Latest ArticlesThe efficient removal of CF3CH2F and CF3CHF2 to obtain high-purity C2F6 is of critical importance for electronics industry but remains a big challenge. Currently, few adsorbents have been developed for one-step purification of C2F6 from multicomponent perfluorocarbons and hydrofluorocarbons mixtures. Herein, we report a metal-organic framework (FJI-W20) with multiple immobilized hydrogen-bond acceptors including F, O, N atoms which can form hydrogen bonds interactions with the H atoms of CF3CH2F and CF3CHF2, prompting it high selectivities for CF3CH2F/C2F6 and CF3CHF2/C2F6. More importantly, the special cage-like structure in turn ensures the high adsorption capacities of CF3CH2F and CF3CHF2. Adsorption experiments show that FJI-W20 can absorb 132.9 cm3/g of CF3CH2F and 110.1 cm3/g of CF3CHF2 but only adsorb 57.9 cm3/g of C2F6 at 298 K and 1 bar, delivering the selectivities as high as 17.6 and 12.3 for CF3CH2F/C2F6 (5/95, v/v) and CF3CHF2/C2F6 (5/95, v/v). Practical breakthrough experiments indicate that FJI-W20 can purify C2F6 from CF3CH2F/CF3CHF2/C2F6 (5/5/90, v/v/v) in one step at different gas flow rates as well as various temperatures and 20.6 mol/kg of high-purity (≥99.99%) C2F6 can be directly obtained under ambient conditions.
Composite bipolar plates (CBPs) composed of resin and conductive fillers have the potential to combine excellent conductivity with superior mechanical properties, as key components in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). However, the industrial scalability is hindered by slow curing kinetics and trade-offs between conductivity and mechanical integrity. In this work, we propose a rapid compression molding strategy catalyzed by 2-methylimidazole (2MI), which utilizes the synergistic effect of tertiary amine catalysis and nucleophilic enhancement to reduce the energy barrier of epoxy ring opening, enabling the resin to achieve ultrafast curing. And with temperature and pressure regulation, CBPs achieve good contact between graphite particles and a dense structure, resulting in outstanding in-plane conductivity of 190 S/cm, flexural strength of 85 MPa, and hydrogen permeability below 1.5 × 10–10 cm3/(cm2 s). The work provides a paradigm for resin-curing synergy, bridging rapid processing with multifunctional performance, and advancing scalable PEMFC component manufacturing.
Diabetic wound healing is hindered by multidrug-resistant bacteria, hyperglycemia, and oxidative stress, making bacterial control and microenvironment modulation crucial. However, an all-in-one strategy is still under development. We report a cascade catalytic hydrogel by incorporating quantum-sized Au−Cu bimetallic nanoclusters with dual enzyme-mimetic activities and glucose oxidase into a cross-linked matrix of oxidized chondroitin sulfate and carboxymethyl chitosan. Three objectives are achieved in this system: (1) Utilizing glucose oxidase to decrease blood glucose levels while generating H2O2. (2) Producing hydroxyl radicals via peroxidase-like activity of Au−Cu nanoclusters, while simultaneously functioning as a glutathione peroxidase-like to deplete GSH levels, thereby achieving effective antibacterial effect. (3) The Schiff base bonds (-CH=N-) within the hydrogel will responsively cleavage under slightly acidic environment of wound to release the oxidized chondroitin sulfate, which is benefit for down-regulating the levels of inflammatory factors (TNF-α and IL-6), ultimately achieving an anti-inflammatory effect. Comprehensive in vitro and in vivo evaluations, including antibacterial testing, biocompatibility, rapid hemostasis (within 7 min), and 16S rRNA gene sequencing, revealed that the hydrogel effectively restored microbial diversity and rectified the disrupted wound microenvironment. This work established the Au−Cu/GOx-integrated hydrogel as a promising therapeutic platform for treating infected diabetic wounds and highlights the potential of Au–Cu nanoclusters in clinical application.
