Nitrogen and Phosphorous Co-Doped Graphene Monolith for Supercapacitors

Acid etching-induced nanocutting of LaNiO3 transplanting self-assembled photodiode array-like LaNiO3/N,P-RGO nanoreactor for efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Nanoscale graphene-semiconductor composite photocatalysts with fascinating properties in the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution have inspired numerous interests in broad research fields. The architectures with efficient light response and promoting charge separation at the interface between reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and semiconductor are critical, yet synthesizing them remains a formidable challenge. Herein, the photodiode array-like LaNiO3/N,P-RGO (LNO/N,P-RGO) nanoreactor was constructed using an innovative strategy of acid etching-induced nanocutting self-assembly. Ammonium dihydrogen phosphate working as both a nitrogen phosphorus co-dopant and an acid etching reagent, cuts perovskite LaNiO3 (LNO) nanoparticles into nanorods, which are bonded evenly on the nitrogen phosphorus co-doped reduced graphene oxide (N,P-RGO) to form an n-n semiconductor heterojunction LNO/N,P-RGO as a photodiode array-like nanoreactor via hydrothermal treatment. The photodiode array-like nanostructure exposes more active sites that are conducive to light absorption. The robust Ni-C and P-O bonds promote the narrowing of space-charge region at the interface by UV irradiation, thereby improving the transport of photogenerated carriers by visible light irradiation. The LNO/N,P-RGO nanoreactor exhibits excellent photocatalytic hydrogen evolution performance with a yield of up to 354 μmol g-1 h-1 under UV-visible light, which is 50 times higher than that of pure perovskite LNO, and it also displays favorable recycling stability.

Acetamiprid's degradation products and mechanism: Part II - Inert atmosphere and charge storage

Reuse and/or recycling of spent adsorbents is taking a central role in modern thinking and catalyzed carbonization is the way forward. Herein we explore the carbonization of adsorbed acetamiprid, in an inert atmosphere, as a way of recycling and producing nitrogen-rich carbon material for potential use in supercapacitors. Added value material and the reuse of the adsorbent were achieved by carbonization at 700 °C under argon. The formation of a nitrogen-doped carbon layer as an active material on the adsorbent, bonded through a C-Si linkage, has been conclusively verified through elemental composition quantification using XPS and EDX measurements. Two-stage catalytic decomposition and condensation of the adsorbed pesticide is followed by TGA and TPD-MS. Attained carbon-based materials give stable Faradaic capacitance with a slight dependency on the number of adsorbing cycles. Capacitance calculated with respect to the adlayer carbon material reaches values as high as 610 F g-1. Galvanostatic Charge/Discharge measurement confirmed the stability of explored materials with a slight increase in capacitance over 1000 cycles. The presented results envisage electroactive materials preparation from environmental pollutants, adding value to spent adsorbents.

Preparation of the N, P-Codoped Carbonized UiO-66 Nanocomposite and Its Application in Supercapacitors

Preparing high-performance electrode materials from metal-organic framework precursors is currently a hot research topic in the field of energy storage materials. Improving the conductivity of such electrode materials and further increasing their specific capacitance are key issues that must be addressed. In this work, we prepared phosphoric acid-functionalized UiO-66 material as a precursor for carbonization, and after carbonization, it was combined with activated carbon to obtain nitrogen-/phosphorus-codoped carbonized UiO-66 composite material (N/P-C-UiO-66@AC). This material exhibits excellent conductivity. In addition, the carbonized product ZrO2 and the nitrogen-/phosphorus-codoped structure evidently improve the pseudocapacitance of the material. Electrochemical test results show that the material has a good electrochemical performance. The specific capacitance of the supercapacitor made from this material at 1.0 A/g is 140 F/g. After 5000 charge-discharge cycles at 10 A/g, its specific capacitance still remains at 88.5%, indicating that the composite material has good cycling stability. The symmetric supercapacitor assembled with this electrode material also has a high energy density of 11.0 W h/kg and a power density of 600 W/kg.

