As an advanced electrochemical energy conversion device, solid oxide electrolytic cell (SOEC) can achieve the hydrogen/hydrocarbon fuel gas precipitation at the electrode side through reversible electrochemical process of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). SOEC is regarded as one of the most promising systems in promoting large-scale hydrogen production and energy structure optimization as well as realizing our "double carbon" goal due to its simplicity, fuel flexibility, low energy consumption and high system efficiencies (85%-95%). This review represented the research status on the material selection and service performance for the key components (i.e., fuel electrode, solid electrolyte and oxygen electrode) of SOEC. Moreover, the performance parameters (i.e., current density, voltage decay rate, impedance, conductivity and hydrogen production rate) were summarized. In addition, the application potential of SOEC technology in the future hydrogen production from electrolytic seawater as well as the future development of key component materials such as composite electrode were also proposed.

It is important to improve its electrical and optical performances of transparent conductive thin films via constructing a double-layer homogeneous heterostructure with a wide and narrow band gap. The electronic structure, optical properties, carrier mobility, charge distribution, and energy band alignment of intrinsic and doped SnO₂/SnSe₂ were calculated using the first-principles based on density functionalities. The results show that a potential difference existing in the intrinsic and doped SnO₂/SnSe₂ electronic structures causes the electrons in the system to transfer to the interface or SnSe₂, and the electrons at the interface form a two-dimensional electron gas (2-DEG) in the interface gap and move at a high speed at the interface, thereby increasing the mobility of carriers, while the electrons at SnSe₂ have a corresponding increase in mobility due to the absence of impurity ion scattering. The mobilities are 772.82, 5 286.04, 2 656.90 m²/(S·V) and 17 724.60 m²/(S·V), respectively, and the optical transmittance is >80%.

Silicon carbide (SiC) ceramic has a broad application prospect in aerospace and nuclear power industries due to its advantages of high strength, high hardness and low density. However, the processing difficulty and low toughness of SiC hinder its application. To solve the problems above, SiC_w/SiC composites containing different silicon carbide whiskers (SiC_w) were prepared via binder jetting additive manufacturing and liquid silicon infiltration. The experimental results show that the flexural strength and fracture toughness of the composite can be 215.29 MPa and 3.25 MPa·m^1/2 when SiC_w contentis 7.5% (in volume fraction), and the hardness is 23.06 HV at 5% SiC_w. However, the residual silicon phase content within the composite elevates, and the mechanical properties deteriorates when SiC_w content further increases. The two carbonization processes to the green parts effectively reduce Si phase content and increase the flexural strength, fracture toughness, and hardness by 10.15%, 10.46%, and 10.58%, respectively. SiC_w is added as a reinforcing and toughening agent for the composite ceramic via deflection cracking, pulling out and fracturing.

Two-dimensional (2D) material powders are featured with large specific surface areas, ample catalytically active sites, high solution processibilities, and widely tunable microstructures, showing some tremendous application prospects in various fields, such as energies, electronics, catalysis, and environments, etc. Low-cost and batch production of high-quality 2D material powders with tunable microstructures is the vital prerequisite for developing their large-scale applications. This review summarized the research progresses on diatomite-templated syntheses of 2D material powders (e.g., graphene, graphidiyne, transition metal nitrides, and transition metal dichalcogenides powders), and introduced the advances in the applications of as-prepared 2D material powders in energy-storage devices, printed electronics, electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reactions, and wastewater treatments, etc. In addition, some problems and challenges in diatomite-templated syntheses of 2D material powders were represented, and their potential application directions were also discussed.

Geopolymer has attracted attention for the process features of energy saving, reduced carbon emissions and excellent properties. In this paper, we proposed a concept of phase engineering for geopolymer, and demonstrated the utilization of calcined layered double hydroxides (CLDHs). The effects of microstructure and property in slag-based geopolymer were analyzed. The rehydration reaction and nucleation mechanism of CLDH were revealed by high-energy X-ray synchrotron radiation, pair distribution function calculation, transmission electron microscopy and other characterization techniques, thus improving the short-distance order of the gel and the crystal-to-binder ratio. For the macroscopic properties, the mechanical strength and water retention of geopolymer with CLDH are improved, and the chemical shrinkage and dry shrinkage of geopolymer are decreased. Incorporation of CLDH as a technical approach to improve the microstructure of geopolymer can remedy the performance defects of geopolymer, and is thus an effective approach for manufacturing high-performance geopolymer products.

