Mo2C@C nanofibers film as durable self-supported electrode for efficient electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Self-supported electrocatalytic thin films consist 3D conducting network and well-embedded electrocatalysts, which endows the advantage in mass flow kinetics and durability for large-scale water splitting. Synthesis of such self-supported electrode still remains a big challenge due to the difficulty in the control over the 3D conducting network and the simultaneous growth of catalyst with well attachment on the conducting fibers. Herein, a self-supported Mo2C@carbon nanofibers (Mo2C@C NF) film has been successfully fabricated with outstanding electrocatalytic performance under optimized pyrolysis temperature and precursors mass ratio conditions. During the carbonation process, the Mo2C nanoparticles (~16 nm) are simultaneously grown and well dispersed on the inter-connected carbon nanofibers, which form 3D conducting network. The as-formed 3D carbon network is strong enough to support direct electrocatalytic application without additional ink or supporting substrates. This particular electrode structure facilitates easy access to the active catalytic sites, electron transfer, and hydrogen diffusion, resulting in the high hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity. A low overpotential of 86 mV is needed to achieve 10 mA cm-2 current density with outstanding kinetics metric (Tafel 43 mV dec-1) in 1M KOH. Additionally, the self-supported Mo2C@C NF film, a binder-free electrode, exhibits extraordinary stability of more than 340 h.

Reliability improvement of gas discharge tube by suppressing the formation of short-circuit pathways

After cumulative discharge of gas discharge tube (GDT), it is easy to form a short circuit pathway between the two electrodes, which increases the failure risk and causes severe influences on the protected object. To reduce the failure risk of GDT and improve cumulative discharge times before failure, this work aims to suppress the formation of two short-circuit pathways by optimizing the tube wall structure, the electrode materials and the electrode structure. A total of five improved GDT samples are designed by focusing on the insulation resistance change that occurs after the improvement; then, by combining these designs with the microscopic morphology changes inside the cavity and the differences in deposition composition, the reasons for the differences in the GDT failure risk are also analyzed. The experimental results show that compared with GDT of traditional structure and material, the method of adding grooves at both ends of the tube wall can effectively block the deposition pathway of the tube wall, and the cumulative discharge times before device failure are increased by 149%. On this basis, when the iron-nickel electrode is replaced with a tungsten-copper electrode, the difference in the electrode’s surface splash characteristics further extends the discharge times before failure by 183%. In addition, when compared with the traditional electrode structure, the method of adding an annular structure at the electrode edge to block the splashing pathway for the particles on the electrode surface shows no positive effect, and the cumulative discharge times before the failure of the two structures are reduced by 22.8% and 49.7% respectively. Among these improved structures, the samples with grooves at both ends of the tube wall and tungsten-copper as their electrode material have the lowest failure risk.

Layer-by-Layer Electrode Fabrication for Improved Performance of Porous Polyimide-Based Supercapacitors

Nanoporous polymers are becoming increasingly interesting materials for electrochemical applications, as their large surface areas with redox-active sites allow efficient adsorption and diffusion of ions. However, their limited electrical conductivity remains a major obstacle in practical applications. The conventional approach that alleviates this problem is the hybridisation of the polymer with carbon-based additives, but this directly prevents the utilisation of the maximum capacity of the polymers. Here, we report a layer-by-layer fabrication technique where we separated the active (porous polymer, top) layer and the conductive (carbon, bottom) layer and used these “layered” electrodes in a supercapacitor (SC). Through this approach, direct contact with the electrolyte and polymer material is greatly enhanced. With extensive electrochemical characterisation techniques, we show that the layered electrodes allowed a significant contribution of fast faradic surface reactions to the overall capacitance. The electrochemical performance of the layered-electrode SC outperformed other reported porous polymer-based devices with a specific gravimetric capacitance of 388 F·g−1 and an outstanding energy density of 65 Wh·kg−1 at a current density of 0.4 A·g−1. The device also showed outstanding cyclability with 90% of capacitance retention after 5000 cycles at 1.6 A·g−1, comparable to the reported porous polymer-based SCs. Thus, the introduction of a layered electrode structure would pave the way for more effective utilisation of porous organic polymers in future energy storage/harvesting and sensing devices by exploiting their nanoporous architecture and limiting the negative effects of the carbon/binder matrix.

