Controllable synthesis of hierarchical nanostructured hollow core/mesopore shell carbon for electrochemical hydrogen storage

Recent Developments in Materials for Physical Hydrogen Storage: A Review

The depletion of reliable energy sources and the environmental and climatic repercussions of polluting energy sources have become global challenges. Hence, many countries have adopted various renewable energy sources including hydrogen. Hydrogen is a future energy carrier in the global energy system and has the potential to produce zero carbon emissions. For the non-fossil energy sources, hydrogen and electricity are considered the dominant energy carriers for providing end-user services, because they can satisfy most of the consumer requirements. Hence, the development of both hydrogen production and storage is necessary to meet the standards of a "hydrogen economy". The physical and chemical absorption of hydrogen in solid storage materials is a promising hydrogen storage method because of the high storage and transportation performance. In this paper, physical hydrogen storage materials such as hollow spheres, carbon-based materials, zeolites, and metal-organic frameworks are reviewed. We summarize and discuss the properties, hydrogen storage densities at different temperatures and pressures, and the fabrication and modification methods of these materials. The challenges associated with these physical hydrogen storage materials are also discussed.

Electrolyte-Wettability Issues and Challenges of Electrode Materials in Electrochemical Energy Storage, Energy Conversion, and Beyond

The electrolyte-wettability of electrode materials in liquid electrolytes plays a crucial role in electrochemical energy storage, conversion systems, and beyond relied on interface electrochemical process. However, most electrode materials do not have satisfactory electrolyte-wettability for possibly electrochemical reaction. In the last 30 years, there are a lot of literature have directed at exploiting methods to improve electrolyte-wettability of electrodes, understanding basic electrolyte-wettability mechanisms of electrode materials, exploring the effect of electrolyte-wettability on its electrochemical energy storage, conversion, and beyond performance. This review systematically and comprehensively evaluates the effect of electrolyte-wettability on electrochemical energy storage performance of the electrode materials used in supercapacitors, metal ion batteries, and metal-based batteries, electrochemical energy conversion performance of the electrode materials used in fuel cells and electrochemical water splitting systems, as well as capacitive deionization performance of the electrode materials used in capacitive deionization systems. Finally, the challenges in approaches for improving electrolyte-wettability of electrode materials, characterization techniques of electrolyte-wettability, as well as electrolyte-wettability of electrode materials applied in special environment and other electrochemical systems with electrodes and liquid electrolytes, which gives future possible directions for constructing interesting electrolyte-wettability to meet the demand of high electrochemical performance, are also discussed.

Carbon nanosphere synthesis and applications for rechargeable batteries

Carbon nanospheres (CNSs) have attracted great interest in energy conversion and storage technologies due to their excellent chemical and thermal stability, high electrical conductivity and controllable size structure characteristics. In order to further improve the energy storage properties, many efforts have been made to design suitable nanocarbon spherical materials to improve electrochemical performance. In this overview, we summarize the recent research progress on CNSs, mainly focusing on the synthesis methods and their application as high-performance electrode materials in rechargeable batteries. As for the synthesis methods, hard template methods, soft template methods, the extension of the Stöber method, hydrothermal carbonization, aerosol-assisted synthesis are described in detail. In addition, the use of CNSs as electrodes in energy storage devices (mainly concentrated on lithium-ion batteries (LIBs)), sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) and potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) are also discussed in detail in this article. Finally, some perspectives on the future research and development of CNSs are provided.

3D printed silicon-few layer graphene anode for advanced Li-ion batteries

The printing of three-dimensional (3D) porous electrodes for Li-ion batteries is considered a key driver for the design and realization of advanced energy storage systems. While different 3D printing techniques offer great potential to design and develop 3D architectures, several factors need to be addressed to print 3D electrodes, maintaining an optimal trade-off between electrochemical and mechanical performances. Herein, we report the first demonstration of 3D printed Si-based electrodes fabricated using a simple and cost-effective fused deposition modelling (FDM) method, and implemented as anodes in Li-ion batteries. To fulfil the printability requirement while maximizing the electrochemical performance, the composition of the FDM filament has been engineered using polylactic acid as the host polymeric matrix, a mixture of carbon black-doped polypyrrole and wet-jet milling exfoliated few-layer graphene flakes as conductive additives, and Si nanoparticles as the active material. The creation of a continuous conductive network and the control of the structural properties at the nanoscale enabled the design and realization of flexible 3D printed anodes, reaching a specific capacity up to ∼345 mA h g⁻¹ at the current density of 20 mA g⁻¹, together with a capacity retention of 96% after 350 cycles. The obtained results are promising for the fabrication of flexible polymeric-based 3D energy storage devices to meet the challenges ahead for the design of next-generation electronic devices.

