Mingtao Li

Electrocatalytic nitrate reduction to ammonia proceeds through sequential NO3-→NO2- and NO2-→NH3 transformations, which consume two and six electrons, respectively. Under galvanostatic operation, the fixed total electron flux constrains these coupled steps; however, how their relative kinetics regulate intermediate accumulation and ammonia production remains insufficiently understood. Here, a series of CuxMoy bimetallic electrodes was prepared by electrochemical co-deposition to investigate this relationship. Time-dependent concentration profiles of NO3-, NO2-, and NH3 were fitted using a sequential two-step kinetic model to quantify the apparent kinetics of nitrite formation and consumption. The analysis shows that k1 governs the supply of nitrite, whereas k2 determines its consumption and thereby regulates product distribution. Efficient ammonia production requires matching these two processes: rapid nitrate reduction alone leads to nitrite accumulation when subsequent conversion is insufficient, whereas inadequate nitrate activation limits the intermediate supply for ammonia formation. The optimized Cu0.05Mo0.10 electrode achieved a Faradaic efficiency of 96.9% and an ammonia production rate of 0.33 mmol cm-2 h-1 at 80 mA·cm-2 in 1 M KOH containing 0.05 M NO3-. Material characterization and density functional theory calculations indicate that Cu facilitates nitrate adsorption, while Mo modulates the adsorption of key hydrogenation intermediates. This work establishes a galvanostatic kinetic framework that connects catalyst composition, two-step reaction kinetics, and the use of a finite electron supply in nitrate-to-ammonia conversion.

A precipitation-high-temperature solid-phase method is proposed to construct nanoscale LiNbO ₃ coating on LMO surface, leveraging the merits of bulk doping and surface coating, which effectively boosts the cycling stability of lithium-ion batteries.

Water electrolysis has emerged as a sustainable method for clean hydrogen production. Nevertheless, the intricate four-electron nature and sluggish kinetics of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at the anode persist as significant impediments. Despite the evident potential of transition metal phosphides, their propensity for the adsorption of the *OH intermediate, as well as the consequent high RDS energy barrier, remain pivotal concerns that necessitate resolution. This work proposes a dual electron regulation strategy to construct a transition metal phosphides OER catalyst. The resulting C@NiCoP-Fe/NF catalyst delivers remarkable OER performance with overpotentials of only 267 mV (10 mA cm−2) and 363 mV (100 mA cm−2), exceedingly most existing NiCo-based counterparts. A 1000-hour constant-current test at 10 mA cm-2 also ascertains the stability. In-situ characterization and density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that phosphorization (P) carbonizes the organic framework, forming a conductive carbon layer. Mechanistically, the high electronegativity of P induces electron-deficient NiCo sites to promote OH− adsorption, while Fe doping triggers metal-metal interactions that modulate the d-band center to lower the *OH desorption energy. This work provides comprehensive insights into the dual electron regulation mechanism for OER through phosphorization and Fe doping.

Self‐healing electrolytes can heal automatically when cracks occur during battery assembly or operation, improving the cycle life of lithium batteries. However, due to the weak self‐healing force, the current electrolyte healing speed is relatively slow. In this work, the double synergistic action of hydrogen bond and ionic bond is used to improve the healing speed of electrolytes. In addition, the introduction of ionic liquids imparts nonflammability to the electrolyte, greatly improving safety. At room temperature, the tensile ratio of the electrolyte reaches 300%, and the conductivity reaches 7.1 × 10 ⁻⁴ S cm ⁻¹ . It has a wide electrochemical window (5.1 V) and good electrochemical performance with an initial discharge specific capacity of up to 139.3 mAh g ⁻¹ at 0.1 C using the LiFePO ₄ cathode material.

Although localized high concentration electrolytes (LHCEs) exhibit compatibility with state‐of‐the‐art high‐voltage cathodes and lithium metal anodes, their practical implementation is hindered by the excessive volume fraction of fluorinated diluents and suboptimal ionic conductivity. Herein, a localized weak solvation strategy is proposed to preserve electrode interfacial stability while reducing fluorinated diluent content. Specifically, ethylene glycol dibutyl ether (DBE) is identified as a weakly coordinating solvent due to its steric hindrance effect, which preferentially facilitates contact ion pair formation at reduced salt concentrations. Furthermore, the non‐coordinating (trifluoromethyl) cyclohexane (TFMH) diluent synergistically enhances anion‐cation interactions while maintaining residual free solvent molecules as ion transport sites. Benefiting from this rational electrolyte design, the 9 mg cm ^{− 2} NCM811‐Li cell demonstrates exceptional cycling stability under 4.4 V cutoff voltage, achieving 91.3% capacity retention and 99.9% average Coulombic efficiency over 400 cycles. Remarkably, even under practical conditions employing a high cathode loading (21 mg cm ^{− 2} ) and ultrathin Li metal anode (50 µm), the NCM811‐Li full cell maintains stable operation for 160 cycles.

The designed all-fluorinated electrolyte greatly enhanced the stability of the cathode electrolyte interphase and solid electrolyte interphase.

The water-based binder has the advantages of non-toxic, non-flammable, small odor, and no pollution to the environment. However, there are problems such as low bond strength and poor battery cycle life of commonly used binders on the market. In this paper, the acrylic binder is modified. In addition, acrylic acid/methacrylic acid, acrylonitrile, and octadecyl acrylate/octadecyl methacrylate are copolymerized at high temperature, and a new binder for graphite anode is successfully developed. The binder can significantly improve the affinity between the graphite anode and the electrolyte and the integrity of the graphite particles during the cycle, so that the battery has better electrochemical performance. During the charge and discharge cycle of 1 C, the graphite anode coated with PAANa as a binder was able to cycle 360 cycles and remain stable, which is far better than the 192 cycles of the commercial binder LA133. It is proved that the experimental formula has a certain commercial application prospect.