2D Carbon Materials Research Articles

Design of biphenylene-derived tunable dirac materials

The exploration of carbon allotropes has unveiled a series of two-dimensional (2D) materials with unique electronic and mechanical properties, yet the need for stable structures with tailored electronic properties persists. In this study, we introduce a new class of 2D carbon allotropes derived from the biphenylene network (BPN), incorporating acetylenic linkages to tune their structural and electronic characteristics. Through density functional theory calculations, we identified ten novel BPN-derived structures that exhibit both energetic and dynamic stability, confirmed by cohesive energy and phonon spectrum analyses. Among them, BPN-02 and BPN-04 are metallic, featuring critically-tilted type-III Dirac cones under ∼5 % biaxial strain, while BPN-22 is a semiconductor with a band gap of 0.95 eV and exhibits highly anisotropic carrier mobility. Additionally, these structures demonstrate significant anisotropy in their elastic properties, further distinguishing them from other 2D carbon materials like graphene. Our findings suggest that these novel BPN-based structures have strong potential for next-generation electronic and optoelectronic applications, providing new avenues for the design and synthesis of advanced carbon materials.

Ultrasound-assisted freeze-drying graphitization process for the fabrication of two-dimensional carbon/Fe3O4 composite aerogels for microwave absorption

Magnetic Fe3O4 materials have received attention from researchers due to their significant wave absorption potential, but there are limitations to their efficient electromagnetic wave absorption and lightweight applications. Combining materials with dielectric properties to optimize the performance of Fe3O4 has become one of the research directions. In particular, carbon nanomaterials, such as graphene, show great application prospects in the field of microwave absorption due to their physical properties. To improve the impedance mismatch issue of graphene, researchers consider combining it with magnetic nanoparticles. Commercial applications require materials that are cost-effective, easy to produce, and environmentally sustainable, driving research on novel 2D carbon materials. In this study, 2D carbon materials were prepared by ultrasound-assisted freeze-drying/graphitization process using polymers as precursors, which simplifies the preparation process and avoids the use of expensive sacrificial templates and catalysts. The 2D carbon materials prepared by this method were used as the dielectric component in the wave-absorbing composites, and the nano effect was utilized to significantly improve the microwave absorption properties of the materials. The maximum reflection loss of the prepared graphite nano-aerogel reaches −84.16 dB and the EAB reaches 3.74 GHz. In addition, by adding Fe3O4 nanoparticles and applying an ultrasonic field for dispersion in the freeze-drying process, the nanoparticle agglomeration is effectively prevented, which provides a simple and efficient pathway for the preparation of nanocomposites.

N/O-functionalized ultrathin carbon nanosheets for zinc-ion hybrid capacitors

2D carbon materials have outstanding electrical properties and rich anchoring sites, and can be used as zinc ion storage electrodes. However, it remains a formidable challenge to fabricate these materials with tunable composition by a simple synthesis strategy. Herein, folic acid-derived N/O-functionalized ultrathin carbon nanosheets are synthesized via the activation effect of nano-ZnO template. The as-fabricated FACN-800 exhibits extremely thin thickness (∼1.6 nm), hierarchically porous structure and rich N/O heteroatoms (14.9 at.% of N and 8.4 at.% of O), which is conducive to accelerate ion transport and provide additional active sites for Zn-ion storage. Thus, the optimized FACN-800 based aqueous zinc-ion hybrid capacitor delivers excellent zinc-ion storage capabilities with high specific capacity (163.6 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1), admirable energy density (130.8 Wh kg−1) and ultralong cycle stability (90.3 % capacity retention over 40,000 cycles) and FACN-800 has a specific surface area of 554.3 m2 g−1. Moreover, a series of ex-situ measurements and DFT theoretical calculations further elucidate the electrochemical mechanism between zinc ion storage and N/O dopants.

Molecular Dynamics Insights into Mechanical Stability, Elastic Properties, and Fracture Behavior of PHOTH-Graphene.

