Science China. Materials 

About: Science China. Materials is an academic journal published by Springer Science+Business Media. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Materials science & Catalysis. It has an ISSN identifier of 2095-8226. Over the lifetime, 1924 publications have been published receiving 32783 citations.

Science and technology in high-entropy alloys

Abstract: As human improve their ability to fabricate materials, alloys have evolved from simple to complex compositions, accordingly improving functions and performances, promoting the advancements of human civilization. In recent years, high-entropy alloys (HEAs) have attracted tremendous attention in various fields. With multiple principal components, they inherently possess unique microstructures and many impressive properties, such as high strength and hardness, excellent corrosion resistance, thermal stability, fatigue, fracture, and irradiation resistance, in terms of which they overwhelm the traditional alloys. All these properties have endowed HEAs with many promising potential applications. An in-depth understanding of the essence of HEAs is important to further developing numerous HEAs with better properties and performance in the future. In this paper, we review the recent development of HEAs, and summarize their preparation methods, composition design, phase formation and microstructures, various properties, and modeling and simulation calculations. In addition, the future trends and prospects of HEAs are put forward.

Design and fabrication of semiconductor photocatalyst for photocatalytic reduction of CO 2 to solar fuel

Abstract: The shortage of fossil fuels and the disastrous pollution of the environment have led to an increasing interest in artificial photosynthesis. The photocatalytic conversion of CO2 into solar fuel is believed to be one of the best methods to overcome both the energy crisis and environmental problems. It is of significant importance to efficiently manage the surface reactions and the photo-generated charge carriers to maximize the activity and selectivity of semiconductor photocatalysts for photoconversion of CO2 and H2O to solar fuel. To date, a variety of strategies have been developed to boost their photocatalytic activity and selectivity for CO2 photoreduction. Based on the analysis of limited factors in improving the photocatalytic efficiency and selectivity, this review attempts to summarize these strategies and their corresponding design principles, including increased visible-light excitation, promoted charge transfer and separation, enhanced adsorption and activation of CO2, accelerated CO2 reduction kinetics and suppressed undesirable reaction. Furthermore, we not only provide a summary of the recent progress in the rational design and fabrication of highly active and selective photocatalysts for the photoreduction of CO2, but also offer some fundamental insights into designing highly efficient photocatalysts for water splitting or pollutant degradation.

Nanostructured CdS for efficient photocatalytic H 2 evolution: A review

Abstract: Cadmium sulfide (CdS)-based photocatalysts have attracted extensive attention owing to their strong visible light absorption, suitable band energy levels, and excellent electronic charge transportation properties. This review focuses on the recent progress related to the design, modification, and construction of CdS-based photocatalysts with excellent photocatalytic H2 evolution performances. First, the basic concepts and mechanisms of photocatalytic H2 evolution are briefly introduced. Thereafter, the fundamental properties, important advancements, and bottlenecks of CdS in photocatalytic H2 generation are presented in detail to provide an overview of the potential of this material. Subsequently, various modification strategies adopted for CdS-based photocatalysts to yield solar H2 are discussed, among which the effective approaches aim at generating more charge carriers, promoting efficient charge separation, boosting interfacial charge transfer, accelerating charge utilization, and suppressing charge-induced self-photocorrosion. The critical factors governing the performance of the photocatalyst and the feasibility of each modification strategy toward shaping future research directions are comprehensively discussed with examples. Finally, the prospects and challenges encountered in developing nanostructured CdS and CdS-based nanocomposites in photocatalytic H2 evolution are presented.

Beyond Li-ion: electrode materials for sodium- and magnesium-ion batteries

Abstract: The need for economical and sustainable energy storage drives battery research today. While Li-ion batteries are the most mature technology, scalable electrochemical energy storage applications benefit from reductions in cost and improved safety. Sodium- and magnesium-ion batteries are two technologies that may prove to be viable alternatives. Both metals are cheaper and more abundant than Li, and have better safety characteristics, while divalent magnesium has the added bonus of passing twice as much charge per atom. On the other hand, both are still emerging fields of research with challenges to overcome. For example, electrodes incorporating Na+ are often pulverized under the repeated strain of shuttling the relatively large ion, while insertion and transport of Mg2+ is often kinetically slow, which stems from larger electrostatic forces. This review provides an overview of cathode and anode materials for sodium-ion batteries, and a comprehensive summary of research on cathodes for magnesium-ion batteries. In addition, several common experimental discrepancies in the literature are addressed, noting the additional constraints placed on magnesium electrochemistry. Lastly, promising strategies for future study are highlighted.

Biomass-derived carbon materials with structural diversities and their applications in energy storage

Abstract: Currently, carbon materials, such as graphene, carbon nanotubes, activated carbon, porous carbon, have been successfully applied in energy storage area by taking advantage of their structural and functional diversity. However, the development of advanced science and technology has spurred demands for green and sustainable energy storage materials. Biomass-derived carbon, as a type of electrode materials, has attracted much attention because of its structural diversities, adjustable physical/chemical properties, environmental friendliness and considerable economic value. Because the nature contributes the biomass with bizarre microstructures, the biomass-derived carbon materials also show naturally structural diversities, such as 0D spherical, 1D fibrous, 2D lamellar and 3D spatial structures. In this review, the structure design of biomass-derived carbon materials for energy storage is presented. The effects of structural diversity, porosity and surface heteroatom doping of biomass-derived carbon materials in supercapacitors, lithium-ion batteries and sodium-ion batteries are discussed in detail. In addition, the new trends and challenges in biomass-derived carbon materials have also been proposed for further rational design of biomass-derived carbon materials for energy storage.