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

Visualizing and sorbing Hg(II) with a cellulose-based red fluorescence aerogel: Simultaneous detection and removal

Both sensing and removal of Hg(II) are important to environment and human health in view of the high toxicity and wide applications of mercury in industry. This study aims to develop a cellulose-based fluorescent aerogel for simultaneous Hg(II) sensing and removal via conveniently cross-linking two nanomaterials cellulose nanocrystals and bovine serum albumin-functionalized gold nanoclusters (BSA-AuNCs) with epichlorohydrin. The aerogel exhibited strong homogeneous red fluorescence at the non-edged regions under UV light due to highly dispersed BSA-AuNCs in it, and its fluorescence could be quenched by Hg(II). Through taking pictures with a smartphone, Hg(II) in the range of 0-1000 μg/L could be quantified with a detection limit of 12.7 μg/L. The sorption isotherm of Hg(II) by the aerogel followed Freundlich model with an equation of Qe = 0.329*Ce1/0.971 and a coefficient of 0.999. The maximum sorption capacity can achieve 483.21 mg/g for Hg(II), much higher than many reported sorbents. The results further confirmed Hg(II) strong sorption and sensitive detection are due to its complexation and redox reaction with the chemical groups in aerogels and its strong fluorescence quenching effect. Due to extensive sources and low cost, cellulose is potential to be developed into aerogels with multiple functions for sophisticated applications.

Recent Advances in Porous Carbon Materials as Electrodes for Supercapacitors

Porous carbon materials have demonstrated exceptional performance in various energy and environment-related applications. Recently, research on supercapacitors has been steadily increasing, and porous carbon materials have emerged as the most significant electrode material for supercapacitors. Nonetheless, the high cost and potential for environmental pollution associated with the preparation process of porous carbon materials remain significant issues. This paper presents an overview of common methods for preparing porous carbon materials, including the carbon-activation method, hard-templating method, soft-templating method, sacrificial-templating method, and self-templating method. Additionally, we also review several emerging methods for the preparation of porous carbon materials, such as copolymer pyrolysis, carbohydrate self-activation, and laser scribing. We then categorise porous carbons based on their pore sizes and the presence or absence of heteroatom doping. Finally, we provide an overview of recent applications of porous carbon materials as electrodes for supercapacitors.

Waste Biomass Based Carbon Aerogels Prepared by Hydrothermal-carbonization and Their Ethanol Cracking Performance for H2 Production

Biomass occupies a significant proportion of municipal solid waste. For the high-value processing of waste biomass, a hydrothermal-carbonization method was chosen because of the advantages of effective and mild conditions. Four typical types of waste biomass (banana peel, mangosteen peel, orange peel, and pomelo peel) were used in this work to prepare high-value carbon aerogels (CA) via hydrothermal-carbonization treatment for cracking ethanol. Four kinds of CA all had good performances in the ethanol cracking reaction and improved the yield of H2 from 21 wt% to about 40 wt%. The banana peel-based carbon aerogel (BPCA) showed the best performance in the reaction; it cracked ethanol and obtained 41.86 wt% of H2. The mechanism of ethanol cracking by CA was revealed: On one hand, the self-cracking of ethanol was improved due to the extension of residence time, which benefited from the abundant pores in CA. On the other hand, the heterogeneous reaction occurred on the surface of CA where the inorganic components, mainly Ca, Mg, and K, can promote the bond-breaking and reorganization in ethanol. The CO2 in byproducts was also fixed by Ca and Mg, improving the positive cracking reaction.

Robust Porous TiN Layer for Improved Oxygen Evolution Reaction Performance

The poor reversibility and slow reaction kinetics of catalytic materials seriously hinder the industrialization process of proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolysis. It is necessary to develop high-performance and low-cost electrocatalysts to reduce the loss of reaction kinetics. In this study, a novel catalyst support featured with porous surface structure and good electronic conductivity was successfully prepared by surface modification via a thermal nitriding method under ammonia atmosphere. The morphology and composition characterization-confirmed that a TiN layer with granular porous structure and internal pore-like defects was established on the Ti sheet. Meanwhile, the conductivity measurements showed that the in-plane electronic conductivity of the as-developed material increased significantly to 120.8 S cm−1. After IrOx was loaded on the prepared TiN-Ti support, better dispersion of the active phase IrOx, lower ohmic resistance, and faster charge transfer resistance were verified, and accordingly, more accessible catalytic active sites on the catalytic interface were developed as revealed by the electrochemical characterizations. Compared with the IrOx/Ti, the as-obtained IrOx/TiN-Ti catalyst demonstrated remarkable electrocatalytic activity (η10 mA cm−2 = 302 mV) and superior stability (overpotential degradation rate: 0.067 mV h−1) probably due to the enhanced mass adsorption and transport, good dispersion of the supported active phase IrOx, increased electronic conductivity and improved corrosion resistance provided by the TiN-Ti support.

