Themed collection Journal of Materials Chemistry A Emerging Investigators 2024

Light-driven three-phase interface catalysts for the production of green ammonia as one of the key future energy carriers for the net-zero carbon landscape.

In this review, recent progress in the synthesis and electrocatalytic applications of hybrid nanomaterials containing low-dimensional metals was outlined and some promising future directions were proposed.

We review polythiophene and its derivative (PT)-based polymer donors for all-PSCs, focusing on material design, morphology optimization strategies, and the selection and design of polymer acceptors that complement their properties.

To enhance the economy and society's sustainability, prioritizing innovative, green energy conversion methods is essential.

This review summarizes the latest research progress in polyanionic cathodes for aqueous Zn-ion batteries from the perspectives of crystal structure, reaction mechanism, and design strategy, finally highlights potential challenges and future outlook.

This review provides valuable insights and suggestions for future research on designing low-strain cathode materials for long-life and high-energy-density all-solid-state batteries under low external pressure conditions.

Through the electrochemical ion-exchange method, P2-K_0.56Na_0.11Li_0.12Ni_0.22Mn_0.66O₂ was successfully synthesized as a high-performance cathode with a single-phase reaction and K⁺/vacancy disordering for potassium-ion batteries.

Entrainment, where a solid object in a liquid bath moves towards the air phase, is common in industry and daily-life.

Histidine/tryptophan and their enantiomers were stepwise recognized by a dual-optical-response system, responding to fluorescence intensity variation and chiroptical activity regulation.

Electrocatalytic reduction of nitrate (NO₃⁻) to ammonia (NH₃) is garnering increasing interest due to its potential to reduce CO₂ emissions as a substitute for the Haber-Bosch process, while also mitigating NO₃⁻ pollution.

Mimicking the isolated and encapsulated active manganese sites within proteins in nature through the integration of NiFe sites and tungstic acid nanoparticles in an ordered open framework in an isolated manner.

Chiromagnetic Co(OH)₂ nanoparticles with tunable asymmetry g-factors achieve AA chiral recognition and nM-level concentration detection.

Silica nanoparticles were adopted as a template to synthesize mesoporous aromatic frameworks (meso-PAFs). They provide large channels for the transportation of uranyl ions, which give an adsorption capacity of 12.4 mg g⁻¹ in 20 days from seawater.

We assess state of machine learning for organic photovoltaic devices and data availability within the field, discuss best practices in representations and model selection, and release a comprehensive dataset of devices and fabrication conditions.

The hydrogenative rearrangement of bioderived furfural derivatives to various cyclopentanone derivatives is vital for synthesizing fine chemicals but challenging owing to the complex cascade reaction network.

CoS/FeS₂ heterojunction nanosheets on a MXene with excellent electrocatalytic OER performance are realized by a dual molten salt etching strategy.

The metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) coating layer can promote homogeneous Li deposition.

A composite catalyst, developed by electrostatic self-assembly of anionic semiconductor clusters onto 2D cationic CONs, boosts photocatalytic selective nitroarene reduction through a strong internal electric field and the II-scheme mechanism.

The introduction of CoP could efficiently facilitate the electron transfer from CN towards O₂ and enrich the production of ·O₂⁻, which was indispensable in photocatalytic H₂S oxidation.

The amorphous MOF/COF exposed Lewis basic sites and open metal sites in MMMs, improving the CO₂/CH₄ separation performance.

The “marionette” effect of various diluents in localized-high-concentration electrolytes subtly controls solvent and additive interactions and refines interfacial chemistry for enhancing Li-ion battery performance, particularly in extreme conditions.

Wrinkled Ir-doped manganese oxide (Ir-MnO_x) nanospheres have been prepared via a facile metal–organic framework-directed strategy as pH-universal OER electrocatalysts.

This study demonstrates the potential of a novel 2D-SBU COK-47-Ti MOF for visible-light-driven wastewater treatment through selective adsorption and photodegradation and shows its excellent performance superior to that of TiO₂ and MIL-125-Ti.

By introducing potassium L-glutamate, residual PbI₂ at the buried perovskite interface is eliminated, leading to enhanced photoelectric performance in perovskite solar cells.

The wettability of Janus hydrogel could be precisely regulated via modulating the amphiphilic Janus patch size and surface coverage to develop an excellent evaporator with a superior solar evaporation rate and salt ion rejection ratio.

Atomically dispersed Ni/Cu pairs on a BiOCl substrate were fabricated by a solvothermal method. The optimal sample (Ni₁/Cu₁-BOC) exhibited superior HCO₃⁻R activity and CO selectivity, due to efficient charge transfer and HCO₃⁻ protonation.

