ACS Applied Energy Materials最新文献

The pressing need for sustainable and efficient energy solutions has spurred considerable advancements in magneto-mechano-electric (MME) generators, which harness the coupling of magnetic, mechanical, and electrical effects to convert ambient energy into electrical power. Unlike traditional energy harvesters, which primarily rely on single transduction mechanisms such as piezoelectric, triboelectric, or electromagnetic effects, MME generators leverage a synergistic approach that integrates magnetostrictive, and piezoelectric effects, enabling superior energy conversion, particularly in low-frequency and low-intensity magnetic environments. This review provides an in-depth analysis of recent progress in MME systems, focusing on key innovations in material development, structural optimization, and hybrid configurations that enhance the energy conversion efficiency. Advances in flexible piezoelectric materials, the integration of magnetostrictive layers for enhanced magnetic responsiveness, and hybrid electromagnetic-piezoelectric systems have expanded the scope of MME applications, particularly in wearable electronics, autonomous sensors, and implantable medical devices. These adaptable generators offer reliable, self-sustaining power for applications such as real-time environmental monitoring, remote IoT sensing, and biocompatible medical technologies while maintaining efficient operation under conditions where conventional harvesters often face performance limitations. By detailing these recent advancements, this review underscores the role of MME technology in enabling decentralized, resilient energy sources, paving the way for the next generation of sustainable power solutions across diverse fields.

Metallic aluminum-based aqueous batteries have emerged as promising energy storage devices due to the abundance of metallic aluminum and its high theoretical capacity (gravimetric: 2980 mAh g^–1; volumetric: 8056 mAh cm^–3). Despite this potential, challenges in the utilization of these batteries arise from the narrow potential window of water and the passivating effects of the high-electrical band gap aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) film, hindering the realization of their full potential. A prospective solution involves the development of an electrolyte for aqueous aluminum systems that not only widens the stability window but also effectively removes the passivating oxide layer. In this context, this study investigates the impact of a highly concentrated electrolyte based on Al(ClO₄)₃ on the performance of an aluminum metal anode. The elevated concentration of the ClO₄^– anion (maintained via periodic electrolyte replenishment) is found to be highly effective in removing the passivating Al₂O₃ oxide layer, thereby enabling the facile plating and stripping of aluminum ions from the anode. These findings present a strategic step forward in designing improved electrolytes for aluminum-ion batteries, opening up possibilities for the utilization of aluminum metal anodes in aqueous battery systems.

Severe dendrite growth and the process of side reactions have severely affected the application of aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) composed of metal zinc anodes in large-scale fields. In this study, basic copper phosphate was synthesized by the hydrothermal method and coated on zinc foil (CUPH-Zn) to solve the above problems. Utilizing the affinity of basic copper phosphate toward zinc, the nucleation resistance was decreased, and the zinc plating/stripping behavior on the surface of the zinc anode was regulated. At the same time, the granular porous morphology formed by freeze-drying is transformed into a nanoflower-shaped porous morphology during the cycling process, which increases the active sites and provides favorable channels for zinc ion deposition. This nanoflower-shaped porous morphology cooperates with the highly hydrophobic basic copper phosphate, inhibits the hydrogen evolution reaction and corrosion reaction, and thereby reduces the formation of byproducts. Owing to these advantages, the CUPH-Zn battery demonstrates outstanding cycle life in both symmetric batteries (Cycle time:700 h, 0.8 mA cm^–2 and 13.7% depth of discharge) and full batteries (cycle 3500 times, 2 A g^–1 and 3.1 Negative/Positive). Consequently, this study offers innovative insights into constructing a zincophilic and hydrophobic interface layer for highly utilized zinc foil.

