Latest ArticlesElectrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2RR) into formate and related products is a crucial strategy for sustainable carbon utilization, yet the development of catalysts with both high efficiency and durability remains a central challenge. Among available candidates, two-dimensional (2D) bismuth (Bi) nanosheets stand out because of their earth abundance, low toxicity, and unique ability to stabilize *OCHO intermediates. In this review, we systematically summarize recent advances in the controlled synthesis of 2D Bi nanosheets, covering bottom-up chemical and electrochemical routes, top-down exfoliation, and physical/thermal methods, and highlight the application strategies that enable performance optimization, including defect/strain engineering, heteroatom doping, interface construction, heterostructure coupling, in situ reconstruction, and microenvironment regulation. We further integrate mechanistic insights from in situ/operando characterizations and density functional theory, which clarify the real active sites, dynamic reconstruction, and structure–activity relationships. Finally, we provide a forward-looking perspective on atomic-level structural control, understanding and regulating reconstruction, multi-scale architecture integration, expanding product selectivity beyond formate, device-level optimization, and data-driven catalyst discovery. By bridging synthesis, application strategies, and mechanistic understanding, this timely review establishes a comprehensive framework to guide the rational design of 2D Bi nanosheets and accelerate their translation toward industrially relevant CO2 electroreduction.
Porous materials, including metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), covalent organic frameworks (COFs), aerogels, and porous metal oxides, have been extensively explored as versatile platforms for energy conversion, storage, and environmental applications. Over the past five years, remarkable advances have been achieved in the design, synthesis, and functional optimization of these materials, opening new opportunities for practical implementation. In this roadmap, we focus on several key subtopics, including MOFs and COFs for supercapacitors and batteries, electrocatalysis and photocatalysis, heterojunction materials for charge separation, advanced electrocatalysts and photocatalysts based on aerogels, carbon aerogels for environmental remediation, and porous metal oxide nanomaterials for electrocatalysis. The current status, challenges, and opportunities in these areas are systematically summarized. Special attention is given to mechanistic insights, stability enhancement, conductivity improvement, and scalable fabrication strategies that are essential for bridging fundamental research and real-world applications. We believe this roadmap will provide valuable suggestions and updated knowledge for researchers, and offer useful inspiration to accelerate the development of porous materials for sustainable energy and environmental technologies toward 2030.
Two-dimensional (2D) materials have rapidly emerged as transformative platforms for energy storage and conversion, owing to their atomic-scale thickness, tunable electronic structures, and versatile chemical functionalities. Over the past five years, remarkable advances in material synthesis, interface engineering, and device integration have unlocked new opportunities, yet challenges in stability, scalability, and performance optimization remain. In this roadmap, we provide an updated perspective toward 2030, systematically reviewing eleven representative 2D material classes, which can be broadly grouped into carbon-based materials, inorganic semiconductors, framework materials, and layered nanosheet systems. Their opportunities and challenges in electrochemical energy storage, photocatalysis, and electrocatalysis are highlighted. We believe this roadmap can enrich the development of 2D materials for sustainable energy technologies, and provide useful guidance for both fundamental studies and practical applications in the coming decade.
This review comprehensively summarizes the latest advancements in the synthesis and multifaceted applications of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for clean water. It systematically explores scalable synthesis methods, from solvothermal to green mechanochemical routes, and highlights the innovative transformation of waste into high-value MOFs. The article delves into the diverse functionalities of MOFs in water remediation, including the adsorptive and catalytic removal of heavy metals, organic pollutants, pharmaceuticals, PFASs, and micro/nano-plastics. Applications in sensing, radionuclide separation, oil-water separation, and advanced membrane technologies are also detailed. Furthermore, emerging roles in water capture, algal inhibition and resource recovery are discussed. Finally, the review provides a critical perspective on future challenges and opportunities, emphasizing sustainable synthesis, life-cycle assessment, and the integration of AI for the intelligent design of next-generation MOFs, paving the way for their transition from laboratory research to real-world water treatment solutions.
Exploring new material systems and enhancing the birefringence of compounds is a highly valuable endeavor. In this study, we introduce a novel method to enhance the birefringence of inorganic compounds by inducing structural alignment through linear groups and fluoride ions. We report on two new compounds: HgGa2(SeO3)4 and Hg2Ga(SeO3)2F. HgGa2(SeO3)4 crystallizes in a non-centrosymmetric (NCS) space group, exhibiting a second harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency of approximately 60% that of commercial KH2PO4 (KDP), with a birefringence of 0.032@546 nm. Hg2Ga(SeO3)2F, on the other hand, crystallizes in a centrosymmetric space (CS) group and represents the first reported HgⅠ-based selenite birefringent material. Due to the influence of the linear group Hg2O2, its birefringence is significantly enhanced to 0.111@546 nm, which is 3.5 times that of HgGa2(SeO3)4. Moreover, both compounds demonstrate high stability and a broad optical transparency window. These findings indicate that Hg2Ga(SeO3)2F is a promising candidate for birefringent material in the mid-infrared (MIR) range. Our research provides an innovative strategy for improving the birefringence of compounds.
