Xiaodi Liu

Due to uncontrollable hole accumulation and intrinsic electron localization, photocorrosion and inefficient CO2 activation severely restrict the photocatalytic properties of transition-metal sulfides (TMS). Herein, a hierarchical microbelt-like CuS/ZnS heterojunction [Vs-CuS(001)/ZnS] with Cu–S–Zn bridging bonds and sulfur vacancies (Vs) was designed to overcome these limitations. The well-matched interatomic S–S and Zn–Zn distances on the CuS(001) and ZnS(111) facets (∼3.80 vs. ∼3.82 Å) provide structural basis for constructing atomic-level heterointerface. Experimental and theoretical results confirm that this crystallographic compatibility drives the formation of an atomically intimate interface via Cu–S–Zn bonding, further reinforced by Vs-induced unsaturated anchoring sites. Such a heterointerface facilitates hole extraction from CuS to ZnS, fundamentally suppressing photocorrosion. Concurrently, the hierarchical microstructure provides abundant accessible active sites and shortened charge diffusion pathways. Additionally, density functional theory calculations reveal that the incorporation of Vs induces electron delocalization around Cu sites, promoting π back-donation of Cu 3d electrons into the antibonding orbitals of CO2 for its activation. Benefiting from these synergistic effects, the optimal Vs-CuS(001)/ZnS-3 achieves a high CO production rate of 19.3 μmol g–1 h–1 with high stability. This work establishes a synergistic strategy that modulates interfacial, electronic, and geometric structures for designing durable and efficient TMS-based photocatalysts.

The application of V2O3 anodes is constrained by insufficient capacity and sluggish kinetics. Simultaneous sulfur doping and N-doped carbon integration offer a promising solution, yet remain unexplored in lithium-ion batteries owing to synthetic challenges. Herein, we first report a facile route to an S-doped V2O3/N-doped carbon composite, wherein S-doped V2O3 nanosheets are anchored on N-doped carbon to facilitate reaction kinetics. The optimized composite provides a capacity of 252 mA h g-1 at 5 A g-1, demonstrating its superior high-rate capability.

Transition metal oxides, particularly Fe3O4, are regarded as highly promising high-capacity anodes for lithium-ion batteries; however, their practical application is hindered by poor electronic conductivity, sluggish Li+ diffusion kinetics, and severe volume fluctuations during cycling. Herein, a scalable strategy is reported to construct a V and S co-doped Fe3O4 nanocomposite intimately hybridized with an S, N co-doped carbon matrix (denoted as VS-Fe3O4/SNC). In this design, dual conductivity enhancement—simultaneously improving both electronic transport and Li+ diffusion kinetics—is uniquely enabled by V/S co-doping within the Fe3O4 lattice, as evidenced by the substantially reduced charge transfer resistance and the increased Li+ diffusion coefficient. The Fe3O4 nanoparticles (10–50 nm) are uniformly anchored on the heteroatom-doped carbon framework, by which ion diffusion pathways are shortened and volume expansion is buffered. Benefiting from these synergistic effects, enhanced electrochemical performance is delivered by the VS-Fe3O4/SNC anode. A high reversible capacity of 934 mAh g-1 is achieved after 70 cycles at 0.1 A g-1, along with an improved rate capability (466 mAh g-1 at 5.0 A g-1), and remarkable long-term cycling stability is demonstrated, with a retained capacity of 434 mAh g-1 over 500 cycles at 5.0 A g-1. Moreover, the versatility of this approach is validated by its successful extension to the MnO system, for which significantly enhanced lithium storage performance is similarly achieved. Through this work, a facile and generalizable pathway is provided for the design of high-performance metal oxide/carbon composite anodes via synergistic cation–anion co-doping, offering critical insights into unlocking high-rate Li+ storage capabilities.