Phosphorus Doping Strategy-Induced Synergistic Modification of Interlayer Structure and Chemical State in Ti3C2Tx toward Enhancing Capacitance

Heteroatom doping is considered an effective method to substantially improve the electrochemical performance of Ti₃C₂T_x MXene for supercapacitors. Herein, a facile and controllable strategy, which combines heat treatment with phosphorous (P) doping by using sodium phosphinate (NaH₂PO₂) as a phosphorus source, is used to modify Ti₃C₂T_x. The intercalated ions from NaH₂PO₂ act as "pillars" to expand the interlayer space of MXene, which is conducive to electrolyte ion diffusion. On the other hand, P doping tailors the surface electronic state of MXene, optimizing electronic conductivity and reducing the free energy of H⁺ diffusion on the MXene surface. Meanwhile, P sites with lower electronegativity owning good electron donor characteristics are easy to share electrons with H⁺, which is beneficial to charge storage. Moreover, the adopted heat treatment replaces -F terminations with O-containing groups, which enhances the hydrophilicity and provides sufficient active sites. The change in surface functional groups increases the content of high valence-stated Ti with a high electrochemical activity that can accommodate more electrons during discharge. Synergistic modification of interlayer structure and chemical state improves the possibility of Ti₃C₂T_x for accommodating more H⁺ ions. Consequently, the modified electrode delivers a specific capacitance of 510 F g^-1 at 2 mV s^-1, and a capacitance retention of 90.2% at 20 A g^-1 after 10,000 cycles. The work provides a coordinated strategy for the rational design of high-capacitance Ti₃C₂T_x MXene electrodes.

Recent Advances in Carbon-Based Electrodes for Energy Storage and Conversion

Carbon-based nanomaterials, including graphene, fullerenes, and carbon nanotubes, are attracting significant attention as promising materials for next-generation energy storage and conversion applications. They possess unique physicochemical properties, such as structural stability and flexibility, high porosity, and tunable physicochemical features, which render them well suited in these hot research fields. Technological advances at atomic and electronic levels are crucial for developing more efficient and durable devices. This comprehensive review provides a state-of-the-art overview of these advanced carbon-based nanomaterials for various energy storage and conversion applications, focusing on supercapacitors, lithium as well as sodium-ion batteries, and hydrogen evolution reactions. Particular emphasis is placed on the strategies employed to enhance performance through nonmetallic elemental doping of N, B, S, and P in either individual doping or codoping, as well as structural modifications such as the creation of defect sites, edge functionalization, and inter-layer distance manipulation, aiming to provide the general guidelines for designing these devices by the above approaches to achieve optimal performance. Furthermore, this review delves into the challenges and future prospects for the advancement of carbon-based electrodes in energy storage and conversion.

Phosphorous- and Boron-Doped Graphene-Based Nanomaterials for Energy-Related Applications

Doping is a great strategy for tuning the characteristics of graphene-based nanomaterials. Phosphorous has a higher electronegativity as compared to carbon, whereas boron can induce p-type conductivity in graphene. This review provides insight into the different synthesis routes of phosphorous- and boron-doped graphene along with their applications in supercapacitors, lithium- ions batteries, and cells such as solar and fuel cells. The two major approaches for the synthesis, viz. direct and post-treatment methods, are discussed in detail. The former synthetic strategies include ball milling and chemical vapor discharge approaches, whereas self-assembly, thermal annealing, arc-discharge, wet chemical, and electrochemical erosion are representative post-treatment methods. The latter techniques keep the original graphene structure via more surface doping than substitutional doping. As a result, it is possible to preserve the features of the graphene while offering a straightforward handling technique that is more stable and controllable than direct techniques. This review also explains the latest progress in the prospective uses of graphene doped with phosphorous and boron for electronic devices, i.e., fuel and solar cells, supercapacitors, and batteries. Their novel energy-related applications will continue to be a promising area of study.