PHOTH-graphene is a newly predicted 2D carbon material with a low-energy structure. However, its mechanical stability and fracture properties are still elusive. The mechanical stability, elastic, and fracture properties of PHOTH-graphene were investigated using classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations equipped with REBO potential in this study. The influence of orientation and temperature on mechanical properties was evaluated. Specifically, the Young's modulus, toughness, and ultimate stress and strain varied by -26.14%, 36.46%, 29.04%, and 25.12%, respectively, when comparing the armchair direction to the zigzag direction. The percentage reduction in ultimate stress, ultimate strain, and toughness of the material in both directions after a temperature increase of 1000 K (from 200 K to 1200 K) ranged from 56.69% to 91.80%, and the Young's modulus was reduced by 13.63% and 7.25% in both directions, respectively, with Young's modulus showing lower sensitivity. Defects usually weaken the material's strength, but adding random point defects in the range of 3% to 5% significantly increases the ultimate strain of the material. Furthermore, hydrogen atom adsorption induces crack expansion to occur earlier, and the crack tip without hydrogen atom adsorption just began to expand when the strain was 0.135, while the crack tip with hydrogen atom adsorption had already undergone significant expansion. This study provides a reference for the possible future practical application of PHOTH-graphene in terms of mechanical properties and fracture failure.

Remediation of fenitrothion pesticide from the aquatic environment by porous Graphitized 3D carbon material: Their antimicrobial activity

This work sought to optimize the elimination of organophosphate from the watery surroundings by a Porous Graphitized 3D Nitrogen-Doped Carbon material (NDC) derived from freeze-dried sponge-based hydrogel, employing response surface methodology using Box-Behnken architecture (BBA). The Porous Graphitized 3D Nitrogen-Doped Carbon materials were prepared at 500 °C (NDC-500) and 900 °C (NDC-900) carbonization temperatures; among these, NDC-900 was found to be micropore rich and can be used as a potential adsorbent for effective remediation of organophosphate fenitrothion pesticide from the aquatic environment. Various characterization techniques include Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms studies (BET), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to characterize the NDC-900. It revealed that the surface area of NDC-900 is appreciably large,2346.54 m2/g, and has a considerable pore volume of 1.59 cm3/g. Furthermore, the synthesized porous carbon-based material depicted acceptable profitable benefits with a remuneration of 600 $t−1. The as-prepared material undergoes a hydrothermal reaction with silver nitrate to form silver-doped carbon material, which displays excellent antimicrobial activity. The impact of four critical parameters, including initialfenitrothion(FE) concentration, NDC-900 mass, pH, and temperature, were maximized by a quadratic model. Analysis of variance demonstrated that the findings were trustworthy. According to the Pareto analysis, preliminary FE concentration had the most impact on eliminating FE among the four chosen parameters. The optimum variables for FE remediation were 40.01 mg L−1 preliminary FE concentration, 14.99 mgL−1 NDC-900 dosage, 35.62 °C temperature, and solution pH 7.91. The predicted FE remediation effectiveness of 99.91 % is in excellent accord with the experimental result of 99.88 % under ideal circumstances. The effectiveness of FE adsorption on NDC was comprehensively assessed by employing kinetic models, particularly those that follow the pseudo-first-order kinetic models. Additionally, the Langmuir isotherm model was used to match the adsorption process precisely. A physisorption mechanism was shown to be involved in the entire process. Furthermore, the study was done to understand better how NDC-900 and FE interact. The interplay might transpire via many pathways, such as H-bonding and pore filling. There has never been evidence of how well NDC-900 works as an adsorbent to eliminate FE from sewer water samples. However, our research is the first to accomplish this. The findings show that the optimum adsorption capacity of FE onto NDC, 616 mg. g−1, can only be attained at a pH of 7. The derived values of (ΔH°), (ΔS°), and (ΔG°) for FE suggested that the process was exothermic and spontaneous when employing NDC-900 as an adsorbent. Furthermore, NDC-900, in combination with Ag (silver), shows excellent antibacterial and antifungal activity. The regeneration outcomes showed that FE remediation effectiveness efficiency was still sustained at 80 % during five iterations of the adsorption–desorption process. Consequently, NDC-900 is a viable adsorbent for the effective and quick adsorption of FE from water.