In comparison with their 2D and 3D counterparts, 1D covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have rarely been investigated due to the synthetic challenge arising from the strict necessary matching in the molecular symmetry between corresponding building blocks and linking units in addition to the unmanageable packing of 1D organic chains once formed. Herein, two novel imide-linked 1D COFs with phthalocyanine building blocks, namely NiPc-CZDM-COF and NiPc-CZDL-COF, were fabricated from the hydrothermal synthesis reaction of 2,3,9,10,16,17,23,24-octacarboxyphthalocyaninato nickel(Ⅱ) (NiPc(COOH)8) with 9H-carbazole-3,6-diamine (CZDM) and 4,4′-(9H-carbazole-3,6-diyl)dianiline (CZDL), respectively. Two COFs have high crystallinity on the basis of powder X-ray diffraction analysis and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Due to their high ratio of exposed active centers on the edge sites of porous ribbons, both NiPc-CZDM-COF and NiPc-CZDL-COF electrodes display high utilization efficiency of NiPc electroactive sites of 8.0% and 7.5% according to the electrochemical measurement, resulting in their excellent capacity toward electrocatalytic nitrate reduction with the nitrate-to-NH3 Faradaic efficiency of nearly 100%. In particular, NiPc-CZDM-COF electrode exhibits superior electrocatalytic performance with high NH3 partial current density of −246 mA/cm2, ammonia yield rate of 19.5 mg cm−2 h−1, and turnover frequency of 5.8 s−1 at −1.2 V in an H-type cell associated with its higher conductivity. This work reveals the good potential of 1D porous crystalline materials in electrocatalysis.
Commercial carbonate electrolytes suffer from ion transport difficulty in bulk electrolytes and interphase at low temperatures, bringing challenges to the application of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) at low temperatures. Herein, the ester solvent of methyl propionate (MP) with low melting point and low viscosity was used to tackle ion transport difficulty in electrolytes. Fluorinated ester was further added to accelerate interfacial transport through intermolecular interactions. The influence of fluorinated esters with different fluorination degrees on the solvation structure of electrolytes and the performance of batteries was further studied. As a result, methyl pentafluoropropionate (M5F) with five fluorine atoms was selected for its optimal interactions with both Li+ and MP solvent in the primary solvation structure, contributing to desired solvation structure for fast interfacial transport. The LiFePO4 (LFP)||graphite cell with LiFSI-MP-M5F electrolyte exhibited a high cyclability of 85.8% after 120 cycles and retained 81.2% of room-temperature capacity when charged and discharged at −30 ℃. 1 Ah LFP||graphite pouch cell with high cathode loading (20 mg/cm2) in LiFSI-MP-M5F electrolyte exhibited 0.85 Ah capacity when charged and discharged at −20 ℃. This work provides a guidance for electrolyte design by synergistic fluorinated and non-fluorinated solvents for LIBs at low-temperature application.
There are limitations to using hard carbon (HC) in K+ storage due to its insufficient high-current reversible capacity and plateau potential, which result from the lack of effective active sites and low intercalation capabilities. The construction of HC cathodes with more available functional groups and ordered carbon nanocrystal structures is essential for improving K+ storage efficiency. Herein, a new perspective is proposed for synthesizing hard carbon nanosheets (HCNS) with abundant hydroxyl groups (O-H)/carboxylic groups (O-C = O) and rational carbon nanocrystals by interfacial assembly and carbonization. Systematic in ex-situ observations, dynamic analysis and theory calculations elucidate that the superior electrochemical capability of HCNS is ascribed to the synergistic effect of abundant available functional groups and ordered graphitic microcrystalline. Consequently, the HCNS exhibits outstanding K+ storage capabilities in terms of superb energy density (146.2 Wh/kg), high power density (1,7800 Wh/kg), and ultralong lifespan (102.9% capacity retention after 10,000 cycles). It was also found that the HC structure correlates with the discharge/charge plateau, confirming the 'adsorption-insertion' charge storage mechanism. Furthermore, the proposed work provides a theoretical basis for making high-performance HC anodes by understanding the effect of their microstructure on K+ storage.
The intrinsic insulation and drastic volume change of the red phosphorus during the 3-electron alloying process greatly limits its widespread applications in sodium-ion batteries. Here, we report a monomicelle-directed assembly approach for controllable synthesis of monodispersed mesoporous polypyrrole (PPy) nanospheres, which allows for the shape-preserving conversion into N-doped carbon with regular mesoscopic pore and high surface area, thus affording a high dispersion of red phosphorus during melt impregnation process due to the available diffusion apertures and strong molecular chemical anchoring. Moreover, the theoretical calculations further revealed that positively polarized pyridine N atoms in N-doped mesoporous carbon nanospheres can empower comprehensive regulation of red phosphorus adsorption by strong chemical binding. Benefitting from the above advantages, the resultant red phosphorus host for sodium-ion batteries delivered an outstanding reversible capacity of 856 mAh/g with a capacity fading rate of only 0.025% per cycle during 1000 cycles at 1.0 A/g. This work provides an effective approach based on monomicelle-directed assembly engineering of carbon-based phosphorus hosts for advanced energy conversion and storage systems.
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