Electrolytic hydrogen production is heavily restricted by high-energy consumption majorly due to the relatively high potential of anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Development of OER-alternative reaction at the anode has been recently proposed as a promising pathway to address the associated issues. In this work, we report a hybrid acid/alkali dual-electrolyte electrolyzer by coupling acidic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) using commercial Pt/C cathode with alkaline electrocatalytic glycerol oxidation (GOR) which is implemented by developing a nickel foam (NF) supporting Co₃O₄ nanosheets anode that shows low overpotential and high selectivity toward GOR for formate production. The hybrid acid/alkali electrolyzer only requires an applied voltage of 0.55 V to achieve the electrolytic current density of 10 mA·cm^–2 for glycerol conversion into formate at the anode and H₂ production at the cathode with the Faraday efficiency of about 100%. The present work may open a new avenue to maximize the electron utilization efficiency and implement the energy-saving green route for H₂ generation.

Recent theoretical studies revealed that two-dimensional (2D) antimonene has attractive characteristics, such as superior photothermal conductivity, absorption over a wide range, high mobility, and good spintronic properties. Herein, we report a reliable liquid phase exfoliation (LPE) route for the preparation of high-quality high-stability atomically thin (AT) antimonene via high ultrasonic power. The AT antimonene delivers a high specific capacity of up to 860 mA·h·g^–1, with high rate capability and good cycling stability as an anode of a sodium ion battery (SIB). The good conductivity and 2D structure endow AT antimonene with more active sites for sodium storage, a facilitated pathway for electron transfer and mass transport, and the capability to reduce the volume expansion during the discharge–charge process.

A strategy was developed to fabricate a set of MnO@C nanohybrids with MnO nanoparticles (NPs) embedded in an ultrathin three-dimensional (3D) carbon framework for use as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The 3D carbon frameworks provide MnO NPs with electrical pathways and mechanical robustness, which efficiently improved the reaction kinetics, prevented the MnO from fracturing and agglomerating, and limited the formation of a solid electrolyte interface (SEI) at the MnO–electrolyte interface. Benefitting from the unique 3D framework structure, the MnO/C nanohybrids carbonized at 500 ℃ exhibited a highly reversible specific capacity of 1, 420 mAh·g^-1 at 0.2 A·g^-1, excellent cycling stability with 98% capacity retention, and enhanced rate performance of 680 mAh·g^-1 at 2 A·g^-1. The feasibility of the large-scale production of such MnO/C nanohybrids, associated with their outstanding Li-ion storage properties, opens a promising avenue for the development of high-performance anodes for nextgeneration LIBs.