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The synchronous harvesting and conversion of multiple renewable energy sources for chemical fuel production and environmental remediation in a single system is a holy grail in sustainable energy technologies. However, it is challenging to develop advanced energy harvesters that satisfy different working mechanisms. Here, we theoretically and experimentally disclose the use of MXene materials as versatile catalysts for multi-energy utilization. Ti 3 C 2 T X MXene shows remarkable catalytic performance for organic pollutant decomposition and H 2 production. It outperforms most reported catalysts under the stimulation of light, thermal, and mechanical energy. Moreover, the synergistic effects of piezo-thermal and piezo-photothermal catalysis further improve the performance when using Ti 3 C 2 T X . A mechanistic study reveals that hydroxyl and superoxide radicals are produced on the Ti 3 C 2 T X under diverse energy stimulation. Furthermore, similar multi-functionality is realized in Ti 2 CT X , V 2 CT X , and Nb 2 CT X MXene materials. This work is anticipated to open a new avenue for multisource renewable energy harvesting using MXene materials. MXene materials are regarded as versatile catalysts for multi-energy utilization, however, designing a single system for multiple energy harvesting applications is challenging. Here, the authors theoretically and experimentally validate the utilization of multiple energy sources by MXene materials.

Aqueous Zn‐ion batteries (AZIBs) have been recognized as promising energy storage devices due to their high theoretical energy density and cost‐effectiveness. However, side reactions and Zn dendrite generation during cycling limit their practical application. Herein, ammonium acetate (CH3COONH4) is selected as a trifunctional electrolyte additive to enhance the electrochemical performance of AZIBs. Research findings show that NH4+ (oxygen ligand) and CH3COO– (hydrogenligand) with preferential adsorption on the Zn electrode surface can not only hinder Zn anode directly contact with active H2O, but also regulate the pH value of the electrolyte, thus suppressing the parasitic reactions. Additionally, the formed SEI is mainly consisted of Zn5(CO3)2(OH)6 with a high Zn2+ transference number, which could achieve a dendrite‐free Zn anode by homogenizing Zn deposition. Consequently, the Zn||Zn symmetric batteries with CH3COONH4‐based electrolyte can operate steadily at an ultrahigh current density of 40 mA cm–2 with a cumulative capacity of 6880 mAh cm–2, especially stable cycling at −10 °C. The assembled Zn||MnO2 full cell and Zn||activated carbon capacitor also deliver prominent electrochemical reversibility. This work provides unique understanding of designing multi‐functional electrolyte additive and promotes a long lifespan at ultrahigh current density for AZIBs. Zn metal anode enabled by CH3COONH4 electrolyte additive for dendrite‐free embraced extraordinary rate‐performance and high reversibility with a cumulative capacity of 6880 mAh cm–2 at an ultrahigh current density of 40 mA cm–2, superior to other Zn anode. The Zn||Zn symmetrical cells with attractive cycling performance stabilize over 900 h at a low temperature of −10 °C.

The Pt-chitosan-TiO2 charge transfer (CT) complex was synthesized via the sol-gel and impregnation method. The synthesized photocatalysts were thoroughly characterized, and their photocatalytic activity were evaluated toward H2 production through water reduction under visible-light irradiation. The effect of the preparation conditions of the photocatalysts (the degree of deacetylation of chitosan, addition amount of chitosan, and calcination temperature) on the photocatalytic activity was discussed. The optimal Pt-10%DD75-T200 showed a H2 generation rate of 280.4 μmol within 3 h. The remarkable visible-light photocatalytic activity of Pt-chitosan-TiO2 was due to the CT complex formation between chitosan and TiO2, which extended the visible-light absorption and induced the ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT). The photocatalytic mechanism of Pt-chitosan-TiO2 was also investigated. This paper outlines a new and facile pathway for designing novel visible-light-driven photocatalysts that are based on TiO2 modified by polysaccharide biomass wastes that are widely found in nature.