MXene and metal-organic frame (MOFs) are emerging as transformative materials in the field of energy storage and conversion. While MXene excel in conductivity, tunable surface chemistry, and flexibility, MOFs bring complementary benefits with their tunable porosity and structural versatility, enabling the design of hybrid systems with enhanced functionalities. However, challenges such as material stability, structural integrity, and ink formulation must be addressed to fully integrate these materials into 3D printing technologies. This review elucidates cutting-edge material design frameworks for MXene- and MOF-integrated 3D-printed architectures, emphasizing their transformative roles in advancing energy storage/conversion systems. We provide a systematic evaluation of additive manufacturing compatibility and multidisciplinary optimization strategies spanning ink rheology, hierarchical structure engineering, and interfacial electrochemistry to enhance device performance metrics. Additionally, by analyzing the key advantages and limitations of MXene- and MOF-based materials, we examine their role in overcoming current challenges in electrochemical energy storage devices. Finally, we provide insights into future prospects, presenting a roadmap for integrating MXene and MOFs into scalable 3D printing technologies, which will enable breakthroughs in sustainable and high-performance energy devices.
With the rapid advancement of solar cell and radiation detector technology, understanding and controlling intrinsic defects in semiconductor materials is crucial for improving photovoltaic device performance. This study employs density functional theory (DFT) and non-adiabatic molecular dynamics (NAMD) methods to investigate the ground-state properties of intrinsic defects in CdTeSe (CTS) material and their impact on carrier dynamics. The results demonstrate that defect formation is strongly influenced by the chemical environment: acceptor defects are favored in Te-rich conditions, donor defects are promoted in Cd-rich conditions, while Se substitution at the Te site (SeTe) and Te substitution at the Se site (TeSe) defects are readily formed under various conditions due to their low formation energies. Carrier lifetime is significantly affected by various defects, as shown by their modulation of electron-phonon coupling interactions in electron-hole recombination dynamics. SeCd and TeCd defects are characterized by strong coupling between local vibrational modes and band-edge states, which enhances non-adiabatic coupling (NAC) strength and reduces recombination times to 9.44 ns and 30.95 ns, respectively. In contrast, SeTe and TeSe defects suppress the NAC by markedly reducing coupling, thereby extending the recombination times to 198.04 ns and 239.5 ns. Fourier transform analysis further indicates that the low-frequency phonon modes associated with SeTe and TeSe defects enhance carrier dynamics by optimizing phonon-assisted processes. Finally, it is found that variations in carrier concentration have a significant impact on carrier recombination, especially at high non-equilibrium carrier concentrations, which notably shorten the carrier lifetime. This study offers a theoretical framework for the performance optimization and defect engineering of CTS material in high-efficiency solar cell applications.
Owing to the low redox potential and high theoretical specific capacity, potassium metal batteries (PMBs) have become one of the suitable candidates for high specific energy batteries. However, challenges including uncontrolled dendrite growth and interfacial instability severely hinder their practical applications. Herein, we develop a cobalt-anchored, phosphorus-iodine co-doped 3D carbon skeleton (PI-Co/GCNT) that synergistically integrates heteroatom co-doping effects and structural engineering to address these limitations. Experiments reveal that the doping of P and I induces charge redistribution on the Co/GCNT, which collectively enhances the K+ adsorption energy compared to Co/GCNT and GCNT. This strategy creates abundant potassiophilic sites that reduce nucleation overpotential (14 mV) and inhibit dendrite growth. The 3D porous architecture not only accommodates volume fluctuations but also ensures rapid ion transport through low-tortuosity channels. The assembled K-PI-Co/GCNT symmetrical cells keep cycling over 1000 h at 1 mA/cm2 with a low polarization of 40 mV. Paired with organic cathodes (PTCDA), the K-PI-Co/GCNT anode delivers superior cycle and rate performance compared to the bare K in full cells. This work elucidates the critical role of heteroatom co-doping for dendrite-free anodes, providing a universal design paradigm for alkali metal batteries.
Mn-based organic-inorganic hybrid metal halides have attracted extensive attention due to their excellent luminescence properties, easy processing, low cost, and non-toxicity. Herein, we effectively improved the luminescence properties and stability of the [C6H14N]2MnBr4 adopting the chlorination effect. Specifically, through the introduction of chlorine atom on the cations, the Mn-Mn distance in [C6H13NCl]2MnBr4 increases from 8.061 Å to 8.668 Å, thereby suppressing excitation energy transfer between adjacent Mn2+ centers and enhancing the overall luminescent efficiency from 38.8% to 74.5%. Further experimental and theoretical analyses reveal that such chlorination effect increased the H···Cl interactions, significantly improving the environmental stability of Mn-based metal halides. Moreover, compare to [C6H14N]2MnBr4, the CIE chromaticity coordinates of [C6H13NCl]2MnBr4 are much closer to the NTSC green standard (0.23, 0.69). Our work provides new insights into the relationship between the cation structure and optical properties in Mn-based metal halides and sheds light on the design of stable metal halide materials.
