Electron Conductivity Research Articles

TiH2-based anode: In situ formation of solid electrolyte for high volumetric energy density with minimal content of conducting agent

Herein, we report the fabrication of an electrode composite with an ultra-high active material content (90 wt%). This composite was possible because of the utilization of TiH2 as an anode active material that forms a solid electrolyte (LiH) in situ and functions as an electronic conductor, enabling a substantial reduction of the amount of conductor additive in the electrodes. The electrochemical performance of the TiH2-based electrodes with a high active material content was comparable to that of electrode composites that include a solid electrolyte because of sufficient Li+-ion conduction pathways provided by the LiH formed in situ. To further increase the capacity of the TiH2-based electrode, MgH2 (theoretical capacity: 2036 mAh/g) was mixed with TiH2 to function as an active material. TiH2, which is known to exhibit high electron conductivity and a high density, is expected to be used as a partial substitute for low-density carbon additives to increase the volumetric energy density of batteries and their active material content. Hence, the xMgH2-(1 − x)TiH2-AB (AB: acetylene black) electrode composite exhibited a high active material content (90 wt%) and improved volumetric energy density (1687 Wh/L, based on the anode) compared with a MgH2-AB (70:30 wt%) electrode composite (1157 Wh/L), even when the AB content of the xMgH2-(1 − x)TiH2-AB composite was 10 wt%. In addition, a MgH2-TiH2-VGCF (VGCF: vapor-grown carbon fiber) based electrode composite exhibited the highest volumetric and gravimetric energy density (2154 Wh/L, 1888 Wh/kg) among the investigated composites, facilitated by sufficient electron pathways provided by VGCF.

A balanced quantum Hall resistor

AbstractThe quantum anomalous Hall effect in magnetic topological insulators has potential for use in quantum resistance metrology applications. Electronic conductance is quantized to e2/h (where e is the elementary charge and h is the Planck constant) due to the effect, which persists down to zero external magnetic field and is compatible with the quantum standard of voltage. However, metrological applications of the quantum anomalous Hall effect are currently restricted by the need for low measurement currents and low temperatures. Here we report a measurement scheme that increases the robustness of a zero-magnetic-field quantum anomalous Hall resistor and extends its operating range to higher currents. In the scheme, we simultaneously inject current into two disconnected perimeters of a multi-terminal Corbino device, which is based on V0.1(Bi0.2Sb0.8)1.9Te3, to balance the electrochemical potential between the edges. This screens the electric field that drives backscattering through the bulk and thus improves the stability of the quantization at increased currents. Our approach could also be applied to existing quantum resistance standards that rely on the integer quantum Hall effect.

High Spatial Resolution 2D Imaging of Current Density and Pressure for Graphene Devices under High Pressure Using Nitrogen-Vacancy Centers in Diamond.

Current density imaging is helpful for discovering interesting electronic phenomena and understanding carrier dynamics, and by combining pressure distributions, several pressure-induced novel physics may be comprehended. In this work, noninvasive, high-resolution two-dimensional images of the current density and pressure gradient for graphene ribbon and hBN-graphene-hBN devices are explored using nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond under high pressure. The two-dimensional vector current density is reconstructed by the vector magnetic field mapped by the near-surface NV center layer in the diamond. The current density images accurately and clearly reproduce the complicated structure and current flow of graphene under high pressure. Additionally, the spatial distribution of the pressure is simultaneously mapped, rationalizing the nonuniformity of the current density under high pressure. The current method opens a significant new avenue to investigate electronic transport and conductance variations in two-dimensional materials and electrical devices under high pressure as well as for nondestructive evaluation of semiconductor circuits.

Influence of interposed graphene sheets on mechanical and electronic properties of Al/graphene superlattice

Graphene-reinforced aluminum matrix composites have drawn remarkable attention in several fields of high-tech industries, but the understanding of their material properties remains unclear. This work reports a first-principles study of interface binding nature, mechanical strength, and electronic properties of aluminum/graphene (Al/G) composites using superlattice models as varying graphene content. Our calculations reveal the weak binding between Al and graphene layers with no new chemical bonding at the interface and the gradual decrease in binding strength as increasing graphene content. While demonstrating the enhancement of mechanical strength by interposing graphene layers, the critical value of graphene content for keeping ductility is determined to be 14.7%. Atom-projected band structures and local density of states are analyzed to get an insight into electronic conductance of superlattices.

