Crystalline-Amorphous Interfaces Engineering of CoO-InOx for Highly Efficient CO2 Electroreduction to CO

As a fundamental product of CO2 conversion through two-electron transfer, CO is used to produce numerous chemicals and fuels with high efficiency, which has broad application prospects. In this work, it has successfully optimized catalytic activity by fabricating an electrocatalyst featuring crystalline-amorphous CoO-InOx interfaces, thereby significantly expediting CO production. The 1.21%CoO-InOx consists of randomly dispersed CoO crystalline particles among amorphous InOx nanoribbons. In contrast to the same-phase structure, the unique CoO-InOx heterostructure provides plentiful reactive crystalline-amorphous interfacial sites. The Faradaic efficiency of CO (FECO ) can reach up to 95.67% with a current density of 61.72 mA cm-2 in a typical H-cell using MeCN containing 0.5 M 1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([Bmim]PF6 ) as the electrolyte. Comprehensive experiments indicate that CoO-InOx interfaces with optimization of charge transfer enhance the double-layer capacitance and CO2 adsorption capacity. Theoretical calculations further reveal that the regulating of the electronic structure at interfacial sites not only optimizes the Gibbs free energy of *COOH intermediate formation but also inhibits HER, resulting in high selectivity toward CO.

Shell-Driven Localized Oxide Nanoparticles Determine the Thermal Stability of Microencapsulated Phase Change Material

Not all encapsulation techniques are universally apt for every type of phase change material (PCM), highlighting the imperative for methodological precision. This study addresses the challenges of microencapsulated PCM (MEPCM) arising from the immiscible pairing of α-Al2O3 nanoparticles with Sn microparticles. The high-speed impact blending (HIB) dry synthesis technique is employed, facilitating large-volume production of Sn@α-Al2O3 MEPCMs. The resulting MEPCMs not only seamlessly endure 100 cycles of melting-solidification but also, with the strategic incorporation of a glass frit, exhibit remarkable thermal durability, withstanding up to 1000 melting-solidification cycles. Even under ultrafast thermal fluctuations, the α-Al2O3 shell remained resilient through 100 cycles. A marked reduction in supercooling is observed, which is attributed to the formation of SnO and SnO2 nanoparticles within the α-Al2O3 crystal lattice. The atomically resolved interface dynamics between SnO2 and α-Al2O3 play a pivotal role, lowering the energy barrier for Sn nuclei formation during solidification. This affects the accelerated Sn nucleation rate, effectively suppressing supercooling. Such insights offer a deeper understanding of the interplay between nanoscale crystal lattice imperfections and their implications for energy storage applications.

Nanofibrous PAN-PDMS Films-Based High-Performance Triboelectric Artificial Whisker for Self-Powered Obstacle Detection

Avoiding collisions is a key necessity for any autonomous mobile robot, and obstacle mapping enables them to maneuver in an uncharted area. In this era of the Internet of Things, with the emerging need for a multitude of sensors, adopting self-powered technologies is more practically viable than batteries for powering the same. Herein, with the fabrication of a triboelectric artificial whisker (TAW), a self-powered obstacle detection is demonstrated via tactile perception. The mechanical contact with the obstacle gives rise to an electrical signal from the TAW owing to the embedded triboelectric sensor. In addition, the triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) based on electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers and polydimethylsiloxane film, which facilitates this self-powered artificial sensation, generates an output voltage of 720 V and current density of 5 mA m-2 with 1.7 W m-2 of maximum power delivery from a force of 10 N. The electro-spinning aided enhancement in contact area of the PAN is responsible for the remarkable improvement in the performance of the TENG, 3.4 times enhancement in power density, when compared to the nonsurface-modified ones. In addition, the TENG is able to charge commercial capacitors up to appreciable values and demonstrates powering different electronic gadgets such as calculators and thermometers.

Efficient and Selective CO2 Reduction to Formate on Pd-Doped Pb3 (CO3 )2 (OH)2 : Dynamic Catalyst Reconstruction and Accelerated CO2 Protonation

Exploring catalyst reconstruction under the electrochemical condition is critical to understanding the catalyst structure-activity relationship as well as to design effective electrocatalysts. Herein, a PbF₂ nanocluster is synthesized and its self-reconstruction under the CO₂ reduction condition is investigated. F^- leaching, CO₂ -saturated environment, and application of a cathodic potential induce self-reconstruction of PbF₂ to Pb₃ (CO₃ )₂ (OH)₂ , which effectively catalyze the CO₂ reduction to formate. The in situ formed Pb₃ (CO₃ )₂ (OH)₂ discloses >80% formate Faradaic efficiencies (FEs) across a broad range of potentials and achieves a maximum formate FE of ≈90.1% at -1.2 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE). Kinetic studies show that the CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂ RR) on the Pb₃ (CO₃ )₂ (OH)₂ is rate-limited at the CO₂ protonation step, in which proton is supplied by bicarbonate (HCO₃ ^- ) in the electrolyte. To improve the CO₂ RR kinetics, the Pb₃ (CO₃ )₂ (OH)₂ is further doped with Pd (4 wt%) to enhance its HCO₃ ^- adsorption, which leads to accelerated protonation of CO₂ . Therefore, the Pd-Pb₃ (CO₃ )₂ (OH)₂ (4 wt%) reveals higher formate FEs of >90% from -0.8 to -1.2 V versus RHE and reaches a maximum formate FE of 96.5% at -1.2 V versus RHE with a current density of ≈13 mA cm^-2 .

Synergistic effect of Cu/Cu2O surfaces and interfaces for boosting electrosynthesis of ethylene from CO2 in a Zn–CO2 battery

We constructed Cu/Cu2O hybrid catalysts with highly active surfaces/interfaces to realize a synergistic effect, thus improving the selectivity and efficiency of C2H4 production.