Novel 3D printed anodes based on Si and wet-jet milling-exfoliated few-layer graphene are produced by fused diffusion modelling (FDM) technique and used in Li-ion batteries.

Fabrication of recyclable reduced graphene oxide/graphitic carbon nitride quantum dot aerogel hybrids with enhanced photocatalytic activity

Recyclable photocatalysts that can efficiently respond to visible light must be developed for practical application. Herein, three-dimensional (3D) reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/graphitic carbon nitride quantum dot (CNQD) aerogel hybrids for harvesting visible light were synthesized via a hydrothermal method. The graphitic CNQDs were not only decorated on but also integrated onto the surface of rGO. The CNQDs produced photogenerated charge under visible light. 3D rGO could serve as an acceptor of the photogenerated electrons and stereoscopically facilitated the charge transfer through aerogel networks owing to its high conductivity. The ciprofloxacin removal ratio of the aerogel hybrids was about 6.1 times higher than that of bulk g-C₃N₄.

Recyclable photocatalysts that can efficiently respond to visible light must be developed for practical application.

High Performance Asymmetric Supercapacitor Based on Hierarchical Carbon Cloth In Situ Deposited with h-WO3 Nanobelts as Negative Electrode and Carbon Nanotubes as Positive Electrode

Urchin-like tungsten oxide (WO₃) microspheres self-assembled with nanobelts are deposited on the surface of the hydrophilic carbon cloth (CC) current collector via hydrothermal reaction. The WO₃ nanobelts in the urchin-like microspheres are in the hexagonal crystalline phase, and their widths are around 30–50 nm. The resulted hierarchical WO₃/CC electrode exhibits a capacitance of 3400 mF/cm² in H₂SO₄ electrolyte in the voltage window of −0.5~0.2 V, which makes it an excellent negative electrode for asymmetric supercapacitors. To improve the capacitive performance of the positive electrode and make it comparable with that of the WO₃/CC electrode, both the electrode material and the electrolyte have been carefully designed and prepared. Therefore, the hydrophilic CC is further coated with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to create a hierarchical CNT/CC electrode via a convenient flame synthesis method, and a redox-active electrolyte containing an Fe²⁺/Fe ³⁺ couple is introduced into the half-cell system as well. As a result, the high performance of the asymmetric supercapacitor assembled with both the asymmetric electrodes and electrolytes has been realized. It exhibits remarkable energy density as large as 403 μW h/cm² at 15 mW/cm² and excellent cyclic stability after 10,000 cycles.

Highly efficient heterogeneous photo-Fenton BiOCl/MIL-100(Fe) nanoscaled hybrid catalysts prepared by green one-step coprecipitation for degradation of organic contaminants

An excellent heterojunction structure is vital for the improvement of photocatalytic performance. In this study, BiOCl/MIL-100(Fe) hybrid composites were prepared via a one-pot coprecipitation method for the first time. The prepared materials were characterized and then used as a photo-Fenton catalyst for the removal of organic pollutants in wastewater. The BiOCl/MIL-100(Fe) hybrid exhibited better photo-Fenton activity than MIL-100(Fe) and BiOCl for RhB degradation; in particular, the hybrid with 50% Bi molar concentration showed the highest efficiency. The excellent performance can be ascribed to the presence of coordinatively unsaturated iron centers, abundant Lewis acid sites, fast H₂O₂ activation, and efficient carrier separation on BiOCl nanosheets due to the high charge carrier mobility of the nanosheets. The photo-Fenton mechanism was studied, and the results indicated that ˙OH and h⁺ were the main active species for organic pollutant degradation. The coprecipitation-based hybridization approach presented in this paper opens up an avenue for the sustainable fabrication of photo-Fenton catalysts with abundant coordinatively unsaturated metal centers and efficient electron–hole separation capacity.

An excellent heterojunction structure is vital for the improvement of photocatalytic performance.