Textile Based Electrodes for Flexible Lithium-Ion Batteries: New updates

: The electrodes are the basis for building flexible lithium-ion batteries (FLIBs), and many attempts have been made to develop flexible electrodes with high efficiency in terms of electrical conductivity, chemical and mechanical properties. Most studies showed relatively satisfactory results when testing the electrochemical properties of laboratory-produced electrodes, but most of these electrodes could not meet the expected requirements of flexible electrodes in practical applications. Quantitative production faces many problems that must be overcome, such as the gradual decline in electrochemical performance, deformation of the electrode structure, high production costs, and difficulties in the production process itself. In this research, developments in the production of flexible electrodes, especially those that depend on carbon materials and metal nanoparticles, will be discussed and summarized in this research. The electrochemical performance and stability of the produced flexible electrodes will be compared. The factors contributing to the progress in the production of flexible lithium-ion batteries will also be discussed.

A Review on Solution-Processed Organic Phototransistors and Their Recent Developments

Today, more disciplines are intercepting each other, giving rise to “cross-disciplinary” research. Technological advancements in material science and device structure and production have paved the way towards development of new classes of multi-purpose sensory devices. Organic phototransistors (OPTs) are photo-activated sensors based on organic field-effect transistors that convert incident light signals into electrical signals. The organic semiconductor (OSC) layer and three-electrode structure of an OPT offer great advantages for light detection compared to conventional photodetectors and photodiodes, due to their signal amplification and noise reduction characteristics. Solution processing of the active layer enables mass production of OPT devices at significantly reduced cost. The chemical structure of OSCs can be modified accordingly to fulfil detection at various wavelengths for different purposes. Organic phototransistors have attracted substantial interest in a variety of fields, namely biomedical, medical diagnostics, healthcare, energy, security, and environmental monitoring. Lightweight and mechanically flexible and wearable OPTs are suitable alternatives not only at clinical levels but also for point-of-care and home-assisted usage. In this review, we aim to explain different types, working mechanism and figures of merit of organic phototransistors and highlight the recent advances from the literature on development and implementation of OPTs for a broad range of research and real-life applications.

Research Progress and Prospect of Constructed Wetland-microbial Fuel Cell Coupling System

Constructed wetland-microbial fuel cell coupling system is a new type of bioelectrochemical system that couples constructed wetland and microbial fuel cell. The system plays an important role in biological power generation and sewage purification. The principle is that the bottom of the constructed wetland bed (low ORP) serves as the anode of the microbial fuel cell. The organic matter in the water is degraded under the action of the electricity-producing microorganisms and released during the degradation process. The electrons are transferred along the external circuit to the biocathode on the surface of the bed (higher ORP) to complete the redox reaction. This article summarizes the research progress of the microbial fuel cell-constructed wetland coupling system from two aspects: system structure and factors affecting system operation. The system structure includes electrode materials, substrates, wetland plants and microorganisms. The influencing factors include HRT, DO, organic matter concentration and wastewater composition, electrode structure. Finally, the problems and research directions of the microbial fuel cell-constructed wetland coupling system are summarized, and the research potential of the system is prospected.

Mechanism of Defects and Electrode Structure on the Performance of AlN-based Metal Semiconductor Metal Detectors

We used the metal-organic chemical vapor deposition(MOCVD) method to grow AlN material on a c-plane sapphire substrate and fabricate an AlN-based metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) detector. Analyzing the influence mechanism of different dislocation densities in AlN materials and detector electrode structure on the detector performance, it was found that the lower the dislocations can effectively reduce the dark current of the detector under zero bias voltage, and help improve the performance of the detector. The study also found that when the finger spacing of the detector remained the same and the finger width increased, the efficiency of the detector decreased, while the response time of the detector increased, when the finger width of the detector electrodes remained unchanged and the finger spacing increased, the response time of the detector increased. Therefore, the electrode finger width and finger spacing must be compromised in the design of the electrode structure to improve the performance of the AlN-based MSM detector.