Publications

An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world’s repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.

Water electrolysis is considered as the most promising technology for hydrogen production. Much research has been devoted to developing efficient electrocatalysts for hydrogen production via the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen production via the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The optimum electrocatalysts can drive down the energy costs needed for water splitting via lowering the overpotential. A number of cobalt (Co)-based materials have been developed over past years as non-noble-metal heterogeneous electrocatalysts for HER and OER. Recent progress in this field is summarized here, especially highlighting several important bifunctional catalysts. Various approaches to improve or optimize the electrocatalysts are introduced. Finally, the current existing challenges and the future working directions for enhancing the performance of Co-implicated electrocatalysts are proposed.

It is highly attractive to develop efficient hydrogen-evolving electrocatalysts under neutral conditions. In this communication, we report an amorphous FeMoS₄ nanorod array on carbon cloth (FeMoS₄ NRA/CC) prepared by hydrothermal treatment of an FeOOH nanorod array on carbon cloth (FeOOH NRA/CC) in (NH₄)₂MoS₄ solution. As a 3D electrode for hydrogen evolution electrocatalysis, this FeMoS₄ NRA/CC demonstrates superior catalytic activity and strong long-term electrochemical durability in 1.0 M phosphate buffered saline (pH: 7). It needs an overpotential of 204 mV to drive a geometrical current density of 10 mA cm^-2, which is 450 mV less than that for FeOOH NRA/CC. Density functional theory calculations suggest that FeMoS₄ has a more favourable hydrogen adsorption free energy than FeOOH.

Dopant-free hole transporting materials (HTMs) is significant to the stability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Here, we developed a novel star-shape arylamine HTM, termed Py-DB, with a pyrene core and carbon-carbon double bonds as the bridge units. Compared to the reference HTM (termed Py-C), the extension of the planar conjugation backbone endows Py-DB with typical intermolecular π-π stacking interactions and excellent solubility, resulting in improved hole mobility and film morphology. In addition, the lower HOMO energy level of the Py-DB HTM provides efficient hole extraction with reduced energy loss at the perovskite/HTM interface. Consequently, an impressive power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 24.33 % was achieved for dopant-free Py-DB-based PSCs, which is the highest PCE for dopant-free small molecular HTMs in n-i-p configured PSCs. The dopant-free Py-DB-based device also exhibits improved long-term stability, retaining over 90 % of its initial efficiency after 1000 h exposure to 25 % humidity at 60 °C. These findings provide valuable insights and approaches for the further development of dopant-free HTMs for efficient and reliable PSCs.

An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world’s repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.

Fouling refers to the unwanted and undesirable attachment of biological macromolecules, inorganic, organic matter, and microorganisms on water contact surfaces. Fouling reduces the performance of devices involving these submerged surfaces and is considered the bottle-neck issue for various applications in the biomedical industry, food processing, and water treatment, especially in reverse osmosis (RO) desalination. Investigations have proven that nanocomposite membranes can exhibit enhanced antifouling performances and can be used for longer life times. The nanocomposite means addition of nanomaterials to main matrix at low loadings, exhibiting better properties compared to virgin matrix. In this review, a summarized description about related methods and their mechanisms for the fabrication of nanocomposite membranes with antifouling properties has been documented. Around 87 manuscripts including 10 patents were used to demonstrate the antifouling applications of of various nanocomposite membranes.

It is highly desired but still remains a key challenge to develop iron-based large-surface-area arrays as heterogeneous water oxidation catalysts that perform efficiently and durably under mild pH conditions for solar-to-hydrogen conversion. In this work, we report the in situ derivation of an iron phosphate-borate nanosheet array on carbon cloth (Fe-Pi-Bi/CC) from an iron phosphide nanosheet array via oxidative polarization in a potassium borate (KBi) solution. As a 3D catalyst electrode for water oxidation at mild pH, such a Fe-Pi-Bi/CC shows high activity and strong long-term electrochemical durability, and it only demands an overpotential of 434 mV to drive a geometrical catalytic current density of 10 mA cm^-2 with maintenance of its activity for at least 20 h in 0.1 M KBi. This study offers an attractive earth-abundant catalyst material in water-splitting devices toward the large-scale production of hydrogen fuels under benign conditions for application.

In the title compound, C(17)H(15)NO(5)S, the benzene ring of the fused-ring system is twisted by 11.67 (6)° with respect to the thia-zine ring. The atoms of the four-atom methyl ester group and the phenyl ring of the benzyl unit are inclined at 16.50 (7) and 44.52 (3)° with respect to the thia-zine ring. An intra-molecular O-H⋯O hydrogen bond gives rise to a six-membered S(6) ring motif. In the crystal, mol-ecules are extended through a C-H⋯O inter-action along the a axis. C-H⋯π inter-actions are also observed.

The polymer substrates of flexible solar cell (FSC) electrodes play a crucial role in determining the electrode performance as well as the device performance and reliability. However, most of the FSC electrode polymer substrates suffer from high coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) and thermal instability when exposed to thermal-cycling impact. Here, a nanocellulose/epoxy hybrid substrate employing chemically modified cellulose nanofibers, demonstrating significantly improved thermal properties as well as high optical transparency, is presented. Benefiting from nanoscale morphology and surface functional groups of the cellulose nanofibers, which enable excellent compatibility and interfacial interaction with the epoxy matrix, the hybrid substrate’s thermal properties are significantly improved with a decreased CTE of 19 ppm/K, increased glass -transition temperature (Tg) of 71.8 °C, and increased half-life thermal decomposition temperature (Td,50%) of 376 °C. Concurrently, mechanical properties are greatly enhanced with increases in ultimate strength and ultimate strain by 41 and 121.5%, respectively. In particular, the hybrid substrates maintained their high transmittance of 89%@600 nm and demonstrated no transparency loss after the introduction of cellulose nanofibers. Moreover, the conductive layer of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrenesulfonate deposited on the substrate retained a stable conductivity of around 835 S/cm without noticeable electrical degradation after withstanding the environmental thermal-cycling impact. With significantly improved thermal and mechanical properties as well as retained optical transparency and stable electrode conductivity, the use of this newly developed hybrid substrate may open opportunities for the fabrication of high-performance, low-cost FSCs.