Nickel hydroxide as a non-noble metal co-catalyst decorated on Cd0.5Zn0.5S solid solution for enhanced hydrogen evolution

The study of non-noble metal photocatalysts provides practical significance for hydrogen evolution applications. Herein, new Cd_0.5Zn_0.5S/Ni(OH)₂ catalysts were fabricated through simple hydrothermal and precipitation methods. The photocatalytic performance of the Cd_0.5Zn_0.5S/Ni(OH)₂ composites under visible light was significantly improved, which was attributed to the wider visible light absorption range and less recombination of electron–hole pairs. The composite with a Ni(OH)₂ content of 10% showed the best hydrogen evolution rate of 46.6 mmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹, which was almost 9 times higher than that of pristine Cd_0.5Zn_0.5S. The severe photo-corrosion of Cd_0.5Zn_0.5S was greatly improved, and the Cd_0.5Zn_0.5S/Ni(OH)₂ composite exhibited a very high hydrogen evolution rate after three repeated tests. The excellent photocatalytic performance was due to the non-noble metal Ni(OH)₂ co-catalyst. The excited electrons were transferred to the co-catalyst, which reduced electron–hole recombination. Moreover, the co-catalyst offered more sites for photocatalytic reactions. This study researched the mechanism of a co-catalyst composite, providing new possibilities for non-noble metal photocatalysts.

This study researched the mechanism of a co-catalyst composite, providing new possibilities for non-noble metal photocatalysts.

Binder-free and high-loading sulfurized polyacrylonitrile cathode for lithium/sulfur batteries

Sulfurized polyacrylonitrile (SPAN) is a promising active material for Li/S batteries owing to its high sulfur utilization and long-term cyclability. However, because SPAN electrodes are synthesized using powder, they require large amounts of electrolyte, conducting agents, and binder, which reduces the practical energy density. Herein, to improve the practical energy density, we fabricated bulk-type SPAN disk cathodes from pressed sulfur and polyacrylonitrile powders using a simple heating process. The SPAN disks could be used directly as cathode materials because their π–π structures provide molecular-level electrical connectivity. In addition, the electrodes had interconnected pores, which improved the mobility of Li⁺ ions by allowing homogeneous adsorption of the electrolyte. The specific capacity of the optimal electrode was very high (517 mA h g_electrode⁻¹). Furthermore, considering the weights of the anode, separator, cathode, and electrolyte, the Li/S cell exhibited a high practical energy density of 250 W h kg⁻¹. The areal capacity was also high (8.5 mA h cm⁻²) owing to the high SPAN loading of 16.37 mg cm⁻². After the introduction of 10 wt% multi-walled carbon nanotubes as a conducting agent, the SPAN disk electrode exhibited excellent cyclability while maintaining a high energy density. This strategy offers a potential candidate for Li/S batteries with high practical energy densities.

A simple synthesis procedure to prepare bulk-type SPAN electrodes toward the realization of Li/S batteries with enhanced practical energy densities.

The mechanism of enhanced photocatalytic activity for water-splitting of ReS2 by strain and electric field engineering

To enhance the photocatalytic water splitting performance of 2D ReS₂, we theoretically propose a feasible strategy to engineer its band structure by applying strain or an electric field. Our calculated results show that the strains greatly tune the electronic structure of ReS₂ especially band gap and band edge positions, because the strains significantly alter the crystal structure and then cause rearrangement of the surface charge. However, electric fields have little influence on band gap but obviously affect the band edge positions. This is because the electric fields have little effect on the crystal structure of ReS₂ but easily produce an in-plane electric dipole moment. The shifts in band edge position mainly arise from competition between the surface charge and the in-plane electric dipole. For an applied strain, the shifts are dominated by rearrangement of surface charge; for an applied electric field, the shifts are determined by an induced electric dipole moment. Importantly, functionalized ReS₂ with a bi-axial strain of −4% or an electronic field of −0.1 V Å⁻¹ may be good candidates for water-splitting photocatalysts owing to their suitable band edge positions for water splitting, ideal band gaps, good stability, reduced electron–hole recombination and high carrier mobility. We hope our findings will stimulate experimental efforts to develop new photocatalysts based on functionalized ReS₂.

This work proposes applying the strain and electric filed to engineer the band structure of 2D ReS₂ and enhance its photocatalytic activity for hydrogen production through water-splitting.

Preparation of F-doped H2Ti3O7-{104} nanorods with oxygen vacancies using TiOF2 as precursor and its photocatalytic degradation activity