Stainless Steel-Supported Amorphous Nickel Phosphide/Nickel as an Electrocatalyst for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Recently, nickel phosphides (Ni-P) in an amorphous state have emerged as potential catalysts with high intrinsic activity and excellent electrochemical stability for hydrogen evolution reactions (HER). However, it still lacks a good strategy to prepare amorphous Ni-P with rich surface defects or structural boundaries, and it is also hard to construct a porous Ni-P layer with favorable electron transport and gas-liquid transport. Herein, an integrated porous electrode consisting of amorphous Ni-P and a Ni interlayer was successfully constructed on a 316L stainless steel felt (denoted as Ni-P/Ni-316L). The results demonstrated that the pH of the plating solution significantly affected the grain size, pore size and distribution, and roughness of the cell-like particle surface of the amorphous Ni-P layer. The Ni-P/Ni-316L prepared at pH = 3 presented the richest surface defects or structural boundaries as well as porous structure. As expected, the as-developed Ni-P/Ni-316L demonstrated the best kinetics, with η10 of 73 mV and a Tafel slope of ca. 52 mV dec-1 for the HER among all the electrocatalysts prepared at various pH values. Furthermore, the Ni-P/Ni-316L exhibited comparable electrocatalytic HER performance and better durability than the commercial Pt (20 wt%)/C in a real water electrolysis cell, indicating that the non-precious metal-based Ni-P/Ni-316L is promising for large-scale processing and practical use.

Carbon Material-Based Aerogels for Gas Adsorption: Fabrication, Structure Design, Functional Tailoring, and Applications

Carbon material-based aerogels (CMBAs) have three-dimensional porous structure, high specific surface area, low density, high thermal stability, good electric conductivity, and abundant surface-active sites, and, therefore, have shown great application potential in energy storage, environmental remediation, electrochemical catalysis, biomedicine, analytical science, electronic devices, and others. In this work, we present recent progress on the fabrication, structural design, functional tailoring, and gas adsorption applications of CMBAs, which are prepared by precursor materials, such as polymer-derived carbon, carbon nanotubes, carbon nanofibers, graphene, graphene-like carbides, fullerenes, and carbon dots. To achieve this aim, first we introduce the fabrication methods of various aerogels, and, then, discuss the strategies for regulating the structures of CMBAs by adjusting the porosity and periodicity. In addition, the hybridization of CMBAs with other nanomaterials for enhanced properties and functions is demonstrated and discussed through presenting the synthesis processes of various CMBAs. After that, the adsorption performances and mechanisms of functional CMBAs towards CO₂, CO, H₂S, H₂, and organic gases are analyzed in detail. Finally, we provide our own viewpoints on the possible development directions and prospects of this promising research topic. We believe this work is valuable for readers to understand the synthesis methods and functional tailoring of CMBAs, and, meanwhile, to promote the applications of CMBAs in environmental analysis and safety monitoring of harmful gases.

Facile preparation of flexible binder-free graphene electrodes for high-performance supercapacitors

A facile two-step strategy to prepare flexible graphene electrodes has been developed for supercapacitors using thermal reduction of graphene oxide (GO) and thermally reduced graphene oxide (TRGO) composite films. The tunable porous structure of the GO/TRGO film provided channels to release the high pressure generated by CO₂ gas. The graphene electrode obtained from reduced-GO/TRGO (1 : 1 in mass ratio) film showed great flexibility and high film density (0.52 g cm⁻³). Using the EMI-BF₄ electrolyte with a working voltage of 3.7 V, the as-fabricated free-standing reduced-GO/TRGO (1 : 1) film achieved a great gravimetric capacitance of 180 F g⁻¹ (delivering a gravimetric energy density of 85.6 W h kg⁻¹), a volumetric capacitance of 94 F cm⁻³ (delivering a volumetric energy density of 44.7 W h L⁻¹), and a 92% retention after 10 000 charge/discharge cycles. In addition, the solid state flexible supercapacitor with the free-standing reduced-GO/TRGO (1 : 1) film as the electrodes and the EMI-BF₄/poly (vinylidene fluoride hexafluopropylene) (PVDF-HFP) gel as the electrolyte also demonstrated a high gravimetric capacitance of 146 F g⁻¹ with excellent mechanical flexibility, bending stability, and electrochemical stability. The strategy developed in this study provides great potentials for the synthesis of flexible graphene electrodes for supercapacitors.