Concerted Effect of Ion- and Electron-Conductive Additives on the Electrochemical and Thermal Performances of the LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 Cathode Material Synthesized by a Taylor-Flow Reactor for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

To address the issue that a single coating agent cannot simultaneously enhance Li+-ion transport and electronic conductivity of Ni-rich cathode materials with surface modification, in the present study, we first successfully synthesized a LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 (NCM811) cathode material by a Taylor-flow reactor followed by surface coating with Li-BTJ and dispersion of vapor-grown carbon fibers treated with polydopamine (PDA-VGCF) filler in the composite slurry. The Li-BTJ hybrid oligomer coating can suppress side reactions and enhance ionic conductivity, and the PDA-VGCFs filler can increase electronic conductivity. As a result of the synergistic effect of the dual conducting agents, the cells based on the modified NCM811 electrodes deliver superior cycling stability and rate capability, as compared to the bare NCM811 electrode. The CR2032 coin-type cells with the NCM811@Li-BTJ + PDA-VGCF electrode retain a discharge specific capacity of ∼92.2% at 1C after 200 cycles between 2.8 and 4.3 V (vs Li/Li+), while bare NCM811 retains only 84.0%. Moreover, the NCM811@Li-BTJ + PDA-VGCF electrode-based cells reduced the total heat (Qt) by ca. 7.0% at 35 °C over the bare electrode. Remarkably, the Li-BTJ hybrid oligomer coating on the surface of the NCM811 active particles acts as an artificial cathode electrolyte interphase (ACEI) layer, mitigating irreversible surface phase transformation of the layered NCM811 cathode and facilitating Li+ ion transport. Meanwhile, the fiber-shaped PDA-VGCF filler significantly reduced microcrack propagation during cycling and promoted the electronic conductance of the NCM811-based electrode. Generally, enlightened with the current experimental findings, the concerted ion and electron conductive agents significantly enhanced the Ni-rich cathode-based cell performance, which is a promising strategy to apply to other Ni-rich cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries.

In-Situ Construction of Electronically Insulating and Air-Stable Ionic Conductor Layer on Electrolyte Surface and Grain Boundary to Enable High-Performance Garnet-Type Solid-State Batteries.

Lithophobic Li2CO3/LiOH contaminants and high-resistance lithium-deficient phases produced from the exposure of garnet electrolyte to air leads to a decrease in electrolyte ion transfer ability. Additionally, garnet electrolyte grain boundaries (GBs) with narrow bandgap and high electron conductivity are potential channels for current leakage, which accelerate Li dendrites generation, ultimately leading to short-circuiting of all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs). Herein, a stably lithiophilic Li2ZO3 is in situ constructed at garnet electrolyte surface and GBs by interfacial modification with ZrO2 and Li2CO3 (Z+C) co-sintering to eliminate the detrimental contaminants and lithium-deficient phases. The Li2ZO3 formed on the modified electrolyte (LLZTO-(Z+C)) surface effectively improves the interfacial compatibility and air stability of the electrolyte. Li2ZO3 formed at GBs broadens the energy bandgaps of LLZTO-(Z+C) and significantly inhibits lithium dendrite generation. More Li+ transport paths found in LLZTO-Z+C by first-principles calculations increase Li+ conductivity from 1.04×10-4 to 7.45×10-4Scm-1. Eventually, the Li|LLZTO-(Z+C)|Li symmetric cell maintains stable cycling for over 2000h at 0.8mAcm-2. The capacity retention of LiFePO4|LLZTO-(Z+C)|Li battery retains 70.5% after 5800 ultralong cycles at 4C. This work provides a potential solution to simultaneously enhance the air stability and modulate chemical characteristics of the garnet electrolyte surface and GBs for ASSBs.

Bottom-Up Construction of Rhombic Lamellar CoNi-MOFs for the Electrochemical Sensing of H2S.