Developing electrodes with long lifespan and wide-temperature adaptability is crucial important to achieve high-performance sodium/potassium-ion batteries (SIBs/PIBs). Herein, the SnSe2-SePAN composite was fabricated for extraordinarily stable and wide-temperature range SIBs/PIBs through a coupling strategy between controllable electrospinning and selenylation, in which SnSe2 nanoparticles were uniformly encapsulated in the SePAN matrix. The unique structure of SnSe2-SePAN not only relieves drastic volume variation but also guarantees the structural integrity of the composite, endowing SnSe2-SePAN with excellent sodium/potassium storage properties. Consequently, SnSe2-SePAN displays a high sodium storage capacity and excellent feasibility in a wide working temperature range (−15 to 60°C: 300 mAh g−1/700 cycles/−15°C; 352 mAh g−1/100 cycles/60°C at 0.5 A g−1). At room temperature, it delivers a record-ultralong cycling life of 192 mAh g−1 that exceeds 66 000 cycles even at 15 A g−1. It exhibits extremely superb electrochemical performance in PIBs (157 mAh g−1 exceeding 15 000 cycles at 5 A g−1). The ex situ XRD and TEM results attest the conversion-alloy mechanism of SnSe2-SePAN. Also, computational calculations verify that SePAN takes an important role in intensifying the electrochemical performance of SnSe2-SePAN electrode. Therefore, this study breaks new ground on solving the polyselenide dissolution issue and improving the wide temperature workable performance of sodium/potassium storage.

In this study, 7647 scrapped pieces of teaching and research equipment (T&R equipment) in an application-oriented university in China in 2024 were employed to assess their carbon emissions using lifecycle analysis. A lifecycle accounting framework was established based on expenditure–environmental expansion input–output (EEIO) models, and the greenhouse gas emissions across the producing, using, and scrapping stages of the T&R equipment at this type of university were estimated. Carbon emission reduction pathways for T&R equipment at this type of university were proposed. It is clear that the lifecycle emissions of the scrapped equipment at this type of university equal 8350.8 tCO2, including producing, using, and scrapping stage emissions of 2277.9 tCO2, 5848.9 tCO2, and 223.9 tCO2, respectively. It is noted that the producing stage accounts for the dominant contributor to carbon emissions, with 70.0% of the total amount. In view of subcategory emissions, information technology equipment (A0201) contributes the most emissions, with 18.0% during the producing and scrapping stages, whereas instruments (A0210) and electrical/electronic production equipment (A0233) contribute the most, with 21.4% and 15.7%, in the using stage. The results of scenario analysis show that, for most equipment, total carbon emissions can be reduced by about 233 tCO2/a on average if scrapped one year in advance. However, for information technology equipment (A0201), emissions increase by 48 tCO2/a. This method offers comparability and replicability in scenarios lacking physical measurements, providing quantitative evidence and carbon reduction pathways for green procurement, asset renewal, and end-of-life recycling in higher education institutions.

Co3O4 nanoparticles-assembled microrods (Mic-Co3O4) were successfully synthesized with the precursor of Co-BTC (BTC = 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid) and applied for efficient propane (C3H8) oxidation. It shows a higher reaction rate of 4.14 μmolC3H8 gcat−1 s−1 at 250 °C, when it is only 1.18 μmolC3H8 gcat−1 s−1 obtained over Co3O4 nanoparticles (Np-Co3O4) via direct calcination of cobalt nitrate. Moreover, Mic-Co3O4 remains the original morphology of Co-BTC MOF, and the keeping pores enhance the microrod rigidity, hindering nanoparticles growth and thus resulting in superior thermal stability. After 12 h of durability test at 500 °C, the size of Mic-Co3O4 nanoparticles increases slightly from 62 to 70 nm, whereas it is from 97 to 130 nm for Np-Co3O4. Meanwhile, the calcination of Co-BTC precursor can induce large amounts of surface Co2+, favoring activation of adsorptive oxygen species. This can promote oxygen mobility, which is helpful for total propane oxidation.

Aqueous rechargeable batteries are safe and environmentally friendly and can be made at a low cost; as such, they are attracting attention in the field of energy storage. However, the temperature sensitivity of aqueous batteries hinders their practical application. The solvent water freezes at low temperatures, and there is a reduction in ionic conductivity, whereas it evaporates rapidly at high temperatures, which causes increased side reactions. This review discusses recent progress in improving the performance of aqueous batteries, mainly with respect to electrolyte engineering and the associated strategies employed to achieve such improvements over a wide temperature domain. The review focuses on five electrolyte engineering (aqueous high-concentration electrolytes, organic electrolytes, quasi-solid/solid electrolytes, hybrid electrolytes, and eutectic electrolytes) and investigates the mechanisms involved in reducing the solidification point and boiling point of the electrolyte and enhancing the extreme-temperature electrochemical performance. Finally, the prospect of further improving the wide temperature range performance of aqueous rechargeable batteries is presented.

