Themed collection 2020 Journal of Materials Chemistry A most popular articles
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Recent progress in morphology optimization in perovskite solar cell
Hybrid organic–inorganic halide perovskite based solar cell technology has passed through a phase of unprecedented growth in the efficiency scale from 3.8% to above 25% within a decade.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 21356-21386
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TA00143K
Emerging polyanionic and organic compounds for high energy density, non-aqueous potassium-ion batteries
This review focuses on the state-of-the-art development of emerging polyanionic and organic compounds to achieve high energy density of non-aqueous potassium-ion batteries.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 16061-16080
https://doi.org/10.1039/C9TA11221A
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Polymeric carbon nitrides and related metal-free materials for energy and environmental applications
Carbon nitrides have emerged as a new class of functional materials for a wide range of energy and environmental applications due to their chemical, photophysical and catalytic properties as well as their low-price, facile synthesis and stability.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 11075-11116
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TA01973A
Photoelectrochemical water splitting: a road from stable metal oxides to protected thin film solar cells
The present review offers a detailed analysis of Photoelectrochemical (PEC) devices from metal oxide electrodes forming a semiconductor–liquid junction to protected and catalyst-decorated third generation solar cells adapted into photoelectrodes.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 10625-10669
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TA02755C
Electrochemical deposition of metal–organic framework films and their applications
This review presents the recent developments of electrodeposited MOF films and their corresponding applications in different areas.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 7569-7587
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TA00406E
Covalent organic frameworks: emerging high-performance platforms for efficient photocatalytic applications
In this review, a comprehensive summary of the potential photocatalytic applications realized to date in the fast-growing field of COFs is provided with the aim to present a full blueprint of COFs for photochemical energy conversion and reactions.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 6957-6983
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TA00556H
A review of phosphorus and phosphides as anode materials for advanced sodium-ion batteries
A comprehensive summary of phosphorus and metal/nonmetal phosphides and corresponding composites as anodes for sodium-ion batteries.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 4996-5048
https://doi.org/10.1039/C9TA12169B
Fused heterocycle-based energetic materials (2012–2019)
Fused heterocycles are unique building blocks for the synthesis of a wide range of high-performance energetic materials.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 4193-4216
https://doi.org/10.1039/C9TA12704F
Semiconductor-based photocatalysts for photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical water splitting: will we stop with photocorrosion?
This review outlines recent advances in strategies to improve the photoreaction stability of photocatalytic/photoelectrochemical water splitting systems, and discusses the tactics involved in improving the stability of such systems with different photocorrosion mechanisms.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 2286-2322
https://doi.org/10.1039/C9TA12799B
A comprehensive review on oxidative desulfurization catalysts targeting clean energy and environment
ODS catalysts that ensure clean energy without SOx emission during fuel combustion are comprehensively reviewed.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 2246-2285
https://doi.org/10.1039/C9TA12555H
Aqueous electrocatalytic N2 reduction for ambient NH3 synthesis: recent advances in catalyst development and performance improvement
In this review, we summarize recent advances in the design and development of electrocatalysts for the N2 reduction reaction. We also discuss the strategies to boost catalytic performances, the methods for reliable NRR experiments, and perspectives for further research directions.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 1545-1556
https://doi.org/10.1039/C9TA13044F
Advances and challenges in electrochemical CO2 reduction processes: an engineering and design perspective looking beyond new catalyst materials
This review of design and operating conditions of electrochemical CO2 reduction covers electrolytes, electrodes, reactors, temperature, pressure, and pH effects.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 1511-1544
https://doi.org/10.1039/C9TA13298H