In this paper, the Pt–Fe₃C/rGO catalyst is synthesized by an in situ assembly strategy. The strong interaction between Fe₃C and Pt is favorable for boosting the methanol electrooxidation activity, CO anti-poisoning ability and remarkable stability.

A novel Mn-based Sp-DRX electrode engineered to initiate favorable early phase transitions, effectively delaying detrimental transitions to extend battery life.

An electrolyte design strategy is proposed for graphite anode in potassium-ion batteries working in a wide temperature range.

Two novel guest molecules were designed and incorporated into the PM6:L8-BO system, which could enhance the crystallinity and optimize vertical phase distribution. Ternary OSCs achieved a remarkable PCE of 19.04% with enhanced stability.

Introduction of highly dispersed Pd into well-regulated structures of a Ni₃Sn₂ intermetallic catalyst contributes to excellent catalytic performance for propyne semi-hydrogenation.

The diatomic L-Co₁Mn₁-NC catalyst, featuring low-coordinated Co/Mn centers on nanorod-shaped carbon, boosts CO₂-to-CO conversion. Its unique microenvironment enhances d–d interaction and charge delocalization, facilitating CO desorption in the CO₂RR.

Layered TiO₂(B) displays intercalation pseudocapacitance for rapid Na⁺ storage, and the capacities and capacitor-like behaviors are independent of the surface area and morphology.

The PTCDA/g-C₃N₄ system, with three interfaces, not only effectively suppresses carrier recombination, facilitating the conversion of ˙O²⁻ to ¹O₂, but also promotes the formation of products through the absorption of visible light.

Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) was optimally distributed vertically in the active layer through sequential deposition. With a maximum efficiency of 18.1%, OPVs based on PM6/PMMA/L8-BO outperformed PMMA-free devices.

Ab initio molecular dynamics and DFT calculations are comprehensively performed to investigate the linear correlation between the point of zero charge, solvation effects, and the binding energy of HO* adsorption on single-atom catalyst surface.

The pivotal role of Ge doping is found in finely adjusting the bandgap, enhancing carrier mobility, and improving optical-electronic properties and photovoltaic response.

An improved bat-tongue-inspired superhydrophilic origami channel with liquid manipulation and collecting ability.

Self-supported Ni/Ni₃N_1−x heterostructures with abundant nitrogen vacancies as efficient electrocatalysts for ethylene glycol oxidation.

The macropores within carbon skeleton-supported FeSe₂/NiSe₂ derived from MOF assemblies are meticulously engineered at the micrometer scale and the OER electrocatalytic performance exhibits a significant dependence on the micrometer-scale dimensions.

The combination of appropriate gate bias and innovative structure design can significantly enhance the cycling stability of organic electrochemical transistors, which is crucial for controllable and extended lifetime of functional bioelectronics.

This study reveals the enhanced piezoelectric activity of SnS nanobelts with step edges compared to nanobelts/nanoparticles and nanobelts, demonstrating superior catalytic performance for acetaminophen degradation in water.

When 2,2′-bipyridine coordinates with a single atom Rh to form a single site Rh–bipyridine molecular cocatalyst, the hydrogen production rate is effectively inhibited and the CO generation is significantly increased.

2D ZnTCPP membranes with nanopores of 1.2 nm and interlayer spacing of 0.9 nm exhibit excellent osmotic power generation.

This work demonstrates a simple method to prepare hierarchically porous materials. The introduction of macropores in mesoporous matrix enables its improved sorbent performance against pollutants for water remediation.

Degradation sketch of a membrane fuel cell system constructed from I- and S-scheme heterojunction electrodes.

Superhydrophilic COFs with D–A structure accelerate photocatalytic synthesis of H₂O₂ using water as a proton supply reservoir.

Co–Co₂C catalysts supported on carbon-coated ordered mesoporous silica showed superior performance for HAS than catalysts with uncoated and amorphous supports.

Developing cost-effective electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolysis is crucial to achieving large-scale hydrogen production through water electrolysis.

A strategy of using an ion-conductive biphasic electrolyte was adopted to suppress the shuttle effects of polybromides in Zn–Br₂ batteries.

The synthesis of Ni/Ti disordered rock salt compounds (DRX) features the fast formation of a layered phase before the DRX structure becomes favored by entropy. Electrochemically the compounds exhibit significant structural and electronic hysteresis.

Fluorine-free oleophobic fabrics that can repel ethanol are demonstrated, but the fabric construction largely determines the capillary resistance and current wettability theory is only predictive for plain weave fabric structures.