Lamellar metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have attracted significant attention in the field of electrochemical sensing due to their abundant open active sites and specific electron conductivity. Herein, by employing a bottom-up synthesis strategy, rhombic lamellar heterometallic CoNi-MOFs with varying thicknesses are constructed. This is achieved by using 4-methylpyridine as a capping agent based on the (4,6)-linked Co2(azpy)2(bptc) (azpy = 4,4'-azopyridine, bptc = 3,3',5,5'-biphenyltetracarboxylic acid) structure with a fsc topology and by introducing Ni species simultaneously. To mitigate sulfur deposition on electrodes, the triple pulse amperometry (TPA) method is employed. Among the synthesized lamellar CoNi-MOFs, lamellar CoNi-MOF-3 with the minimum thickness exhibits an optimal electrochemical sensing performance toward hydrogen sulfide, with a sensitivity of 119.3 μA·mM-1·cm-2 in the linear range of 2-2000 μM. This study pioneers a new approach to the controlled construction and electrochemical activity modification of lamellar MOF materials.

Efficiently tuning the electrical performance of PBTTT-C14 thin film via in situ controllable multiple precursors (Al2O3:ZnO) vapor phase infiltration

Conjugated polymer-based organic/inorganic hybrid materials become the current research frontier and show great potential to integrate flexible polymers and rigid solid materials, which have been widely used in the field of various flexible electronics and optical devices. In this study, based on the multiple vapor phase infiltration (VPI) process, various precursor molecules (diethylzinc DEZ, trimethylaluminum TMA, H2O) are applied for the in situ modification of PBTTT-C14 films. The conductivity of the PBTTT-C14/Al2O3:ZnO (AZO) film is significantly enhanced, and the maximum value of conductivity is 1.16 S cm−1, which is eight orders of magnitude higher than the undoped PBTTT-C14 thin film. Here, the change of morphologies and crystalline states are analyzed via SEM, AFM, and XRD. And the chemical changes during the VPI process of PBTTT-C14 are characterized through Raman, XPS, and UV–vis. During the AZO VPI process, the formation of new ZnS matrix in the polymer subsurface can generate new additional electron conduction pathways through the crosslinking of polymer chains with inorganic materials, and the addition of Al2O3 can bring about the increase of average grain size of ZnO crystals, which is also benefit to the conductivity increase of PBTTT-C14 thin film. Generally, the synergistic effect between the inorganic and polymer constituents results in the significantly enhancement of the conductivity of PBTTT-C14/AZO thin films.

Carbon materials derived by crystalline porous materials for capacitive energy storage

Abstract The controlled synthesis of precise carbon nanostructures with high electron conductivity, high reaction activity, and structural stability plays a significant role in practical applications yet largely unmet. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), covalent organic frameworks (COFs), and coordination polymers (CPs) as crystalline porous materials (CPMs) have shown extraordinary porosity, tremendous structural diversity, and highly ordered pores, offering a platform for precise controlled carbon materials (CMs) with regular porous structures and high performances. Some recent studies have shown that CMs derived from CPMs with high specific surface area, superior chemical stability, excellent electrical conductivity offer a great opportunity for electrochemical energy storage and conversion. In this review, we summarize recent milestones of CPMs derived CMs in the field of capacitive energy storage. We hope the more precise design and control at the atomic level of CPMs could provide us a constructive view of the structure-activity relationship between CMs and electrochemical capacitors, as well as future trends and prospects.

Rapid Freezing and Cryo-SEM-EDS Imaging of Foraminifera (Unicellular Eukaryotes) Using a Conductive Viscous Cryogenic Glue.

Spatial distribution of water-soluble molecules and ions in living organisms is still challenging to assess. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) via cryogenic scanning electron microscopy (cryo-SEM) is one of the promising methods to study them without loss of dissolved contents. High-resolution cryo-SEM-EDS has challenges in sample preparation, including cross-section exposure and sample drift/charging due to insulative surrounding water. The former becomes problematic for large and inseparable organisms, such as benthic foraminifera, a unicellular eukaryote playing significant roles in marine ecosystems, which often exceed the size limit for the most reliable high-pressure freezing. Here we show graphite oxide dispersed in sucrose solution as a good glue to freeze, expose cross-section by cryo-ultramicrotome, and analyze elemental distribution owing to the glue's high viscosity, adhesion force, and electron conductivity. To demonstrate the effectiveness and applicability of the glue for cryo-SEM-EDS, deep-sea foraminifer Uvigerina akitaensis was sampled during a cruise and plunge frozen directly on the research vessel, where the liquid nitrogen supply is limited. The microstructures were preserved as faithfully in cryo-SEM images as those with the conventional resin-substituted transmission electron micrograph. We found elements colocalized within the cytoplasm originating from water-soluble compounds that can be lost with conventional dehydrative fixation.

