Zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) with low cost and high safety have become potential candidates for large-scale energy storage. However, the knotty Zn anode issues such as dendritic growth, hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and corrosion and passivation are still unavoidable, which greatly limits the wide applications of ZIBs. The states and additives of electrolytes are closely related to these problems. However, there is a lack of systematic understanding and discussion about the intrinsic connection between the states and additives of electrolyte and Zn anode issues. In this review, the basic principles of dendritic growth, HER and corrosion and passivation are firstly introduced, and then, electrolyte optimization strategies with the corresponding electrochemical properties are systematically summarized. In particular, the action mechanism of electrolyte additives and the electrolyte states for Zn anode optimization is analyzed in detail. Finally, some unique views on the improvement of electrolyte for Zn anode optimization are put forward, which is expected to provide a certain professional reference for designing high-performance ZIBs.

Organic room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) materials have garnered considerable attention in the fields of biosensing, optoelectronic devices, and anticounterfeiting because of their substantial Stokes shifts, tunable emission wavelengths, and prolonged lifetimes. These materials offer remarkable advantages for biological imaging applications by effectively reducing environmental autofluorescence and enhancing imaging resolution. Recently, host–guest systems have been employed as efficient approaches to fabricate pure-organic RTP materials for bioimaging, providing benefits such as controllable preparation and flexible modulation. Consequently, an increasing number of corresponding studies are being reported; however, a comprehensive systematic review is still lacking. Therefore, we summarize recent advances in the development of pure-organic RTP materials using host–guest systems with regard to bioimaging, including rigid matrices and sensitization. The challenge and potential of RTP for biological imaging are also proposed to promote the biomedical applications of organic RTP materials with excellent optical properties.

Reversible protonic ceramic electrochemical cells (R-PCECs) are ideal, high-efficiency devices that are environmentally friendly and have a modular design. This paper studies BaFe_0.6Zr_0.1Y_0.3O_3−δ (BFZY3) as a cobalt-free perovskite oxygen electrode for high-performance R-PCECs where Y ions doping can increase the concentration of oxygen vacancies with a remarkable increase in catalytic performance. The cell with configuration of Ni-BZCYYb/BZCYYb/BFZY3 demonstrated promising performance in dual modes of fuel cells (FCs) and electrolysis cells (ECs) at 650 °C with low polarization resistance of 0.13 Ω cm², peak power density of 546.59 mW/cm² in FC mode, and current density of − 1.03 A/cm² at 1.3 V in EC mode. The alternative operation between FC and EC modes for up to eight cycles with a total of 80 h suggests that the cell with BFZY3 is exceptionally stable and reversible over the long term. The results indicated that BFZY3 has considerable potential as an air electrode material for R-PCECs, permitting efficient oxygen reduction and water splitting.

Developing nonprecious metal-nitrogen-doped carbon (M–N–C) catalysts with high activity and stability is critical to their widespread use in fuel cells; however, these catalysts still face considerable challenges. Herein, a novel iron atom-cluster strategy for the synthesis of iron-based N–C catalyst comprising Fe nanoparticles (Fe NPs) surrounded by Fe-N _x sites is developed for oxygen reduction reactions in an acidic fuel cell. Iron oxide NPs were incorporated into zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8)-derived carbon materials and pyrolyzed at high temperatures using NaCl as a modifier to produce Fe NPs and Fe-N _x composite active sites. The half-wave potential of the optimized Fe_NP/FeNC-NaCl material was substantially improved to 0.81 V. Furthermore, even after 15,000 cycles, the half-wave potential of the catalyst remained essentially unchanged. As a cathode catalyst for fuel cells, it realized a high peak power density of 436 mW/cm² under a practical H₂-air atmosphere. Therefore, this study presents a new approach for designing and synthesizing electrocatalytic materials with high catalytic activity and stability.

The high exciton binding energy and lack of a positive oxidation band potential restrict the photocatalytic CO₂ reduction efficiency of lead-free Bi-based halide perovskites Cs₃Bi₂X₉ (X = Br, I). In this study, a sequential growth method is presented to prepare a visible-light-driven (λ > 420 nm) Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst composed of BiVO₄ nanocrystals decorated on a Cs₃Bi₂I₉ nanosheet for photocatalytic CO₂ reduction coupled with water oxidation. The Cs₃Bi₂I₉/BiVO₄ Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst is stable in the gas–solid photocatalytic CO₂ reduction system, demonstrating a high visible-light-driven photocatalytic CO₂-to-CO production rate of 17.5 μmol/(g·h), which is approximately three times that of pristine Cs₃Bi₂I₉. The high efficiency of the Cs₃Bi₂I₉/BiVO₄ heterojunction was attributed to the improved charge separation in Cs₃Bi₂I₉. Moreover, the Z-scheme charge-transfer pathway preserves the negative reduction potential of Cs₃Bi₂I₉ and the positive oxidation potential of BiVO₄. This study offers solid evidence of constructing Z-scheme heterojunctions to improve the photocatalytic performance of lead-free halide perovskites and would inspire more ideas for developing lead-free halide perovskite photocatalysts.

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) seawater splitting is a promising method for the direct utilization of solar energy and abundant seawater resources for hydrogen production. Photoelectrodes are susceptible to various ions in seawater and complicated competitive reactions, resulting in the failure of photoelectrodes. This paper proposes the design and fabrication of different sputtered stainless steel (SS) films deposited on silicon photoanodes, completely isolating the electrolytes and semiconductor substrate. Upon coupling with the PEC flow cell, the back-illuminated photoanode coated with 316 SS cocatalyst achieves stable operation for 70 h in natural seawater with a highly alkaline KOH (30 wt.%, 7.64 mol/L) electrolyte due to the remarkable protection effect of the substrate from stainless steel, while the PEC seawater splitting system achieves a record hydrogen production rate of 600 μmol/(h·cm²). An appropriate Ni/Fe ratio in the SS ensures remarkable oxygen evolution activity, while chromic oxide ensures the effective anticorrosion effect by adjusting the microenvironment of the photoanodes. Moreover, fabricating PEC flow cells with photoanodes coated with SS cocatalysts are a viable strategy for PEC seawater splitting.

The development of highly effective metal–zeolite bifunctional catalysts for the hydroisomerization of n-alkanes is a paramount strategy to produce second-generation biofuels with high quality. In this study, polyhexamethylene biguanide hydrochloride (PHMB) is precisely added to the initial gel to synthesize nanosized ZSM-23 zeolites (Z23-xPH). Due to orientation adsorption and steric hindrance effects of PHMB, each sample of Z23-xPH demonstrates enhanced mesoporosity in comparison with the conventional Z23-C zeolite. Furthermore, the Brønsted acid density of the Z23-xPH samples is also significantly reduced due to a reduction in the distribution of framework Al at T2–T5 sites. The corresponding Pd/23-C and Pd/Z23-xPH bifunctional catalysts with 0.5 wt% Pd loading for n-hexadecane hydroisomerization are prepared by incorporating ZSM-23 zeolites as acid supports. According to the catalytic test results, the suitable addition of PHMB can effectively promote the iso-hexadecane yield. The Pd/Z23-2PH catalyst with an n _PHMB/n _Si molar ratio of 0.002 demonstrates the highest maximum iso-hexadecane yield of 74.1% at an n-hexadecane conversion of 88.3%. Therefore, the employment of PHMB has provided a simple route for the development of highly effective Pd/ZSM-23 catalysts for n-alkane hydroisomerization.