Photocatalytic degradation is an eco-friendly and sustainable method for the treatment of water pollutants especially tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH). Herein, we developed F-doped H₂Ti₃O₇-{104} nanorods with oxygen vacancies using TiOF₂ as a precursor by simple alkali hydrothermal and ion-exchange methods. The phase structure, surface composition, optical properties, specific surface areas and charge separation were analysed by a series of measurements. The effects of KOH concentration on the structure and properties of H₂Ti₃O₇ were investigated. It is confirmed that the TiOF₂/H₂Ti₃O₇ composite can be formed in low concentration KOH solution (1 mol L⁻¹), while the H₂Ti₃O₇ single phase can be formed in high concentration KOH solution (>3 mol L⁻¹). The prepared F-doped H₂Ti₃O₇-{104} nanorods provide a high specific surface area of 457 m² g⁻¹ and a macroporous volume of 0.69 cm³ g⁻¹. The appropriate mesoporous structure of the photocatalyst makes TCH have a stronger affinity on its surface, which is more conducive to the subsequent photodegradation. Moreover, a synergistic mechanism of photosensitization and ligand–metal charge transfer (LMCT) in the photocatalytic degradation of TCH was proposed. In addition, the prepared F-doped H₂Ti₃O₇-{104} nanorods showed excellent cycle stability and resistance to light corrosion. After five cycles of photodegradation, the degradation rate of TCH was only reduced from 92% to 83%. This low-cost strategy could be used for the mass production of efficient photocatalysts, which can be used for TCH clean-up in wastewater treatment.

Efficient photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride by F-doped H₂Ti₃O₇-{104} nanorods.

The lightest solid meets the lightest gas: an overview of carbon aerogels and their composites for hydrogen related applications

Hydrogen, a renewable and recyclable energy, has been regarded as the best solution for global energy supply in the 21^st century. Hydrogen production, hydrogen storage and hydrogen sensing are three most important aspects for hydrogen economy. Interestingly, the lightest solid, carbon aerogels (CAs), has found wide applications in these aspects due to its unique characteristics including large specific surface area, hierarchical porous structure, high electrical conductivity, superb chemical stability, and low fabrication cost. Herein, various fabrication strategies of CAs are presented, and their applications in the three most important aspects are comprehensively reviewed. In addition, the challenges and prospects are also discussed. In the light of the recent progress in CAs for hydrogen-related applications, this review provides a comprehensive assessment on materials selection, synthesis, hydrogen adsorption characteristics of CAs and catalytic activity of CA-supported nanocatalysts, offering a strategic guide to build a close connection between CAs and hydrogen economy.

Co-doped carbon materials synthesized with polymeric precursors as bifunctional electrocatalysts

The design of stable and high performance metal free bifunctional electrocatalysts is a necessity in alkaline zinc–air batteries for oxygen reduction and evolution reaction. In the present work co-doped carbon materials have been developed from polymeric precursors with abundant active sites to achieve bifunctional activity. A 3-dimensional microporous nitrogen–carbon (NC) and co-doped nitrogen–sulfur–carbon (NSC) and nitrogen–phosphorus–carbon (NPC) were synthesized using poly(2,5-benzimidazole) as an N containing precursor. The obtained sheet like structure shows outstanding ORR and OER performance in alkaline systems with excellent stability compared to Pt/C catalyst. The doped heteroatom in the carbon is expected to have redistributed the charge around heteroatom dopants lowering the ORR potential and modifying the oxygen chemisorption mode thereby weakening the O–O bonding and improving the ORR activity and overall catalytic performance. The bifunctional activity (ΔE = E_j=10 − E_1/2) of an air electrode for NPC, NSC, NC and Pt/C is 0.82 V, 0.87 V, 1.06 V and 1.03 V respectively, and the NPC value is smaller than most of the reported metal and non-metal based electrocatalysts. The ORR (from onset potential) and OER (10 mA cm⁻²) overpotential for NPC, NSC, and NC is (290 mV, 410 mV), (310 mV, 450 mV) and (340 mV, 600 mV) respectively. In the prepared catalyst the NPC exhibited higher ORR and OER activity (NPC > NSC > NC). The doping of P in NPC is found to have a great influence on the microstructure and therefore on the ORR and OER activity.

Metal free bifunctional catalysts based on co-doped carbon materials synthesized from polymeric precursors via a simple pyrolysis route with high cyclic stability and low polarization for Zn–air batteries.

Sucrose-templated interconnected meso/macro-porous 2D symmetric graphitic carbon networks as supports for α-Fe2O3 towards improved supercapacitive behavior

In this study, ultrahigh electrochemical performance for interconnected meso/macro-porous 2D C@α-Fe₂O₃ synthesized via sucrose-assisted microwave combustion is demonstrated. Hematite (α-Fe₂O₃) synthesized via the same approach gave an encouraging electrochemical performance close to its theoretical value, justifying its consideration as a potential supercapacitor electrode material; nonetheless, its specific capacitance was still low. The pore size distribution as well as the specific surface of bare α-Fe₂O₃ improved from 145 m² g⁻¹ to 297.3 m² g⁻¹ after it was coated with sucrose, which was endowed with ordered symmetric single-layer graphene (2D graphene). Accordingly, the optimized hematite material (2D C@α-Fe₂O₃) showed a specific capacitance of 1876.7 F g⁻¹ at a current density of 1 A g⁻¹ and capacity retention of 95.9% after 4000 cycles. Moreover, the material exhibited an ultrahigh energy density of 93.8 W h kg⁻¹ at a power density of 150 W kg⁻¹. The synergistic effect created by carbon-coating α-Fe₂O₃ resulted in modest electrochemical performance owing to extremely low charge transfer resistance at the electrode–electrolyte interface with many active sites for ionic reactions and efficient diffusion process. This 2D C@α-Fe₂O₃ electrode material has the capacity to develop into a cost-effective and stable electrode for future high-energy-capacity supercapacitors.

