Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries are strongly considered as promising energy storage devices due to their high capacity and large theoretical energy density. However, the shuttle of polysulfides and their sluggish kinetic conversion in electrochemical processes seriously reduce the utilization of active sulfur, leading to a rapid capacity fading. Herein we introduced indium nitride (InN) nanowires into Li-S batteries through separator modification. Both the indium cation and electron-rich nitrogen atom of InN served as the polysulfide traps through strong chemical affinity. Meanwhile, the rapid electron transfer on the surface of InN accelerated the conversion of polysulfides in a working battery. The bifunction of InN nanowires effectively suppressed the shuttle effect. Therefore, Li-S batteries with InN-modified separators exhibit excellent rate performance and high stable cycling life with only 0.015% capacity decay per cycle after 1000 cycles, which affords fresh insights into the energy chemistry of high-stable Li-S batteries.
By using a supramolecular self-assembly
method, a functional water
splitting device based on a photoactive anode TiO2(1+2) has been successfully assembled with a molecular
photosensitizer 1 and a molecular catalyst 2 connected by coordination of 1 and 2 with
Zr4+ ions on the surface of nanostructured TiO2. On the basis of this photoanode in a three-electrode photoelectrochemical
cell, a maximal incident photon to current conversion efficiency of
4.1% at ∼450 nm and a photocurrent density of ∼0.48
mA cm–2 were successfully obtained
Electrochemical N2 oxidation reaction (NOR), using water and N2 in the atmosphere, represents a sustainable approach for nitric production to replace the conventional industrial synthesis with high energy consumption and greenhouse gas emission. Meanwhile, owing to chemical inertness of N2 and sluggish kinetics for 10‐electron transfer, emerging electrocatalysts remain largely underexplored. Herein, Ru‐nanoclusters‐coupled Mn3O4 catalysts decorated with atomically dispersed Ru atoms (Ru–Mn3O4) are designed and explored as an advanced electrocatalyst for ambient N2 oxidation, with an excellent Faraday efficiency (28.87%) and a remarkable NO3‐ yield (35.34 µg h‐1 mg‐1cat.), respectively. Experiments and density functional theory calculations reveal that the outstanding activity is ascribed to the coexistence of Ru clusters and single‐atom Ru. The synergistic effect between the Ru clusters and Mn3O4 can effectively activate the chemically inert N2, lowering the kinetic barrier for the vital breakage of N≡N. The intensive *OH supply and enhanced conductivity are used to regulate the catalytic kinetics for optimized performance. This work provides brand‐new ideas for the rational design of electrocatalysts in complicated electrocatalytic reactions with multiple dynamics‐different steps.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.