Heteroatom Codoped Graphene: The Importance of Nitrogen

Although graphene has exceptional properties, they are not enough to solve the extensive list of pressing world problems. The substitutional doping of graphene using heteroatoms is one of the preferred methods to adjust the physicochemical properties of graphene. Much effort has been made to dope graphene using a single dopant. However, in recent years, substantial efforts have been made to dope graphene using two or more dopants. This review summarizes all the hard work done to synthesize, characterize, and develop new technologies using codoped, tridoped, and quaternary doped graphene. First, I discuss a simple question that has a complicated answer: When can an atom be considered a dopant? Then, I briefly discuss the single atom doped graphene as a starting point for this review's primary objective: codoped or dual-doped graphene. I extend the discussion to include tridoped and quaternary doped graphene. I review most of the systems that have been synthesized or studied theoretically and the areas in which they have been used to develop new technologies. Finally, I discuss the challenges and prospects that will shape the future of this fascinating field. It will be shown that most of the graphene systems that have been reported involve the use of nitrogen, and much effort is needed to develop codoped graphene systems that do not rely on the stabilizing effects of nitrogen. I expect that this review will contribute to introducing more researchers to this fascinating field and enlarge the list of codoped graphene systems that have been synthesized.

Conversion of Plastic Waste to Carbon-Based Compounds and Application in Energy Storage Devices

At present, plastic waste accumulation has been observed as one of the most alarming environmental challenges, affecting all forms of life, economy, and natural ecosystems, worldwide. The overproduction of plastic materials is mainly due to human population explosion as well as extraordinary proliferation in the global economy accompanied by global productivity. Under this threat, the development of benign and green alternative solutions instead of traditional disposal methods such as conversion of plastic waste materials into cherished carbonaceous nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs), carbon quantum dots (CQDs), graphene, activated carbon, and porous carbon is of utmost importance. This critical review thoroughly summarizes the different types of daily used plastics, their types, properties, ways of accumulation and their effect on the environment and human health, treatment of waste materials, conversion of waste materials into carbon-based compounds through different synthetic schemes, and their utilization in energy storage devices particularly in supercapacitors, as well as future perspectives. The main purpose of this review is to help the targeted audience to design their futuristic study in this desired field by providing information about the work done in the past few years.

Phosphorus-Doped Graphene Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Developing cheap and earth-abundant electrocatalysts with high activity and stability for oxygen reduction reactions (ORRs) is highly desired for the commercial implementation of fuel cells and metal-air batteries. Tremendous efforts have been made on doped-graphene catalysts. However, the progress of phosphorus-doped graphene (P-graphene) for ORRs has rarely been summarized until now. This review focuses on the recent development of P-graphene-based materials, including the various synthesis methods, ORR performance, and ORR mechanism. The applications of single phosphorus atom-doped graphene, phosphorus, nitrogen-codoped graphene (P, N-graphene), as well as phosphorus, multi-atoms codoped graphene (P, X-graphene) as catalysts, supporting materials, and coating materials for ORR are discussed thoroughly. Additionally, the current issues and perspectives for the development of P-graphene materials are proposed.

Influence of Defects and Heteroatoms on the Chemical Properties of Supported Graphene Layers

A large and growing number of theoretical papers report the possible role of defects and heteroatoms on the chemical properties of single-layer graphene. Indeed, they are expected to modify the electronic structure of the graphene film, allow for chemisorption of different species, and enable more effective functionalisation. Therefore, from theoretical studies, we get the suggestion that single and double vacancies, Stone–Wales defects and heteroatoms are suitable candidates to turn nearly chemically inert graphene into an active player in chemistry, catalysis, and sensoristics. Despite these encouraging premises, experimental proofs of an enhanced reactivity of defected/doped graphene are limited because experimental studies addressing adsorption on well-defined defects and heteroatoms in graphene layers are much less abundant than theoretical ones. In this paper, we review the state of the art of experimental findings on adsorption on graphene defects and heteroatoms, covering different topics such as the role of vacancies on adsorption of oxygen and carbon monoxide, the effect of the presence of N heteroatoms on adsorption and intercalation underneath graphene monolayers, and the role of defects in covalent functionalisation and defect-induced gas adsorption on graphene transistors.