Promoting the low carbon emission of silicate material manufacturing is of great significance to achieve the overall strategic goal of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. In this paper, the application of hydrogen energy on a flat glass furnace was investigated by a numerical simulation method. The effect of natural gas/hydrogen hybrid fuel on the temperature/velocity fields and the composition of flue gas was analyzed to comprehensively evaluate the feasibility of hydrogen utilization in glass furnace. The results show that the combustion of natural gas/hydrogen hybrid fuel can ensure the temperature stability of glass furnace. Compared to natural gas, the burning rate of natural gas/hydrogen hybrid fuel is improved, and the heat release of fuel combustion is more concentrated. As the proportion of hydrogen increases to 20% or above, the flame length significantly shortens, and the residence time of flue gas at glass furnace increases. In the furnace with a hydrogen proportion of 40%, the total flue gas is reduced by 4.13%, and the CO₂ emission is reduced by 12.50%, while the emission NO_x concentration is increased from 1 093 mg·Nm^-3 (dry with 8% O₂) to 1 282 mg·Nm^-3 (dry with 8% O₂). A further investigation on combustion system design, refractory erosion and other aspects is proposed to solve the problems of hydrogen application in large glass furnace and promote the utilization of hydrogen energy in silicate materials manufacturing.

All-inorganic halide double perovskites are a class of environmental-friendly lead-free materials with the superior photoelectric properties and stabilities. These materials exhibit a great potential in solar cell applications, detectors and light-emitting diodes. This review mainly represented the crystal structures and photoelectric properties of all-inorganic halide double perovskites as well as their synthesis methods and applications. Meanwhile, This paper summarized the scientific bottlenecks of these inorganic materials and their corresponding devices, thus providing insightful guidelines for further improvement of their properties suitable for optoelectronic devices.

Limestone calcined clay cement (LC³) has attracted much attention as a low-carbon cementitious material. The economic and ecological benefits of cementitious materials are greatly improved by partially replacing Portland cement with calcined clay, limestone powder and gypsum. This review summarized the latest research progress in this field from the aspects of hydration, microstructure and properties, production and substitution of raw materials, application prospects, and carbon emissions, and explored the key issues restricting the application and development of LC³ system in China (i.e., regional differences in clay-based raw materials, bleaching/calcination process, availability of alternative silica-alumina raw materials, etc.). The improvement of the hydrothermal kinetic model and the long-term performance of LC³-based concrete materials/structures were discussed.

With the substantial development of photoelectric technologies, some transparent materials with the better performances as information transmission media are required. Transparent polycrystalline ceramics are widely used as missile fairings, lamp envelopes of high-pressure sodium lamps, transparent armors, gain medium for lasers, and laser-driven white lightings due to their excellent mechanical, thermal, optical and electrical properties. Various sintering technologies are employed to prepare transparency ceramics, such as high-vacuum sintering, hot-pressing sintering, hot isostatic pressing sintering and spark plasma sintering. However, their complex preparation process and the resultant high cost greatly restrict their actual applications. The full crystallization of the mother glass induced by heat-treating at crystallization temperatures was proposed to obtain transparent ceramics, which had attracted much attention due to its relatively simple, time-saving, and low-cost. This review summarized recent progress and potential applications on transparent ceramics prepared by a glass-crystallization method.

Thermoelectric materials can realize the direct conversion between heat energy and electric energy. BaBi₂Se₄ becomes a potential thermoelectric material because of its low thermal conductivity and good electrical conductivity. In this paper, BaBi₂Se₄ was selected as a research object, and the phase composition, thermal and electronic properties were investigated. The results show that all the samples exhibit N-type semiconductor conductivity characteristics. Te-alloying can inhibit Bi₂Se₃ impurities in the samples and decrease the carrier concentration, thus optimizing the electronic transport performance. Also, the lattice thermal conductivity is low due to the complex crystal structure. These results indicate that BaBi₂Se₄ is a potential thermoelectric material.