The controllable incorporation of multiple immiscible elements into a single nanoparticle merits untold scientific and technological potential, yet remains a challenge using conventional synthetic techniques. We present a general route for alloying up to eight dissimilar elements into single-phase solid-solution nanoparticles, referred to as high-entropy-alloy nanoparticles (HEA-NPs), by thermally shocking precursor metal salt mixtures loaded onto carbon supports [temperature ~2000 kelvin (K), 55-millisecond duration, rate of ~10 K per second]. We synthesized a wide range of multicomponent nanoparticles with a desired chemistry (composition), size, and phase (solid solution, phase-separated) by controlling the carbothermal shock (CTS) parameters (substrate, temperature, shock duration, and heating/cooling rate). To prove utility, we synthesized quinary HEA-NPs as ammonia oxidation catalysts with ~100% conversion and >99% nitrogen oxide selectivity over prolonged operations.

A bimodal porous evaporator is developed for efficient, stable, and salt-rejecting desalination of seawater and high-concentration brines.

All-in-one wood-based solar steam generation devices were prepared by directly carbonizing the top surface of natural wood materials. High solar steam generation efficiencies were achieved by virtue of the excellent hydrophilicity, low thermal conductivity, interconnected porous network, and improved light absorption capability, demonstrating the great potential of natural wood in energy-water nexus applications.

Space cooling is a predominant part of energy consumption in people's daily life. Although cooling the whole building is an effective way to provide personal comfort in hot weather, it is energy-consuming and high-cost. Personal cooling technology, being able to provide personal thermal comfort by directing local heat to the thermally regulated environment, has been regarded as one of the most promising technologies for cooling energy and cost savings. Here, we demonstrate a personal thermal regulated textile using thermally conductive and highly aligned boron nitride (BN)/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) composite (denoted as a-BN/PVA) fibers to improve the thermal transport properties of textiles for personal cooling. The a-BN/PVA composite fibers are fabricated through a fast and scalable three-dimensional (3D) printing method. Uniform dispersion and high alignment of BN nanosheets (BNNSs) can be achieved during the processing of fiber fabrication, leading to a combination of high mechanical strength (355 MPa) and favorable heat dispersion. Due to the improved thermal transport property imparted by the thermally conductive and highly aligned BNNSs, better cooling effect (55% improvement over the commercial cotton fiber) can be realized in the a-BN/PVA textile. The wearable a-BN/PVA textiles containing the 3D-printed a-BN/PVA fibers offer a promising selection for meeting the personal cooling requirement, which can significantly reduce the energy consumption and cost for cooling the whole building.

Transition metal sulfides with a multi‐elemental nature represent a class of promising catalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) owing to their good catalytic activity. However, their synthesis remains a challenge due to the thermodynamic immiscibility of the constituent multimetallic elements in a sulfide structure. Herein, for the first time the synthesis of high‐entropy metal sulfide (HEMS, i.e., (CrMnFeCoNi)Sx) solid solution nanoparticles is reported. Computational and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis suggest that the (CrMnFeCoNi)Sx exhibits a synergistic effect among metal atoms that leads to desired electronic states to enhance OER activity. The (CrMnFeCoNi)Sx nanoparticles show one of the best activities (low overpotential 295 mV at 100 mA cm−2 in 1 m KOH solution) and good durability (only slight polarization after 10 h by chronopotentiometry) compared with their unary, binary, ternary, and quaternary sulfide counterparts. This work opens up a new synthesis paradigm for high‐entropy compound nanoparticles for highly efficient electrocatalysis applications.

Solar steam generation, combining the most abundant resources of solar energy and unpurified water, has been regarded as one of the most promising techniques for water purification. Here, an artificial tree with a reverse‐tree design is demonstrated as a cost‐effective, scalable yet highly efficient steam‐generation device. The reverse‐tree design implies that the wood is placed on the water with the tree‐growth direction parallel to the water surface; accordingly, water is transported in a direction perpendicular to what occurs in natural tree. The artificial tree is fabricated by cutting the natural tree along the longitudinal direction followed by surface carbonization (called as C‐L‐Wood). The nature‐made 3D interconnected micro‐/nanochannels enable efficient water transpiration, while the layered channels block the heat effectively. A much lower thermal conductivity (0.11 W m−1 K−1) thus can be achieved, only 1/3 of that of the horizontally cut wood. Meanwhile, the carbonized surface can absorb almost all the incident light. The simultaneous optimizations of water transpiration, thermal management, and light absorption results in a high efficiency of 89% at 10 kW m−2, among the highest values in literature. Such wood‐based high‐performance, cost‐effective, scalable steam‐generation device can provide an attractive solution to the pressing global clean water shortage problem.