A temperature-dependent phosphorus doping on Ti3C2Tx MXene for enhanced supercapacitance

A novel type of phosphorus doped Ti₃C₂T_x MXene nanosheets (P-Ti₃C₂T_x) is synthesized via a facile and controllable strategy of annealing MXene nanosheets with the presence of sodium hypophosphite. A combination of theoretical density functional theory calculation and experimental X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy discloses that the doped P atoms are prone to fill into Ti vacancies first due to their lowest formation free energy (ΔG_P* = -0.028 eV·Å^-2) and next to bond with surface terminals on MXene layers (ΔG_P* = 0.013 eV·Å^-2), forming P-C and P-O species, respectively. More importantly, the as-obtained P-Ti₃C₂T_x is, for the first time, investigated as the electrode material for supercapacitors, demonstrating a significantly boosted electrochemical performance by P doping. As a result, P-Ti₃C₂T_x electrode delivers a high specific capacitance of 320 F·g^-1 at a current density of 0.5 A·g^-1 (much higher than 131 F·g^-1 for undoped MXene), an ultrahigh rate retention of 83.8% capacitance at 30 A·g^-1, and a high cycling stability over continuous 5000 cycles.

Enhanced Energy Density for P-Doped Hierarchically Porous Carbon-Based Symmetric Supercapacitor with High Operation Potential in Aqueous H2SO4 Electrolyte

Phosphorus-doped hierarchically porous carbon (HPC) is prepared with the assistance of freeze-drying using colloid silica and phytic acid dipotassium salt as a hard template and phosphorus source, respectively. Intensive material characterizations show that the freeze-drying process can effectively promote the porosity of HPC. The specific surface area and P content for HPC can reach up to 892 m² g^-1 and 2.78 at%, respectively. Electrochemical measurements in aqueous KOH and H₂SO₄ electrolytes reveal that K⁺ of a smaller size can more easily penetrate the inner pores compared with SO₄^2-, while the developed microporosity in HPC is conducive to the penetration of SO₄^2-. Moreover, P-doping leads to a high operation potential of 1.5 V for an HPC-based symmetric supercapacitor, resulting in an enhanced energy density of 16.4 Wh kg^-1. Our work provides a feasible strategy to prepare P-doped HPC with a low dosage of phosphorus source and a guide to construct a pore structure suitable for aqueous H₂SO₄ electrolyte.

Crumpled B, F Co-doped graphene nanosheets for the fabrication of all-solid-state flexible supercapacitors

Crumpled B, F co-doped graphene nanosheets (BFGO) have been synthesized using supercritical water as the solvent in a short reaction time of 1 h and were demonstrated for the fabrication of all-solid-state flexible supercapacitors (ASFS). As-synthesized BFGO delivered high specific capacitance with an NaVO₃/H₂SO₄ electrolyte (832 F g^-1). Moreover, the fabricated ASFS showed excellent energy and power densities of 24 W h kg^-1 and 800 W kg^-1 at 1 A g^-1, respectively.

One step synthesis of N, P co-doped hierarchical porous carbon nanosheets derived from pomelo peel for high performance supercapacitors

Ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (NH₄H₂PO₄) was used as an activator and co-dopant to induce the synthesis of N, P co-doped porous carbon nanosheets (NPCNs) from pomelo peel for using as high-performance supercapacitors. Pomelo peel has a unique sponge-like structure in which NH₄H₂PO₄ particles can be evenly embedded. The pore structure and heteroatomic doping amount of NPCNs were controlled by adjusting the pyrolysis temperature. As a result, the optimal sample exhibits high specific capacitance (314 ± 2.6 F g^-1) and rate capability (82% of capacitance retention at 20 A g^-1). NPCNs-750 was further employed in a symmetrical supercapacitor (NPCNs-750//NPCNs-750 SSC) with 2 M Li₂SO₄ electrolyte, and exhibits a high energy density of 36 ± 1.5 W h kg^-1 at a power density of 1000 W kg^-1, with excellent cycling stability with 99% retention after 10,000 cycles. A series of excellent results show that this pollution-free and cost-effective method can be used for the design and preparation of high-performance supercapacitor electrode materials.

MoO2 nanoparticles confined in N,P-codoped graphene aerogels with excellent pseudocapacitance performance

In this work, MoO2@NPGA nanocomposites were successfully prepared via a simple hydrothermal and calcination route. The as-prepared MoO2@NPGA composites exhibit a synergistic effect between MoO2 and N,P-codoped graphene aerogels, which can significantly improve the electrochemical performance of the MoO2@NPGA electrodes. Moreover, the results also proved that the mass loading of MoO2 has a huge effect on the electrochemical properties of MoO2@NPGA composites. With an appropriate amount of MoO2, the MoO2@NPGA composite shows a high specific capacitance (335 F g−1 at 1 A g−1) and excellent cycle stability (capacitance remains at 88% after 6000 cycles). Furthermore, the assembled symmetric supercapacitor displays a high energy density of 23.75 W h kg−1 at a power density of 300 W kg−1 and can maintain an energy density of 17.1 W h kg−1 when the power density reaches up to 6005 W kg−1.