A supercapacitor electrode is developed with a free-standing graphene film by a facile two-step strategy. The graphene electrode achieved a gravimetric capacitance of 180 F g⁻¹ and a volumetric capacitance of 94 F cm⁻³.

Ready-to-use binder-free Co(OH)2 plates@porous rGO layers/Ni foam electrode for high-performance supercapacitors

In this work, an outstanding nano-structured composite electrode is fabricated through the co-deposition of Co(OH)₂ nanoplates and porous reduced GO (p-rGO) nanosheets onto Ni foam (NF). Through field emission scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy observations, it was confirmed that porous reduced graphene oxide sheets are completely wrapped by uniform hexagonal Co(OH)₂ plates. Due to the unique architecture of both components of the prepared composite, a high surface area of 234.7 m² g⁻¹ and mean pore size of 3.65 nm were observed for the Co(OH)₂@p-rGO composite. The constructed Co(OH)₂@p-rGO/NF composite electrode shows higher energy storage capability compared to that of Co(OH)₂/NF and p-rGO/NF electrodes. The Co(OH)₂/NF electrode shows specific capacitances of 902 and 311 F g^–1 at 5 and 30 A g^–1, while the Co(OH)₂@p-rGO/NF electrode delivers 1688 and 1355 F g^–1 under the same current loads, respectively. Furthermore, when the current load was increased from 1 to 30 A g^–1, 74.5% capacitance retention was observed for the Co(OH)₂@p-rGO/NF electrode, indicating its outstanding high-power capability, while the Co(OH)₂/NF electrode retained only 38.5% of its initial capacitance. The fabricated Co(OH)₂@p-rGO/NF//rGO/NF ASC device shows an areal capacitance of 3.29 F cm⁻², cycling retention of 91.2% after 4500 cycles at 5 A g⁻¹ and energy density of 68.7 W h kg⁻¹ at a power density of 895 W kg⁻¹. The results of electrochemical tests prove that Co(OH)₂@p-rGO/NF exhibits good performance as a positive electrode for use in an asymmetric supercapacitor device. The prepared porous composite electrode is thus a promising candidate for use in supercapacitor applications.

Fabrication mechanism of a ready-to-use Co(OH)2@p-rGO/NF electrode: (a) base generation step, (b) electrophoretic deposition of rGO onto NF and (c) chemical formation of Co(OH)2 on rGO.

Large-scale synthesis of ultrafine Fe3C nanoparticles embedded in mesoporous carbon nanosheets for high-rate lithium storage

Fe₃C modified by the incorporation of carbon materials offers excellent electrical conductivity and interfacial lithium storage, making it attractive as an anode material in lithium-ion batteries. In this work, we describe a time- and energy-saving approach for the large-scale preparation of Fe₃C nanoparticles embedded in mesoporous carbon nanosheets (Fe₃C-NPs@MCNSs) by solution combustion synthesis and subsequent carbothermal reduction. Fe₃C nanoparticles with a diameter of ∼5 nm were highly crystallized and compactly dispersed in mesoporous carbon nanosheets with a pore-size distribution of 3–5 nm. Fe₃C-NPs@MCNSs exhibited remarkable high-rate lithium storage performance with discharge specific capacities of 731, 647, 481, 402 and 363 mA h g⁻¹ at current densities of 0.1, 1, 2, 5 and 10 A g⁻¹, respectively, and when the current density reduced back to 0.1 A g⁻¹ after 45 cycles, the discharge specific capacity could perfectly recover to 737 mA h g⁻¹ without any loss. The unique structure could promote electron and Li-ion transfer, create highly accessible multi-channel reaction sites and buffer volume variation for enhanced cycling and good high-rate lithium storage performance.

Fe₃C modified by the incorporation of carbon materials offers excellent electrical conductivity and interfacial lithium storage, making it attractive as an anode material in lithium-ion batteries.

Double-wall carbon nanotube assisted phase engineering in CoOxSy complex for efficient oxygen evolution reaction

Sluggish electron kinetics in oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is one of the main factors restricting the development of hydrogen production technology from electrical water splitting, while the key to break...