Understanding the Electronic Transport of Al-Si and Al-Ge Nanojunctions by Exploiting Temperature-Dependent Bias Spectroscopy.

Understanding the electronic transport of metal-semiconductor heterojunctions is of utmost importance for a wide range of emerging nanoelectronic devices like adaptive transistors, biosensors, and quantum devices. Here, we provide a comparison and in-depth discussion of the investigated Schottky heterojunction devices based on Si and Ge nanowires contacted with pure single-crystal Al. Key for the fabrication of these devices is the selective solid-state metal-semiconductor exchange of Si and Ge nanowires into Al, delivering void-free, single-crystal Al contacts with flat Schottky junctions, distinct from the bulk counterparts. Thereof, a systematic comparison of the temperature-dependent charge carrier injection and transport in Si and Ge by means of current-bias spectroscopy is visualized by 2D colormaps. Thus, it reveals important insights into the operation mechanisms and regimes that cannot be exploited by conventional single-sweep output and transfer characteristics. Importantly, it was found that the Al-Si system shows symmetric effective Schottky barrier (SB) heights for holes and electrons, whereas the Al-Ge system reveals a highly transparent contact for holes due to Fermi level pinning close to the valence band with charge carrier injection saturation due to a thinned effective SB. Moreover, thermionic field emission limits the overall electron conduction, indicating a distinct SB for electrons.

Enhanced thermal safety and rate capability of nickel-rich cathodes via optimal Nb-doping strategy

Nickel-rich layered oxides have garnered great attention as promising cathode materials in lithium-ion batteries for their high specific capacity, rate capability and comparatively lower cost. However, the long cycling with a high current scenario is still a critical challenge, resulting from the lattice cracks and high temperature which are induced by rapid Li-ions intercalation/extraction and local heat accumulation under component voltage. Besides the deterioration of electrochemical performance, these limitations further lead to the impairment of structure or even thermal runaway for nickel-rich layered oxides. Herein, considering the superiorities of niobium element with multilevel electron orbitals and suitable atomic radius, a strategy of nickel-rich material modified by niobium-doping is proposed. The incorporated niobium forms a strong niobium-oxygen bonding, which promotes structure stability, ions diffusivity, and electron conductivity of nickel-rich cathode (LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2). Accordingly, the niobium-doping cathode deliver the specific capacities of 166.4 mAh g−1 and 151.02 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles at 1 C and 5 C (1C = 200 mAh g−1), especially with the capacity retention of 88.90 % and 89.06 %. Moreover, the niobium-doping cathode exhibit a more stable thermal safety with a reversibility around 76.75 % after 100 cycles at 1 C under 50 ℃, whereas is only 36.03 % for blank sample. Accompanied with exploring the stabilization for crystalline structure and superficial electronic structure, a generic approach to synthesize excellent Ni-rich cathode materials is identified, accelerating their endurance application in complicated scenes, particularly at high-temperature and high-rate operation conditions.

Nano‐Scale Interface Engineering of Sulfur Cathode to Enable High‐Performance All‐Solid‐State Li–S Batteries

AbstractAll‐solid‐state lithium–sulfur batteries (ASSLSBs) are expected to be the next generation of high‐energy battery systems due to their long lifespan and high safety. However, unstable interfaces between elemental sulfur, conductive carbon, and solid electrolytes lead to slow charge transport and mechanical failures, thereby limiting battery performance. Herein, atomic layer deposition‐derived lithium phosphorus oxide is applied to the surface of carbon/sulfur particles to enhance the interfacial stability of the sulfur cathode and improve the electrochemical performance of ASSLSBs. The coating layer can inhibit electrolyte decomposition and improve interfacial stability by blocking electron conduction between carbon and electrolyte. Moreover, it not only serves as an ion‐conducting layer to facilitate Li+ transport but also acts as a stress buffer layer to alleviate contact failure. The assembled ASSLSBs with sulfide electrolyte exhibit an initial specific capacity of 1322 mAh g−1 at 0.2 C and capacity retention of 86.4% after 300 cycles. Furthermore, ASSLSBs maintain a reversible capacity of 645 mAh g−1 at 0.5 A g−1 after 1000 cycles, confirming the long cycling stability of the coated sulfur cathode. Even under high sulfur loading, ASSLSBs achieve high areal capacities of 4.6 mAh cm−2 at 30 °C and 11.7 mAh cm−2 at 60 °C.