Bimetallic PdCu anchored to 3D flower-like carbon material for portable and efficient detection of glyphosate

Glyphosate (Gly), as a widely used broad-spectrum herbicide, may lead to soil and water pollution due to its persistence in the environment. Herein, the co-reduction method was employed to anchor bimetallic PdCu onto the Ni and nitrogen-doped 3D Flower-like Carbon Materials (Ni@NC), creating a composite material (PdCu/Ni@NC) with high specific surface area and good catalytic performance. This composite was used to modify screen-printed electrodes (SPE) to develop a portable and efficient Gly detection platform. In the presence of Cl⁻, the copper active sites convert to CuCl, achieving signal amplification. Upon the addition of Gly, a competitive reaction between Cu and Gly converts CuCl into a Cu-Gly complex, resulting in a sharp decrease in the electrochemical signal. This signal drop is used to detect Gly. The bimetallic PdCu nanoparticles (NPs) endowed the sensing platform with better stability and electrochemical performance due to their synergistic effect, and their stability was simply verified by Density functional theory (DFT). The sensor demonstrates a linear detection range spanning from 1 × 10⁻¹ ³ to 1 × 10⁻⁵ M, with a limit of detection (LOD) of 3.72 × 10⁻¹ ⁴ M. The sensor demonstrated a recovery rate of 95.9 % to 104.5 % in actual samples such as water and soil, indicating its potential for practical application.

Low‐cost 0D and 2D carbon material co‐decorated titanium dioxide ternary heterojunction for rapid and efficient bacteria killing under visible light

AbstractRecently, the issue of bacterial resistance has gotten worse because of the overuse of antibiotics. The newborn superbacteria, such as vancomycin‐resistant bacteria, were hard to kill, inspiring researchers to find new ways to kill the bacteria efficiently. TiO2 was used as an efficient photocatalyst for water splitting and pollutant degradation. However, the weak efficiency limited the application to solve the drug‐resistance problem. Consequently, the incorporation of low‐cost 0D carbon quantum dots (CQDs) and 2D graphene oxide (GO) was pursued to amplify the visible light absorption capabilities of TiO2 and thereby elevate its photocatalytic activity. After forming the heterogeneous interface of CQDs and TiO2, CQDs converted part of visible light into wavelength less than 400 nm using the up‐conversion property. The modification of CQDs enabled electrons to be easily transferred from the conduction band of CQDs to the conduction band of TiO2. Meanwhile, GO can act as an electron acceptor, reduce the recombination efficiency of holes and electrons, and transfer the photogenerated electrons in the redox reaction in the heterogeneous interface. Because of the excellent absorption of GO, TiO2/CQDs/GO reached 57.8°C after 20 min irradiation under 1.5 times sunlight, which provided a prerequisite for photodynamic antibacterial therapy/photothermal antibacterial therapy synergistic antibacterial potential. TiO2/CQDs/GO possessed an antibacterial efficiency as high as 99.3% toward Staphylococcus aureus which has a bright future in disinfection in vivo and medical devices as well as water sterilization.

Enhancing lithium-storage properties through amino functionalization in two-dimensional lamellar carbon-supported mesoporous SiO2 nanospheres

Currently, common two-dimensional (2D) carbon materials composited with Si-based materials as anode for lithium-ion batteries exhibit excellent electrochemical properties. In this study, we describe the one-step synthesis of amino-functionalized mesoporous silica (SiO2) nanospheres through self-assembly. Morphology modulation and amino group grafting were performed simultaneously without secondary modification. Using tartaric acid and melamine as dual carbon sources, the 2D lamellar structure was constructed using the dehydration condensation reaction, with the mesoporous SiO2 nanospheres uniformly intercalated within the carbon sheets. The composites were securely bonded by chemical bonding, effectively addressing the issue of structural collapse often encountered in silica–carbon composites. Ultimately, the lamellar SiO2@NC composite exhibited stable capacity of 539.5 mAh g−1 after 500 cycles at 1 A g−1. This strategy is simple and effective, compared to the complex processes typically associated with 2D carbon materials synthesis, and can be potentially extended to applications in catalysis, adsorption, and separation within diverse fields.