Bi2S3@NH2-UiO-66-S composites modulated by covalent interfacial reactions boost photodegradation and the oxidative coupling of primary amines

The Bi₂S₃@NH₂-UiO-66-S heterostructures have been synthesized via covalent interfacial reactions, exhibiting excellent performance in the photodegradation of methylene and the oxidative coupling of primary amines compared to reported photocatalysts.

Single Alkali Metal Ion-Activated Porous Carbon With Heteroatom Doping for Supercapacitor Electrode

A single alkali metal ion activation method was used to prepare sulfur-doped microporous carbons. A series of alkali metal ions such as Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, and Cs⁺ was used in the polymerization process of 3-hydroxythiophenol and formaldehyde to obtain metal ion anchored in the sulfur-containing resin, which was further treated to obtain xerogel and carbonized to obtain microporous carbon with sulfur doping. In this case, the monodispersed alkali metal ions could realize highly effective activation with low activating agent dosage. Intensive material characterizations show that the alkali metal ions determine the pore structure and surface properties of as-prepared carbons. C-Cs prepared by Cs⁺ ion possesses a high Brunauer-Emmett-Teller specific surface area of 1,037 m² g^-1 with interconnected microporosity and sulfur doping. The specific capacitance of C-Cs can reach up to 270.9 F g^-1 in a two-cell electrode measurement system, whereas C-Cs-based supercapacitors can deliver an energy density of 7.6 Wh kg^-1, which is much larger than that of other samples due to its surface functionalities and well-interconnected porosities.

Promotion effect of Zn on 2D bimetallic NiZn metal organic framework nanosheets for tyrosinase immobilization and ultrasensitive detection of phenol

Environmental monitoring of pollutants is essential to guarantee the human health and maintain the ecosystem. The exploration of both simple and sensitive detection method has aroused widespread attentions. Herein, 2D bimetallic metal organic framework nanosheets (NiZn-MOF NSs) with tunable Ni/Zn ratios were synthesized, and for the first time employed to construct a tyrosinase biosensor. It is revealed that Zn element not only tuned the porosity structure and electronic structure of MOF NSs, but also modified their electrochemical activity. As a result, enzyme immobilization and electrochemical sensing performance of the NiZn-MOF NSs based biosensor were significantly enhanced by a suitable Zn addition. The fabricated tyrosinase biosensor exhibited excellent analytical detections, with a wide linear range from 0.08 μM to 58.2 μM, a high sensitivity of 159.3 mA M^-1, and an ultralow detection limit of 6.5 nM. In addition, the proposed biosensing approach also demonstrated good repeatability, superior selectivity, long-term stability, and high recovery for phenol detection in the real tap water samples.

2 D Materials for Electrochemical Energy Storage: Design, Preparation, and Application

Electrochemical energy storage is a promising route to relieve the increasing energy and environment crises, owing to its high efficiency and environmentally friendly nature. However, it is still challenging to realize its widespread application because of unsatisfactory electrode materials, with either high cost or poor activity and new electrode materials are urgently needed. Two-dimensional (2 D) materials are possible candidates, owing to their unique geometry and physicochemical properties. This Review summarizes the latest advances in the development of 2 D materials for electrochemical energy storage. Computational investigation and design of 2 D materials are first introduced, and then preparation methods are presented in detail. Next, the application of such materials in supercapacitors, alkali metal-ion batteries, and metal-air batteries are summarized comprehensively. Finally, the challenges and perspectives are discussed to offer a guideline for future exploration of high-efficiency 2 D materials for electrochemical energy storage.

