Despite the low cost, safety and high theoretical capacity of metallic zinc, zinc anodes face chronic problems, including zinc dendrites, corrosion and side reactions in aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs). Herein, a nitrogen-doped carbon nanoparticle coating layer derived from discarded cigarette filters is constructed to suppress parasitic side reactions and zinc dendrite growth. The dense coating layer isolates water from the zinc anode, effectively inhibiting side reactions. Furthermore, the special micro-mesoporous structure and sufficient zincophilic groups guarantee uniform Zn stripping/plating. Consequently, durable cycle stability (2400 cycles at a current density of 1 mA cm^-2) with a stable polarization potential is achieved for symmetrical cells. The coating layer derived in this study therefore has the potential to improve the electrochemical performance of ZIBs.

Although carbon-supported platinum (Pt/C) has been generally used as a catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in fuel cells, its practical application is limited by the corrosion reaction of the carbon support. Therefore, it is essential to develop new self-supported catalysts for the ORR. Noble metal aerogels represent highly promising self-supported catalysts with large specific surface area and excellent electrocatalytic activity. Classic sol-gel processes for aerogel synthesis usually take days due to the slow gelation kinetics. Here, we report a straightforward strategy to synthesize platinum-copper (PtCu) aerogels by reducing the metal salt solution with an excess of sodium borohydride at room temperature. The PtCu aerogels are formed in a relatively short time of 1 h through a rapid nucleation mechanism. The obtained PtCu aerogels have a highly porous structure with an appreciable topological surface area of 33.0 m²/g and mainly exposed (111) facets, which are favorable for the ORR. Consequently, the PtCu aerogels exhibit excellent ORR activity with a mass activity of 369.4 mA/mg_Pt and a specific activity of 0.847 mA/cm², which are 2.6 and 3.3 times greater than those of Pt/C, respectively. The PtCu aerogels show remarkable ORR catalysis among all the noble metal aerogels that have been reported. The porous morphology and outstanding electrocatalytic activities of the PtCu aerogels illustrate their promising applications in fuel cells.

Lithium (Li) metal batteries (LMBs) have emerged as the most prospective candidates for post-Li-ion batteries. However, the practical deployment of LMBs is frustrated by the notorious Li dendrite growth on hostless Li metal anodes. Herein, a protonated Li manganese (Mn) oxide with a high Mn³⁺/Mn⁴⁺ ratio is used as a Li adsorbent for constructing highly stable Li metal anodes. In addition to the Mn³⁺ sites with high Li affinity that afford an ultralow Li nucleation overpotential, the decrease in the average Mnⁿ⁺ oxidation state also induces a disordered adsorbent structure via the Jahn-Teller effect, resulting in improved Li transfer kinetics with a significantly reduced Li electroplating overpotential. Based on the mutually improved Li diffusion and adsorption kinetics, the Li adsorbent is used as a versatile host to enable dendrite-free and stable Li metal anodes in LMBs. Consequently, a modified Li||LiNi_0.8Mn_0.1Co_0.1O₂ (NMC811) coin cell with a high NMC811 loading of 4.3 mAh cm^-2 delivers a high Coulombic efficiency of 99.85% over 200 cycles and the modified Li||NMC811 pouch cell also achieves a remarkable improvement in electrochemical performance. This work demonstrates a novel approach for the preparation of highly efficient Li protection structures for safe LMBs with long lifespans.

Benefiting from the creation of new photovoltaic materials and innovations in device architectures, organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells are booming. Nonetheless, their prosperity is also accompanied by challenges, such as tedious synthetic routes, increasing costs and insufficient operational stability under practical stresses. Polythiophene, with a simple chemical structure, high scalability and excellent charge transport ability, is expected to be the most promising candidate among all kinds of polymer donors. Ternary mixing, as a simple and effective method for improving the efficiency and stability of OPVs, has attracted significant attention in recent decades. This review provides an overview of the recent advances in ternary OPVs based on polythiophene and discusses the role of various third components in three types of OPV active layers, where polythiophene serves as either the host material or additive, and also clarifies how the third component plays a role in determining morphology and device performance, and finally proposes future research directions for ternary OPVs featuring polythiophene. In short, this review provides insights into polythiophene-based multicomponent systems and helps readers better understand the relationships between morphology, efficiency and stability.

All-solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries (ASSLSBs) exhibit huge potential applications in electrical energy storage systems due to their unique advantages, such as low costs, safety and high energy density. However, the issues facing solid-state electrolyte (SSE)/electrode interfaces, including lithium dendrite growth, poor interfacial capability and large interfacial resistance, seriously hinder their commercial development. Furthermore, an insufficient fundamental understanding of the interfacial roles during cycling is also a significant challenge for designing and constructing high-performance ASSLSBs. This article provides an in-depth analysis of the origin and issues of SSE/electrode interfaces, summarizes various strategies for resolving these interfacial issues and highlights advanced analytical characterization techniques to effectively investigate the interfacial properties of these systems. Future possible research directions for developing high-performance ASSLSBs are also suggested. Overall, advanced in-situ characterization techniques, intelligent interfacial engineering and a deeper understanding of the interfacial properties will aid the realization of high-performance ASSLSBs.

Although Ni-rich layered materials with the general formula LiNi_1-x-yCo_xMn_yO₂ (0 < x, y < 1, NCM) hold great promise as high-energy-density cathodes in commercial lithium-ion batteries, their practical application is greatly hampered by poor cyclability and safety. Herein, a LiNi_0.6Co_0.2Mn_0.2O₂ (NCM622) cathode modified with a surface self-assembling LiLaO₂ coating and subsurface La pillars demonstrates stabilized cycling at 4.6 V. The LiLaO₂-coated NCM622 benefits from the suppression of interfacial side reactions, which relieves the layer-to-rock salt phase transformation and therefore improves the capacity retention under high voltages. Moreover, the La dopant, as a pillar in the NCM622 lattice, plays a dual role in expanding the c lattice parameter to enhance the Li-ion diffusion capability, as well as suppressing Ni antisite defect formation upon cycling. Consequently, the dual-modified NCM622 cathode exhibits an initial Coulombic efficiency of over 85% and a high capacity of over 200 mAh g^-1 at 0.1 C. A specific capacity of 188 mAh g^-1 with a capacity retention of 76% is achieved at 1 C after 200 cycles within a voltage range of 3.0-4.6 V. These findings lay a solid foundation for the materials design and performance optimization of high-energy-density cathodes for Li-ion batteries.