Mechanical and chemical degradations of high-capacity anodes, resulting from lithiationinduced stress accumulation, volume expansion and pulverization, and unstable solidelectrolyte interface formation, represent major mechanisms of capacity fading, limiting the lifetime of electrodes for lithium-ion batteries. Here we report that the mechanical degradation on cycling can be deliberately controlled to finely tune mesoporous structure of the metal oxide sphere and optimize stable solid-electrolyte interface by high-rate lithiationinduced reactivation. The reactivated Co 3 O 4 hollow sphere exhibits a reversible capacity above its theoretical value (924 mAh g À 1 at 1.12 C), enhanced rate performance and a cycling stability without capacity fading after 7,000 cycles at a high rate of 5.62 C. In contrast to the conventional approach of mitigating mechanical degradation and capacity fading of anodes using nanostructured materials, high-rate lithiation-induced reactivation offers a new perspective in designing high-performance electrodes for long-lived lithium-ion batteries.

We present a comparative study on the static and dynamical properties of bare Ti3C2 and T-terminated Ti3C2T2 (T = O, F, OH) monosheets using density functional theory calculations. First, the crystal structures are optimized to be of trigonal configurations (P3[combining macron]m1), which are thermodynamically and dynamically stable. It is demonstrated that the terminations modulate the crystal structures through valence electron density redistribution of the atoms, particularly surface Ti (Ti2) in the monosheets. Second, lattice dynamical properties including phonon dispersion and partial density of states (PDOS) are investigated. Phonon PDOS analysis shows a clear collaborative feature in the vibrations, reflecting the covalent nature of corresponding bonds in the monosheets. In the bare Ti3C2 monosheet, there is a phonon band gap between 400 and 500 cm(-1), while it disappears in Ti3C2O2 and Ti3C2(OH)2 as the vibrations associated with the terminal atoms (O and OH) bridge the gap. Third, both Raman (Eg and A1g) and infrared-active (Eu and A2u) vibrational modes are predicted and conclusively assigned. A comparative study indicates that the terminal atoms remarkably influence the vibrational frequencies. Generally, the terminal atoms weaken the vibrations in which surface Ti atoms are involved while strengthening the out-of-plane vibration of C atoms. Temperature-dependent micro Raman measurements agree with the theoretical prediction if the complexity in the experimentally obtained lamellae for the Raman study is taken into account.

MXenes represent an emerging family of conductive two-dimensional materials. Their representative, TiCT, has been recognized as an outstanding member in the field of electrochemical energy storage. However, an in-depth understanding of fundamental processes responsible for the superior capacitance of TiCT MXene in acidic electrolytes is lacking. Here, to understand the mechanism of capacitance in TiCT MXene, we studied electrochemically the charge/discharge processes of TiCT electrodes in sulfate ion-containing aqueous electrolytes with three different cations, coupled with in situ Raman spectroscopy. It is demonstrated that hydronium in the HSO electrolyte bonds with the terminal O in the negative electrode upon discharging while debonding occurs upon charging. Correspondingly, the reversible bonding/debonding changes the valence state of Ti element in the MXene, giving rise to the pseudocapacitance in the acidic electrolyte. In stark contrast, only electric double layer capacitance is recognized in the other electrolytes of (NH)SO or MgSO. The charge storage ways also differ: ion exchange dominates in HSO, while counterion adsorption in the rest. Hydronium that is characterized by smaller hydration radius and less charge is the most mobile among the three cations, facilitating it more kinetically accommodated on the deep adsorption sites between the MXene layers. The two key factors, i.e., surface functional group-involved bonding/debonding-induced pseudocapacitance, and ion exchange-featured charge storage, simultaneously contribute to the superior capacitance of TiCT MXene in acidic electrolytes.

Large-area freestanding graphene papers (GPs) are fabricated by electrospray deposition integrated with a continuous roll-to-roll process. Upon mechanical compaction and thermal annealing, GPs can achieve a thermal conductivity of as high as 1238.3-1434 W m(-1) K(-1) . The super-thermally conductive GPs display an outstanding heat-spread ability and are more efficient in removing hot spots than Cu and Al foils.