Facile synthesis of carbon and oxygen vacancy co-modified TiNb6O17 as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries

Titanium niobium oxides (TNOs), benefitting from their large specific capacity and Wadsley–Roth shear structure, are competitive anode materials for high-energy density and high-rate lithium-ion batteries. Herein, carbon and oxygen vacancy co-modified TiNb₆O₁₇ (A-TNO) was synthesized through a facile sol–gel reaction with subsequent heat treatment and ball-milling. Characterizations indicated that A-TNO is composed of nanosized primary particles, and the carbon content is about 0.7 wt%. The nanoparticles increase the contact area of the electrode and electrolyte and shorten the lithium-ion diffusion distance. The carbon and oxygen vacancies decrease the charge transfer resistance and enhance the Li-ion diffusion coefficient of the obtained anode material. As a result of these advantages, A-TNO exhibits excellent rate performance (208 and 177 mA h g⁻¹ at 10C and 20C, respectively). This work reveals that A-TNO possesses good electrochemical performance and has a facile preparation process, thus A-TNO is believed to be a potential anode material for large-scale applications.

Carbon and oxygen vacancy co-modified TiNb₆O₁₇ is synthesized through a facile sol–gel reaction. It possesses good electrochemical performance, thus is believed to be a potential anode material for large-scale applications.

Ordered Porous TiO2@C Layer as an Electrocatalyst Support for Improved Stability in PEMFCs

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are the most promising clean energy source in the 21st century. In order to achieve a high power density, electrocatalytic performance, and electrochemical stability, an ordered array structure membrane electrode is highly desired. In this paper, a new porous Pt-TiO₂@C ordered integrated electrode was prepared and applied to the cathode of a PEMFC. The utilization of the TiO₂@C support can significantly decrease the loss of catalyst caused by the oxidation of the carbon from the conventional carbon layer due to the strong interaction of TiO₂ and C. Furthermore, the thin carbon layer coated on TiO₂ provides the rich active sites for the Pt growth, and the ordered support and catalyst structure reduces the mass transport resistance and improves the stability of the electrode. Due to its unique structural characteristics, the ordered porous Pt-TiO₂@C array structure shows an excellent catalytic activity and improved Pt utilization. In addition, the as-developed porous ordered structure exhibits superior stability after 3000 cycles of accelerated durability test, which reveals an electrochemical surface area decay of less than 30%, considerably lower than that (i.e., 80%) observed for the commercial Pt/C.

Low content Ru-incorporated Pd nanowires for bifunctional electrocatalysis

This paper reports the facile synthesis and characterization of carbon supported Pd nanowires with low Ru contents (nRuPd/C). An anti-galvanic replacement reaction involving the reduction of Ru(iii) ions by nanoporous Pd nanowires to form nRuPd alloy nanowires was observed. A series of nRuPd/C materials with various Ru/Pd ratios were prepared by the spontaneous deposition of a Ru cluster on a Pd nanowire core using different Ru precursor concentrations (RuCl₃ = 0.5, 1.0, 5.0 mM). The successful formation of low content Ru-incorporated Pd nanowires without individual Ru clusters were confirmed using physicochemical characterization. The electrocatalytic activity of the nRuPd/C for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline media was measured by RDE polarization experiments. The electrocatalytic activity varied greatly depending on the Ru content on the Pd nanowires. Among the catalysts, the prepared Pd nanowires incorporated with a very small amount of Ru (ca. 1.4 wt%) exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity toward the ORR and HER: positive ORR/HER onset and E_1/2 potentials, higher n value, and lower Tafel slope.

The catalytic activity of Pd nanowires with low Ru contents showed superior bifunctional electrocatalytic performance towards both ORR and HER compared to the benchmarking Pt/C.

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.

Bifunctional single-atomic Mn sites for energy-efficient hydrogen production

The electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) for H2 production is essential for future renewable and clean energy technology. Screening energy-saving, low-cost, and highly active catalysts efficiently, however, is still a grand challenge due to the sluggish kinetics of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in electrolyzing water. Herein, we present a single atomic Mn site anchored on a boron nitrogen co-doped carbon nanotube array (Mn-SA/BNC), which is perfectly combined with the hydrazine electrooxidation reaction (HzOR) boosted water electrolysis concept. The obtained catalyst achieves 51 mV overpotential at the current density of -10 mA cm-2 for the cathodic HER and 132 mV versus the reversible hydrogen electrode for HzOR, respectively. Besides, in a two-electrode overall hydrazine splitting (OHzS) system, the Mn-SA/BNC catalyst only needs a cell voltage of only 0.41 V to output 10 mA cm-1, with strong durability and nearly 100% faradaic efficiency for H2 production. This work highlights a low-cost and high-efficiency energy-saving H2 production pathway.