In this study, ultrahigh electrochemical performance for interconnected meso/macro-porous 2D C@α-Fe₂O₃ synthesized via sucrose-assisted microwave combustion is demonstrated.

Three-dimensional ordered macroporous ZIF-8 nanoparticle-derived nitrogen-doped hierarchical porous carbons for high-performance lithium–sulfur batteries

Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries have attracted considerable attention due to their ultra-high specific capacity and energy density.

Enhanced synergistic effects from multiple iron oxide nanoparticles encapsulated within nitrogen-doped carbon nanocages for simple and label-free visual detection of blood glucose

Hollow-structured carbon materials play a crucial role in research of biosensors, energy storage and nanomedicine as a kind of material with advantages like high surface area, tunable pore volume, excellent mechanical properties, and good biocompatibility. Herein, we developed a simple, facile and controllable method for synthesis of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles encapsulated in hollow carbon nanocages (FNHCs) with SiO₂ nanospheres as a sacrificial template. Owing to the unique structure of multiple Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles cores integrated with N-doped carbon nanocages, the as-synthesized FNHCs exhibited greatly enhanced peroxidase mimicking activity with extremely high signal-to-noise ratio of ∼91 fold. Also, it was found that the FNHCs possessed a higher peroxidase-like activity than that of other similar-structured Fe₃O₄ architectures (e.g. Fe₃O₄@C NPs). The resulting steady-state kinetic curve demonstrated the enzymatic activity of FNHCs with classic Michaelis-Menton kinetics following a ping-pong mechanism. On the basis of the superior enzymatic activity, the FNHCs performed as a high-efficiency peroxidase mimic, realizing facile, label-free, highly sensitive/selective colorimetric detection of H₂O₂ and glucose. Furthermore, the colorimetric sensor successfully determined glucose in patients' serum samples with high accuracy and precision, suggesting great potential for real applications.

Tailoring porous carbon spheres for supercapacitors

The last decade has witnessed significant breakthroughs in the synthesis of porous carbon spheres (PCSs). This Review provides an updated summarization on the controlled synthesis of PCSs for supercapacitors. The synthetic methodologies can be generally categorized into (i) hard templating, (ii) soft templating, (iii) the modified Stöber method, (iv) hydrothermal carbonization (HTC), and (v) aerosol-assisted methods. The obtained PCSs include microporous/mesoporous/macroporous carbon spheres, single-/multi-shelled hollow carbon spheres, and yolk@shell carbon spheres. The structure-electrochemical performance correlation is discussed. Finally, the future research directions on the rational design of PCSs for supercapacitors are predicted.

Hollow Carbon Nanospheres with Tunable Hierarchical Pores for Drug, Gene, and Photothermal Synergistic Treatment

Design and synthesis of porous and hollow carbon spheres have attracted considerable interest in the past decade due to their superior physicochemical properties and widespread applications. However, it is still a big challenge to achieve controllable synthesis of hollow carbon nanospheres with center-radial large mesopores in the shells and inner surface roughness. Herein, porous hollow carbon nanospheres (PHCNs) are successfully synthesized with tunable center-radial mesopore channels in the shells and crater-like inner surfaces by employing dendrimer-like mesoporous silica nanospheres (DMSNs) as hard templates. Compared with conventional mesoporous nanospheres, DMSN templates not only result in the formation of center-radial large mesopores in the shells, but also produce a crater-like inner surface. PHCNs can be tuned from open center-radial mesoporous shells to relatively closed microporous shells. After functionalization with polyethyleneimine (PEI) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), PHCNs not only have negligible cytotoxicity, excellent photothermal property, and high coloading capacity of 482 µg of doxorubicin and 44 µg of siRNA per mg, but can also efficiently deliver these substances into cells, thus displaying enhanced cancer cell killing capacity by triple-combination therapy.

An optimized 3D carbon matrix for high rate silicon anodes

A 3D porous carbon matrix with silicon particles embedded shows high rate performance in a lithium ion battery.

