BiVO/BiOCl heterostructure photoanodes for highly selective photoelectrochemical oxidation of benzylic C(sp)-H bonds.

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) activation of benzylic C(sp)-H bonds offers a sustainable and eco-friendly approach to synthesizing high-value chemicals. However, achieving high selectivity for desired products remains a significant challenge. In this study, we developed a BiOCl-modified BiVO (BiVO/BiOCl) heterostructure photoanode for the PEC oxidation of benzylic C(sp)-H bonds.

3D-Printed Metal Electrodes with Enhanced Bubble Removal for Efficient Water Electrolysis.

Improving the water electrolysis efficiency at high current densities is constrained by the structure of available foam and mesh electrodes, which suffer from internal bubble entrapment. Herein, we used laser powder bed fusion-based 3D printing to fabricate Schwarz Diamond (SD) structure nickel electrodes for water electrolysis. After loading with NiMoFeO as the oxygen evolution reaction catalyst and MoNi-MoO as the hydrogen evolution reaction catalyst, the anion exchange membrane water electrolyzer utilizing SD nickel electrodes achieved a current density of 1 A cm at 1.

Gradient Surface Gallium-Doped Hematite Photoelectrode for Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Water Oxidation.

Hematite is a promising material for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water oxidation, but its photocurrent is limited by bulk charge recombination and poor oxidation kinetics. In this study, we report a high-performance FeO photoanode achieved through gradient surface gallium doping, utilizing a GaO overlayer on FeOOH precursors via atomic layer deposition (ALD) and co-annealing for Ga diffusion. The Ga-doped layer passivates surface states and modifies the band structure, creating a built-in electric field that enhances the charge separation efficiency.

Semitransparent CuO Films Based on CuO Back Layer for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting and Photovoltaic Applications.

Cuprous oxide (CuO) as an intrinsic p-type semiconductor is promising for solar energy conversion. The major challenge in fabricating CuO lies in achieving both high transparency and high performance in a tandem device. The CuO photocathodes often employ gold as the back contact layer.

Photoelectrochemical Ethylene Glycol Oxidization Coupled with Hydrogen Generation Using Metal Oxide Photoelectrodes.

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting represents a promising approach for harnessing solar energy and transforming it into storable hydrogen. However, the complicated 4-electron transfer process of water oxidation reaction imposes kinetic limitations on the overall efficiency. Herein, we proposed a strategy by substituting water oxidation with the oxidation of ethylene glycol (EG), which is a hydrolysis byproduct of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic waste.

Rationally designed Ru catalysts supported on TiN for highly efficient and stable hydrogen evolution in alkaline conditions.

Electrocatalysis holds the key to enhancing the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of water splitting devices, thereby contributing to the advancement of hydrogen as a clean, sustainable energy carrier. This study focuses on the rational design of Ru nanoparticle catalysts supported on TiN (Ru NPs/TiN) for the hydrogen evolution reaction in alkaline conditions. The as designed catalysts exhibit a high mass activity of 20 A mg at an overpotential of 63 mV and long-term stability, surpassing the present benchmarks for commercial electrolyzers.

Interfacial Crosslinking for Efficient and Stable Planar TiO Perovskite Solar Cells.

The buried interface between the electron transport layer (ETL) and the perovskite layer plays a crucial role in enhancing the power conversion efficiency (PCE) and stability of n-i-p type perovskite solar cells (PSCs). In this study, the interface between the chemical bath deposited (CBD) titanium oxide (TiO) ETL and the perovskite layer using multi-functional potassium trifluoromethyl sulfonate (SK) is modified. Structural and elemental analyses reveal that the trifluoromethyl sulfonate serves as a crosslinker between the TiO and the perovskite layer, thus improving the adhesion of the perovskite to the TiO ETL through strong bonding of the ─CF and ─SO terminal groups.

Improving the photovoltage of CuO photocathodes with dual buffer layers.

Cuprous oxide (CuO) is a promising oxide material for photoelectrochemical water splitting (PEC), and increasing its photovoltage is the key to creating efficient overall PEC water-splitting devices. Previous reports are mostly focused on optimizing the energy band alignment between CuO and the n-type buffer layer to improve the photovoltage of CuO photocathodes. However, the band alignment between the n-type buffer layer and the protective layer is often ignored.

