability(448 mAh g^(−1)at 10 A g^(−1)),durable cycling lifespan(≈0.037%capacity attenuation rate per cycle),and high areal capacity(>6.5 mAh cm^(−2))at high SeS_(2) loading of 15.4 mg cm^(−2).Importantly,pouch cells assembled with this interlayer exhibit excellent flexibility,decent rate capability with relatively low electrolyte-to-capacity ratio,and stable cycling life even under a low electrolyte condition,promising a low-cost,viable design protocol toward practical Li-SeS_(2) batteries.

Effect of alloying on the carrier dynamics in high-performance perovskite solar cells

High-efficiency solar cells often require light absorbers prepared from alloys, such as Cd Te_(1-x)Se_(x),CuIn_(x)Ga_(1-x)Se_(2), Cu_(2)ZnSnS_(4-x)Se_(x), and(Cs_(x)FA_(1-x))Pb(I_(1-y)Br_(y))_(3). However, how alloying affects solar cell performance is poorly understood, and determining common features associated with alloying is of significant interest. Herein, we studied the correlation between the A/X site compositional ratio and the photogenerated carrier dynamics using mixed halide perovskites(Cs_(x)FA_(1-x))Pb(I_(1-y)Br_(y))_(3)as examples.Nonadiabatic molecular dynamics calculations demonstrated that charge carrier recombination is highly sensitive to the compositional ratio at the A/X-site. The enhanced lifetime is attributable to the suppression of atomic fluctuations, the weakening of electron-phonon coupling, and a reduction in the electrontransition probability between band edges. The optimal Br concentration was determined to be ~18%, in agreement with experimental observations. This study not only advances our understanding of why mixed perovskites usually exhibit superior experimental photoelectric properties, but also provides a route for optimizing the carrier lifetimes and efficiencies of perovskite solar cells.

Biomass Template Derived Boron/Oxygen Co-Doped Carbon Particles as Advanced Anodes for Potassium-Ion Batteries

Among various anode candidates for potassium-ion batteries,carbonaceous materials have attracted significant attention due to their overwhelming advantages including cost-effectiveness and environmental benignity.However,the inferior specific capacity and the sluggish reaction kinetics hinder the further development in this realm.Herein,we report biomass templated synthesis of boron/oxygen heteroatom co-doped carbon particles(BO-CPs)via direct plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition.With the combined advantages of abundant active sites,large accessible surface area,and functional groups,BO-CP anode exhibits high reversible specific capacity(426.5 mAh g^(-1)at 0.1 A g^(-1))and excellent rate performance(166.5 mAh g^(-1)at 5 A g^(-1)).The K-ion storage mechanism is probed by operando Raman spectroscopy,ex situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy/electrochemical impedance spectroscopy,galvanostatic intermittent titration technique measurements,and theoretical simulations.The synergistic effect of boron and oxygen co-doping greatly facilitates the performance of carbon-based anode,wherein boron dopant improves the conductivity of carbon framework and the oxygen dopant affords ample active sites and thus harvests additional specific capacity.This work is anticipated to propel the development of high-performance anode materials for emerging energy storage devices.

Selective and stable Au-Cu bimetallic catalyst for CO-PROX

Gold-based catalysts are promising in CO preferential oxidation(CO-PROX)reaction in H_(2)-rich stream on account of their high intrinsic activity for CO elimination even at ambient temperature.However,the decrease of CO conversion at elevated temperature due to the competition of H_(2)oxidation,together with the low stability of gold nanoparticles,has posed a dear challenge.Herein,we report that Au-Cu bimetallic catalyst prepared by galvanic replacement method shows a wide temperature window for CO total conversion(30-100℃)and very good catalyst stability without deactivation in a 200-h test.Detailed characterizations combined with density functional theory(DFT)calculation reveal that the synergistic effect of Au-Cu,the electron transfer from Au to Cu,leads to not only strengthened chemisorption of CO but also weakened dissociation of H_(2),both of which are helpful in inhibiting the competition of H_(2)oxidation thus widening the temperature window for CO total conversion.

Substrate screening for superclean graphene growth using firstprinciples calculations

Suppressing the formation of amorphous surface carbon and contaminants during the preparation of graphene by chemical vapor deposition remains an ongoing issue.Herein,we analyzed how substrate characteristics affect graphene quality by simulating margin extension,the nucleation process,and defect pegging configurations on mono-crystalline oriented metal substrates with the aim of enhancing graphene cleanliness.Defect formation energy and nucleation potential,which are indirect substrate–graphene interaction features,were found to appropriately evaluate graphene quality.The crystallographic orientation of the metal substrate was discovered to be critical for producing superclean graphene.A low graphene defect density and high nucleation rate on the Cu(100)facet guarantee growth of high-quality graphene,especially in terms of suppressing the formation of amorphous carbon.In addition,rapid kink growth and self-healing on the Cu(100)facet facilitate rapid graphene synthesis,which is also promoted by rapid kink splicing and margin self-repair on this facet.This study provides theoretical insight useful for the synthesis of superclean graphene.

Zn-air batteries for electric vehicles

The increasingly serious environmental challenges have gradually aroused people's interest in electric vehicles.Over the last decade,governments and automakers have collaborated on the manufacturing of electric vehicles with high performance.Cutting-edge battery technologies are pivotal for the performance of electric vehicles.Zn-air batteries are considered as potential power batteries for electric vehicles due to their high capacity.Zn-air battery researches can be classified into three categories:primary batteries,mechanically rechargeable batteries,and chemically rechargeable batteries.The majority of current studies aim at developing and improving chemically rechargeable and mechanically rechargeable Zn-air batteries.Researchers have tried to use catalytic materials design and device design for Zn-air batteries to make it possible for their applications in electric vehicles.This review will highlight the state-of-the-art in primary batteries,mechanically rechargeable batteries,and chemically rechargeable batteries,revealing the prospects of Zn-air batteries for electric vehicles.