2D Carbonaceous Materials for Molecular Transport and Functional Interfaces: Simulations and Insights.

ConspectusCarbon-based two-dimensional (2D) functional materials exhibit potential across a wide spectrum of applications from chemical separations to catalysis and energy storage and conversion. In this Account, we focus on recent advances in the manipulation of 2D carbonaceous materials and their composites through computational design and simulations to address how the precise control over material structure at the atomic level correlates with enhanced functional properties such as gas permeation, selectivity, membrane transport, and charge storage. We highlight several key concepts in the computational design and tuning of 2D structures, such as controlled stacking, ion gating, interlayer pillaring, and heterostructure charge transfer.The process of creating and adjusting pores within graphene sheets is vital for effective molecular separation. Simulations show the power of controlling the offset distance between layers of porous graphene in precisely regulating the pore size to enhance gas separation and entropic selectivity. This strategy of controlled stacking extends beyond graphene to include covalent organic frameworks (COFs) such as covalent triazine frameworks (CTFs). Experimental assembly of the layers has been achieved through electrostatic interactions, thermal transformation, and control of side chain interactions.Graphene can interface with ionic liquids in various forms to enhance its functionality. A computational proof-of-concept showcases an ion-gating concept in which the interaction of anions with the pores in graphene allows the anions to dynamically gate the pores for selective gas transport. Realization of the concept has been achieved in both porous graphene and carbon molecular sieve membranes. Ionic liquids can also intercalate between graphene layers to form interlayer pillaring structures, opening the slit space. Grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations show that these structures can be used for efficient gas capture and separation. Experiments have demonstrated that the interlayer space can be tuned by the density of the pillars and that, when fully filled with ionic liquids and forming a confined interface structure, the graphene oxide membrane achieves much higher selectivity for gas separations. Moreover, graphene can interface with other 2D materials to form heterostructures where interfacial charge transfers take place and impact the function. Both ion transport and charge storage are influenced by both the local electric field and chemical interactions.Fullerene can be used as a building block and covalently linked together to construct a new type of 2D carbon material beyond a one-atom-thin layer that also has long-range-ordered subnanometer pores. The interstitial sites among fullerenes form funnel-shaped pores of 2.0-3.3 Å depending on the crystalline phase. The quasi-tetragonal phases are shown by molecular dynamics simulations to be efficient for H2 separation. In addition, defects such as fullerene vacancies can be introduced to create larger pores for the separation of organic solvents.In conclusion, the key to imputing functions to 2D carbonaceous materials is to create new interactions and interfaces and to go beyond a single-atom layer. First-principles and molecular simulations can further guide the discovery of new 2D carbonaceous materials and interfaces and provide atomistic insights into their functions.

Graphene-based Nanomaterials Ascatalysts for the Synthesis of Medicinally Privileged Heterocycles: Importance and Outlook

<p>Catalysis is an integral part of sustainable and green chemical processes. During the last two decades, the wonder 2D carbon material with honeycomb structure, graphene, and other functionalized graphenes have emerged as extremely versatile and robust nanomaterials in heterogeneous catalysis. The incredible catalytic efficacy of such carbon nanomaterials relies on their unique physicochemical properties, including large surface area, diverse catalytic active sites, multiple chemical functionalities, tunable electron density, synergistic effect, etc., making them noteworthy as metal-free catalysts and catalytic supports. </p><p> The article presents an overview of the catalytic applications of various graphene-based nanomaterials (GBNs), either metal-free or embedded with metal/metal oxide NPs, in synthesizing medicinally privileged heterocyclic compounds. It also summarizes the general methodologies for preparing graphene and various GBNs, their chemical structures, characterization techniques, and discussions on the potential active sites that are responsible for wider catalytic activity. Overall discussions unequivocally establish a promising paradigm for uncovering more innovative graphene-based materials and their subsequent applications in diverse fields, including heterogeneous catalysis.</p>