Boosting Specific Energy and Power of Carbon-Ionic Liquid Supercapacitors by Engineering Carbon Pore Structures

Carbon-ionic liquid (C-IL) supercapacitors (SCs) promise to provide high capacitance and high operating voltage, and thus high specific energy. It is still highly demanding to enhance the capacitance in order to achieve high power and energy density. We synthesized a high-pore-volume and specific-surface-area activated carbon material with a slit mesoporous structure by two-step processes of carbonization and the activation from polypyrrole. The novel slit-pore-structured carbon materials provide a specific capacity of 310 F g⁻¹ at 0.5 A g⁻¹ for C-IL SCs, which is among one of the highest recorded specific capacitances. The slit mesoporous activated carbons have a maximum ion volume utilization of 74%, which effectively enhances ion storage, and a better interaction with ions in ionic liquid electrolyte, thus providing superior capacitance. We believe that this work provides a new strategy of engineering pore structure to enhance specific capacitance and rate performance of C-IL SCs.

MXene Boosted CoNi-ZIF-67 as Highly Efficient Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Evolution

Oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is a pivotal step for many sustainable energy technologies, and exploring inexpensive and highly efficient electrocatalysts is one of the most crucial but challenging issues to overcome the sluggish kinetics and high overpotentials during OER. Among the numerous electrocatalysts, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have emerged as promising due to their high specific surface area, tunable porosity, and diversity of metal centers and functional groups. It is believed that combining MOFs with conductive nanostructures could significantly improve their catalytic activities. In this study, an MXene supported CoNi-ZIF-67 hybrid (CoNi-ZIF-67@Ti₃C₂T_x) was synthesized through the in-situ growth of bimetallic CoNi-ZIF-67 rhombic dodecahedrons on the Ti₃C₂T_x matrix via a coprecipitation reaction. It is revealed that the inclusion of the MXene matrix not only produces smaller CoNi-ZIF-67 particles, but also increases the average oxidation of Co/Ni elements, endowing the CoNi-ZIF-67@Ti₃C₂T_x as an excellent OER electrocatalyst. The effective synergy of the electrochemically active CoNi-ZIF-67 phase and highly conductive MXene support prompts the hybrid to process a superior OER catalytic activity with a low onset potential (275 mV vs. a reversible hydrogen electrode, RHE) and Tafel slope (65.1 mV∙dec⁻¹), much better than the IrO₂ catalysts and the pure CoNi-ZIF-67. This work may pave a new way for developing efficient non-precious metal catalyst materials.

Fluorine-Enriched Graphdiyne as an Efficient Anode in Lithium-Ion Capacitors

Lithium-ion capacitors (LICs) have shown extraordinary promise for electrochemical energy storage but are usually limited to electrodes with low energy density or power density owing to the lack of active storage sites and ion diffusion limitation. In this study, fluorine-enriched graphdiyne (F-GDY) is prepared by a solvothermal reaction. Owing to the 42-C hexagonal porous structure, abundant sp and sp² hybrid carbon atoms, and even distribution of fluorine, F-GDY has enormous potential as an anode for lithium-ion storage. The outstanding rate performance (1825.9 mAh g^-1 at 0.1 A g^-1 , 979.2 mAh g^-1 at 5 A g^-1 ) and stable cycling stability of F-GDY in the lithium-ion battery inspire the assembly of a LIC with F-GDY as an anode and activated carbon (AC) as a cathode. When the AC/F-GDY mass ratio is 7:1, the LIC gives the largest energy density of 200.2 Wh kg^-1 , corresponding to a power density of 131.17 W kg^-1 . This LIC also shows excellent long-term cycling stability with a retention of approximately 80 % after 5000 cycles at 2 A g^-1 and a retention of more than 80 % after 6000 cycles at 5 A g^-1 .

Rich N/O/S co-doped porous carbon with a high surface area from silkworm cocoons for superior supercapacitors

The synergistic effects of high surface area and abundant heteroatoms make porous carbons superior electrode materials.

Construction of ZnCo2S4@Ni(OH)2 core–shell nanostructures for asymmetric supercapacitors with high energy densities

ZnCo₂S₄ nanoneedle clusters are uniformly grown as a core on foamed nickel and then are coated with Ni(OH)₂ nanosheets as shell layers.