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Synthesis of high-performance polycrystalline metal–organic framework membranes at room temperature in a few minutes
Our method hinders the Ostwald ripening of polycrystalline MOF film during the solvothermal synthesis, allowing the growth of high-quality MOF films in just 8 min at room temperature.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 7633-7640
https://doi.org/10.1039/C9TA12027K
Confined growth of pyridinic N–Mo2C sites on MXenes for hydrogen evolution
A hybrid of N-doped carbon encapsulated ultrasmall Mo2C nanodots on Ti3C2Tx MXene exhibits excellent HER performance in the entire pH range.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 7109-7116
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TA01697G
Mo-doped SnS2 with enriched S-vacancies for highly efficient electrocatalytic N2 reduction: the critical role of the Mo–Sn–Sn trimer
Mo-doped SnS2 nanosheets with enriched S-vacancies exhibited a greatly enhanced NRR activity, which is attributed to the creation of Mo–Sn–Sn trimer catalytic sites that can strongly activate N2 with a largely reduced energy barrier.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 7117-7124
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TA01688H
Novel gas sensing platform based on a stretchable laser-induced graphene pattern with self-heating capabilities
Laser-induced graphene based gas sensor conformable to skin with low detection limit at low temperature.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 6487-6500
https://doi.org/10.1039/C9TA07855J
Pressure effects on sulfide electrolytes for all solid-state batteries
All-solid-state batteries exhibit good performance even at low operating stack pressure when soft electrode materials are used.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 5049-5055
https://doi.org/10.1039/C9TA12889A
Surface oxidized two-dimensional antimonene nanosheets for electrochemical ammonia synthesis under ambient conditions
Few-layer antimonene nanosheets with surface oxidation have been used as an efficient nitrogen reduction reaction electrocatalyst for ammonia synthesis.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 4735-4739
https://doi.org/10.1039/C9TA13485A
Black BiVO4: size tailored synthesis, rich oxygen vacancies, and sodium storage performance
Size tailored black BiVO4 colloids with rich oxygen vacancies were generated via facile laser processing for high performance sodium storage.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 1636-1645
https://doi.org/10.1039/C9TA13021G
A chlorinated nonacyclic carbazole-based acceptor affords over 15% efficiency in organic solar cells
A systematic approach involving conjugation extension and end group chlorination is capable of enhancing both JSC and PCE. Overall, the PM6:DTTC-4Cl-based device delivers a remarkable PCE of 15.42% with a VOC of 0.92 V, a JSC of 22.64 mA cm−2 and an FF of 74.04%.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 1131-1137
https://doi.org/10.1039/C9TA12605H
Ambient blade coating of mixed cation, mixed halide perovskites without dripping: in situ investigation and highly efficient solar cells
Blade coating of mixed cation, mixed halide perovskite films is investigated using in situ X-ray scattering to investigate the role of formulations and processing routes and eliminate the need for anti-solvent dripping.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 1095-1104
https://doi.org/10.1039/C9TA12890E
Nitrogen-doped phosphorene for electrocatalytic ammonia synthesis
A facile and efficient strategy to produce nitrogen-doped (N-doped) phosphorene nanosheets that can be used as an efficient metal-free catalyst for electrochemical ammonia synthesis under ambient conditions is presented.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 15875-15883
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TA03237A
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The natural critical current density limit for Li7La3Zr2O12 garnets
The critical current density in symmetrical Li metal cells using Li7La3Zr2O12 single crystals is determined. The upper limit at room temperature without applying any external forces is below 300 μA cm−2.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 15782-15788
https://doi.org/10.1039/C9TA14177D
A novel integrated Cr(VI) adsorption–photoreduction system using MOF@polymer composite beads
Herein, a novel integrated adsorption–photoreduction system, which captures highly mobile and toxic hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) from real-world water samples and reduces it to less mobile and benign Cr(III) species, was designed.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 9629-9637
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TA01046D
A one-step rapid synthesis of TS-1 zeolites with highly catalytically active mononuclear TiO6 species
The modulation and determination of the coordination environments of Ti active sites in titanosilicate zeolites are key challenges in the rational design of high-performance heterogeneous catalysts.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 9677-9683