Transition metal selenides (TMSes) are regarded as promising anode candidates for high‑efficiency sodium‑ion batteries (SIBs) owing to their outstanding theoretical capacity and low‑cost preparation. However, their practical implementation is severely restricted by sluggish reaction kinetics and rapid capacity fading upon long‑term cycling. Herein, sulfur-induced FeSe/Fe3Se4 heterostructures uniformly confined within porous multiatoms-doped carbon nanorods (denoted as S‑FeSe/Fe3Se4@C) are rationally fabricated and tested as anode for SIBs. Benefiting from the nanoscale spatial confinement, abundant FeSe/Fe3Se4 heterointerfaces, and robust porous carbon framework, the S‑FeSe/Fe3Se4@C electrode exhibits exceptional sodium storage properties, including a high reversible capacity (909.0 mAh/g at 0.2 A/g after 300 cycles) and superior rate capability (526.5 mAh/g at 10 A/g). Moreover, the full cell paired with commercial Na3V2(PO4)3 cathode delivers a stable reversible capacity of 376.8 mAh/g at 1.0 A/g after 100 cycles, with a power density of 153.4 mWh/kg at 27.3 W/kg. Pseudocapacitive energy storage is systematically verified to dominate the fast sodium‑storage process, which greatly contributes to the outstanding rate performance. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the FeSe/Fe3Se4 heterointerface effectively boosts Na⁺ diffusion and accelerates interfacial redox kinetics.

Transition metal oxides, particularly Fe3O4, hold great promise as high-capacity anodes for lithium-ion batteries, yet their practical application is hindered by poor electronic conductivity and severe volume fluctuations during cycling. Herein, we report a simple strategy to construct a V and S co-doped Fe3O4 nanocomposite intimately hybridized with an S, N-co-doped carbon matrix (denoted as VS-Fe3O4/SNC). The synthesis involves freeze-drying of a homogeneous precursor solution followed by a single-step thermal treatment, utilizing NaCl as a porogen and gluconate as both carbon source and reducing agent. The resulting composite features a mesoporous architecture (BET surface area: 324.17 m2 g-1) with V, S-co-doped Fe3O4 nanoparticles (10–50 nm) uniformly anchored on an S, N-co-doped carbon architecture. Benefiting from the synergistic effects of cation–anion co-doping, nanostructuring, and heteroatom-modified carbon encapsulation, the VS-Fe3O4/SNC anode delivers exceptional electrochemical performance. It exhibits a high reversible capacity of 934 mAh g-1 after 70 cycles at 0.1 A g-1, outstanding rate capability (466 mAh g-1 at 5.0 A g-1), and remarkable long-term cycling stability with a retained capacity of 434 mAh g-1 over 500 cycles at 5.0 A g-1 and an average Coulombic efficiency of 99%. Moreover, the synthetic versatility is demonstrated by successful extension to the MnO system, which likewise yields enhanced electrochemical performance. This work provides a facile and generalizable approach for designing high-performance metal oxide/carbon composite anodes through synergistic dual-doping strategies.

Hollow microspherical Au/N-CuO heterojunction is constructed. Au decoration boosts electron transfer and enhances glucose adsorption. Hollow architecture offers abundant accessible active sites.

An Fe–V ₂ O ₃ /NC composite with alluring electrochemical performance was successfully constructed, and detailed mechanistic studies revealed that the Li ⁺ storage mechanism follows an insertion/extraction pathway rather than a conversion reaction.

The design of nanomaterials enclosed by high-index facets plays a critical role in the surface-sensitive properties. Herein, hierarchical CuCo₂O₄ microflowers (CCO-F) with highly exposed high-index (112) facets are rationally designed via a solvothermal method followed by calcination. CCO-F are composed of 30 nm-thick nanoflakes and have an ultrahigh specific surface area of ca. 205.48 m² g^-1. Additionally, nanoparticle-assembled CuCo₂O₄ microspheres (CCO-S) are prepared, and these nanoparticles are partly enclosed by the (110) facets. Abundant octahedrally coordinated Co³⁺ (Co³⁺_Oh) and tetrahedrally coordinated Cu²⁺ (Cu²⁺_Td) exist in the (112) facet, especially Co³⁺_Oh (with a density of 0.063 Å^-2); moreover, the (112) facet possesses a high surface Gibbs free energy (2.7367 J m^-2). Therefore, CCO-F have significant advantages of adsorbing glucose and conducting the subsequent redox reactions. In addition, the hierarchical microstructure promotes the reaction kinetics of CCO-F. Benefiting from these features, the CCO-F-modified electrode exhibits high sensitivities (1351.2 and 598.7 μA mM^-1 cm^-2), wide linear ranges (1 μM-3 mM and 4-10 mM), rapid response time, low detection limit, excellent stability, and good selectivity. This work indicates that the exposure of a high percentage of high-index facets is an effective approach to exploring high-performance electrocatalysts for glucose detection.