Themed collection 2015 Journal of Materials Chemistry A Hot Papers

Polymerized ionic liquid (PIL) block copolymers are an emerging class of polymers that synergistically combine the benefits of both ionic liquids (ILs) and block copolymers into one, where the former possesses a unique set of physiochemical properties and the latter self assembles into a range of nanostructures.

The solar-powered electrochemical energy storage strategy integrates the solar energy conversion, storage and distribution functions into a single device.

A comprehensive review of the recent development of electrospun nanofibers as platform materials for advanced secondary batteries is presented.

Aligned with an ever growing interest to reduce the operating temperature of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), the A-site ordered LnBaCo₂O_5+δ layered perovskite family has been actively investigated as cathodes during the last decade. This review aims to provide the recent progress in the LnBaCo₂O_5+δ family with regard to crystal structure, chemical composition, properties, performances, and chemical stability.

In this review, we present recent advances in interface engineering at different interfaces in perovskite solar cells.

The development of graphene based metal and metal oxide nano composites is reviewed with special focus on their synthesis and their applications in electronics, batteries, solar cells and analytics.

We review the recent research progress in one-dimensional nanostructured materials for different structured flexible supercapacitors.

Recent efforts to improve the performance of photocathodes for hydrogen evolution are reviewed.

Carbothermal reduction could be employed as a facile technology for the synthesis of various novel materials, especially transition-metal-functionalized nanostructures.

This article reviews and discusses the potentialities, challenges and progress of graphene for application in multifunctional protective coatings.

First-principles calculations help to understand the fundamental mechanisms of the emerging perovskite solar cells and guide further developments.

High-energy consumption in our day-to-day life can be balanced not only by harvesting pollution-free renewable energy sources, but also requires proper storage and distribution of energy. In this regard, lithium ion batteries are currently considered as effective energy storage devices and are involved in the most active research.

We introduced a new strategy to synthesize NVP nanoparticles with a thin carbon-coating layer embedded in a three-dimensional (3D) graphene network.

Two D–A copolymers PThTITI and PSeTITI were developed by copolymerizing a novel ladder-type building block TITI with thiophene (Th) or selenophene (Se). PThTITI:PC₇₁BM and PSeTITI:PC₇₁BM solar cells gave PCEs of 5.53% and 6.17%, respectively.

For the first time, bimetallic Ni–Co selenides are synthesized and show improved power-delivery and energy-storage performance.

A Cu₃Ge/Ge@G aerogel was synthesized via a simple pyrolysis route and directly employed as a high performance anode for lithium-ion batteries.

“Sea cucumber”-like Ti@MoO₃ nanorod arrays show enhanced rate capability and excellent durability as self-supported lithium ion battery anodes.

A solid-state mechanochemical synthesis of Zn_xCo_3−xO₄ was developed with highly tunable Zn concentration.

We report a stackable all-solid-state supercapacitor based on three dimensional PPy–NiO/RGO–CNT electrodes.

A rapid, simple and inexpensive dip-coating method is developed to prepare a three-dimensional hierarchical zeolitic imidazole framework (ZIF) composite using the commercially available melamine sponge as a support.

Defect-rich Ag₂Se QDs were prepared controllably for sensitizing TiO₂ toward high-performance visible-light-driven hydrogen-evolution photocatalysts.

A NiMo hollow nanorod array is developed on Ti mesh via a template-assisted electrodeposition method as a bifunctional electrode for water splitting.

A highly efficient electrocatalyst is developed by chemical coordination of cobalt species with g-C₃N₄ layers which are homogeneously supported on reduced graphene oxide.

A novel, robust and low-toxicity solution route to deposit CIGSe thin films for solar cell applications is proposed. The solvent of 1,2-ethanedithiol and 1,2-ethylenediamine is employed for the first time to simultaneously dissolve elemental Cu, In, Ga, and Se. With this solution-processed CIGSe thin film solar cell, an efficiency of 9.5% was achieved.

Vertically oriented graphene nanosheets were synthesized by an alternative and simple approach based on electron cyclotron resonance-plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (ECR-CVD) onto highly doped silicon substrates.

