Industrially, NH3 synthesis is largely dependent on the Haber–Bosch method which consumes a lot of energy and emits huge amounts of CO2. Recently, the electrochemical N2 reduction reaction (NRR) has been recognized as a promising method to achieve clean and sustainable NH3 production, thus highly efficient and durable catalysts are urgently desired. In this paper, we report a MOF-derived carbon/Y-stabilized ZrO2 nanocomposite (C@YSZ) that works as an efficient electrocatalyst for NRR in 0.1 M Na2SO4. It achieves a large NH3 production of 24.6 μg h−1 mgcat.−1 and a high faradaic efficiency of 8.2% at −0.5 V vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode. The experimental results demonstrate that the surface oxygen vacancies are the main catalytic sites for NRR. Introducing Y3+ into the ZrO2 lattice has a significant effect to increase and stabilize the O-vacancies. Meanwhile, this catalyst displays remarkable stability and durability for NRR, showing negligible change after 7 days reaction, which is better than most reported NRR electrocatalysts. Moreover, an in situ electrochemical quartz-crystal microbalance (EQCM) was applied in the NRR field for the first time and was successfully combined with density functional theory (DFT) calculations to reveal the deactivation mechanism.

Long-term electrocatalytic N2 fixation by MOF-derived Y-stabilized ZrO2: insight into the deactivation mechanism

Desalination is one of the most effective strategies to solve the problem of freshwater shortage, which is one of the most critical challenges facing global development. Recently, the desalination battery has become an emerging desalination technology thanks to its high salt-removal capacity enabled by the high capacity of battery electrodes and low energy consumption mainly rooted from the high energy recovery during the discharge process. To promote the development of the desalination battery, we must understand the recent advances and the remaining issues in the field. Herein, we comprehensively review the development of the concept and the electrode materials for a desalination battery, summarize the performance of a full desalination battery, and propose perspectives and guidelines.

Recent Advances in Desalination Battery: An Initial Review

Owing to the advantages of cost-effectiveness, environmental-friendliness and high desalination capacity, capacitive deionization (CDI) has emerged as an advanced desalination technique. Recently, the ions intercalation materials inspired by sodium ion batteries have been widely implemented in CDI due to their exceptional salt removal capacity. They are able to extract sodium ions from the brine through intercalation or redox reactions, instead of electrostatic forces associated with the carbonaceous electrode. As a result, the ions intercalation materials have caught the attention of the CDI research community. In this article, the recent progress in various sodium ion intercalation materials as highly-efficient CDI electrodes is summarized and reviewed. Further, an outlook on the future development of ion intercalation electrodes is proposed.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/gch2.202000054

A Brief Review on High-Performance Capacitive Deionization Enabled by Intercalation Electrodes.

An insight into the promotion effect of Na+/vacancy ordering on desalination performance of NaxCoO2

Recently, the rational design and development of efficient faradaic deionization electrodes with high theoretical capacitance, natural abundance, and attractive conductivity have shown great promise for outstanding capacitive deionization (CDI)‐based desalination applications. Herein, the construction of novel FeOOH hybrid heterostructures with Na and Cl dopants (e.g., Na‐FeOOH and Cl‐FeOOH) via a robust hydrothermal strategy is reported, and an asymmetric CDI cell (Na‐FeOOH//Cl‐FeOOH) comprising Na‐FeOOH and Cl‐FeOOH working as the cathode and anode, respectively, is assembled. The multiple coupling effects of the specific structural features (e.g., enriched porosity, hierarchical pore alignment, and highly open crystalline framework), enhanced electrochemical conductivity, and optimized ion‐transfer property endow the FeOOH hybrid electrode with improved electrochemical performance. Impressively, the Na‐FeOOH//Cl‐FeOOH cell demonstrates a superior salt adsorption capacity (SACNaCl) of 35.12 mg g−1 in a 500 mg L−1 NaCl solution, a faster removal rate, and remarkable cycling stability. Moreover, the pseudocapacitive removal mechanism from the synergetic contribution of the Na‐FeOOH cathode and Cl‐FeOOH anode account for the significant desalination promotion of the Na‐FeOOH//Cl‐FeOOH cell.