Strain engineering of electronic structure and thermoelectric properties of quasi-hexagonal fullerene monolayer

As a newly synthesized two-dimensional (2D) carbon material, monolayer quasi-hexagonal phase fullerene (qHP C60) has an excellent electronic structure and low thermal conductivity. qHP C60 attracted significant attention from scientists because it has potential applications in thermoelectric materials. Thermoelectric properties of 2D materials significantly depend on the transport of carriers (such as electrons and phonons), and strain engineering is an essential method for modulating the transport of electrons and phonons in 2D materials. However, the strain engineering method for the modulation of the thermoelectric properties of monolayer qHP C60 has not been reported yet. In the present paper, the first-principles combined with the non-equilibrium Green's function method are used to investigate the ballistic transport properties of electrons and phonons in monolayer qHP C60. The effects of temperature, chemical potential, and biaxial tensile strain on the thermoelectric transport parameters (including conductivity, Seebeck coefficient, power factor, and thermal conductivity) as well as the figure of merit (ZT) of monolayer qHP C60 are presented, compared, discussed, and analyzed. We found that monolayer qHP C60 exhibits anisotropic characteristics in electron and phonon transport properties, showcasing outstanding thermoelectric properties. The distinctive quasi-hexagonal phase fullerene network structure offers a novel platform for exploring innovative 2D thermoelectric materials in research. This study provides crucial theoretical insights to guide the designing and implementation of 2D thermoelectric materials based on fullerenes.

Aluminum vacancy‐rich MOF‐derived carbon nanosheets for high‐capacity and long‐life aqueous aluminum‐ion battery

AbstractEco‐friendly and safe aqueous aluminum‐ion batteries as energy storage devices with low economic burden, high stability and fast ion transport have been lucubrated deeply in response to the call for sustainable development. However, the poor cycle performance caused by difficult (de‐)intercalation hinders the development prospect. In this work, the aluminum vacancy‐rich MOF‐derived carbon is constructed to achieve reversible aluminum storage during the charge‐discharge cycles. The MOF‐derived carbon with anti‐stacking waxberry‐like structure exhibits high capacity (282.1 mAh g−1 at 50 mA g−1) and long cycle performance (84.4% capacity retention rate at 1 A g−1 after 5000 cycles). Further investigations demonstrate that (de‐)intercalation occurs among the vacancies of carbon nanosheets in the form of hydrated aluminum ions. Meanwhile, the introduced nitrogen as energy storage sites contributes part of the capacity. The proposed aluminum vacancy engineering improves the current situation of the capacitive energy storage mode for 2D carbon materials, which may exploit an advanced theoretical model for the design of aqueous batteries.

Aqueous Graphene Dispersion and Biofunctionalization via Enzymatic Oxidation of Tripeptides.

Graphene, a 2D carbon material, possesses extraordinary mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties, making it highly attractive for various biological applications such as biosensing, biotherapeutics, and tissue engineering. However, the tendency of graphene sheets to aggregate and restack hinders its dispersion in water, limiting these applications. Peptides, with their defined amino acid sequences and versatile functionalities, are compelling molecules with which to modify graphene-aromatic amino acids can strengthen interactions through π-stacking and charged groups can be chosen to make the sheets dispersible and stable in water. Here, a facile and green method for covalently functionalizing and dispersing graphene using amphiphilic tripeptides, facilitated by a tyrosine phenol side chain, through an aqueous enzymatic oxidation process is demonstrated. The presence of a second aromatic side chain group enhances this interaction through non-covalent support via π-π stacking with the graphene surface. Futhermore, the addition of charged moieties originating from either ionizable amino acids or terminal groups facilitates profound interactions with water, resulting in the dispersion of the newly functionalized graphene in aqueous solutions. This biofunctionalization method resulted in ≈56% peptide loading on the graphene surface, leading to graphene dispersions that remain stable for months in aqueous solutions outperforming currently used surfactants.

Unconventional Band Structure via Combined Molecular Orbital and Lattice Symmetries in a Surface-Confined Metallated Graphdiyne Sheet.