Transition metal sulfides exhibit superior oxygen evolution reaction electrocatalytic performance due to their unique electronic structures and significant surface reconstructions. The electronic structure of transition metal sulfides can be effectively regulated via heteroatom doping, vacancy engineering, interface engineering, and structure engineering, and surface reconstructions can also be coordinated via coupling with electron-donating carbon materials. Herein, a facile cation regulation strategy is reported to boost the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity of transition metal sulfides by pyrolyzing and sulfurizing the Fe²⁺- and Ni²⁺-modified ZIF-67 precursor (FeNi/ZIF-67). Crucially, Fe doping and Ni substitution in the final products are achieved by a simple room-temperature ion-exchange strategy, significantly boosting the OER activity. Meanwhile, conductive porous carbon from the organic ligand improves the mass transfer and active-site accessibility. As anticipated, Fe-doped CoS₂ and NiCo₂S₄ embedded in N-doped porous carbon (NC) on carbon cloth (CoFe₁Ni₂S@NC/CC) demonstrate excellent hydrophilicity and OER activity, representing a very low overpotential of 175 mV at 20 mA cm^–2, fast reaction kinetics (R_ct = 0.51 Ω cm^–2), and considerable electrocatalytic durability in 1.0 M KOH. This work offers a simple and low-cost cation regulation method for designing efficient cobalt-based sulfide hybrid electrocatalysts for OER, advancing their application in electrochemical water splitting.

This study investigates a hybrid polymer-ceramic composite electrolyte for solid-state batteries. The polymer is synthesized through the copolymerization of poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate and poly(methacrylic acid) via the reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) method followed by postsynthetic functionalization to add phosphonic acid groups, yielding poly(PEGMA-ran-DEPMMA) that can covalently bind to oxide surfaces (Tpoly). The ceramic phase is porous gadolinium-doped cerium oxide (GDC) with a graded porosity made by a phase inversion method. Both monomers in Tpoly interact with anions synergistically for Li-ion conduction. In addition, the binding of phosphonic acid with GDC improves the interfacial stability. A Li symmetric cell with this hybrid electrolyte demonstrated stable performance for over 2000 h at 0.1 mA cm^–2 with a critical current density of up to 0.8 mA cm^–2. The interfacial resistance of this hybrid electrolyte/Li electrode is reduced by 50% as compared to nontethered PPEGMA. The findings highlight the potential of hybrid polymer-ceramic composites in overcoming interfacial challenges of solid-state lithium-metal battery technology.

Hydrogen, essential for clean and sustainable energy solutions, encounters significant challenges in electrochemical water splitting. This study introduces a Z-Scheme WS₂/TiO₂ heterostructure synthesized via a hydrothermal method, aimed at enhancing hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance through interface engineering. Comprehensive interfacial investigations were conducted by using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS), and UV–vis spectroscopy. XPS analysis revealed peak shifts in the heterostructure, indicative of electronic modifications at the interface. These shifts enhance active site availability, and charge transfer kinetics also corroborated its UPS and UV–vis studies. The establishment of an intimate interface fostering a Z-scheme charge transfer mechanism has been reported. A lower work function of 4.2 eV suggests improved charge transfer at the interface. Furthermore, the development of an internal electric field to achieve Fermi level equilibrium also led to improved HER performance of the Z-scheme-based heterostructure. The prepared heterostructure demonstrated enhanced HER with a lower onset potential (−0.04 V in light and −0.05 V in dark) as compared to pristine WS₂ and a lower charge transfer resistance (36.4 Ω in light and 51.2 Ω in dark), highlighting a promising approach for constructing efficient photoelectrochemical device. The study’s insights into strain-induced effects further underscore the potential of the WS₂/TiO₂ heterostructure for sustainable energy applications. This result paves the way for constructing the facile and efficient method for generating a photoelectrochemical device with solar-to-hydrogen (STH) efficiency equal to 1.16% determined using the water displacement method.

Despite the excellent thermoelectric properties of Te, the element diffusion and reaction at the interface with the metal electrodes introduce a large contact resistivity (ρ_c), significantly reducing the conversion efficiency (η) of the device. Therefore, suitable barrier layers are being sought to optimize the connection between Te and metal electrodes. In this study, a Sn–Te alloy barrier layer is reported based on interfacial reaction. The results indicate that there is no reaction layer or microscopic defects at the interface of the SnTe/Te_0.985Sb_0.015 device. Additionally, the η of the single-leg device is approximately 4.7% at a temperature difference of 230 K. Notably, this η_max is 100% higher than that of the Ni/Te_0.985Sb_0.015/Ni device. Meanwhile, the interface exhibits good thermal stability, with no significant changes observed in ρ_c, η, and interface microstructure after aging at 523 K for 18 days. This work provides valuable insights into optimizing the interface between thermoelectric materials and metal electrodes, which could lead to the development of more efficient and stable thermoelectric devices.

