Themed collection Journal of Materials Chemistry A Emerging Investigators 2024

The Journal of Materials Chemistry A Emerging Investigators collection gathers some of the best research being conducted by materials scientists in the early stages of their independent career. Congratulations to all of the researchers featured.

This perspective discusses the current status and future needs for the use of X-ray and neutron imaging as complementary methods for helping solve key challenges facing electrolyser materials.

As an emerging crystalline porous material constructed from organic building blocks linked by covalent bonds, covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have garnered significant interest due to their well-defined pore structures.

Dual-atom catalysts (DACs) have emerged as highly promising and efficient catalysts for water electrolysis, primarily due to their distinct dual-atom site effects.

The exciton conversion process in organic carbon nitride for photocatalytic overall water splitting.

In this review paper, we emphatically summarize the improvement strategies of Ru-based acidic OER catalysts and their application in PEMWEs. Further challenges and directions in the development of Ru-based catalysts are also speculated.

The present review gives an overview of the different state-of-the-art X-ray techniques employed for the characterisation of photoelectrocatalytic systems, focusing on the possibilities of the studied techniques, cell designs and relevant results.

Recent advances in wearable electrochemical bioelectronics offer promising solutions for sensitive, real-time detection of biomarkers in agriculture.

This review summarizes the developments of Pd membrane reactors to drive electrochemical hydrogenation of unsaturated compounds including gaseous reagents. It highlights the design of Pd-based catalysts and their utilization to drive hydrogenation.

This review summarizes the recent progress in the regulation of local reaction intermediates and protons near active sites and discusses how their microenvironment affects the C–C coupling efficiency in the electrocatalytic CO₂RR.

Single-molecule fluorescence imaging offers high spatiotemporal resolution and enables quantitative, operando studies of photocatalytic nanomaterials at the single- or sub-particle level.

This review summarizes the latest advances in material development and process design for electrochemically upgrading CO₂ to value-added C₃₊ chemicals.

This review comprehensively summarizes the development history of CPDT-based organic photovoltaic materials, which contributes to a deeper understanding of the revival of CPDT driven by low-cost acceptors.

In this review, we discuss the promising applications and practical considerations of thermoelectrics to harvest the unutilized thermal gradient between the plasma-facing surfaces and the molten salt coolant loop in tokamak fusion reactors.

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.

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.

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.

Sintering-driven Sb segregation induced a built-in electronic field in a self-supported Sb–SnO₂ anode, promoting reaction electron transfer in electrochemical ROS generation.

A mild condition controllable synthesis of –CHO regulates the electronic state of carbon sites for selective electrochemical oxygen reduction to H₂O₂.

We report a strategy of catalyst design to modulate oxygen vacancies through the control of Au/ceria interface structures, promoting Au activity for carbon monoxide production in carbon dioxide electroreduction.

Increasing the oxidation potential improved electrochemical performance by inducing LiCoO₂ delithiation and restructuring into β-CoOOH. Raman spectroscopy revealed heterogeneity and dynamic phase evolution within and between particles.

Non-sticking water droplets covered with a particulate gel, namely particulate gel liquid marbles (PGLMs), exhibited high mechanical stability due to the viscous dissipation of the PG.

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.

Mg-rich disordered rocksalt oxides, Mg₂TMO₃, are examined as cathodes for Mg-ion batteries. Although Mg²⁺ cannot easily be extracted from these compounds, we show that Mg²⁺ can be mobile in other cubic close-packed disordered rocksalts, Li_2−xMnO₂F.

A self-organizing, dual-modified interface for lithium metal anodes that significantly improves uniform lithium deposition and enhances electroplating/stripping performance.

Vertically aligned graphene nanosheet via facile hydrothermal/salt-assisted pyrolysis (HSP) method for high-performance redox supercapacitors.

This study demonstrates an all-graphene, additive-free aqueous-based ink for direct ink writing (DIW) to 3D-print functional aerogels for electronics and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shields.

The development of polar MHSs with competitive chiroptical and magnetic properties, featuring record air stability of over a year.

A 3D-printed Si/rGO anode with a porous grid-like structure was well designed and synthesized and exhibits an excellent electrochemical performance in flexible lithium-ion batteries.

Existence of an optimal Zn²⁺ concentration ratio within water-in-salt electrolytes to achieve better Zn anode cycling stability.

The surface of a zinc metal anode was mapped using SECM. Slow Zn²⁺ transport can be caused by an insulating SEI (ZHS or ZnO) or horizontally plated zinc. Fast Zn²⁺ transport can be caused by a protruding morphology or a more conducting SEI.

Mechano-chemical activation enhances early age (<12 hours) pozzolanic reactivity of clays by transforming kaolinite to meta-kaolinite, reducing particle size, and potentially increasing the edge : basal surface area ratio of meta-kaolinite.

Compared to O₂@MN₄, O₂@MN₃ with high spin state favors side-on mode, which enhances the coupling between 3d_xy orbital of metal and O₂, hence causes the evolution of active center from MN₃ to (OMO)N₃, and increases the performance of Na–O₂ batteries.

Bi atoms dispersed on Pd nanosheets promote electrochemical glycerol oxidation to C₃ products by modulating the Pd electronic structure and lowering the adsorption energy of reaction intermediates.

In situ SERS coupled with online mass spectrometry reveals that CO adsorbed on Pd can efficiently react with oxygen species formed from water dissociation at the Ce³⁺ sites nearby, thus leading to improved performance at the Pd–CeO₂ interfaces.

V₂CT_x MXene improves the OER performances of CuCo catalysts. The MXene over time reduces the leaching rate of the Cu by itself being preferentially leached which also allows for the higher OER activity to be maintained.