The solid‐state Li battery is a promising energy‐storage system that is both safe and features a high energy density. A main obstacle to its application is the poor interface contact between the solid electrodes and the ceramic electrolyte. Surface treatment methods have been proposed to improve the interface of the ceramic electrolytes, but they are generally limited to low‐capacity or short‐term cycling. Herein, an electron/ion dual‐conductive solid framework is proposed by partially dealloying the Li–Mg alloy anode on a garnet‐type solid‐state electrolyte. The Li–Mg alloy framework serves as a solid electron/ion dual‐conductive Li host during cell cycling, in which the Li metal can cycle as a Li‐rich or Li‐deficient alloy anode, free from interface deterioration or volume collapse. Thus, the capacity, current density, and cycle life of the solid Li anode are improved. The cycle capability of this solid anode is demonstrated by cycling for 500 h at 1 mA cm−2, followed by another 500 h at 2 mA cm−2 without short‐circuiting, realizing a record high cumulative capacity of 750 mA h cm−2 for garnet‐type all‐solid‐state Li batteries. This alloy framework with electron/ion dual‐conductive pathways creates the possibility to realize high‐energy solid‐state Li batteries with extended lifespans.

considered promising direction, two sorts of which are extensively studied: solid polymer electrolyte and inorganic solid electrolyte. [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] Polymer electrolytes, such as poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) or polyacrylonitrile-based matrices, exhibit several advantages, including high flexibility and easy fabrication, using commonly available Li salts such as bis(trifluoromethane) sulfonimide lithium (LiTFSI) or LiClO 4 to impart sufficient ionic conductivity to the system. [21] However, solid polymer electrolytes usually present a relatively lower ionic conductivity compared to liquid electrolytes. [22] Although adding inorganic ceramic particles as fillers can increase their ionic conductivity, they still fall behind the requirements for commercial application. [23][24][25] Compared with solid polymer electrolytes, inorganic solid electrolytes possess high ionic conductivity and have a high shear modulus to suppress the growth and penetration of Li dendrites. Li 7 La 3 Zr 2 O 12 (LLZO), garnet-type Li solid-state electrolyte, has attracted much attention since it was first reported in 2007. [26][27][28][29][30] Despite its attractive ionic conductivity and excellent chemical and electrochemical stability, the brittleness and mass density of the ceramic ion conductor are too high to allow broad application of inorganic electrolytes.One effective strategy to combat the limitations of both electrolyte types is to integrate both polymer and inorganic solid electrolytes into a single hybrid solid electrolyte [31][32][33][34] with the following advantages: (1) an enhanced ionic conductivity to reach the magnitude of 10 −4 S cm −1 compared with controlled PEO-LiTFSI electrolyte; (2) improved electrochemical stability;(3) relative flexibility to bear the stresses resulting from cell fabrication and cycling; (4) reduced ceramic mass to increase the energy density per unit mass of the whole battery. However, experiments have proven that the simple combination of the solid polymer electrolyte and nanosize inorganic solid electrolyte does not always enhance the ionic conductivity of the electrolyte, owing to the agglomeration of the inorganic solid electrolyte. [35] Following a percolation mechanism, a long-distance Li-ion conductive pathway, which can be created by modifying the morphology of inorganic solid electrolyte inside the hybrid electrolyte, will allow the fast transport of Li ions in the pathway between the anode and cathode during charge and discharge cycles. 3D structures provide another possibility for combining inorganic and polymer solid electrolytes that is more efficient Solid-state electrolytes are a promising candidate for the next-generation lithium-ion battery, as they have the advantages of eliminating the leakage hazard of liquid solvent and elevating stability. However, inherent limitations such as the low ionic conductivity of solid polymer electrolytes and the high brittleness of inorganic ceramic electrolytes severally impede their practical application. Here, an inexpensi...