Wenhua Hou

The rapid growth of renewable energy, grid storage, and electric vehicles has increased the demand for large-scale energy storage, positioning zinc-iodine (Zn-I2) batteries as promising candidates, though their practical use is hindered by polyiodide shuttle-induced active material loss, electrode corrosion, and poor cycling stability. Current strategies predominantly rely on either chemical adsorption or electrostatic regulation alone, often overlooking the intrinsic size disparity between Zn2+ and polyiodide species. Herein, we propose introducing NUS-8 nanosheets as electrolyte additives to in situ construct a functional interfacial layer on the eletrode. This layer synergistically enables chemisorption and size-sieving of polyiodides while maintaining efficient Zn2+ transport, thereby improving reaction kinetics and cycling stability. Consequently, the Zn||Zn symmetric cell exhibits an extended lifespan of 1171 h at 5 mA cm-2/1 mAh cm-2, far exceeding that of the pristine system. Moreover, the Zn-I2 cell maintains a high capacity retention of 83.6% after 700 cycles at 2 C and sustains stable operation over 10,000 cycles at 10 C. This work provides a viable strategy for developing long-life and shuttle-free Zn-I2 batteries.

Ternary PtFeN catalysts remain largely unexplored despite their potential for enhanced oxygen reduction reaction activity through N-induced electronic and strain effects. Here, we report a highly active PtFeN catalyst with PEMFC performance at ultralow Pt loading enabled by low-temperature plasma-induced support engineering. Nitrogen species are first implanted into a carbon support via N2 plasma treatment, followed by Pt and Fe deposition and reduction to form PtFeN/N+C. The catalyst exhibits a 0.91 V half-wave potential and achieves a 1.18 W/cm2 peak power density at a low Pt loading of 0.025 mgPt cm−2 while retaining >98% activity after 30,000 accelerated-stress-test cycles. The activity improvement arises from the lattice contraction and electronic structure modulation induced by nitrogen doping, which downshifts the Pt d-band center facilitating the cleavage of *O–OH and weakens the adsorption energy of *OH. We envision that this method and high-value material will pave a new way for commercialization of high-performance PEMFC catalysts.

Light-element isolated species represent an emerging class of atomically dispersed nanomaterials, yet their precise local and higher-shell coordination environments remain largely inaccessible due to the intrinsic limitations of conventional nanoscale probes. Here, we establish a solid-state NMR method, combining ²³Na and ¹⁷O spectroscopy with first-principles calculations, to directly resolve the atomic-scale structure of light-element isolated species beyond the first coordination shell. Using Na-modified CeO₂ as a representative system, isolated and aggregated sodium species are distinguished by characteristic ²³Na NMR signatures, while ¹⁷O NMR further reveals how light element dopants perturb oxygen coordination across the first to third atomic shells. This approach enables clear differentiation of Na–O–Ce linkages from more remote Na–O–Ce–O environments that are inaccessible to electron microscopy and X-ray-based techniques. As a demonstration of atomic-scale structure-adsorption correlation, CO₂ is shown to preferentially adsorb at Na–O–Ce sites rather than at Na–O–H groups.

A high performance strawberry seed like ssPt catalyst was synthesized using a urea-enhanced glycol reduction method. It exhibited 0.87 V half-wave potential and 1.57 W cm ⁻² power density at 0.1 mg _Pt cm ⁻² .

The kinetics and storage‐capacity of NiCoMg‐ternary layered double hydroxide (NiCoMg‐LDH) are successfully boosted by valence engineering. As the cathode for aqueous magnesium‐ion batteries (AMIBs), the assembled NiCoMg‐LDH//active carbon (AC) delivers a high specific discharge capacity (121.0 mAh·g⁻¹ at 0.2 A·g⁻¹), long‐term cycling stability (85% capacity retention after 2000 cycles at 1.0 A·g⁻¹) and an excellent performance at −30 °C. Moreover, NiCoMg‐LDH//perylenediimide (PTCDI) is assembled, achieving a high specific discharge capacity and long‐term cycling stability. X‐ray absorption spectra (XAS)/X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses and Density functional theory (DFT) calculations disclose that the electrons are redistributed due to the 3d orbital overlap of Co/Ni atoms in NiCoMg‐LDH, which obviously reduces the valence states of Co/Ni atoms, enhances Mg─O bond strength and degree of hybridization of Co/Ni 3d and O 2p orbitals. Hence, the electronic conductivity is significantly enhanced and the electrostatic repulsion between Mg²⁺ and host layers is greatly reduced, giving rise to the improved diffusion kinetics and storage‐capacity of Mg²⁺. Furthermore, in situ Raman/X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and ex situ XPS reveal corresponding energy‐storage mechanism. This paper not only demonstrates the feasibility of LDHs as cathode for AMIBs, but also offers a new modification method of valence engineering for high‐performance electrode materials.

A 3D Nb ₂ C/rGO conductive framework with in situ generated Nb ₂ O ₅ nanoparticles (Nb ₂ O ₅ /Nb ₂ C/rGO) is synthesized, exhibiting high capacity and excellent cycling stability. The synergetic charge–discharge mechanism is revealed explicitly.