Graphene Caging Silicon Particles for High‐Performance Lithium‐Ion Batteries

Silicon holds great promise as an anode material for lithium‐ion batteries with higher energy density; its implication, however, is limited by rapid capacity fading. A catalytic growth of graphene cages on composite particles of magnesium oxide and silicon, which are made by magnesiothermic reduction reaction of silica particles, is reported herein. Catalyzed by the magnesium oxide, graphene cages can be conformally grown onto the composite particles, leading to the formation of hollow graphene‐encapsulated Si particles. Such materials exhibit excellent lithium storage properties in terms of high specific capacity, remarkable rate capability (890 mAh g^?1 at 5 A g^?1), and good cycling retention over 200 cycles with consistently high coulombic efficiency at a current density of 1 A g^?1. A full battery test using LiCoO₂ as the cathode demonstrates a high energy density of 329 Wh kg^?1.     

Let There be Light: Polymeric Micelles with Upper Critical Solution Temperature as Light‐Triggered Heat Nanogenerators for Combating Drug‐Resistant Cancer

Complete drug release and efficient drug retention are two critical factors in reversing drug resistance in cancer therapy. In this regard, polymeric micelles with an upper critical solution temperature (UCST) are designed as a new exploration to reverse drug resistance. The amphiphilic UCST‐type block copolymers are used to encapsulate photothermal agent IR780 and doxorubicin (DOX) simultaneously. The integrated UCST‐type drug nanocarriers show light‐triggered multiple synergistic effects to reverse drug resistance and are expected to kill three birds with one stone: First, owing to the photothermal effect of IR780, the nanocarriers will be dissociated upon exposure to laser irradiation, leading to complete drug release. Second, the photothermal effect‐induced hyperthermia is expected to avoid the efflux of DOX and realize efficient drug retention. Last but not least, photothermal ablation of cancer cells can be achieved after laser irradiation. Therefore, the UCST‐type drug nanocarriers provide a new strategy in reversing drug resistance in cancer therapy.     

Crystallization‐Induced Emission Enhancement of a Deep‐Blue Luminescence Material with Tunable Mechano‐ and Thermochromism

Organic luminescent materials with the ability to reversibly switch the luminescence when subjected to external stimuli have attracted considerable interest in recent years. However, the examples of luminescent materials that exhibit multiresponsive properties are rarely reported. In this work, a new stimuli‐responsive dye P1 is designed and synthesized with two identical chromophores of naphthalimide, one at each side of an amidoamine‐based spacer. This amide‐rich molecule offers many possibilities for forming intra‐ and intermolecular hydrogen bond interactions. Particularly, P1 has an intrinsic property of cocrystallizing with methanol. Compared with the pristine P1 sample, the as‐prepared two‐component cocrystalline material displays an exceptive deep‐blue emission, which is extremely rare among naphthalimide‐based molecules in the solid state. Furthermore, the target material exhibits an obvious mechanochromic fluorescent behavior and a large spectral shift under force stimuli. On the other hand, the cocrystalline material shows an unusual “turn off” thermochromic luminescence accompanied by solvent evaporation. Moreover, using external stimuli to reversibly manipulate fluorescent quantum yields is rarely reported to date. The results demonstrate the feasibility of a new design strategy for solid‐state luminescence switching materials: the incorporation of solvents into organic compounds by cocrystallization to obtain a crystalline state luminescence system.     

Light‐Activated,Multi‐Semiconductor Hybrid Microswimmers

Using a dynamic fabrication process, hybrid, photoactivated microswimmers made from two different semiconductors, titanium dioxide (TiO₂) and cuprous oxide (Cu₂O) are developed, where each material occupies a distinct portion of the multiconstituent particles. Structured light‐activated microswimmers made from only TiO₂ or Cu₂O are observed to be driven in hydrogen peroxide and water most vigorously under UV or blue light, respectively, whereas hybrid structures made from both of these materials exhibit wavelength‐dependent modes of motion due to the disparate responses of each photocatalyst. It is also found that the hybrid particles are activated in water alone, a behavior which is not observed in those made from a single semiconductor, and thus, the system may open up a new class of fuel‐free photoactive colloids that take advantage of semiconductor heterojunctions. The TiO₂/Cu₂O hybrid microswimmer presented here is but an example of a broader method for inducing different modes of motion in a single light‐activated particle, which is not limited to the specific geometries and materials presented in this study.     

The Influence of Carbon Nitride Nanosheets Doping on the Crystalline Formation of MIL‐88B(Fe) and the Photocatalytic Activities

In this research, bulk graphitic carbon nitride (g‐C₃N₄) is exfoliated and transferred to the carbon nitride nanosheets (CNNSs), which are then coupled with MIL‐88B(Fe) to form the hybrid. From the results of the powder X‐ray diffraction, scanning electronic microscopy and thermogravimetric analysis, it is found that the doping of CNNSs on the surface of MIL‐88(Fe) could maintain the basic structure of MIL‐88B(Fe), and the smaller dimension of CNNSs might influence the crystallization process of metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) compared to bulk g‐C₃N₄. Besides, the effects of the CNNSs incorporation on photocatalysis are also investigated. Through the photoluminescence spectra, electrochemical measurements, and photocatalytic experiments, the hybrid containing 6% CNNSs is certified to possess the highest catalytic activity to degrade methylene blue and reduce Cr(VI) under visible light. The improvement of the photocatalytic performance can be attributed to the matched energy level which favors the formation of the heterojunctions. Besides, it promotes the charge migration such that the contact between MOFs and CNNSs is more intimate, which can be inferred from the electronic microscopy images. Finally, a possible photocatalytic mechanism is put forward by the relative calculation and the employment of the scavengers to trap the active species.     