Hierarchically porous materials: synthesis strategies and structure design

This review addresses recent advances in synthesis strategies of hierarchically porous materials and their structural design from micro-, meso- to macro-length scale.

Hierarchically structured activated carbon for ultracapacitors

To resolve the pore-associated bottleneck problem observed in the electrode materials used for ultracapacitors, which inhibits the transport of the electrolyte ions, we designed hierarchically structured activated carbon (HAC) by synthesizing a mesoporous silica template/carbon composite and chemically activating it to simultaneously remove the silica template and increase the pore volume. The resulting HAC had a well-designed, unique porous structure, which allowed for large interfaces for efficient electric double-layer formation. Given the unique characteristics of the HAC, we believe that the developed synthesis strategy provides important insights into the design and fabrication of hierarchical carbon nanostructures. The HAC, which had a specific surface area of 1,957 m(2) g(-1), exhibited an extremely high specific capacitance of 157 F g(-1) (95 F cc(-1)), as well as a high rate capability. This indicated that it had superior energy storage capability and was thus suitable for use in advanced ultracapacitors.

Electrochemical catalytic activity study of nitrogen-containing hierarchically porous carbon and its application in dye-sensitized solar cells

Nitrogen-containing hierarchically porous carbon is derived by carbonizing and activating polypyrrole nanostructure (APNP) using a template-free synthesis method and is demonstrated to be an efficient counter electrode (CE) in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs).

Confining Pt nanoparticles in porous carbon structures for achieving durable electrochemical performance

Carbon-supported Pt catalysts have been widely employed as electrocatalysts for energy storage/conversion applications, but have encountered challenging instability issues. In this work, we investigated the degradation behaviors of pore-confined and surface-located Pt nanocatalysts, employing hollow porous carbon spheres with precisely controlled structure as catalyst supports. It is found that by uniformly confining Pt nanoparticles in porous carbon structures, remarkably improved stability and long-term performance of Pt electrocatalysts can be achieved. The nanopore-confined Pt exhibits high retention ratios of both ECSA (54%) and electrocatalytic activity after accelerated degradation tests (ADTs), both of which are almost two times higher than those of the surface-located ones. TEM analysis of the degraded electrocatalysts further revealed that the pore-confinement effect can significantly suppress the Pt degradation processes, including particle migration/agglomeration and detachment from the carbon support.

Large-scale synthesis of TiO2 microspheres with hierarchical nanostructure for highly efficient photodriven reduction of CO2 to CH4

In this study, a simple and reproducible synthesis strategy was employed to fabricate TiO2 microspheres with hierarchical nanostructure. The microspheres are macroscopic in the bulk particle size (several hundreds to more than 1000 μm), but they are actually composed of P25 nanoparticles as the building units. Although it is simple in the assembly of P25 nanoparticles, the structure of the as-prepared TiO2 microspheres becomes unique because a hierarchical porosity composed of macropores, larger mesopores (ca. 12.4 nm), and smaller mesopores (ca. 2.3 nm) has been developed. The interconnected macropores and larger mesopores can be utilized as fast paths for mass transport. In addition, this hierarchical nanostructure may also contribute to some extent to the enhanced photocatalytic activity due to increased multilight reflection/scattering. Compared with the state-of-the-art photocatalyst, commercial Degussa P25 TiO2, the as-prepared TiO2 microsphere catalyst has demonstrated significant enhancement in photodriven conversion of CO2 into the end product CH4. Further enhancement in photodriven conversion of CO2 into CH4 can be easily achieved by the incorporation of metals such as Pt. The preliminary experiments with Pt loading reveal that there is still much potential for considerable improvement in TiO2 microsphere based photocatalysts. Most interestingly and significantly, the synthesis strategy is simple and large quantity of TiO2 microspheres (i.e., several hundred grams) can be easily prepared at one time in the lab, which makes large-scale industrial synthesis of TiO2 microspheres feasible and less expensive.

