Chao Liu

Borophene and copper foil possess numerous advantages in the field of electrocatalysis. In this study, 3d transition metal (M) single atoms were loaded to α-borophene which was supported by copper foil (CF) to form M@α-B/CF (M = Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn), in which the M atoms were loaded at the hexagonal vacancies of α-borophene serving as metallic active sites. The catalytic activities of various M@α-B/CF were investigated for OER/ORR under alkaline conditions using a density functional theory (DFT) simulation. Our systematic analysis found that Ni@α-B/CF exhibits a slightly lower calculated OER overpotential than the reported theoretical IrO2 benchmark, suggesting potentially competitive intrinsic OER activity. In addition, Co@α-B/CF with hydroxyl modulation (Co@α-B/CF–OH) demonstrated stability and promising catalytic activity in OER/ORR, with the overpotentials of 0.26 and 0.28 V, respectively. This study provided theoretical guidance for the rational design of novel single-atom-loaded borophene on the copper foil support catalysts in ORR/OER.

Polyacrylamide (PAM) hydrogels are simple to prepare under readily controllable conditions, making them suitable for the large-scale production of high-quality electrolytes. However, when used in zinc–air batteries, continuous water evaporation through the semi-open battery structure causes electrolyte desiccation, reduced ionic conductivity, and increased interfacial contact resistance, ultimately limiting battery performance and cycle life. To address this issue, a porous NaHCO3/PAM hydrogel electrolyte was prepared using a establishes gas-foaming method. NaHCO3 was introduced as an additive and thermally decomposed to generate CO2, producing a highly uniform pore structure. The resulting hydrogel exhibited a more uniform internal pore structure and enhanced electrolyte absorption. Consequently, the resultant flexible zinc–air battery demonstrates a superior peak power density of 163.9 mW cm–2 and an extended cycle life of 81.7 h. This study not only provides establishes a paradigm for designing anti-desiccation hydrogel electrolytes but also paves the way for the development of durable flexible energy storage devices.

GQDs-modified NiFe-LDH@GQDs catalyst enables highly stable alkaline seawater oxidation with enhanced chlorine-corrosion resistance at industrial current densities, offering promise for practical seawater electrolysis.

ASP-GNN integrated with surface hydroxylation resolves calculation barriers of large bimetallic systems. This screening framework discovers high-performance RE-TM dual-atom electrocatalysts and constructs an AI-based materials design paradigm.