Graphyne (GY) and graphdiyne (GDY)-based monolayers represent the next generation 2D carbon-rich materials with tunable structures and properties surpassing those of graphene. However, the detection of band formation in atomically thin GY/GDY analogues has been challenging, as both long-range order and atomic precision have to be fulfilled in the system. The presentwork reports direct evidence of band formation in on-surface synthesized metallated Ag-GDY sheets with mesoscopic (≈1µm) regularity. Employing scanning tunneling and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopies, energy-dependent transitions of real-space electronic states above the Fermi level and formation of the valence band are respectively observed. Furthermore, density functional theory (DFT) calculations corroborate the observations and reveal that doubly degenerate frontier molecular orbitals on a honeycomb lattice give rise to flat, Dirac and Kagome bands close to the Fermi level. DFT modeling also indicates an intrinsic band gap for the pristine sheet material, which is retained for a bilayer with h-BN, whereas adsorption-induced in-gap electronic states evolve at the synthesis platform with Ag-GDY decorating the (111) facet of silver. These results illustrate the tremendous potential for engineering novel band structures via molecular orbital and lattice symmetries in atomically precise 2D carbon materials.

Bimetallic MOFs-Derived NiFe2O4/Fe2O3 Enabled Dendrite-free Lithium Metal Anodes with Ultra-High Area Capacity Based on An Intermittent Lithium Deposition Model.

In practical operating conditions, the lithium deposition behavior is often influenced by multiple coupled factors and there is also a lack of comprehensive and long-term validation for dendrite suppression strategies. Our group previously proposed an intermittent lithiophilic model for high-performance three-dimensional (3D) composite lithium metal anode (LMA), however, the electrodeposition behavior was not discussed. To verify this model, this paper presents a modified 3D carbon cloth (CC) backbone by incorporating NiFe2O4/Fe2O3 (NFFO) nanoparticles derived from bimetallic NiFe-MOFs. Enhanced Li adsorption capacity and lithiophilic modulation were achieved by bimetallic MOFs-derivatives which prompted faster and more homogeneous Li deposition. The intermittent model was further verified in conjunction with the density functional theory (DFT) calculations and electrodeposition behaviors. As a result, the obtained Li-CC@NFFO||Li-CC@NFFO symmetric batteries exhibit prolonged lifespan and low hysteresis voltage even under ultra-high current and capacity conditions (5 mA cm-2, 10 mAh cm-2), what's more, the full battery coupled with a high mass loading (9 mg cm-2) of LiFePO4 cathode can be cycled at a high rate of 5 C, the capacity retention is up to 95.2 % before 700 cycles. This work is of great significance to understand the evolution of lithium dendrites on the 3D intermittent lithiophilic frameworks.

Graphdiyne based CoWO4/NC heterojunction boosting photocatalytic hydrogen production

Graphdiyne (GDY), an innovative 2D carbon material, has received substantial interest for its superior conductivity, adaptable electronic configuration, and unique electron-electron transfer amplification features. CWN (CoWO4/NC) and GDY were used to prepare CWN/GDY via the electrostatic self-assembly method. The hydrogen production of CWN/GDY-1:1 was tangibly increased compared with that of CWN and GDY alone, and reached 3455 μmol∙ g−1∙ h−1. The photocatalytic hydrogen production of CWN/GDY-1:1 was 3.37 times that of CWN. The existence of this complex was confirmed by the analysis of structure, morphology, and elemental composition. CWN and GDY have the necessary conditions to produce heterojunctions since SEM and TEM images show that they are in extremely close contact. The electron transfer between the two can be found by XPS. Electrons are transferred from the CB of CWN to the CB of GDY for the synthesis of hydrogen, while holes are transferred at different rates from the VB of CWN to the VB of GDY. By creating a heterojunction, photogenerated electrons can travel faster and photosynthetic electrons cannot attach to holes. To sum up, the CWN/GDY-1:1 composite exhibits strong photocatalytic activity and stability, which provides valuable guidelines for tungstate composites and has great application potential in photocatalysis.