An efficient catalyst was studied for the steam reforming reaction of the simulated pyrolysis gas from medical waste (MW) in this paper. The impact of Rh supported on different carrier catalysts on the MW pyrolysis steam reforming performance was investigated. In order to acquire the optimum conditions for hydrogen generation, the impact of reaction temperature, steam/medical waste pyrolysis gas ratio, and gas hourly space velocity on hydrogen production efficiency was studied in the steam reforming reaction. Notably, the reforming and stability performance of 1 wt%Rh/La₂Ce₂O₇ surpassed those of 1 wt%Rh/Al₂O₃. The former achieved an approximately 60% H₂ content and sustained stable hydrogen increment (I_H2) and hydrogen selectivity (S_H2) values around 520% and 99.5–99.7%, respectively. Moreover, the conversions for C₁–C₅ (X_i) all exceeded 98%. 1 wt%Rh/La₂Ce₂O₇ has such prominent catalytic performance because H₂-TPR and XPS results show that RhO_x species were more reducible, and more Rh active species are formed due to strong interaction between Rh and the La₂Ce₂O₇ carrier, which are helpful to the hydrocarbon species adsorption to form intermediate CH* species on Rh metal sites. Besides, the high concentration of oxygen vacancies and active oxygen species on the 1 wt%Rh/La₂Ce₂O₇ catalyst enhanced the adsorption and activation of H₂O to form intermediate O*, which facilitates the timely oxidation of intermediate CH* species on the Rh metal surface, ultimately alleviating catalyst surface carbon deposition.

In light of heterogeneous catalysis, graphene is the most pivotal allotropic member of the carbon family that has, alongside its derivatives, recently been a part of some of the tremendous benchmarks in energy conversion applications. Graphene derivatives offer imperative ascendancy in photocatalysis for energy conversion on account of their advanced physicochemical characteristics such as enhanced conductivity, surface area, and tunable functionalization. Their role in improving the performance of particulate photocatalysts via one-step excitation paves the way for efficient synthesis of H₂, C₁, C₂ products, and NH₃ via photochemical water splitting, CO₂ reduction, and N₂ fixation processes, respectively. Herein, we present this strategic Review to account for the recent advancements of graphene derivatives in sustainable energy solutions and to inspire researchers to explore the treasure trove of carbon materials. We have articulated progress in the physicochemical properties of graphene derivatives and their experimental touchstones in photochemical water splitting, CO₂ reduction, and N₂ fixation. Alongside this, the major challenges and prospects related to the applicability of graphene derivatives in these sustainable applications have been presented.

Due to the higher electrical conductivity, SnO₂ becomes a promising material for electron transport layers (ETLs). However, the mismatched energy level and surface defects lead to unsatisfactory contact between the perovskite film and SnO₂ layer, which limits its further application. Herein, heteropoly blue (HPB) r-PMo_12–xV_x (x = 0, 1, 2) is chosen to modify the interface contact between the perovskite layer and the SnO₂ layer. The energy level of HPB-modified SnO₂ increases from −4.49 to −4.09 eV, which is more suitable with the perovskite layer, thus improving the electron transport. In addition, the introduction of HPBs reduces the oxygen defects on the surface of SnO₂, while metal–oxygen bonding in the HPBs can improve the quality of the perovskite film by passivation. As a result, the photocurrent of the photodetector increases from 22.4 to 81.7 μA, an enhancement of about 3.6 times. In particular, the HPB-modified photodetector can still maintain 90% of the initial performance after 700 h and the stability is significantly improved, providing a good idea for efficient and stable perovskite photodetectors.