https://doi.org/10.1039/C9TA13851J
Compatibilizing hydrophilic and hydrophobic polymers via spray coating for desalination
The incompatibility between PVA and PTFE layers was overcome by spray-coating and the PVA/PTFE composite membrane showed excellent desalination properties in both PV and DCMD experiments.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 8462-8468
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TA00871K
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Transparent lignin-containing wood nanofiber films with UV-blocking, oxygen barrier, and anti-microbial properties
Anti-microbial cationic wood nanofiber films exhibiting high visible light transparency and UV-blocking ability together with good mechanical and oxygen barrier properties were produced directly from sawdust.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 7935-7946
https://doi.org/10.1039/C9TA13182E
Extraordinarily long diffusion length in PM6:Y6 organic solar cells
Simulated energy band diagrams of thin and thick PM6:Y6 devices.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 7854-7860
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TA03016C
Highly stable Zn metal anodes enabled by atomic layer deposited Al2O3 coating for aqueous zinc-ion batteries
Nanoscale Al2O3 coating by an atomic layer deposition technique enabled safe and dendrite-free Zn anodes for rechargeable aqueous zinc-ion batteries.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 7836-7846
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TA00748J
Hierarchically porous UiO-66 with tunable mesopores and oxygen vacancies for enhanced arsenic removal
An ultrahigh arsenic uptake capacity was achieved using a hierarchically porous UiO-66 with tunable mesopores and active sites.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 7870-7879
https://doi.org/10.1039/C9TA13747E
Revealing the oxygen reduction reaction activity origin of single atoms supported on g-C3N4 monolayers: a first-principles study
Pd/g-C3N4 stands out for the ORR, and multiple-level descriptors involving basic characteristics, electronic structures, charge transfer and energy are established.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 6555-6563
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TA00794C
Anti-freezing flexible aqueous Zn–MnO2 batteries working at −35 °C enabled by a borax-crosslinked polyvinyl alcohol/glycerol gel electrolyte
An anti-freezing gel electrolyte with an ultralow freezing point below −60 °C is developed for assembling high-performance flexible aqueous Zn–MnO2 batteries.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 6828-6841
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TA01553A
In situ self-assembly of zirconium metal–organic frameworks onto ultrathin carbon nitride for enhanced visible light-driven conversion of CO2 to CO
A series of Zr-porphyrin metal–organic framework (Zr-PMOF)/ultrathin g-C3N4 (UCN) heterostructure photocatalysts, as stable and efficient catalysts for the photoreduction of CO2, have been fabricated via a facile in situ hydrothermal self-assembly method.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 6034-6040
https://doi.org/10.1039/C9TA14005K
Ultrahigh discharge efficiency and improved energy density in rationally designed bilayer polyetherimide–BaTiO3/P(VDF-HFP) composites
Ultrahigh efficiencies over 95% and high energy densities are concurrently achieved in rationally designed bilayer polyetherimide–BaTiO3/P(VDF-HFP) composites.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 5750-5757
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TA00903B
A pulse electrodeposited amorphous tunnel layer stabilises Cu2O for efficient photoelectrochemical water splitting under visible-light irradiation
An ultrathin amorphous ZnO layer is introduced on Cu2O by pulsed electrodeposition, which helps stabilise the Cu2O photocathode for water splitting.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 5638-5646
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TA00629G
Porous V2O5 yolk–shell microspheres for zinc ion battery cathodes: activation responsible for enhanced capacity and rate performance
Illustration of a V2O5-YS microsphere with H+/Zn2+ co-insertion.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 5186-5193
https://doi.org/10.1039/C9TA11750D
Ultra-thin trinity coating enabled by competitive reactions for unparalleled molecular separation
Inspired by the competition-driven evolution in nature such as for organismal complexity expansion, the covalent bond (CB)/coordination bond (COB) competitive reactions as the universal toolbox were conceived to construct the unparalleled molecular separation trinity coating.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 5078-5085
https://doi.org/10.1039/C9TA12670H
A transparent, ultrastretchable and fully recyclable gelatin organohydrogel based electronic sensor with broad operating temperature