Guanidinium acetate (GAAc) was applied to treat a perovskite film for fabricating n–i–p perovskite solar cells. The synergistic effect of GA⁺ and Ac⁻ on regulating the perovskite surface enabled high-efficiency and stable perovskite solar cells.

Understanding CO₂RR selectivity of Sn-based catalysts by considering both the real-time structural evolution of catalysts and all key intermediates involved.

A multifunctional MoS₂/Ni₉S₈/NF catalyst, designed through heterojunction engineering and elaborate nanostructuring, has been developed for self-powered simultaneous hydrogen production and sulfur recovery.

Super-resolution microscopy reveals the impact of adsorbent clustering on adsorption heterogeneity and cooperativity in pollutant removal.

A non-equilibrium high-temperature shock (HTS) strategy, accompanied with the processes of rapid heating and cooling, is reported to introduce twin boundaries (TBs) into Li_1.2Ni_0.13Co_0.13Mn_0.54O₂.

Herein, we report a two-step electrochemical approach encompassing pre-intercalation and post-exfoliation/oxidation, enabling the mass exfoliation of graphene oxide with customizable oxidation levels on a timescale of minutes.

A facile, rapid Joule heating protocol for forming amorphous-structured transition metal phosphate electrocatalysts with low overpotentials, fast kinetics, and long-term stability for oxygen evolution reaction (OER).

Impact of SEI component variability in Li and Mg anodes on dendrite formation: influences of plating tendency and electron transfer.

Low-energy ion scattering revealed the true reactive surface composition of high-entropy alloys, differing significantly from the bulk. No significant enhancement in OER performance was observed with high-entropy alloying compared to simpler alloys.

Through a partial conversion route using NiFe-MOF nanosheets as precursors, a transition-metal chalcogenide@metal–organic framework (TMC@MOF) composite was fabricated as an efficient 2e-ORR electrocatalyst.

External electric fields could affect the charge mobility properties of organic semiconductors at a great level. Such influence is realized by changing the geometry and packing structure.

An innovative strategy for the direct construction of continuous thermally conductive networks composed of ultra-long Si₃N₄NWs is proposed.

Atomically dispersed Ru doped on IrO_x sub-nanocluster is fabricated for acidic oxygen evolution reaction, showing a low overpotential of 237 mV at 10 mA cm⁻² and high durability by sustaining a current of 100 mA cm⁻² for 150 hours.

A novel multifunctionalized NU-1000 MOF-Cu material is designed for CO₂ adsorption and catalytic conversion. This Cu-based catalyst is active in electrocatalysis and has excellent selectivity to methanol formation in thermocatalytic hydrogenation.

The oxygen vacancy-tuned rate-relevant step for toluene oxidation is revealed by a combined kinetics and mechanistic investigation over Cu catalysts.

The cathode kinetics promotion effectiveness of electrocatalysts is evaluated in lean-electrolyte lithium–sulfur batteries. The improvement of polysulfide conversion kinetics and battery performance is more significant at higher sulfur concentration.

3D-printed FeCo/TiO₂ nanotube catalysts are used for the first time in Fischer–Tropsch synthesis and demonstrate considerable catalytic activity.

We show that fine-tuning of coordination structure of Ru sites can significantly enhance performances for CO₂ hydrogenation to methane under mild conditions in a photo-thermal synergistic catalytic process.

A sodium salt monomer-based single-ion polymer electrolyte was designed, and as proof of concept, a quasi-solid-state sodium–metal cell, using Prussian White cathode, was manufactured, which delivers a capacity of 147 mA h g⁻¹.

This work benchmarks ionomers for CO₂ electroreduction to multicarbon products. Ionomers with stronger hydrophobicity or having bulkier and less hydrated ionised side chains were found to favour *CO adsorption and multicarbon product formation.

We demonstrate the post-synthetic conversion of polyethylene into functional polymer electrolytes for lithium-ion batteries. To avoid end-of-life polymer electrolytes contributing to polymer waste, we further upcycle them into useful organic acids.

In this work, CoFe nanoalloy clusters embedded into N-doped carbon nanofibers with hollow porous structures demonstrate superior electrochemical performance in sodium-ion capacitors, realizing excellent energy density and power density.

An ultralow-concentration (0.05 M) KFSI-based electrolyte can serve as the electrolyte for K-ion batteries, offering low cost, low viscosity, reduced corrosion risk, and impressive electrochemical performances over a wide range of temperatures.

A tough and recyclable polyurethane elastomer was successfully synthesized from liquified banana stems.

Al doped single-crystal nickel-rich NCMA cathode materials are considered one of the most promising candidates for automobile Li-ion batteries due to their high compacted density and superior cycling stability.

This work provides new insights for predicting the efficiency limit of LSCs. The use of tandem LSCs based on luminophores of singlet-fission and CuInSe₂/ZnS is considered a promising method to achieve optimal efficiency.

We engineered Cu/CeO_x and Cu/CuCeO_x solid solutions, enhancing *H and *CO binding in CO₂RR. Cu/CeO_x boosts *H coverage via faster water dissociation, while Cu/CuCeO_x augments *CO adsorption, selectively reducing CO₂ to CH₄ or C₂H₄.

In rock-salt Mg_0.50TM_0.25Zn_0.25O, CuO is more effective in stabilizing rock-salt ZnO in MgO, compared to CoO and NiO. Cu incorporation creates a wide metal–oxygen bond length distribution and short-range disorder and enhances Zn stabilization.

CO₂ is reduced to methanol via the synergistic effect of expansion of the interlayer spacing and sulfur vacancies of MoS₂.