Engineering porous Pd-Cu nanocrystals with tailored three-dimensional catalytic facets for highly efficient formic acid oxidation

Rational synthesis of bi- or multi-metallic nanomaterials with both dendritic and porous features is appealing yet challenging. Herein, with the cubic Cu₂O nanoparticles composed of ultrafine Cu₂O nanocrystals as a self-template, a series of Pd-Cu nanocrystals with different morphologies (e.g., aggregates, porous nanodendrites, meshy nanochains and porous nanoboxes) are synthesized through simply regulating the molar ratio of the Pd precursor to the cubic Cu₂O, indicating that the galvanic replacement and Kirkendall effect across the alloying process are well controlled. Among the as-developed various Pd-Cu nanocrystals, the porous nanodendrites with both dendritic and hollow features show superior electrocatalytic activity toward formic acid oxidation. Comprehensive characterizations including three-dimensional simulated reconstruction of a single particle and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy reveal that the surface steps, defects, three-dimensional architecture, and the electronic/strain effects between Cu and Pd are responsible for the outstanding catalytic activity and excellent stability of the Pd-Cu porous nanodendrites.

A Co-MOF-derived Co9S8@NS-C electrocatalyst for efficient hydrogen evolution reaction

The exploitation of efficient hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalysts has become increasingly urgent and imperative; however, it is also challenging for high-performance sustainable clean energy applications. Herein, novel Co9S8 nanoparticles embedded in a porous N,S-dual doped carbon composite (abbr. Co9S8@NS-C-900) were fabricated by the pyrolysis of a single crystal Co-MOF assisted with thiourea. Due to the synergistic benefit of combining Co9S8 nanoparticles with N,S-dual doped carbon, the composite showed efficient HER electrocatalytic activities and long-term durability in an alkaline solution. It shows a small overpotential of -86.4 mV at a current density of 10.0 mA cm-2, a small Tafel slope of 81.1 mV dec-1, and a large exchange current density (J 0) of 0.40 mA cm-2, which are comparable to those of Pt/C. More importantly, due to the protection of Co9S8 nanoparticles by the N,S-dual doped carbon shell, the Co9S8@NS-C-900 catalyst displays excellent long-term durability. There is almost no decay in HER activities after 1000 potential cycles or it retains 99.5% of the initial current after 48 h.

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.

Ordered SnO2@C Flake Array as Catalyst Support for Improved Electrocatalytic Activity and Cathode Durability in PEMFCs

Pt-SnO2@C-ordered flake array was developed on carbon paper (CP) as an integrated cathode for proton exchange membrane fuel cell through a facile hydrothermal method. In the integrated cathode, Pt nanoparticles were deposited uniformly with a small particle size on the SnO2@C/CP support. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis revealed lower impedance in a potential range of 0.3-0.5 V for the ordered electrode structure. An electrochemically active surface area and oxygen reduction peak potential determined by cyclic voltammetry measurement verified the synergistic effect between Pt and SnO2, which enhanced the electrochemical catalytic activity. Besides, compared with the commercial carbon-supported Pt catalyst, the as-developed SnO2@C/CP-supported Pt catalyst demonstrated better stability, most likely due to the positive interaction between SnO2 and the carbon coating layer.

A facile synthesis of hierarchically porous carbon derived from serum albumin by a generated-templating method for efficient oxygen reduction reaction

Hierarchically porous carbons (HPCs), with large specific surface area, abundant porous channels and adequate anchor points, act as one type of ideal carbon supports for the preparation of single-atom electrocatalysts. In this study, the blood plasma-derived HPC with an interconnected porous framework is constructed via a generated-template method, with the formation of ZnS nanoparticles from the abundant disulfide bonds (–S–S–) in serum albumin. After the thermal activation with heme-containing molecules (also from the bovine-blood biowaste), the HPC exhibits high-exposure and low-spin-state Fe(ii)–N₄ atomic active sites, and thereby presents a superior oxygen reduction reaction activity (the half wave potential of 0.87 V) and excellent stability (a 4 mV negative shift after 3000 potential cycles), even comparable with the benchmark Pt/C. This work delivers a new insight into the design and synthesis of porous carbons and carbon-based electrocatalysts to develop bio-derived materials in the field of clean energy conversion and storage.

A high-performance Fe–N–HPC electrocatalyst derived from bovine blood.