Jianfeng Yao

ZIF-67/MXene heterostructured separators weaken Li ⁺ –PF ₆ ⁻ coordination interactions, optimize the transport of electrons/Li ⁺ and induce the robust SEI layer. Li|Li cells with the optimized separators realize stable cycling over broad temperature.

Whole lignocellulose was directly dissolved in concentrated ZnCl ₂ solution and reconstructed into a hydrogel electrolyte. The resulting flexible zinc-ion hybrid supercapacitors enabled stable energy storage over a wide temperature range.

Selective oxidation of alkene to valuable chemical feedstocks is challenging due to the seesaw effect between conversion and selectivity. Here, multivariate zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) are transformed into bimetallic oxides with varied morphologies via tannic acid (TA) etching and calcination. Impressively, TA etching results in the formation of oxygen vacancies and pore expansion, and the hollow architecture is generated after pyrolysis, favoring the exposure of more active sites and rapid mass diffusion, as well as inducing prominent void-confinement effects. Besides, the incorporation of nickel ions can introduce an additional type of Lewis acid sites into the resulting bimetallic oxides. The obtained Co3Ni1-TA1.4-10-400 exhibits an effective styrene-to-benzaldehyde oxidation with nearly total conversion and a 99% yield (5 h, 90 °C), approximately 1.9 and 8.3 times higher than those of Co3Ni1-TA1.4-10 (51%) and Co3Ni1-O (12%), respectively. Mechanistic investigations for the conversion of styrene to benzaldehyde further indicate that the reaction possibly proceeds via a synergistic mechanism involving both a metal-peroxide pathway and a free-radical pathway. Furthermore, in the presence of sodium bicarbonate, Co3Ni1-TA1.4-10-400 can prove effective in catalytic epoxidation of styrene. This study provides a valid approach for the construction of ZIF derivatives with abundant oxygen vacancies and unsaturated metal sites as promising catalysts for fine and commodity chemical production.

Driven by the growing energy crisis and environmental pollution, the replacement of conventional petroleum-based products with renewable and biodegradable cellulose materials has attracted increasing attention. However, the development of green and efficient solvent systems for cellulose dissolution remains a major challenge. In this study, the effects of anion-regulated ZnCl2 and ZnBr2 aqueous solutions on cellulose dissolution behavior were systematically investigated, along with their interactions with cellulose during the dissolution process. The regenerated cellulose films were obtained via ethanol coagulation followed by hot pressing treatment. The resulting films exhibit excellent structural integrity, dense morphology, and high crystallinity, together with outstanding tensile strength (122 MPa), good thermal stability, and desirable optical properties, including high transparency and haze. Finally, the prepared cellulose hydrogels were assembled into zinc-ion hybrid supercapacitors. The devices deliver a wide operating voltage window (2 V), high energy and power densities, and excellent cycling stability, highlighting the promising potential of this solvent system for advanced cellulose-based materials and energy storage applications.

5‐Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) serves as a key platform compound for the synthesis of value‐added chemicals. In this work, a synergistic catalytic system comprising tetrahydrofuran (THF)/saturated NaCl aqueous solution and sulfonic acid‐functionalized ZSM‐5 zeolites was proposed for highly efficient fructose dehydration to HMF. The acidity of the catalyst was tailored by controlling the Si/Al molar ratio of the zeolite and by postsynthetic sulfonation. It was found that decreasing the Si/Al ratio enhances the total acidity and promotes fructose conversion, while the introduced –SO ₃ H groups significantly improve HMF selectivity. Under optimized conditions, the functionalized ZSM5‐130 (with a Si/Al molar ratio of 130) catalyst, coupled with the THF/H ₂ O–NaCl biphasic solvent, affords an HMF yield of 87% (150°C for 5 h). The system also demonstrates excellent reusability and facile catalyst separation, highlighting its potential for practical biorefinery applications.

Bimetallic engineering in metal−organic frameworks (MOFs) offers a powerful strategy to enhance photocatalytic nitrogen fixation by optimizing electronic structure and facilitating directional charge transfer. This work reports a rational design of CoM-MOF-74 (M = Fe, Cd, Mg) catalysts synthesized via a solvothermal method. Among them, CoFe0.25-MOF-74 (Co:Fe = 4:1) microrods deliver the best performance, achieving an ammonia production rate of 120 μmol gcat−1 h−1 with an apparent quantum efficiency of 1.63% at 420 nm. The catalyst sustains high activity under outdoor sunlight and remains effective in multiple water environments. Mechanistic studies reveal that Fe incorporation alters the coordination environment while enabling synergistic Fe→Co charge transfer. This cooperative effect strengthens N2 activation at the neighboring Co sites and concurrently suppresses the competing hydrogen evolution reaction. This work highlights metal-to-metal charge transfer in MOFs as a fundamental strategy for constructing efficient and durable photocatalysts for solar-driven ammonia synthesis.