N-doped carbon materials were prepared by in situ electrochemical pre-treatment of a carbon electrode in a deaerated non-aqueous electrolyte containing lithium nitrate.

A custom separator with an ultra-lightweight polyaniline nanofiber/multiwall carbon nanotube (PANiNF/MWCNT) coating has been utilized to improve the electrochemical performance of lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries.

We report a simple in situ approach to reduce graphene oxide in Li-ion batteries. This electrochemical method to reduce graphene oxide could be used in graphene-based electrode fabrication.

A versatile sustainable cocatalyst has been incorporated with g-C₃N₄ to construct surface contacts for photocatalytic water oxidation.

Olivaceous 2D multi-layer graphene-like Co₃O₄ thin sheets (CQU-Chen-Co-O-1) with vertically aligned nanosheets as basic building units were first prepared and they exhibited excellent pseudocapacitive performance.

A low-cost nanoscale zinc catalyst, prepared by a facile electrochemical strategy, exhibits high activity toward electrochemical reduction of CO₂ to CO with up to 93% Faraday efficiency in aqueous NaCl solution.

W,N co-doped anatase TiO₂ nanobelt films were synthesized by direct oxidation of metallic Ti substrates with H₂O₂ solutions containing H₂WO₄ and C₃H₆N₆ at 80 °C, followed by a subsequent calcination. The photocatalytic activity of the W,N co-doped anatase TiO₂ nanobelt films was nearly three times that of undoped alkali-hydrothermal synthesized anatase TiO₂ nanobelt films, under UV and visible light illumination.

Nafion based proton exchange membranes (PEMs) modified by a metal–organic framework–graphene oxide composite (ZIF-8@GO) are reported.

A novel flexible nano-Fe₃O₄-decorated three-dimensional carbon nanofiber aerogel derived from bacterial cellulose was fabricated via a hydrothermal approachfollowed by carbonization.

Using polyelectrolytes (P3CT-Na) as hole-transporting materials (HTMs), high performance inverted perovskite solar cells with a PCE of 16.6% could be obtained, which was more than 20% improvement compared with those based on the PEDOT:PSS HTM (PCE of 13.7%).

Amorphous Co-doped MoS₂ nanosheet coated metallic CoS₂ nanocubes with ultrahigh HER activity were prepared via one-pot hydrothermal synthesis.

The integration of energy harvesting and energy storage in this device not only enables the conversion of ambient energy into electricity, but also provides a sustainable power source for various electronic devices and systems.

A facile wet soaking process was proposed to reduce the defects in the CIGS absorption layer, yielding the significantly enhanced cell efficiency from ~1% to ~6.4%.

Highly dispersed and small sized POM nanoclusters that were fabricated using MOF materials can result in a significant performance enhancement of QDSCs.

We report a facile method for direct growth of noble metal nanoparticles on semiconductor nanostructures through an in situ redox reaction.

Sodium-ion batteries have attracted extensive attention for large-scale energy storage applications for renewable energy and smart grids owing to their abundant sodium resources and potential low cost.

A facile strategy has been developed to combine carbon quantum dots and a hydrophobic carbon nitride photocatalyst together to form an infrared-responsive photocatalyst. The photodegradation experiment has confirmed that the obtained material can effectively degrade methyl orange under infrared light irradiation.

By combining the slow growth of the perovskite film and the introduction of a ZnO interlayer, highly efficient and stable perovskite solar cells with an efficiency of 16.8% were obtained.

Possible ionic motion becomes visible by an impedance spectroscopy technique in the different phases of CH₃NH₃PbI₃.

Black TiO_2−x nanotube arrays, which are synthesized by an electrochemical method and subsequent thermal conversion in a hydrogen atmosphere, are employed as binder-free, free-standing electrodes for high rate Li-ion microbatteries.

With the ZnO/IL interfacial layer, PTB7-Th : PC₇₁BM i-PSCs can exhibit a champion PCE of 10.15%.