Using biodegradable blending materials is one of the most effective ways to address plastic pollution but it is hindered by its poor interfacial interaction along with high costs. Herein, an envirionmentally friendly filler, camellia seed powder (CSP)−a byproduct of camellia seed after defatting, is reported, which is first served as a compatibilizer in polylactic acid (PLA)/polybutylene succinate (PBS) blends without any other aids or complicated pretreatment, effectively toughening the PLA/PBS blends due to a better interfacial interaction. The results show that the toughness of composites increases with CSP content. With the addition of 30 phr CSP, its impact strength and elongation at break increase by 44.31% and 148.42%, respectively, as compared with the blend without CSP. The combined effects of improved interfacial bonding, reduced particle size of PBS and efficient stress transfer are responsible for the toughness enhancement. The compatibilization mechanism is proposed that ─COOH groups in PLA and PBS react with ─NH2 in CSP. The above finding of CSP as a compatibilizer provides a facile and inexpensive strategy in the fabrication of high‐performance biodegradable materials. This work reports an environment‐friendly filler, camellia seed powder (CSP), is first utilized to reinforce and modify PLA/PBS blends without any other aids, owing to some of the ─COOH in PLA and PBS reacts with ─NH2 in CSP to form ─C─N─ bond.

Manganese‐based compounds have been regarded as the most promising cathode materials for rechargeable aqueous zinc‐ion batteries (AZIBs) due to their high theoretical capacity. Unfortunately, aqueous Zn–manganese dioxide (MnO2) batteries have poor cycling stability and are unstable across a wide temperature range, severely limiting their commercial application. Cationic preinsertion and defect engineering might increase active sites and electron delocalization, which render the high mobility of the MnO2 cathode when operated across a wide temperature range. In the present work, for the first time, we successfully introduced lithium ions and ammonium ions into manganese dioxide (LNMOd@CC) by an electrodeposition combined with low‐temperature calcination route using spent lithium manganate as a raw material. The obtained LNMOd@CC exhibits a high reversible capacity (300 mAh g−1 at 1 A g−1) and an outstanding long lifespan of over 9000 cycles at 5.0 A g−1 with a capacity of 152 mAh g−1, which is significant for both the high‐value recycling of spent lithium manganate batteries and high‐performance modification for MnO2 cathodes. Besides, the LNMOd@CC demonstrates excellent electrochemical performance across wide temperature ranges (0–50°C). This strategy simultaneously alleviates the shortage of raw materials and fabricates electrodes for new battery systems. This work provides a new strategy for recovering cathode materials of spent lithium‐ion batteries and designing aqueous multivalent ion batteries. Fabrication of manganese oxides with cationic predoped and oxygen defects to facilitate the zinc storage in wide‐temperature workable. The high reversible capacity of 152 mAh g−1 was achieved even after 9000 cycles at a high current density of 5 A g−1, which is comparable to other cathodes of zinc‐ion batteries. The Zn//LNMOd@CC batteries with attractive cycling performance are stable for more than 850 cycles at a low temperature of 0°C.

The S-doped Sb 2 O 3 nanocrystals were successfully synthesized using SbCl 3 and thioacetamide (TAA) as precursors via a facile one-step hydrothermal method. The effects of pH of the precursor reaction solution on the product composition and property were determined. The results indicated that the doping amount of S could be tuned by adjusting the pH of the precursor solution. Furthermore, the S entered into the interstitial site of Sb 2 O 3 crystals as S 2− , which broadened the absorption wavelength range of the Sb 2 O 3 nanocrystal. The S-doped Sb 2 O 3 exhibited an excellent visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity in the decomposition of methyl orange and 4-phenylazophenol. Last, a possible photocatalytic mechanism of the S-doped Sb 2 O 3 under visible light irradiation was proposed.