Tuning the electronic conductance of REHx (RE=Nd, Ce, Pr) by structural deformation

Hydride ion (H−) conductors have drawn much attention due to their potential applications in hydride-ion-based devices. Rare earth metal hydrides (REHx) have fast H− conduction which, unfortunately, is accompanied by detrimental electron conduction preventing their application as ion conductors. Here, REHx (RE = Nd, Ce, and Pr) with varied grain sizes, rich grain boundaries, and defects have been prepared by ball milling and subsequent sintering. The electronic conductivity of the ball-milled REHx samples can be reduced by 2–4 orders of magnitude compared with the non-ball-milled samples. The relationship of electron conduction and miscrostructures in REHx is studied and discussed based on experimental data and previously-proposed classical and quantum theories. The H− conductivity of all REHx is about 10−4 to 10−3 S cm−1 at room temperature, showing promise for the development of H− conductors and their applications in clean energy storage and conversion.

Rapid thermal annealing treatment on WO3 thin films for energy efficient smart windows

Electrochromic devices (ECDs) based on tungsten trioxide (WO3) have garnered significant attention in the areas of smart windows, dynamic display, low-power displays, and in other advanced sectors. The electrochromic property of WO3 is primarily influenced by both electron conduction and ion diffusion processes. This research investigates on the influence of rapid thermal annealing (RTA) on the electrochromic performance of RF sputtered tungsten oxide thin films, which relies on ion diffusion process. RTA treated film showed a mixture of amorphous and crystalline (monoclinic), heterostructure phase. Structural, compositional, electrical, optical, morphological, and electrochromic studies were carried out using various techniques. Based on the electrochromic analysis, WO3 thin films, RTA treated at 300°C showed higher diffusion coefficient with larger optical modulation (ΔT) of 80 % due the formation of heterostructure with more oxygen vacancies. We hope that this research could propose the possibility for developing high-performance electrochromic smart windows.

Ultrasmall Pd nanocrystals confined into Co-based metal organic framework-decorated MXene nanoarchitectures for efficient methanol electrooxidation

The natural scarcity and insufficient utilization of noble metal-based catalysts bring a heavy block in the way of the widespread applications of direct methanol fuel cells. Herein, we propose a feasible bottom-up approach to the construction of ultrasmall Pd nanocrystals confined into Co-based metal organic framework-decorated Ti3C2Tx MXene (Pd/MOF-MX) nanoarchitectures via a controllable solvothermal process. The ultrathin MXene nanolamellas and porous Co-based MOFs constitute an ideal hybrid carrier with high electron conductivity and large accessible surface areas, which not only facilitates the size restriction and uniform dispersion of Pd nanocrystals, but also ameliorates their intrinsic catalytic activity through the direct electronic interactions. By virtue of the pronounced synergistic coupling effects, the newly-developed Pd/MOF-MX nanoarchitectures exhibit markedly enhanced electrocatalytic properties towards the methanol oxidation reaction, including a large electrochemically active surface area of 116.7 m2 g−1, a high mass activity of 1700.4 mA mg−1 as well as a satisfactory long-term durability, which are superior to those of traditional Pd electrocatalysts anchored on carbon blacks, carbon nanotubes, graphene, and undecorated MXene matrixes.

Electron conduction mechanism in indium oxide and its implications for amorphous transport

The electron conduction mechanism in indium oxide (In2O3) and its implications for amorphous transport have been investigated from an orbital overlap perspective. Combined density functional theory and empirical tight binding modeling reveal that the electron transport is facilitated by the neighboring metal atomic s orbital overlap “without” oxygen’s p-orbital involvement. In other words, the electron transport pathway in oxides is only due to the metal-metal medium range connection. This electron conduction mechanism is extended to amorphous In2O3 which unveils that the amorphous disorder influences the electron transport through impacting the metal-metal medium range order including metal-metal coordination number and metal-metal separation. Our results provide an insight into the current theoretical understanding of electron transport in amorphous oxide semiconductors.