Hollow-structured mesoporous materials: chemical synthesis, functionalization and applications

Hollow-structured mesoporous materials (HMMs), as a kind of mesoporous material with unique morphology, have been of great interest in the past decade because of the subtle combination of the hollow architecture with the mesoporous nanostructure. Benefitting from the merits of low density, large void space, large specific surface area, and, especially, the good biocompatibility, HMMs present promising application prospects in various fields, such as adsorption and storage, confined catalysis when catalytically active species are incorporated in the core and/or shell, controlled drug release, targeted drug delivery, and simultaneous diagnosis and therapy of cancers when the surface and/or core of the HMMs are functionalized with functional ligands and/or nanoparticles, and so on. In this review, recent progress in the design, synthesis, functionalization, and applications of hollow mesoporous materials are discussed. Two main synthetic strategies, soft-templating and hard-templating routes, are broadly sorted and described in detail. Progress in the main application aspects of HMMs, such as adsorption and storage, catalysis, and biomedicine, are also discussed in detail in this article, in terms of the unique features of the combined large void space in the core and the mesoporous network in the shell. Functionalization of the core and pore/outer surfaces with functional organic groups and/or nanoparticles, and their performance, are summarized in this article. Finally, an outlook of their prospects and challenges in terms of their controlled synthesis and scaled application is presented.

Carbons and electrolytes for advanced supercapacitors

Electrical energy storage (EES) is one of the most critical areas of technological research around the world. Storing and efficiently using electricity generated by intermittent sources and the transition of our transportation fleet to electric drive depend fundamentally on the development of EES systems with high energy and power densities. Supercapacitors are promising devices for highly efficient energy storage and power management, yet they still suffer from moderate energy densities compared to batteries. To establish a detailed understanding of the science and technology of carbon/carbon supercapacitors, this review discusses the basic principles of the electrical double-layer (EDL), especially regarding the correlation between ion size/ion solvation and the pore size of porous carbon electrodes. We summarize the key aspects of various carbon materials synthesized for use in supercapacitors. With the objective of improving the energy density, the last two sections are dedicated to strategies to increase the capacitance by either introducing pseudocapacitive materials or by using novel electrolytes that allow to increasing the cell voltage. In particular, advances in ionic liquids, but also in the field of organic electrolytes, are discussed and electrode mass balancing is expanded because of its importance to create higher performance asymmetric electrochemical capacitors.

Simple synthesis of mesoporous carbon nanofibers with hierarchical nanostructure for ultrahigh lithium storage

In this study, a simple and reproducible synthesis strategy was developed to fabricate mesoporous carbon nanofibers (MCNFs) by using dual hard templates, a porous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane, and colloidal silica (Ludox TM-40). By using commercial templates, and removing AAO and the silica simultaneously, the synthesis procedures for MCNFs are greatly simplified without the need for separate preparation or the removal of templates in sequence. With phenol resin as a carbon precursor, the as-prepared MCNFs material reveals not only high surface area and mesoporous volume but also hierarchical nanostructure composed of hollow macrochannels derived from the AAO template, large mesopores (ca. 22 nm) from the removal of silica particles and micropores from the carbonization of phenol resin. Such unique surface and structural characteristics could provide a large quantity of active sites for Li storage and facilitate fast mass transport. Moreover, a one-dimensional (1D) carbon nanofiber (CNF) nanostructure favors fast electron transfer. The as-prepared MCNF anode demonstrates ultrahigh lithium storage capacity particularly at high rates, which is much higher than that reported for the commercial graphite and also significantly higher than other nanostructured carbon materials, such as ordered mesoporous carbon CMK-3 and ordered multimodal porous carbon (OMPC).

In situ synthesis of Zn2GeO4 hollow spheres and their enhanced photocatalytic activity for the degradation of antibiotic metronidazole

In this study, Zn2GeO4 hollow spheres were successfully fabricated by a template-engaged approach using zinc hydroxide carbonate (Zn4CO3(OH)6·H2O, ZHC) spheres as the template. During the hydrothermal process, Zn(2+) dissolved from the surface of the ZHC spheres could rapidly react with the HGeO3(-) in solution and the Zn2GeO4 outer shell was formed in situ. Moreover, the building units of the Zn2GeO4 hollow spheres could gradually transform from the nanoparticles into nanobundles with the increase of the reaction time. The photocatalytic degradation results indicate that the Zn2GeO4 hollow spheres exhibited high photocatalytic activity and excellent stability for the degradation of antibiotic metronidazole in solution. Finally, the radical species involved in the degradation process have been investigated by using the scavenger experiments.

An oil droplet template method for the synthesis of hierarchical structured Co3O4/C anodes for Li-ion batteries

Superposed cobalt(II)-cobalt(III) layered double hydroxide (Co(II)-Co(III)-LDH) nanoplates were synthesized by an oil droplet template method, in which the main steps are as follows: LDH nanosheets were first assembled on an oil droplet template to form a multishell sphere, and then the oil droplet was easily removed under centrifugal force due to its very different density from that of the assembled LDH shell. This resulted in the multishell spheres being split open to create superposed LDH nanoplates. The resulting material has a three-stage architecture, namely, the primary building blocks of nanosheets, the secondary architecture of shells derived from the nanosheets, and the long-range architecture of superposed nanoplates assembled from the vertically stacked shells. Most importantly, the as-fabricated LDH-based hierarchical structure can be readily converted to a Co3O4/C composite via calcination, without obvious structural alteration, where the residual surfactant is the source of the carbon. When used as an anode material for Li-ion batteries, the Co3O4/C electrode exhibits an excellent electrochemical performance, which is attributed to the unique hierarchically porous structure.