A green, fully recyclable and stretchable electronic sensor based on ionic conductive gelatin organohydrogels can operate at ultra-low temperature.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 4447-4456
https://doi.org/10.1039/C9TA13196E
A color-tunable fluorescent pillararene coordination polymer for efficient pollutant detection
A color-tunable pillarene coordination polymer (DCP5-Eu1Tb3) with attractive white-light emission properties and capable of nitroaromatic pollutant detection in biological platforms was constructed.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 3651-3657
https://doi.org/10.1039/C9TA13776A
Mixed-dimensional PdSe2/SiNWA heterostructure based photovoltaic detectors for self-driven, broadband photodetection, infrared imaging and humidity sensing
A self-driven and broadband photodetector based on PdSe2/SiNWA mixed-dimensional vdW heterojunction is fabricated, which shows a broadband spectrum from 200 nm to 4.6 μm with a high polarization sensitivity and good mid-infrared imaging capability.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 3632-3642
https://doi.org/10.1039/C9TA13611H
MOF-derived hierarchical CoP nanoflakes anchored on vertically erected graphene scaffolds as self-supported and flexible hosts for lithium–sulfur batteries
A self-supported and binder-free CoP@G/CC-S cathode affording high conductivity, a suppressed shuttle effect and favorable mechanical robustness enables high-performance flexible Li–S batteries for practical applications.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 3027-3034
https://doi.org/10.1039/C9TA13046B
A new dual-ion hybrid energy storage system with energy density comparable to that of ternary lithium ion batteries
A new dual-ion hybrid device is successfully fabricated with a silicon carbon anode and an expanded graphite cathode and exhibits an excellent energy density.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 2571-2580
https://doi.org/10.1039/C9TA12660K
Promoting the hydrogen evolution reaction through oxygen vacancies and phase transformation engineering on layered double hydroxide nanosheets
Effective HER activity on layered double hydroxide nanosheets through a plasma etching strategy.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 2490-2497
https://doi.org/10.1039/C9TA12768B
Engineering the conductive carbon/PEO interface to stabilize solid polymer electrolytes for all-solid-state high voltage LiCoO2 batteries
The protection of carbon/SPE interface is critical for high voltage solid-state batteries.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 2769-2776
https://doi.org/10.1039/C9TA08607B
Optimizing the rate capability of nickel cobalt phosphide nanowires on graphene oxide by the outer/inter-component synergistic effects
Bimetallic phosphides have been identified as promising alternative electrode materials owing to their admirable conductivity and electrochemical activity.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 1697-1708
https://doi.org/10.1039/C9TA12192G
Simple and scalable synthesis of hierarchical porous carbon derived from cornstalk without pith for high capacitance and energy density
A sustainable one-pot route for the synthesis of hierarchical porous carbons (HPCs) from cornstalk without pith is developed.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 1469-1479
https://doi.org/10.1039/C9TA07864A
Discordant nature of Cd in GeTe enhances phonon scattering and improves band convergence for high thermoelectric performance
Alloying CdTe in GeTe promotes the band convergence and intensifies phonon scattering due to the discordant nature of Cd in GeTe. Upon optimizing carrier concentration via Sb doping, we obtain a peak ZT of 1.8 at 700 K and a high average ZT of 1.3.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 1193-1204
https://doi.org/10.1039/C9TA10436D
Efficient ternary organic photovoltaics with two polymer donors by minimizing energy loss
Energy loss is decreased by employing a ternary strategy, which should be an efficient approach to improve the performance of OPVs.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 1265-1272
https://doi.org/10.1039/C9TA12025D
Coupling efficient biomass upgrading with H2 production via bifunctional CuxS@NiCo-LDH core–shell nanoarray electrocatalysts
Facilely prepared CuxS@NiCo-LDH core–shell nanoarray electrocatalysts exhibit superior bifunctionality towards electrochemical HMF oxidation and H2 production.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 1138-1146
https://doi.org/10.1039/C9TA06917H
Atomically dispersed asymmetric Cu–B pair on 2D carbon nitride synergistically boosts the conversion of CO into C2 products
Asymmetric copper and boron dual-site synergy for boosting conversion of carbon monoxide into value-added C2 products under visible light.
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 599-606
https://doi.org/10.1039/C9TA12090D
About this collection
This web collection features the top 50 most popular articles published in Journal of Materials Chemistry A in 2020.
Congratulations to all of the authors whose articles have been featured!