Efficient and Durable Sodium, Chloride‐doped Iron Oxide‐Hydroxide Nanohybrid‐Promoted Capacitive Deionization of Saline Water via Synergetic Pseudocapacitive Process

Faradaic deionization (FDI) provides an effective solution to respond to the global water crisis. However, the ions intercalation/deintercalation process with multiple redox reactions leads to structural collapse and unstable cyclability. Here, we develop an asymmetrical FDI device assembled by Ca2+-decorated NaxCoO2 (x ≤ 0.71, y ≤ 0.05) as the Faradaic negative electrode and activated carbon as the positive electrode. Na0.27Ca0.03CoO2·0.6H2O was synthesized via a facile sol–gel and chemical oxidation method, which delivered a desalination capacity of 83.5 ± 2.4 mg g–1 and a charge efficiency close to 1, and an inappreciable capacity fading was observed after 50 cycles. It is found that the presence of Ca2+ residing in the face-sharing sites helps to maintain the layered structure and promotes efficient deintercalation of Na+ by anchoring the CoO2 slabs, which results in its unexpected desalination capacity and good cyclability. Moreover, electrochemical quartz-crystal microbalance (EQCM) was successfully...

More Ca 2+ , Less Na + : Increasethe Desalination Capacity and Performance Stability of Na x Ca y CoO 2

The invention discloses a double-ion desalination electrode and a preparation method thereof. An MXene@NTO composite is adopted as an anode material, and a NiCo-Ox@graphene composite or a bamboo shootcarbonized material is adopted as a cathode material. The MXene@NTO comprises components of Ti3C2@Na4Ti5O12N after the reaction product is filtered, the product is washed with deionized water at least twice, and vacuum drying is performed at 30-80 DEG C for at least 10 h to obtain the MXene@NTO composite. The prepared desalination electrode has regular pore structure, high effective surface area, high desalination amount, high desalination rate and low energy consumption, can be applied to preparation of a double-ion capacitor desalination electrode and can be assembled into a double-ion desalination batteryand applied to water environment treatment to rapidly and efficiently remove Na , Cl , SO4 and F in water environments, and a new way is provided for low-energy-consumption and high-performance desalination.

Double-ion desalination electrode and preparation method thereof

3D Diffuse Scattering and Displacement Short-Range Ordering in Pre-martensitic State: A Computational Study

Aiming at the problem of soot concentration measurement under ultra-low emission conditions, a forward small angle soot concentration measurement method is proposed. Taking a typical boiler emission of 0.1 μm–3.0 μm bimodal distribution soot as an object, the particle scatter simulation calculation under different parameters is carried out, and the influence of detection angle and particle size on the angular scatteringmeasurement of ultra-low emission soot is analyzed. The influence of detection angle and particle size on the angular scatteringmeasurement of ultra-low emission soot is analyzed. Preferably, thewavelength of incident light is 650 nm, and the forward detection angle parameter is 15◦ for the design of forward small angle soot concentration measurement system. An experimental system for measuring soot with standard concentration is built. Experiments of particle concentration measurement of 1.0 μm and 3.0 μm under ultra-low emission conditions are carried out. The results show that the average deviation of soot concentration measurement is less than 0.10 mg/m3 under the condition of ultra-low emission by using 15◦ of forward detection, which provides an effective way for monitoring ultra-low emission soot concentration in coal-fired power plants.

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Xiaoxu Guo

Papers

An insight into the promotion effect of Na+/vacancy ordering on desalination performance of NaxCoO2

More Ca 2+ , Less Na + : Increasethe Desalination Capacity and Performance Stability of Na x Ca y CoO 2

Double-ion desalination electrode and preparation method thereof

3D Diffuse Scattering and Displacement Short-Range Ordering in Pre-martensitic State: A Computational Study

Angle Scattering Method for Soot Concentration Measurement under Ultra-Low Emissions Condition