Qinghong Huang

This study aimed to develop high-performance, ultra-low Pt-loading 2.1 wt% vs. 20 wt% for commercial Pt/C) oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts. Utilizing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as templates, a PANI layer was coated onto the surface to serve as a nitrogen-doped anchoring layer for metal species. Physical and structural characterizations demonstrated that the PANI-derived nitrogen-doped carbon layer uniformly encapsulates the CNT skeleton. This architecture not only achieved highly uniform Pt nanoparticle dispersion but also induced strong metal–support electronic interactions via deep-seated Ni atoms, effectively optimizing the electronic structure of the surface Pt. Electrochemical results showed that Pt/Ni-N-CNT delivers superior ORR activity in an acidic electrolyte, with a half-wave potential of 0.846 V (vs. RHE) and limiting diffusion current density outperforming commercial Pt/C (0.81 V vs. RHE), demonstrating excellent oxygen reduction kinetics.

The severe shuttle effect and sluggish reaction kinetics of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) as well as Li dendrite growth are still the key issues for lithium‐sulfur batteries (LSBs). Herein, atomically dispersed Fe‐N ₄ moieties anchored on 3D cross‐linked N‐doped graphene‐like porous carbon nanosheets (Fe‐N ₄ ‐GCs) as efficient LiPSs catalyst and Li regulator for high‐performance LSBs is reported. Serving as sulfur host, Fe‐N ₄ ‐GCs provide abundant adsorption sites and effectively catalyze LiPSs conversion. As separator coating, they form uniform Li ⁺ transport channels, promote fast ion diffusion, and guide stable Li plating/stripping to suppress dendrite growth. With S/Fe‐N ₄ ‐GCs cathode (2.5 mg cm ⁻² S) and Fe‐N ₄ ‐GCs/PP separator, LSB delivers a high initial capacity of 1045.6 mAh g ⁻¹ at 1.0 C, along with stable cycling over 1000 cycles with a low decay of 0.023% per cycle. At a high S loading of 7.2 mg cm ⁻² , an areal capacity of 6.6 mAh cm ⁻² is achieved. Remarkably, a full cell using Cu@Li anode (27 µm Li layer) with a low N/P ratio of 1.3 retains a high capacity of 1025.8 mAh g ⁻¹ at 1.0 C and stable cycling over 400 cycles with a low decay of 0.026% per cycle. This work offers an effective strategy toward high‐energy, long‐life LSBs.

Designing efficient and stable oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts is crucial for advancing water electrolysis technologies toward sustainable hydrogen production. Ruthenium pyrochlore oxide (A₂Ru₂O_7−δ ) has attracted much attention due to its high OER catalytic activity and low cost. However, their catalytic activity and stability require further improvement to achieve commercial viability. In this study, a series of Pt-deposited Yttrium ruthenate (Y₂Ru₂O_7−δ , YRO) bifunctional catalysts Pt(x%)-Y₂Ru₂O₇ were prepared by hydrothermal and heat treatment methods. In an acidic environment, the OER activity and stability were significantly improved compared with YRO, and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance gradually improved. Among them, Pt(25%)-YRO showed excellent OER (η ₁₀ = 260 mV, 43.1 mV dec⁻¹) and HER (η ₁₀ = 120 mV, 51.2 mV dec⁻¹) performance. In addition, Pt(25%)-YRO demonstrated excellent catalytic stability, with both the OER and the overall water splitting reaction maintaining stable operation at 10 mA cm⁻² for over 50 h. This provides a new approach for developing high-activity, high-stability, dual-function water electrolytic catalysts for use in harsh acidic environments.

The practical development of Li-O₂ batteries is often hindered by poor cycling stability, which arises from volatile liquid electrolytes, an unstable anode/electrolyte interface, and sluggish reaction kinetics related to Li₂O₂. In this study, we design a long-life quasi-solid-state Li-O₂ battery by integrating a gel polymer electrolyte (GPE) with a tetramethylpiperidinyloxy (TEMPO) redox mediator anchored in a poly(2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinyloxy-4-methacrylate) (PTMA) cathode. During cycling, the GPE stabilizes the lithium/electrolyte interface and retains the electrolyte, while the TEMPO moieties anchored in the PTMA cathode effectively enhance the catalytic selectivity for Li₂O₂ formation and decomposition. This innovative design significantly improves electrochemical performance, achieving an impressive lifespan of 800 h. The advancements in rechargeability and efficiency presented in this work are expected to pave the way for the development of long-lived solid-state Li-O₂ batteries.

In situ growth of N-doped bamboo-like carbon nanotubes embedded with FeNi nanoparticles on carbon cloth (FeNi@NBCNTs/CC) has been reported, along with the demonstration of the direct application of FeNi@NBCNTs/CC as self-standing bifunctional air cathodes in rechargeable zinc–air batteries (RZABs). The resulting FeNi@NBCNTs/CC, with 3D integrated conductive frameworks, large surface area, hierarchically porous architecture and embedded FeNi nanoparticles, provided sufficient accessible reaction sites and an optimal charge/mass transfer environment. Thus, the FeNi@NBCNTs/CC exhibited excellent electrocatalytic performance toward the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) with a positive half-wave potential of 0.90 V and toward the oxygen reduction reaction (OER) with a low potential of 1.52 V at 10 mA cm⁻², outperforming commercial Pt/C and Ru/C catalysts, respectively. Impressively, they served as self-standing air cathodes for liquid and flexible quasi-solid-state RZABs, demonstrating outstanding battery performance with high energy density, robust durability with a low rate of energy loss and favorable flexibility. This work provides a useful strategy for fabricating low-cost and efficient electrodes without the use of polymeric binders and noble metals for metal–air batteries and other related fields.

SnO ₂ -decorated Li[Li _0.144 Ni _0.136 Co _0.136 Mn _0.544 ]O ₂ (S-LLOs) demonstrates a high capacity and excellent cycle life at low temperatures, which is attributed to the low activation energy of Li ⁺ diffusion in the CEI layer and charge transfer.