Enhancing the steam electrolysis by simultaneously regulating the electron and oxygen ion conductivity of la1-xsr1+xfeo4-δ oxides

Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) La1-xSr1+xFeO4-δ(x = 0,0.2,0.4) oxides with different Sr content are investigated as air electrodes for solid oxide electrolytic cells. The increased Sr content in La1-xSr1+xFeO4-δ significantly improves the electronic and oxygen ionic conductivity, enhancing the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity and electrochemical performance of steam electrolysis. The polarization resistance of the La0.8Sr1.2FeO4-δ symmetrical cell reaches 1.04 Ω cm2 at 800 °C, and the electrolysis cell delivers a current density of −1709 mA cm−2 at 1.3 V, corresponding to the hydrogen production rates of 714 ml/(cm2 h). Moreover, adding Sm0.2Ce0.8O2-δ (SDC) oxide further improves the steam electrolysis performance due to enhanced three-phase boundary active sites. The electrolysis cell with La0.8Sr1.2FeO4-δ-SDC electrode exhibits excellent stability for over 200 h and cycling durability for 100 h under 750 °C and 1.2 V in 50%H2O–H2 condition.

The surface asymmetric site regulation of carbon nitride oxide enabling peroxymonosulfate activation for degrading tetracycline

Peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation by the carbonaceous-based materials for degrading antibiotics is a recent emerging hotspot in water environment restoration. Herein, a triazine carbon material is prepared by urea thermal condensation follwed by water-mediated oxidation. The optimized triazine carbon material (CNOR15) can degrade around 100 % of tetracycline within 6 mins, thus pseudo-first-order kinetic constant (kobs) enhances approximately 49 folds compared to pristine carbon material. Experiments and characterizations demonstrate non-radical reactive species of 1O2 plays a crucial role in CNOR15/PMS system to eliminate tetracycline, in which performs at an asymmetric C = O site on the edge of triazine motief. Electron paramagnetic resonance and trapping tests comfirm the novel mechanism of electron conduction from sp/sp2-hybrdized triazine to C = O prompting PMS decomposition for 1O2 generation. Ex-situ argon sputtering XPS technology solidly unveils a underlysing linear corelation between catalysis activity and content of carbonyl-constructed assymetric sites. In addition, membranoid CNOR15/PVDF removes ca. 90 % tetracycline at a rate of 100 mL·min−1 in a continuous flow-cell device, exhibiting a promising application in the practical wastewater purification. Our work emphasized a significance of asymmetric site regulation of carbonaceous materials towards PMS activation for environmental remediation.

Dual-function CoP on nitrogen doped carbon framework with induced interfacial coupling for overall water splitting

Strong interfacial coupling in the hybrid catalysts could enhance catalytic performances. In this work, N, P were co-doped in zeolitic imidazolate framework-67 (ZIF-67) derived Co-based materials (denoted as CoP/NC) via in-situ carbonization and phosphating strategy, which accordingly induced strong interfacial coupling, leading to promote the catalytic activity in overall water splitting. In detail, the CoP/NC-2 presents the overpotential of 98 and 139 mV for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in 0.5 M H2SO4 and 1.0 M KOH at 10 mA cm−2, respectively, and 295 mV for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in 1.0 M KOH at 20 mA cm−2, which is excellent during the non-noble metal-based catalysts. It also achieved a potential of 1.69 V (η20) in the overall water splitting. Density functional theory (DFT) based calculation reveals that the in-situ N, P co-doping induced strong interface coupling, which enhances the interaction in the interface of catalysts and improves electron conduction. More importantly, it contributes to adjusting electronic structure and d-band center, optimizing the adsorption energy for HER and/or OER and improving the kinetics of water splitting reaction. This work sheds new light on the heteroatom doping strategy to construct bifunctional transition metal-based electrocatalyst with boosting electrocatalytic performance in energy conversion application.