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Bimetallic layered double hydroxide is considered an ideal electrocatalytic material. However, due to the poor electrical conductivity of the bimetallic layered structure, obtaining highly active and stable catalysts through facile regulation strategies remains a great challenge. Herein, we use a simple corrosion strategy and nitrogen plasma technology to convert cobalt-based metal–organic frameworks into nitrogen-doped CoMn bimetallic layered double hydroxides (CoMn-LDH). Under the condition of regulating the local coordination environment of the catalytic active site and the presence of rich oxygen vacancy defects, N@CoMn-LDH/CC generates a low overpotential of 219 mV at 10 mA cm–2, which exceeds that of the commercial RuO2catalyst. Density functional theory calculation shows that nitrogen doping improves the adsorption energy of the Mn site for oxygen evolution intermediates and reduces the reaction energy barrier of the Co site. Meanwhile, experiments and theoretical calculations verify that the mechanism of nitrogen doping regulating the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) follows the lattice oxygen oxidation mechanism, avoiding the collapse of the structure caused by catalyst reconstruction, thus improving the stability of oxygen evolution. This work provides a new simple strategy for the preparation of catalysts for a superior electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction.

The bismuth oxycarbonate (Bi2O2CO3) material with a strong electric field as intercalation of lithium-sulfur battery to effectively catalyze the transformation of polysulfide and inhibit shuttle effect.

Rational design of the sulfur cathode structure enables effective adsorption of polysulfides and accelerates the sulfur reduction reaction, which is of great significance to the practical application of lithium–sulfur batteries. Here, P-doped carbon foam (PCF) as a sulfur host for the lithium–sulfur battery cathode was successfully synthesized by a facile strategy. The tailored hierarchical pore structure combined with P doping not only facilitates Li+diffusion but also enhances the adsorption and accelerates the catalytic conversion of lithium polysulfides, thus significantly improving lithium storage performance of the PCF/S cathode.

We reported a template-free and facile synthetic route to engineer thickness-tunable ultrathin two-dimensional (2D) porous carbon nanosheets (U-PCNS) for advanced lithium–sulfur batteries. The thickness-dependent interfacial properties, e.g., the specific surface area, porosity, and the oxygen doping level, have significantly improved mass/charge transfer and polysulfide chemisorption of U-PCNS. It is worth noting that the thickness of U-PCNS is vitally sensitive to the initial water concentration, which manipulates viscosity of hydrogels, hydrogen bonding between polymers, polymer assembly manner, and thus the thickness of as-prepared carbon nanosheets. The enhanced interfacial properties of U-PCNS endow lithium–sulfur cathodes with excellent rate capability at 0.2C, outstanding cycle life over 1000 cycles, and an area-specific capacity up to 4.02 mAh cm–2.

Solid-state electrolytes (SSEs), as the heart of all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs), are recognized as the next-generation energy storage solution, offering high safety, extended cycle life, and superior energy density. SSEs play a pivotal role in ion transport and electron separation. Nonetheless, interface compatibility and stability issues pose significant obstacles to further enhancing ASSB performance. Extensive research has demonstrated that interface control methods can effectively elevate ASSB performance. This review delves into the advancements and recent progress of SSEs in interfacial engineering over the past years. We discuss the detailed effects of various regulation strategies and directions on performance, encompassing enhancing Li+mobility, reducing energy barriers, immobilizing anions, introducing interlayers, and constructing unique structures. This review offers fresh perspectives on the development of high-performance lithium–metal ASSBs.

The construction of heterostructures is one of the most promising strategies for engineering interfaces of catalysts to perform high-efficiency oxygen evolution reaction (OER). However, accurately tuning heterostructures’ interface during operation remains a challenge. Herein, we fabricated the needled-like heterostructure Co1–xS/Co(OH)F supported on flexible carbon fiber cloth viaan atomic substitution strategy, in which sulfur atoms are simultaneously grafted into F vacancies after the partial removal of F atoms from Co(OH)F during the electrodeposition, thus achieving the growth of cobalt sulfide on the interface of Co(OH)F. This electrocatalyst with such design exhibits the following advantages: (1) The lattice distortion caused by atomic substitution leads to the increase of active sites; (2) Co1–xS constructed on the surface of Co(OH)F by the atomic replacement strategy optimizes the adsorption (OH–) and desorption (O2) energy in the OER process; (3) the needle-like structure possesses the tip-enhanced local electric field effect. As a result, the Co1–xS/Co(OH)F/CC catalyst exhibits very high OER catalytic performance with an overpotential of 269 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm–2and a Tafel slope of 71 mV dec–1. The asymmetric electrode shows superior catalytic activity and stability in overall water splitting. The catalytic mechanism of these highly efficient Co1–xS/Co(OH)F/CC catalysts was investigated viaDFT theoretical calculations and ex situcharacterizations. This atomic substitution strategy displays universality for other transition metal sulfides (metal = Ni, Mn, Cu).