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Review Article Issue
Moiré superlattice engineering of two-dimensional materials for electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction
Nano Research 2023, 16 (7): 8712-8728
Published: 23 May 2023
Downloads:109

Vertically stacking two-dimensional (2D) materials with small azimuthal deviation or lattice mismatch generate distinctive global structural periodicity and symmetry, revealed as the moiré superlattices (MSLs). Manipulating the interlayer twist angle enables the modification of the electronic structure of 2D materials to explore the advanced applications. Although extraordinary progress has been achieved in the unique structure and emergent properties of MSLs, the investigation of the catalytic applications of MSLs materials is still in its infancy. It is therefore very urgent to summarize the advanced development of MSLs in the field of catalysis. In this review, we firstly summarize the advanced fabrication and high-resolution characterization techniques of the MSLs materials, as well as their novel properties related to catalysis represented by electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Then, all the MSLs materials such as MoS2, WS2, and Ru serving as electrocatalysts for HER are further reviewed in detail. Finally, we outline the current challenges as well as the experimental and theoretical strategies to advance the development of function-oriented MSLs materials for catalysis. This review aims to provide profound insight into the wide applications of this novel material platform in catalytic field.

Review Article Issue
Revisited electrochemical gas evolution reactions from the perspective of gas bubbles
Nano Research 2023, 16 (4): 4381-4398
Published: 23 December 2022
Downloads:84

Electrochemical gas evolution reactions are common but essential in many electrochemical processes including water electrolysis. During these processes, gas bubbles are constantly nucleating on reaction interfaces in electrolyte and consequently exert an impact on catalysts and the performance. In the past few decades, extensive studies have been conducted to characterize bubbles with emerging advanced technologies, manage behaviors of bubbles, and apply bubbles to various domains. In this review, we summarize representative discoveries as well as recent advancements in electrochemical gas evolution reactions from the perspective of gas bubbles. Finally, we end up this review with a profound outlook on future research topics from the combination of experiments and theoretical techniques, non-negligible bubble effects, gravity-free situation, and reactions under practical industrial conditions.

Review Article Issue
Single-atom nanozymes: From bench to bedside
Nano Research 2023, 16 (2): 1992-2002
Published: 08 November 2022
Downloads:78

Single-atom nanozymes (SANs) are the new emerging catalytic nanomaterials with enzyme-mimetic activities, which have many extraordinary merits, such as low-cost preparation, maximum atom utilization, ideal catalytic activity, and optimized selectivity. With these advantages, SANs have received extensive research attention in the fields of chemistry, energy conversion, and environmental purification. Recently, a growing number of studies have shown the great promise of SANs in biological applications. In this article, we present the most recent developments of SANs in anti-infective treatment, cancer diagnosis and therapy, biosensing, and antioxidative therapy. This text is expected to better guide the readers to understand the current state and future clinical possibilities of SANs in medical applications.

Review Article Issue
Improving stability of MXenes
Nano Research 2022, 15 (7): 6551-6567
Published: 19 May 2022
Downloads:135

Due to their superior hydrophilicity and conductivity, ultra-high volumetric capacitance, and rich surface-chemistry properties, MXenes exhibit unique and excellent performance in catalysis, energy storage, electromagnetic shielding, and life sciences. Since they are derived from ceramics (MAX phase) through etching, one of the challenges in MXenes preparation is the inevitable exposure of metal atoms on their surface and embedding of anions and cations. Because the as-obtained MXenes are always in a thermodynamically metastable state, they tend to react with trace oxygen or oxygen-containing groups to form metal oxides or degrade, leading to sharply declined activity and impaired performance. Therefore, improving the stability of MXenes-based materials is of practical significance in relevant applications. Unfortunately, there lacks a comprehensive review in the literature on relevant topics. To help promote the wide applications of MXenes, we review from the following aspects: (i) insights into the factors affecting the stability of MXenes-based materials, including oxidation of MXenes flakes, stability of MXenes colloidal solutions, and swelling and degradation of MXenes thin-film, (ii) strategies for enhancing the stability of MXenes-based materials by optimizing MAX phase synthesis and modifying the MXenes preparation, and (iii) techniques for further increasing the stability of freshly prepared MXenes-based materials via controlling the storage conditions, and forming shielding on the surface and/or edge of MXenes flakes. Finally, some outlooks are proposed on the future developments and challenges of highly active and stable MXenes. We aim to provide guidance for the design, preparation, and applications of MXenes-based materials with excellent stability and activity.

Research Article Issue
Stabilizing effects of atomic Ti doping on high-voltage high-nickel layered oxide cathode for lithium-ion rechargeable batteries
Nano Research 2022, 15 (5): 4091-4099
Published: 18 January 2022
Downloads:117

High-voltage high-nickel lithium layered oxide cathodes show great application prospects to meet the ever-increasing demand for further improvement of the energy density of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) mainly due to their high output capacity. However, severe bulk structural degradation and undesired electrode–electrolyte interface reactions seriously endanger the cycle life and safety of the battery. Here, 2 mol% Ti atom is used as modified material doping into LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2 (NCM) to reform LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.18Ti0.02O2 (NCM-Ti) and address the long-standing inherent problem. At a high cut-off voltage of 4.5 V, NCM-Ti delivers a higher capacity retention ratio (91.8% vs. 82.9%) after 150 cycles and a superior rate capacity (118 vs. 105 mAh·g−1) at the high current density of 10 C than the pristine NCM. The designed high-voltage full battery with graphite as anode and NCM-Ti as cathode also exhibits high energy density (240 Wh·kg−1) and excellent electrochemical performance. The superior electrochemical behavior can be attributed to the improved stability of the bulk structure and the electrode–electrolyte interface owing to the strong Ti–O bond and no unpaired electrons. The in-situ X-ray diffraction analysis demonstrates that Ti-doping inhibits the undesired H2-H3 phase transition, minimizing the mechanical degradation. The ex-situ TEM and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveal that Ti-doping suppresses the release of interfacial oxygen, reducing undesired interfacial reactions. This work provides a valuable strategic guideline for the application of high-voltage high-nickel cathodes in LIBs.

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