Solid polymer electrolyte (SPEs) modified by inorganic fillers has become a simple and effective strategy to improve ionic conductivity and mechanical strength. However, the uneven charge distribution at the interface of polymer electrolyte/electrode results in unstable interfaces and poor cycle performances. Herein, ferromagnetic (La0.60Sr0.40)0.95Co0.20Fe0.80O3-δ (LSCF) has been firstly proposed as filler for PVDF-based electrolyte (PLSCF) to address these critical challenges in solid-state Li metal battery. It has been demonstrated that LSCF filler cannot only increase the ratio of amorphous phase in the polymer, but also induce the rearrangement of PVDF molecular chains under an applied external magnetic field during the preparation process, which can facilitate the generation of the β-phase and promote the dissociation of Li+. The synthesized PLSCF electrolyte exhibits appealing physicochemical properties, including enhanced ionic conductivity (2.09×10−4 S/cm), reduced activation energy (0.142 eV), and improved mechanical robustness (1.286 MPa), which can contribute to a homogeneous lithium deposition on Li metal anode. Furthermore, LSCF can establish an even electric field at the PLSCF/cathode interface, which helps to weaken the space charging layer and construct a robust cathode/electrolyte interface (CEI). As a result, both solid-state Li/Li symmetric cells and LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2/Li full cells incorporating the PLSCF electrolyte exhibit significantly improved cycling stability and rate capability. This work enriches inorganic fillers to stabilize electrode/electrolyte interface for high-performance solid-state Li metal batteries.
Zero-dimensional (0D) scintillation materials have demonstrated great potential in X-ray detection and imaging due to their advantages in fabricating flexible screens. Compared with the current lead-halide perovskite-based nanocrystals and quantum dots, copper iodide clusters have gradually attracted attention due to their better air stability, eco-friendliness, and processability performance. Here, we demonstrate large-scale synthesis of an eco-friendly 0D microcrystalline Cu4I6(DABCO–CH3)2 (Cu4I6, DABCO–CH3 = 1-methyl-4-aza-1-azoniabicyclo[2.2.2]octane) scintillator exhibiting crystallization-induced emission enhancement (CIEE). High X-ray absorption efficiency and excellent optical properties endow Cu4I6 microcrystals with high-quality scintillation performance, which displays an ultralow X-ray detection limit of 38.4 nGy/s and a light yield of ~21,700 photons/MeV. Specifically, a microcrystal-based flexible scintillation screen was fabricated for high-resolution static and dynamic X-ray imaging applications, achieving a spatial resolution of 12.3 LP/mm. This study introduces a practical design concept for CIEE-based scintillators and seeks to further investigate their potential applications in X-ray imaging.
Electron beam (EB) irradiation has gained significant attention in industrial wastewater due to its high efficiency and absence of chemical additives or secondary waste. However, its application remains constrained by relatively high operational costs. To address this limitation, we develop a sustainable advanced oxidation platform by synergistically integrating EB irradiation with a bimetallic catalyst (Cu0.97Co0.03/AC) for enhanced phenol (Ph) degradation. The Cu-Co bimetallic catalyst activated a dual reaction network encompassing both radical (•OH, •O2-) and non-radical (1O2, h+, e-) pathways, enabling effective Ph degradation. Compared to EB irradiation alone, this integrated system achieved 6.92-fold and 41.43-fold enhancements in Ph degradation and total organic carbon (TOC) removal, respectively. Quenching and trapping experiments confirmed 1O2 and •OH as the dominant reactive species. The system demonstrated broad pH adaptability while avoiding sulfate byproduct formation typically associated with 1O2-based processes. Toxicity assessment confirmed substantial reduction in intermediate toxicity. Meanwhile, the catalyst maintained excellent cycling stability under prolonged irradiation. This work presents a novel approach for efficient degradation and mineralization of highly toxic organic pollutants through radical/non-radical pathway coupling enabled by EB-bimetallic synergy.
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