This review provides a comprehensive understanding of the emerging 2D MXene electrode materials for supercapacitor application.

It is known since the early days of molecular biology that proteins locate their specific targets on DNA up to two orders-of-magnitude faster than the Smoluchowski three-dimensional diffusion rate. An accepted explanation of this fact is that proteins are nonspecifically adsorbed on DNA, and sliding along DNA provides for the faster one-dimensional search. Surprisingly, the role of DNA conformation was never considered in this context. In this article, we explicitly address the relative role of three-dimensional diffusion and one-dimensional sliding along coiled or globular DNA and the possibility of correlated readsorption of desorbed proteins. We have identified a wealth of new different scaling regimes. We also found the maximal possible acceleration of the reaction due to sliding. We found that the maximum on the rate-versus-ionic strength curve is asymmetric, and that sliding can lead not only to acceleration, but also in some regimes to dramatic deceleration of the reaction.

MXenes, an emerging class of conductive two-dimensional materials, have been regarded as promising candidates in the field of electrochemical energy storage. The electrochemical performance of their representative TiC T , where T represents the surface termination group of F, O, or OH, strongly relies on termination-mediated surface functionalization, but an in-depth understanding of the relationship between them remains unresolved. Here, we studied comprehensively the structural feature and electrochemical performance of two kinds of TiC T MXenes obtained by etching the TiAlC precursor in aqueous HF solution at low concentration (6 mol/L) and high concentration of (15 mol/L). A significantly higher capacitance was recognized in a low-concentration HF-etched MXene (TiC T -6M) electrode. In situ Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy demonstrate that TiC T -6M has more components of the -O functional group. In combination with X-ray diffraction analysis, low-fieldH nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy in terms of relaxation time unambiguously underlines that TiC T -6M is capable of accommodating more high-mobility HO molecules between the TiC T interlayers, enabling more hydrogen ions to be more readily accessible to the active sites of TiC T -6M. The two main key factors ( i.e., high content of -O functional groups that are involved bonding/debonding-induced pseudocapacitance and more high-mobility water intercalated between the MXene interlayers) simultaneously account for the superior capacitance of the TiC T -6M electrode. This study provides a guideline for the rational design and construction of high-capacitance MXene and MXene-based hybrid electrodes in aqueous electrolytes.

Nitrate reduction to ammonia (NRA) is critical and attractive for environmental remediation and energy conservation. Copper represents one of the most promising non-noble-metal NRA electrocatalysts while its intrinsic catalytic activity of facets and pH influence remain unclear. Using density functional theory calculations, nitrate reduction to ammonia pathways are evaluated on low-index crystal surfaces, Cu(111), Cu(100), and Cu(110), at different pH. Systematic thermodynamic and kinetic analysis indicates that the pathway NO3 – → *NO3 → *NO2 → *NO → *NOH → *NHOH → *NH → *NH2 → *NH3 → NH3(g) is the most probable in all pH ranges, ending a long-standing debate on NRA pathways. Both the catalytic deoxygenation and hydrogenation processes in NRA are substantially affected by pH. Thus, the rate-determining steps and overpotentials exhibit pH-dependent characteristics. Besides, it is found that the pH influences the competition between the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and NRA. By considering NRA and HER on different surfaces, we found that Cu(100) and Cu(111) contribute most to NRA other than Cu(110). Specifically, in near-neutral and alkaline environments, Cu­(111) exhibits the best NO3 – to NH3 performance, while Cu(100) is more effective in a strong acidic environment. This result rationalizes recent experimental observations. The NRA activity differences of copper surfaces are attributed to the local coordination environment and electronic states of surface atoms. Thanks to a stereospecific Cu–Cu couple, both strong *NOH adsorption and weak *NH3 adsorption are realized on Cu(111) and Cu(100), facilitating superior NRA.