Catalytic templating approaches for three-dimensional hollow carbon/graphene oxide nano-architectures

We report a catalytic templating method to synthesize well-controlled three-dimensional carbon nano-architectures. Depending on graphene oxide content, the morphology can be systematically tuned from layered composites to 3D hollow structures to microporous materials. The composites with high surface area and high porosity induce a significant enhancement to its capacitance at high current density.

Hierarchical nanostructured carbons with meso-macroporosity: design, characterization, and applications

Nanostructured porous carbon materials have diverse applications including sorbents, catalyst supports for fuel cells, electrode materials for capacitors, and hydrogen storage systems. When these materials have hierarchical porosity, interconnected pores of different dimensions, their potential application is increased. Hierarchical nanostructured carbons (HNCs) that contain 3D-interconnected macroporous/mesoporous and mesoporous/microporous structures have enhanced properties compared with single-sized porous carbon materials, because they have improved mass transport through the macropores/mesopores and enhanced selectivity and increased specific surface area on the level of fine pore systems through mesopores/micropores. The HNCs with macro/mesoporosity are of particular interest because chemists can tailor specific applications through controllable synthesis of HNCs with designed nanostructures. An efficient and commonly used technique for creating HNCs is "nanocasting", a technique that first involves the creation of a sacrificial silica template with hierarchical porous nanostructure and then the impregnation of the silica template with an appropriate carbon source. This is followed by carbonization of the filled carbon precursor, and subsequent removal of the silica template. The resulting HNC is an inverse replica of its parent hierarchical nanostructured silica (HNS). Through such nanocasting, scientists can create different HNC frameworks with tailored pore structures and narrow pore size distribution. Generally, HNSs with specific structure and 3D-interconnected porosity are needed to fabricate HNCs using the nanocasting strategy. However, how can we fabricate a HNS framework with tailored structure and hierarchical porosity of meso-macropores? This Account reports on our recent work in the development of novel HNCs and their interesting applications. We have explored a series of strategies to address the challenges in synthesis of HNSs and HNCs. Through careful control of experimental parameters, we found we could readily create new HNSs and HNCs with tailored structure and hierarchical porosity. In this Account, we describe the applications of the HNCs in low-temperature fuel cells, in Li ion batteries, in quantum-dot-sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs) and as hydrogen storage materials. Fuel cell and QDSSC polarization performance data reveal that both the ordered HNC and spherical HNC with uniform macro- and mesoporosity demonstrate superior catalyst support effect and considerably enhanced photovoltaic performance due to their incredible structural characteristics. For hydrogen and lithium storage applications, primary experimental results show that spherical HNCs with uniform macroporous core/mesoporous shell and ordered HNC are highly beneficial in terms of a high hydrogen (or Li) uptake, good rate capability and excellent cycling retainability. These data suggest that the innovative HNCs with tailored nanostructure may find promising applications in the rapid and efficient storage of hydrogen (or Li).

Effect of nitrogen doping on hydrogen storage capacity of palladium decorated graphene

A high hydrogen storage capacity for palladium decorated nitrogen-doped hydrogen exfoliated graphene nanocomposite is demonstrated under moderate temperature and pressure conditions. The nitrogen doping of hydrogen exfoliated graphene is done by nitrogen plasma treatment, and palladium nanoparticles are decorated over nitrogen-doped graphene by a modified polyol reduction technique. An increase of 66% is achieved by nitrogen doping in the hydrogen uptake capacity of hydrogen exfoliated graphene at room temperature and 2 MPa pressure. A further enhancement by 124% is attained in the hydrogen uptake capacity by palladium nanoparticle (Pd NP) decoration over nitrogen-doped graphene. The high dispersion of Pd NP over nitrogen-doped graphene sheets and strengthened interaction between the nitrogen-doped graphene sheets and Pd NP catalyze the dissociation of hydrogen molecules and subsequent migration of hydrogen atoms on the doped graphene sheets. The results of a systematic study on graphene, nitrogen-doped graphene, and palladium decorated nitrogen-doped graphene nanocomposites are discussed. A nexus between the catalyst support and catalyst particles is believed to yield the high hydrogen uptake capacities obtained.