Min Wu,Shumin Liu,Haofu Yuan,Zichao Zhao,Lin Qiao,Xiangkun Ma
Iron-chromium flow batteries (ICFBs) are regarded as one of the most potential large-scale energy storage devices. Nevertheless, the slow dynamics of the Cr 3+ /Cr 2+ redox couples hinder the development of ICFBs. Here, a high-efficiency carbon-loaded bismuth (Bi/C) catalyst is fabricated and introduced on the electrode in situ to improve the dynamics with the assistance of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). To derive the greatest value, we explore the current density anisotropy in ICFB and design a strategy of anisotropy engineering to meet the requirements of the anisotropy for catalysts. In the work, the gradient electrode (G-PBiC/TCF) with a high-efficiency Bi/C catalyst is successfully prepared. In addition, the ICFB assembled with the G-PBiC/TCF(M/m, the side of more catalysts facing the Membrane side) shows excellent battery performance. It can run over 500 cycles with EE of 81.36% at 120 mA cm −2 , which is the longest cycle life reported. Furthermore, the catalytic mechanism and the effect of the catalyst distribution on the performance are explained by the DFT calculation and multi-physical field simulation. This work provides a novel pathway to design that catalyst-supported gradient electrode with high performance and low cost.
Jing Jiang,Ying Xu,Chengmei Tang,Xinzhi Wang,Wei Wei,Lunhong Ai
Plasmonic nanostructures have been demonstrated to be an important class of photothermal absorbers, facilitating solar vapor generation by plasmonic heating. However, the high cost and sophisticated preparation of commonly used plasmonic noble metals pose significant obstacles to practical applications. Here, we report for the first time an affordable plasmonic evaporation system that combines the porous carbon frameworks encapsulated semimetal Bi nanoparticles (Bi-C) and carbon felt (CF). The hydrophilic Bi-C and porous network structure of CF favor effective light harvesting and fast water transmission, promoting photothermal conversion and mass transfer during solar evaporation. Under one sun irradiation, the designed Bi-C/CF exhibits the robust behavior for solar steam generation, achieving an expected high evaporation rate of 1.50 kg·m −2 ·h −1 and a comparable evaporation efficiency of 91.9 %. As a result, the excellent performance of Bi-C/CF not only benefits the sustainable freshwater production from saline water and seawater, but also enables efficient wastewater purification for energy-saving water source remediation.
At present, increasing attention is being paid to photothermal therapy corresponding to the second near infrared (NIR-II) range (1000–1700 nanometers); however, its biomedical applications related to carbon-based nanomaterials (CNMs) have always been limited by the large-scale fabrication of excellent diagnostic probes with a suitable size and optical absorption cross-section. Herein, we successfully prepared Bi@C nanoparticles with a suitable size and high output (3.14 g per patch) through a one-pot hydrothermal method. By combining Bi with carbon, the optical absorption in the NIR-II range was enhanced compared to that for single carbon; moreover, Bi@C could no longer be easily oxidized due to the protection of outer C compared with individual Bi. Furthermore, because of the high atomic number of Bi (Z = 83), the Bi@C nanoparticles exhibited computed imaging contrast properties. According to the in vitro and in vivo experiments, the Bi@C nanoparticles could ablate cancer cells under illumination with a 1064 nm laser with deeper penetration and an appropriate permissible exposure (MPE) to the laser (1 W cm−2), showing excellent performance for the diagnosis and treatment of tumors. This study provides a simple method to synthesize metal–carbon nanocomposites to enhance the NIR-II optical absorption efficiency for effective deep-seated tumor photothermal therapy and will further broaden the applications of CNMs.
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