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A novel binder-free electrode material of NiMoO4@CoMoO4 hierarchical nanospheres anchored on nickel foam with excellent electrochemical performance has been synthesized via a facile hydrothermal strategy. Microstructures and morphologies of samples are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Besides, the effect of Ni/Co molar ratios of raw materials on electrochemical behaviors is also investigated by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge-discharge measurements, cycling tests and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy methods. Remarkably, the resulting NiMoO4@CoMoO4 hierarchical nanospheres with a Ni/Co molar ratio of 4 : 1 exhibit greatly enhanced capacitive properties relative to other components and display a high specific capacitance of 1601.6 F g(-1) at the current density of 2 A g(-1), as well as better cycling stability and rate capability. Moreover, a symmetric supercapacitor is constructed using NiMoO4@CoMoO4 nanospheres as the positive and negative electrodes with one piece of cellulose paper as the separator, which shows good electrochemical performance. Such enchanced capacitive properties are mostly attributed to the synergistic effect of nickel and cobalt molybdates directly deposited on the conductive substrate and their novel hierarchical structure, which can provide pathways for fast diffusion and transportation of ions and electrons and a large number of active sites. The results imply that the NiMoO4@CoMoO4 hierarchical nanospheres could be promising candidates for electrochemical energy storage.

Solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) is crucial for suppressing Li dendrite growth in high-energy lithium metal (LiM) batteries. Unfortunately, the naturally formed SEI on the LiM anode surface in carbonate electrolytes cannot suppress Li dendrites, resulting in a continuous consumption of electrolytes and LiM during cycling. Artificial SEI normally lacks self-healing and self-regulating capability, gradually losing the effectiveness during cycling. In this work, we report the self-regulating phenomenon of LiRAP-ASEI that can effectively suppress Li dendrites and is investigated using in situ optical microscopy and COMSOL multiphysics simulation. The effectiveness of self-regulated LiRAP-ASEI is further evaluated in the most aggressive Li/sulfur cells with a lean electrolyte (10 μL mAh–1) and LiRAP-ASEI/LiM (2.5-fold excess of LiM). The LiRAP@Cu∥sulfur@C cells show a stable 3000 cycle life at a current density of 11.5 mA cm–2. The self-regulated phenomenon holds great promise for the development of high-energy-density LMBs.

Iron as an essential trace element in the human body participates in various biological processes. The demand for efficient and sensitive detection of Fe has drawn wide attentions. Inspired by biological nanochannels, a high-sensitivity, economic, and recyclable Fe detection method is proposed by using dopamine (DOPA)-modified funnel-shaped nanochannels. Along with the Fe concentration changing, different Fe-DOPA chelates are generated in the channel, which affect the wettability and charge distribution of the pore surface, resulting in a change of ionic current through the nanochannels. Meanwhile, the funnel-shaped nanochannel applied in this work with a narrow cylindrical segment (a diameter close to 10 nm) as the critical section can enhance the sensing ability to the ultra-trace level (down to 10 M). We expound the mechanism and feasibility of this method and anticipate that the system can be a good example to design highly sensitive and stable ion detection devices.

We introduce a new class of quantum many-particle entangled states, called the Dicke squeezed (or DS) states, which can be used to improve the precision in quantum metrology beyond the standard quantum limit. We show that the enhancement in measurement precision is characterized by a single experimentally detectable parameter, called the Dicke squeezing ξ D , which also bounds the entanglement depth for this class of states. The measurement precision approaches the ultimate Heisenberg limit as ξ D attains the minimum in an ideal Dicke state. Compared with other entangled states, we show that the DS states are more robust to decoherence and give better measurement precision under typical experimental noise.

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We successfully developed a simple electrophoretic deposition (EPD) method to decorate the MoSe2 nanosheets on the carbon fiber surface of carbon cloth (MoSe2/CC). With this process, MoSe2 nanosheets can be uniformly and tightly deposited on this flexible conductor to form a 3D binder-free electrode for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The film thickness can also be controlled by the EPD time. Directly used as binder-free electrodes for hydrogen evolution reaction, the as-prepared 3D MoSe2/CC samples exhibit excellent catalytic activity in an acidic electrolyte (21 mA/cm2 at an over-potential of 250 mV). Variation of MoSe2 nanosheets film thickness in the electrodes could affect the catalytic activity, and it was found that the MoSe2/CC sample prepared with 60 min EPD time shows the highest HER activity amongst these different thickness samples. Moreover, stability tests though long-term potential cycles (no degradation after 1000 continuous potential cycles) and extended electrolysis confirm the exceptional durability of the catalyst. This development offers us an attractive and active 3D electrode for electrochemical water splitting.