CuO,as a promising photocathode material,suffers from severe photocorrosion in photoelectrochemical water splitting applications.Herein,a Cu_(3)N protection shell was used to protect the CuO photocathode for the first...CuO,as a promising photocathode material,suffers from severe photocorrosion in photoelectrochemical water splitting applications.Herein,a Cu_(3)N protection shell was used to protect the CuO photocathode for the first time to effectively suppress the photocorrosion of CuO.Consequently,the Cu_(3)N‐protected CuO photocathode shows improved stability,retaining 80% of its initial current density in a 20‐min test,while only 10%of the initial current density can be retained for the bare photocathode.This work may provide an important strategy for using Cu_(3)N shells to stabilize unstable photocathodes.展开更多
Lithium(Li)metal anodes have the potential to stimulate the development of secondary batteries due to their high theoretical specific capacities and low redox potentials among all possible solid secondary anode compou...Lithium(Li)metal anodes have the potential to stimulate the development of secondary batteries due to their high theoretical specific capacities and low redox potentials among all possible solid secondary anode compounds.However,the growth of Li dendrites during repeated Li stripping/plating processes leads to low coulombic efficiencies(CEs)and safety hazards,which significantly hinders their practical application.In this work,commercial Cu foil was modified in situ by Cu_(3)N nanowires(Cu_(3)N NWs/Cu)and used as the current collector for a Li anode.In addition to decreasing the true current density of the anode and alleviating the volume change during the cycles,Cu_(3)N reacted with Li during the initial cycle(3Li+Cu_(3)N→Li_(3)N+3Cu),which enabled the formation of a Li_(3)N-rich solid electrolyte interphase(SEI).This Li_(3)N-rich SEI with a high ionic conductivity not only boosted Li ion transport but also promoted the homogeneous deposition of Li via increased Li nucleation sites.The improvements in both mass transport and deposition dynamics restrained dendrite growth.As a result,the Cu_(3)N NWs/Cu anode had stable Li plating/stripping over 270 cycles with a high average CE of 98.6% at 1 mA cm^(-2),with Li capacities of 1 mA h cm^(-2).A long cycling lifespan of 430 cycles was achieved using a full cell with a high-load LiFePO_(4) cathode(mass loading:10 mg cm^(-2))and a Cu_(3)N NWs/Cu-Li anode(N/P=2.35),demonstrating the effectiveness and practicality of the Cu_(3)N NWs/Cu current collector in stabilizing the Li anode.展开更多
Multifunctional catalysts that exhibit high catalytic performance for the hydrogen evolution reaction(HER),oxygen evolution reaction(OER),and oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)in a single material hold great promise for b...Multifunctional catalysts that exhibit high catalytic performance for the hydrogen evolution reaction(HER),oxygen evolution reaction(OER),and oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)in a single material hold great promise for broad-spectrum applications,including overall water splitting,fuel cells,and metal-air batteries.In this first-principles study,Cu_(3) N is computationally demonstrated as a multifunctional electrocatalyst for the HER,OER,and ORR owing to the unique coordination of N and Cu atoms on the(001)surface.Cu_(3) N exhibits better HER catalytic activity than noble Pt-based catalysts.Furthermore,its OER and ORR catalytic activity is comparable to that of commercialized unifunctional catalysts,and its 4e-pathway selectivity is high during the ORR.The catalytic performance of the ORR is significantly improved by the introduction of vacancy defects.The integration of highly efficient HER,OER,and ORR catalytic performance in earth-abundant Cu_(3) N not only opens an avenue for developing cost-efficient omnipotent catalysts but also facilitates advances in clean and renewable energy.展开更多
文摘CuO,as a promising photocathode material,suffers from severe photocorrosion in photoelectrochemical water splitting applications.Herein,a Cu_(3)N protection shell was used to protect the CuO photocathode for the first time to effectively suppress the photocorrosion of CuO.Consequently,the Cu_(3)N‐protected CuO photocathode shows improved stability,retaining 80% of its initial current density in a 20‐min test,while only 10%of the initial current density can be retained for the bare photocathode.This work may provide an important strategy for using Cu_(3)N shells to stabilize unstable photocathodes.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(22075091)the Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province(2021CFA066)the“Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities”(2021yjsCXCY026)。
文摘Lithium(Li)metal anodes have the potential to stimulate the development of secondary batteries due to their high theoretical specific capacities and low redox potentials among all possible solid secondary anode compounds.However,the growth of Li dendrites during repeated Li stripping/plating processes leads to low coulombic efficiencies(CEs)and safety hazards,which significantly hinders their practical application.In this work,commercial Cu foil was modified in situ by Cu_(3)N nanowires(Cu_(3)N NWs/Cu)and used as the current collector for a Li anode.In addition to decreasing the true current density of the anode and alleviating the volume change during the cycles,Cu_(3)N reacted with Li during the initial cycle(3Li+Cu_(3)N→Li_(3)N+3Cu),which enabled the formation of a Li_(3)N-rich solid electrolyte interphase(SEI).This Li_(3)N-rich SEI with a high ionic conductivity not only boosted Li ion transport but also promoted the homogeneous deposition of Li via increased Li nucleation sites.The improvements in both mass transport and deposition dynamics restrained dendrite growth.As a result,the Cu_(3)N NWs/Cu anode had stable Li plating/stripping over 270 cycles with a high average CE of 98.6% at 1 mA cm^(-2),with Li capacities of 1 mA h cm^(-2).A long cycling lifespan of 430 cycles was achieved using a full cell with a high-load LiFePO_(4) cathode(mass loading:10 mg cm^(-2))and a Cu_(3)N NWs/Cu-Li anode(N/P=2.35),demonstrating the effectiveness and practicality of the Cu_(3)N NWs/Cu current collector in stabilizing the Li anode.
基金supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Shan-dong Province(ZR2021QA089)Doctor Foundation of Yantai Uni-versity(No.2220005).
文摘Multifunctional catalysts that exhibit high catalytic performance for the hydrogen evolution reaction(HER),oxygen evolution reaction(OER),and oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)in a single material hold great promise for broad-spectrum applications,including overall water splitting,fuel cells,and metal-air batteries.In this first-principles study,Cu_(3) N is computationally demonstrated as a multifunctional electrocatalyst for the HER,OER,and ORR owing to the unique coordination of N and Cu atoms on the(001)surface.Cu_(3) N exhibits better HER catalytic activity than noble Pt-based catalysts.Furthermore,its OER and ORR catalytic activity is comparable to that of commercialized unifunctional catalysts,and its 4e-pathway selectivity is high during the ORR.The catalytic performance of the ORR is significantly improved by the introduction of vacancy defects.The integration of highly efficient HER,OER,and ORR catalytic performance in earth-abundant Cu_(3) N not only opens an avenue for developing cost-efficient omnipotent catalysts but also facilitates advances in clean and renewable energy.