3D cauliflower-fungus-like graphene (CFG) with hierarchical mesoporous-structure synthesized directly from CO₂ exhibited an ultrahigh areal capacitance of 1.16 F cm⁻² at a high current density and reached a high efficient-mass-loading of 11.16 mg cm⁻². This solves a critical issue of sacrificing mass capacitance with increasing mass loading.

A novel solid metal–organic self-propagation combustion route to fabricate hierarchically porous metal monoliths with tunable chemistry, topography and microstructures.

This work is devoted to fundamental electrochemistry on a novel concept of rechargeable battery, "rocking-chair type" Mg–Li dual-salt battery, in which both Mg and Li cations are carrier ions.

SiW₁₁V in the nanocomposite can absorb nearly the full light spectrum, and its excited electrons can be transferred through the graphene.

Perovskite solar cell fibers and fabrics based on aligned ZnO nano-obelisks have been fabricated with efficiencies that are maintained after deformation.

The high efficiency of planar perovskite solar cells by alternating layer-by-layer vacuum deposition of PbCl₂ and CH₃NH₃I precursor layers is up to 16.03%.

Pd–Ag alloy nanocages have been developed for light-driven catalytic hydrogenation, in which Pd provides active sites for hydrogenation reactions and Ag offers plasmonic properties to convert light into heat.

A bioinspired method to realize transparent underwater superoleophobic and anti-oil surfaces by a femtosecond laser treatment.

MAPbI₃ perovskite was found to be able to modify the work function of ITO, leading to sufficient charge extraction efficiency at the ITO/perovskite interface. A device with a high power conversion efficiency of >11% was obtained.

We demonstrate a facile approach for preparing PbI₂-free CH₃NH₃PbI₃ perovskite films via a three-step sequential solution process.

Co–P–Pd nanotube arrays with a unique porous nanotube structure and synergistic effect show high catalytic activity for H₂ generation.

Hexamethylene diisocyanate can chemically react with the onium ion produced by the oxidation of propylene carbonate and in situ generate a novel interfacial layer that is stable at high potential.

Nitrogen and phosphorus dual-doped mesoporous carbon derived from bacteria as a high performance electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction.

A porous carbon nanofibers/nanosheets hybrid (CNFS) is converted from cornstalk waste, and displays a superhigh surface area and rich porosity. Benefiting from unique structural features, the evolved CNFS possesses an ultrahigh rate capability of 454 mA h g⁻¹ at 3 A g⁻¹.

A fiber-shaped supercapacitor with a gel electrolyte containing 2-mercaptopyridine shows a high specific capacitance of 507.02 mF cm⁻².

The supermolecular building layer (SBL) approach allows deliberate construction of tunable MOFs with contracted pore size permitting enhanced gas selectivity.

Hollow Co₉S₈ nanoneedle arrays were directly grown on transparent conducting substrates via a simple template-assisted hydrothermal process. Upon calcination, the resulting CdS/CdSe QDSCs based on the cobalt sulfide counter electrodes exhibited a high power conversion efficiency of 3.72%.

A proton-conducting SOEC with chemically stable Y-doped BaZrO₃ is fabricated for the first time for electrolysis applications.

Morphology evolution of Eu₂O₃ nanostructures was achieved by simply varying the water content, templated by PS-b-PMAA under solvothermal treatment.

Amorphous Ni₂(OH)₂CO₃ nanowire arrays on a CNT paper were electrochemically converted into a Ni(OH)₂ nanosheet with high capacitance for supercapacitors.

Borrowing the idea from rubber cross linking chemistry, we report the use of a vulcanization accelerator in carbon sulfurization. The resulting Li–S battery exhibits a remarkable increase in discharge capacity while maintaining its outstanding cycling stability and low self-discharge.

Copper hexacyanoferrate (CuHCF) nanoparticles with Prussian blue structure present the ability to insert Al ions reversibly in aqueous solution.

A new method to produce multifunctional CNPs was developed by a light-induced process.

We have described a soft-template method that allows the one-pot fabrication of ring-like conducting polymer/noble metal nanocomposites.