Electrochemical transformation of limestone into calcium hydroxide and valuable carbonaceous products for decarbonizing cement production.

The cement industry is one of the largest contributors to global CO emissions, which has been paid more attention to the research on converting the CO released by the cement production process. It is extremely challenging to decarbonize the cement industry, as most CO emissions result from the calcination of limestone (CaCO) into CaO and CO. In this work, we demonstrate an electrochemical process that transforms CaCO into portlandite (Ca(OH), a key Portland cement precursor) and valuable carbonaceous products, which integrates electrochemical water splitting and CO reduction reaction with the chemical decomposition of CaCO.

Big data driven perovskite solar cell stability analysis.

During the last decade lead halide perovskites have shown great potential for photovoltaic applications. However, the stability of perovskite solar cells still restricts commercialization, and lack of properly implemented unified stability testing and disseminating standards makes it difficult to compare historical stability data for evaluating promising routes towards better device stability. Here, we propose a single indicator to describe device stability that normalizes the stability results with respect to different environmental stress conditions which enables a direct comparison of different stability results.

Elucidating the Role of Hypophosphite Treatment in Enhancing the Performance of BiVO Photoanode for Photoelectrochemical Water Oxidation.

Slow water oxidation kinetics and poor charge transport restrict the development of efficient BiVO photoanodes for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. Oxygen vacancy as an effective strategy can significantly enhance charge transport and improve conductivity in semiconductor photoanodes. Herein, we obtained BiVO photoanodes with appropriate oxygen vacancy by treating them with hypophosphite, which significantly improved the PEC performance.

Efficient Electrochemical Nitrate Reduction to Ammonia with Copper-Supported Rhodium Cluster and Single-Atom Catalysts.

The electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction (NITRR) provides a promising solution for restoring the imbalance in the global nitrogen cycle while enabling a sustainable and decentralized route to source ammonia. Here, we demonstrate a novel electrocatalyst for NITRR consisting of Rh clusters and single-atoms dispersed onto Cu nanowires (NWs), which delivers a partial current density of 162 mA cm for NH production and a Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 93 % at -0.2 V vs.

Structural and Compositional Investigations on the Stability of Cuprous Oxide Nanowire Photocathodes for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting.

Cuprous oxide (CuO) is a promising photocathode material for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. Recently, the PEC performances of CuO-based devices have been considerably improved by introducing nanostructures, semiconductor overlayers, and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalysts. However, CuO devices still suffer from poor stability in aqueous solution, especially in strong acidic or alkaline conditions, despite the use of an intrinsically stable oxide overlayer as a protection layer.

Promoting CO electroreduction on CuO nanowires with a hydrophobic Nafion overlayer.

Copper-based materials could produce a series of products through the CO electroreduction reaction, and are regarded as the most promising catalysts to produce fuels and value-added chemicals using renewable energy sources. However, the competitive hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is a daunting challenge for the selectivity of carbonaceous products. Here, a hydrophobic electrode surface was constructed by modifying the CuO nanowire electrode with a thick Nafion overlayer, which exhibited enhanced selectivity toward the CO RR (especially for CO) and suppressed HER activity.

Selective electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide to ethylene on a copper hydroxide nitrate nanostructure electrode.

Electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction (CO2 RR) is a promising technology to convert CO2 into valuable carbon-based fuels and chemicals. Copper (Cu) is a unique catalyst for this reaction as it yields substantial hydrocarbon products, but still suffers from low selectivity in aqueous solution. Here, we present a nanostructure Cu@Cu2(OH)3NO3 electrode using a facile molten salt decomposition method (MSDM).

Ligand-Modulated Excess PbI Nanosheets for Highly Efficient and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells.

Excess lead iodide (PbI ), as a defect passivation material in perovskite films, contributes to the longer carrier lifetime and reduced halide vacancies for high-efficiency perovskite solar cells. However, the random distribution of excess PbI also leads to accelerated degradation of the perovskite layer. Inspired by nanocrystal synthesis, here, a universal ligand-modulation technology is developed to modulate the shape and distribution of excess PbI in perovskite films.