Xiongwu Kang

Synergy of Cu, Mo and Ru in alloy nanorods suppresses HER, and promotes *CO, asymmetric CO–CHO coupling and the hydrogenation of C ₂ H ₃ O to C ₂ H ₅ OH, achieving a FE of 51.8% and partial current density of 182.7 mA cm ⁻² for ethanol production.

The authors would like to make the following corrections about the published paper

NiSnPdPtRh high-entropy alloy nanorods (HEA NRs) are rapidly synthesized in 180 s via microwave irradiation. After carbon-supported heat treatment, the as-prepared NiSnPdPtRh@C NRs display exceptional HER performance and electrochemical durability.

Owing to its unique anisotropic structure, high charge carrier mobility, and tunable bandgap, few-layer black phosphorus (FLBP) emerges as a highly promising material for applications in micro- and optoelectronics, energy conversion, and catalysis. Chemical functionalization and structural modification of FLBP not only enhance its ambient stability but also enable precise tailoring of its electronic and catalytic properties. This review systematizes state-of-the-art methods for the synthesis of FLBP and its surface modification using metal substrates. Special emphasis is placed on the fabrication strategies of 0D/2D FLBP-based nanocomposites decorated with transition metal nanoparticles, the modification of FLBP with single metal atoms, and the application of these materials in electrocatalytic and photocatalytic processes, including the hydrogen evolution, CO2 reduction and nitrogen fixation. In conclusion, the key challenges and future research directions in the development of novel FLBP-based catalytic systems for practical energy and environmental catalysis applications are outlined. The bibliography includes 214 references.

Ascribed to the Pt-rich vertexes and ridges and Ni-rich facets, phase-segregated PtNi ₅ rhombic dodecahedral nanocrystals achieve excellent performance in the hydrogen evolution reaction in the full pH range.

Transition metal selenides are considered one of the most promising materials for sodium-ion battery anodes due to their excellent theoretical capacity. However, it remains challenging to suppress the volume variation and the resulted capacity decay during the charge–discharge process. Herein, hollow-structured CoNiSe₂ dual transition metal selenides wrapped in a carbon shell (HS-Co_xNi_ySe₂@C) were deliberately designed and prepared through sequential coating of polyacrylonitrile (PAN), ion exchange of ZIF-67 with Ni²⁺ metal ions, and carbonization/selenization. The hollow structure was evidenced by transmission electron microscopy, and the crystalline structure was confirmed by X-ray diffraction. The ample internal space of HS-Co_xNi_ySe₂@C effectively accommodated volume expansion during the charge and discharge processes, and the large surface area enabled sufficient contact between the electrode and electrolyte and shortened the diffusion path of sodium ions for a feasible electrochemical reaction. The surface area and ionic conductivity of HS-Co_xNi_ySe₂@C were strongly dependent on the ratio of Co to Ni. The synergistic effect between Co and Ni enhanced the conductivity and electron mobility of HS-Co_xNi_ySe₂@C, thereby improving charge transfer efficiency. By taking into account the structural advantages and rational metal selenide ratios, significant improvements can be achieved in the cycling performance, rate performance, and overall electrochemical stability of sodium-ion batteries. The optimized HS-Co_xNi_ySe₂@C demonstrated excellent performance, and the reversible capacity remained at 334 mAh g⁻¹ after 1000 cycles at a high current of 5.0 A g⁻¹.

Single atom catalyst (SAC) show significant promise in electrocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction reaction (eCO2RR) to produce valuable chemicals, representing one of the most promising ways to achieve a carbon neutral cycle. Methane is one of the many valuable products from eCO2RR. Rational design of SAC through deliberate coordination regulation and controlled synthesis at low temperatures toward methane production remains very limited. Herein in this paper, Cu SAC with coordination of four oxygen atoms (Cu-O4) were prepared by soaking Cu nanocrystals on carbon support in acetic acid solution at 60 °C for 12 h. The coordination structure was revealed by extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectrum and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Cu-O4 SAC demonstrates excellent activity and selectivity towards methane production, with a Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 63.0% and partial current density of 200.5 mA cm-2. Theoretical calculation indicates less positive charge of Cu center and stronger charge delocalization in Cu-O4 SAC than Cu-N4 SAC due to the stronger π bonding interaction in Cu-O4 SAC, which stabilizes the methane intermediates and lowers the potential determining step on Cu-O4 SAC. Strong hydrogen adsorption on Cu-O4 SAC suppresses hydrogen evolution and may favor hydrogenation of reaction intermediates to methane. The limiting potential indicates that methane is more favored on Cu-O4 SAC than CO, methanol and formate, corroborating the high selectivity of methane production on Cu-O4 SAC. This work highlights the importance of regulation of the coordination environment in SAC in steering products in eCO2RR.

Entropy engineering holds great promise in enhancing the ion conductivity of the electrode of sodium-ion batteries during charge and discharge cycles. However, it remains challenging to fabricate hollow structures for medium and high entropy nanomaterials due to the complicated chemistry. Herein, a hollow-structured medium entropy (HSME) Fe/Co/Ni ternary transition metal selenide wrapped in a carbon shell (CoNiFe-Se@NC), was deliberately designed and prepared by sequential ion exchange of ZIF-67 with other Ni²⁺ and Fe²⁺ metal ions. CoNiFe-Se@NC exhibits a reduced sodium ion diffusion energy barrier and enhanced sodium ion diffusion rate compared to its binary counterparts, as demonstrated by theoretical calculation and experimental results. When applied as an anode material for sodium-ion batteries, the hollow-structured CoNiFe-Se@NC demonstrates outstanding rate performance (346.8 mA h g⁻¹ at 20 A g⁻¹) and ultra-long cycle stability (349.5 mA h g⁻¹ after 5000 cycles at 10 A g⁻¹) as an anode material for sodium-ion batteries, and maintains a high specific capacity of 264.5 mA h g⁻¹ after 200 cycles at a current density of 1 A g⁻¹ in a full sodium-ion cell paired Na₃V₂(PO₄)₃@C cathode. This work highlights the importance of designing hollow structures and entropy engineering, and may shed light on the preparation of high-performance sodium-ion electrodes.

Facets engineering of high entropy alloy (HEA) nanocrystals might be achieved via shape‐controlled synthesis, which is promising but remains challenging in designing Ir‐based catalysts towards efficient and robust oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in acidic medium. Herein, icosahedra nanocrystals featured with PdCu core and IrPdCuFeNiCoMo shell were prepared by wet‐chemical reduction in one‐pot, ascribing to the initial formation PdCu core and subsequent deposition and diffusion of IrPdCuFeNiCoMo HEA shell. Sequential selective chemical etching of PdCu core results in IrPdCuFeNiCoMo HEA nanocages, delivering an overpotential of 235 mV at 10 mA cm⁻², 51.0 mV dec⁻¹, and 1624 A g_Ir⁻¹ at 1.50 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode in a conventional three electrode cell. In a proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer, it delivers a low cell voltage of 1.65 and 1.77 V at a current density of 1.0 and 2.0 A cm⁻², respectively, and maintains stable over 900 h at 500 mA cm⁻². Theoretical calculations attribute the enhanced intrinsic activity to the broad distribution of the binding energy for OER intermediates on IrPdCuFeNiCoMo HEA, which breaks the linear scaling relationship and accelerates the OER process.