Band gap-Tunable Porous Borocarbonitride Nanosheets for High Energy-Density Supercapacitors

Band gap-tunable porous borocarbonitride (BCN) nanosheets were successfully fabricated with cheap and readily available precursors by annealing and exfoliating. The band gap of the as-prepared BCN materials ranges from 5.5 to 1.0 eV; these samples exhibit beneficial structural features suitable for the application in supercapacitors. Especially, the BCN material with a band gap of 1.0 eV exhibits a great specific surface area (600.9 m² g^-1), massive active sites, and excellent conductivity (10.8 S m^-1). In addition, this example displays great specific capacitance (464.5 F g^-1), excellent cycle stability (98.5% performance retention after 10 000 cycles), and ultrahigh energy density (50.4 W h kg^-1, in 1 M Et₄NBF₄ electrolyte). This excellent electrochemical performance and facile effective synthesis of band gap-tunable BCN materials will provide a promising strategy for configuring nanostructured multiple compound electrodes for other energy storage and conversion devices.

Performance of Partially Exfoliated Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanotubes Wrapped with Hierarchical Porous Carbon in Electrolytes

The preparation of highly conductive, high-surface-area, heteroatom-doped, porous carbon nanocomposite materials with enhanced electrochemical performance for sustainable energy-storage technologies, such as supercapacitors, is challenging. Herein, a route for the large-scale synthesis of nitrogen-doped porous carbon wrapped partially exfoliated carbon nanotubes (N-PPECNTs) with an interconnected hierarchical porous structure, as an advanced electrode material that can realize several potential applications for energy storage, is presented. Polypyrrole conductive polymer acts as both nitrogen and carbon sources that contribute to the pseudocapacitance. Partially exfoliated carbon nanotubes (PECNTs) provide a high specific surface area for ion and charge transportation and act as a conductive matrix. The derived porous N-PPECNT displays a nitrogen content of 6.95 at %, with a specific surface area of 2050 m²  g^-1 , and pore volume of 1.13 cm³  g^-1 . N-PPECNTs, as an electrode material for supercapacitors, exhibit an excellent specific capacitance of 781 F g^-1 at 2 A g^-1 , with a high cycling stability of 95.3 % over 10 000 cycles. Furthermore, the symmetric supercapacitor exhibits remarkable energy densities as high as 172.8, 62.7, and 53.55 Wh kg^-1 in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide ([BMIM][TFSI]), organic, and aqueous electrolytes, respectively. Also, biocompatible hydrogel and polymer gel electrolyte based, stable, flexible supercapacitors with excellent electrochemical performance could be demonstrated.

Hierarchical CuCo2O4@nickel-cobalt hydroxides core/shell nanoarchitectures for high-performance hybrid supercapacitors

Ni_0.5Co_0.5(OH)₂ nanosheets coated CuCo₂O₄ nanoneedles arrays were successfully designed and synthesized on carbon fabric. The core/shell nanoarchitectures directly served as the binder-free electrode with a superior capacity of 295.6mAhg^-1 at 1Ag^-1, which still maintained 220mAhg^-1 even at the high current density of 40Ag^-1, manifesting their enormous potential in hybrid supercapacitor devices. The as-assembled CuCo₂O₄@Ni_0.5Co_0.5(OH)₂//AC hybrid supercapacitor device exhibited favorable properties with the specific capacitance as high as 90Fg^-1 at 1Ag^-1 and the high energy density of 32Whkg^-1 at the power density of 800Wkg^-1. Furthermore, the as-assembled device also delivered excellent cycling performance (retaining 91.9% of the initial capacitance after 12,000 cycles at 8Ag^-1) and robust mechanical stability and flexibility, implying the huge potential of present hierarchical electrodes in energy storage devices.

Modulating the electronic and magnetic properties of graphene

Graphene, an sp²hybridized single sheet of carbon atoms organized in a honeycomb lattice, is a zero band gap semiconductor or semimetal.

One-step nanocasting synthesis of nitrogen and phosphorus dual heteroatom doped ordered mesoporous carbons for supercapacitor application

N and P dual heteroatom doped ordered mesoporous carbon was synthesized and exhibited enhanced specific capacitance (220 F g⁻¹ at 1 A g⁻¹), good rate capability (178 F g⁻¹ at 16 A g⁻¹ with 81% capacitance retention) and excellent cycling stability (91% after 3000 cycles).