Harnessing data using symbolic regression methods for discovering novel paradigms in physics

In recent years,machine-learning methods have profoundly impacted research in the interdisciplinary fields of physics.However,most machine-learning models lack interpretability,and physicists doubt the credibility of their conclusions because they cannot be combined with prior physical knowledge.Therefore,this review focuses on symbolic regression,which is an interpretable machine-learning method.First,the relevant concepts of machine learning are introduced in conjunction with induction.Next,we provide an overview of symbolic regression methods.Subsequently,the recent directions for the application of symbolic regression methods in different subfields of physics are outlined,and an overview of the ways in which the applications of symbolic regression have evolved in the realm of physics is provided.The major aim of this review is to introduce the basic principles of symbolic regression and explain its applications in the field of physics.

Nanostructured Bi2S3 encapsulated within three- dimensional N-doped graphene as active and flexible anodes for sodium-ion batteries

Sodium-ion batteries （SIBs） have been increasingly attracting attention as a sustainable alternative to lithium-ion batteries for scalable energy storage. The key to advanced SIBs relies heavily upon the development of reliable anodes. In this respect, Bi2S3 has been extensively investigated because of its high capacity, tailorable morpholog, and low cost However, the common practices of incorporating carbon species to enhance the electrical conductivity and accommodate the volume change of Bi2S3 anodes so as to boost their durability for Na storage have met with limited success. Herein, we report a simple method to realize the encapsulation of Bi2S3 nanorods within three-dimensional, nitrogen-doped graphene （3DNG） frameworks, targeting flexible and active composite anodes for SIBs. The Bi2S3/ 3DNG composites displayed outstanding Na storage behavior with a high reversible capacity （649 mAh·g^-1 at 62.5 mA·g^-1） and favorable durability （307 and 200 mAh·g^-1 after 100 cycles at 125 and 312.5 mA·g^-1, respectively）. In-depth characterization by in situ X-ray diffraction revealed that the intriguing Na storage process of Bi2Sa was based upon a reversible reaction. Furthermore, a full, flexible SIB cell with Na0.4MnO2 cathode and as-prepared composite anode was successfully assembled, and holds a great promise for next-generation, wearable energy storage applications.

Direct insight into sulfiphilicity-lithiophilicity design of bifunctional heteroatom-doped graphene mediator toward durable Li-S batteries

The practical applications of lithium-sulfur(Li-S)battery have been greatly hindered by the severe polysulfide shuttle at the cathode and rampant lithium dendrite growth at the anode.One of the effective solutions deals with concurrent management of both electrodes.Nevertheless,this direction remains in a nascent stage due to a lack of material selection and mechanism exploration.Herein,we devise a temperature-mediated direct chemical vapor deposition strategy to realize the controllable synthesis of three-dimensional boron/nitrogen dual-doped graphene(BNG)particulated architectures,which is employed as a light-weighted and multi-functional mediator for both electrodes in Li-S batteries.Benefiting from the“sulfiphilic”and“lithiophilic”features,the BNG modified separator not only enables boosted kinetics of polysulfide transformation to mitigate the shuttle effect but also endows uniform lithium deposition to suppress the dendritic growth.Theoretical calculations in combination with electro-kinetic tests and operando Raman analysis further elucidate the favorable sulfur and lithium electrochemistry of BNG at a molecular level.This work offers direct insight into the mediator design via controllable synthesis of graphene materials to tackle the fundamental challenges of Li-S batteries.

Emerging Two‑dimensional Materials Constructed Nanofuidic Fiber:Properties,Preparation and Applications

By virtue of ultra-fexibility and non-inductive feature,fbrous electrode is an ideal platform for constructing wearable electronics and implantable electrodes for medical therapy.2D nanofuidic channels with tailored ion transport dynamics enable minimized charge transfer resistance and efcient ion transport capability.Thus,combining the nanofuidic ion transport features and fbrous electrode advantages,2D nanofuidic fber electrode presents a series of extra advantages of unidirectional efcient ion transport and great biofriendliness.In this minireview,we frst elaborate the architecture characteristics of the emerging 2D nanofuidic fbers and highlight the intriguing features,such as tunable interlayer spacing,efcient ion transport and modifable channel surface.Conventional strategies for constructing 2D nanofuidic fbers have been systematically enumerated,including solvent volatilizing regulation,confnement triggered alignment,and fow-driven orientation.In addition,the promising applications of 2D nanofuidic fbers have been also summarized as well.Finally,we analyze the challenges and perspectives of fbrous 2D nanofuidic construction,ion transport mechanism study and potential application extension.

Defect calculations with quasiparticle correction: A revisited study of iodine defects in CH3NH3PbI3

Defect levels in semiconductor band gaps play a crucial role in functionalized semiconductors for practical applications in optoelectronics;however,first-principle defect calculations based on exchange-correlation functionals,such as local density approximation,grand gradient approximation(GGA),and hybrid functionals,either underestimate band gaps or misplace defect levels.In this study,we revisited iodine defects in CH_(3)NH_(3)PbI_(3) by combining the accuracy of total energy calculations of GGA and single-electron level calculation of the GW method.The combined approach predicted neutral Im_(i) to be unstable and the transition level of Im_(i)(+1/-1)to be close to the valence band maximum.Therefore,Im_(i) may not be as detrimental as previously reported.Moreover,Vm I may be unstable in the-1 charged state but could still be detrimental owing to the deep transition level of Vm I(+1/0).These results could facilitate the further understanding of the intrinsic point defect and defect passivation observed in CH_(3)NH_(3)PbI_(3).