Optimised 2D Carbon Optimised 2D Carbon Materials Activated by Artificial Light and Electrical Current for Catalytic Water and Wastewater Treatment

Optimised 2D Carbon Optimised 2D Carbon Materials Activated by Artificial Light and Electrical Current for Catalytic Water and Wastewater Treatment

Regulating lithium nucleation and deposition on carbon cloth decorated with vertically aligned Ag-doped MnO2 nanosheet arrays for dendrite-free lithium metal anode

Metallic Li with high specific capacity and low electrode potential is considered as the most promising anode material. The main obstacles to its application are uncontrollable Li dendrites growth and infinite volume changes. Herein, we design a modified carbon cloth (CC) by vertically aligned MnO2 nanosheet arrays embedded with tiny Ag (Ag/MnO2@CC) through hydrothermal approach. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate that MnO2 and Ag show a more negative adsorption energy (−4.31 and −2.34 eV) than C (−1.65 eV), implying their better lithiophilicity. Finite element simulations demonstrate that the Ag-doped MnO2 nanosheet arrays reduce local current density and redistribute Li-ion flux. Moreover, the channels assembled by vertical-aligned MnO2 nanosheets and 3D CC can offer sufficient spaces to buffer volume fluctuation during cycling. Accordingly, the Ag/MnO2@CC is employed as a lithiophilic host to supervise homogenous Li nucleation and deposition. The Ag/MnO2@CC electrodeposited with Li exhibits dendrite-free feature and a high Coulombic efficiency of 99.9% during 300 cycles. The symmetric cell shows an ultra-low polarization voltage of 14 mV over 1300 h at 1 mA cm−2 with the capacity of 1 mAh cm−1. The full cell paired with LiFePO4 exhibits excellent capacity of 105.5 mAh g−1 after 400 cycles at 1 C.

Fallen autumn leaves – The source of highly porous carbon for Zn-ion hybrid supercapacitors

Over the years, many sophisticated synthetic two-dimensional (2D) carbon materials have become increasingly popular for supercapacitors, e.g. zinc-ion hybrid supercapacitors (ZHSC) due to their ordered structure and high energy density. Additionally, ZHSC is a very demanding device, where finding efficient materials is challenging and the energy storage mechanism remains unclear. Biomass-derived carbon materials exhibit many drawbacks due to their impurities and defective structure, low stability and poor capacitance. In this study, a ZHSC was assembled via carbonization and activation of leaves collected from city streets and utilized as a cathode material. The AC650_Zn-foil presented a high specific capacitance of 95 F·g−1 and a high energy density of 86 W·h·kg−1 at 210 W·kg−1. Furthermore, a superior power density of 40,960 W·kg−1 at 33 W·h·g−1 was presented compared to other investigated materials. In addition, we identified the processes that occurred in the following device, which demonstrated a mechanism that determines the migration of Zn ions, as well as the chemical reactions involved in Zn ions.

Data‐Driven Strategies for Accelerated Structural Exploration of High‐Performance 2D Carbon‐Based Seawater Desalination Membranes

The insufficiency of freshwater supplies has posed a serious threat to sustainable socioeconomic growth, and seawater desalination is considered to be the most promising solution to alleviate such pressure. Currently, 2D carbon membranes are identified as deserving candidates due to their high permeability and multiple tunable properties. However, they remain challenging to systematically uncover the potential relationships between structures and properties in various 2D carbon materials. For this, a machine learning (ML) model based on feature datasets of 2D carbon materials effecting desalination properties is trained. The results suggest that structures with a maximum pore size of 10–12 atoms and atomic densities between 0.28 and 0.41 are more likely to achieve high properties. Cml‐MOR based on MOR‐type mordenite zeolite for validation is selected. Further, Cml‐MOR is demonstrated to feature remarkable salt ion adsorption. The effective water flux of Cml‐MOR is 113.51 L cm−2 day−1 MPa−1, and the salt rejection at 110 MPa can reach 98.9%. This work is expected to apply this efficient method to investigate the structure and properties of 2D carbon membranes with great structural diversity; this will attract more people to focus on them and explore their important potential for practical applications.