Fabrication of Micropatterned Dipeptide Hydrogels by Acoustic Trapping of Stimulus‐Responsive Coacervate Droplets

Acoustic standing waves offer an excellent opportunity to trap and spatially manipulate colloidal objects. This noncontact technique is used for the in situ formation and patterning in aqueous solution of 1D or 2D arrays of pH‐responsive coacervate microdroplets comprising poly(diallyldimethylammonium) chloride and the dipeptide N‐fluorenyl‐9‐methoxy‐carbonyl‐D‐alanine‐D‐alanine. Decreasing the pH of the preformed droplet arrays results in dipeptide nanofilament self‐assembly and subsequent formation of a micropatterned supramolecular hydrogel that can be removed as a self‐supporting monolith. Guest molecules such as molecular dyes, proteins, and oligonucleotides are sequestered specifically within the coacervate droplets during acoustic processing to produce micropatterned hydrogels containing spatially organized functional components. Using this strategy, the site‐specific isolation of multiple enzymes to drive a catalytic cascade within the micropatterned hydrogel films is exploited.     

Composite‐Structure Material Design for High‐Energy Lithium Storage

High‐energy storage devices are in demand for the rapid development of modern society. Until now, many kinds of energy storage devices, such as lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs), sodium‐ion batteries (NIBs), and so on, have been developed in the past 30 years. However, most of the commercially exploited and studied active electrode materials of these energy storage devices possess a single phase with low reversible capacity or unsatisfied cycle stability. Continuous and extensive research efforts are made to develop alternative materials with a higher specific energy density and long cycle life by element doping or surface modification. A novel strategy of forming composite‐structure electrode materials by introducing structure units has attracted great attention in recent years. Herein, based on previous publications on these composite‐structure materials, some important scientific points focusing on the design of composite‐structure materials for better electrochemical performances reveal the distinction of composite structures based on average and local structure analysis methods, and an understanding of the relationship between these interior composite structures and their electrochemical performances is discussed thoroughly. The lithiation/delithiation mechanism and the remaining challenges and perspectives for composite‐structure electrode materials are also elaborated.     

Tailoring NiO Nanostructured Arrays by Sulfate Anions for Sodium‐Ion Batteries

In this contribution, a novel sulfate‐ion‐controlled synthesis is developed to fabricate freestanding nickel hydroxide nanoarrays on Ni substrate. As an inorganic morphology‐controlled agent, SO₄²⁻ ions play a critical role in controlling the crystal growth and the nanoarray morphologies, by modulating the growth rate of adsorbed crystal facets or inserting into the metal hydroxide interlayers. By controlling the SO₄²⁻ concentration, the nanostructured arrays are tailored from one‐dimensional (1D) Ni(SO₄)_0.3(OH)_1.4 nanobelt arrays to hierarchical β ‐ Ni(OH)₂ nanosheet arrays. With further graphene oxide modification and postheat treatment, the obtained NiO/graphene hybrid nanoarrays show great potential for high‐performance sodium‐ion batteries, which exhibit a cyclability of 380 mAh g⁻¹ after undergoing 100 cycles at 0.5 C and reach a rate capability of 335 mA h g⁻¹ at 10 C.     

Aliphatic Polycarbonate‐Based Solid‐State Polymer Electrolytes for Advanced Lithium Batteries: Advances and Perspective

Conventional liquid electrolytes based lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) might suffer from serious safety hazards. Solid‐state polymer electrolytes (SPEs) are very promising candidate with high security for advanced LIBs. However, the quintessential frailties of pristine polyethylene oxide/lithium salts SPEs are poor ionic conductivity (≈10⁻⁸ S cm⁻¹) at 25 °C and narrow electrochemical window (<4 V). Many innovative researches are carried out to enhance their lithium‐ion conductivity (10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹ at 25 °C), which is still far from meeting the needs of high‐performance power LIBs at ambient temperature. Therefore, it is a pressing urgency of exploring novel polymer host materials for advanced SPEs aimed to develop high‐performance solid lithium batteries. Aliphatic polycarbonate, an emerging and promising solid polymer electrolyte, has attracted much attention of academia and industry. The amorphous structure, flexible chain segments, and high dielectric constant endow this class of polymer electrolyte excellent comprehensive performance especially in ionic conductivity, electrochemical stability, and thermally dimensional stability. To date, many types of aliphatic polycarbonate solid polymer electrolyte are discovered. Herein, the latest developments on aliphatic polycarbonate SPEs for solid‐state lithium batteries are summarized. Finally, main challenges and perspective of aliphatic polycarbonate solid polymer electrolytes are illustrated at the end of this review.