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To maintain the downscaling of microelectronic devices with footprints less than one square millimeter, next-generation microbatteries should occupy the same area and deliver adequate energy for running a new generation of multi-functional microautonomous systems. However, the current microbattery technology fails in accomplishing this task because the micrometer-sized electrodes are not compatible with on-chip integration protocols and technologies. To tackle this critical challenge, an on-chip Swiss-roll microelectrode architecture is employed that exploits the self-assembly of thin films into ultra-compact device architectures. A twin-Swiss-roll microelectrode on a chip occupies a footprint of 0.045 mm

A zinc bis-terpyridine coordination nanosheet (Zn–Typ CONASH) is designed and shows a reduced optical band gap of 1.70 eV and impressive photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity of 11.84 mmol g−1 h−1.

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) receive much attention in biomedicine because of their unique adsorption, optical and biological properties, as well as highly variable structures. However, preparation of nanosized COFs with uniform and controllable size is still a challenge. Herein, we develop a facile interfacial method to prepare the COF nanoparticles (COFNPs) with the uniform size of 30–50 nm from p-benzoquinone (BQ) and 4-[1,2,2-tris(4-aminophenyl)ethenyl]aniline (TPEA) by Michael addition. The TPEA-BQ COFNPs show positive zeta potential and effectively load the hydrophobic anticancer drug camptothecin (CPT) with the capacity of up to 127wt%, and remarkably improved the CPT dispersibility in water due to the retention of quinone structure. In vitro assay reveals CPT@ TPEA-BQ significantly reduced cell viability to 29% after 24 h incubation, much lower than that of free CPT (51%) at the same concentration of 10 μg mL−1. Further in vivo experiment confirms the high anticancer drug delivery performance of the designed TPEA-BQ COFNPs. After 20 days of injection treatment, the CPT loaded in TPEA-BQ COFNPs inhibits the tumor growth by 60%, much higher than that of free CPT group (23%). This work demonstrates the feasibility to design advanced drug delivery systems based on highly structure-tunable COF system.

Water purification is an important issue in our daily life. Various pollutants, from micrometer-sized microorganisms to molecular- or atomic-sized pollutants, need to be efficiently removed from water. Unlike traditional cascade-stage techniques, we report a one-step water purification method based on a ceramic aerogel composed of porous BN fibers, which realizes >99% Microcystis and >98% E. coli cell removals from water and high-capacity adsorptions of pesticide, oils, organic compounds, metal ions, etc. The adsorption capacities for metal ions are about one order of magnitude higher than those achieved by the reported porous/activated carbons. Our studies show the importance of the unique hierarchical structure of the BN aerogel to realize remarkable water purification performances; micrometer-sized pores constructed by high-dense fibers, the porous structures and rich surface functional groups of the BN fibers all contribute to the efficient removals of different types of the pollutants. These results suggest the potential applications of the BN aerogels toward one-step and comprehensive water purifications.

The lithium-sulfur battery (Li–S) is a promising energy storage system with many advantages over the commercialized lithium-ion battery. It has a high theoretical capacity of 1675 mAh g−1, a high theoretical energy density (2600 Wh kg−1), and is eco-environmentally friendly. Although only a small amount is used (

2D coordination nanosheets (CONASHs) have gained considerable attention due to their highly flexible structures, which favor tailoring band gaps and optical and optoelectrical properties of the materials. The development of this type of 2D materials may generate advanced core materials used in electronic and optoelectronic devices. In this study, for the first time, we report the synthesis of a free-standing CONASH from a two-armed ligand and Zn via simple liquid–liquid interfacial reactions. The 2D structure was achieved by a rational design through incorporating cyanostilbene functionality into the ligand, which not only assisted in the side-by-side self-assembly of 1D polymers through hydrogen bonds but also endowed excellent photophysical characteristics. The as-synthesized nanosheets exhibited semiconducting properties with an optical band gap of 1.66 eV and strong yellow photoluminescence, which were found to label the lysosomes of mouse 4T1 cells with high brightness, specificity, and photostability. Furthermore, photodetectors fabricated based on the CONASH showed excellent photodetecting properties in a wide visible light region with the detectivity up to 6.09 × 1011 Jones and quick responses. This study should motivate the future engineering of diversifying 2D CONASHs based on nonclassical two-arm building blocks with adjustable structural and band properties for broad optical, electrical, and optoelectrical applications.

A growing demand for miniaturized biomedical sensors, microscale self-powered electronic systems, and many other portable, wearable, and integratable electronic devices is continually stimulating the rapid development of miniaturized energy storage devices (MESDs). Miniaturized batteries (MBs) and supercapacitors (MSCs) were considered to be suitable energy storage devices to power microelectronics uninterruptedly with reasonable energy and power densities. However, in addition to similar challenges encountered with electrode materials in conventional energy storage devices, their performances are also greatly affected by microfabrication technologies, as well as the challenges of how to realize stable and high-performance MESDs in such a limited footprint area. Benefiting from the unique architectural engineering of two-dimensional materials and the emergence of precise and controllable microfabrication techniques, the output electrochemical performances of MSCs and MBs are improving rapidly. This minireview summarizes recent advances in MSCs and MBs built from two-dimensional materials, including electrode/device configuration designs, material synthesis, microfabrication processes, smart function incorporations, and system integrations. An introduction to configurations of the MESDs, from linear fibrous shapes, planar sandwich thin-film or interdigital structures, to three-dimensional configurations, is presented. The fundamental influences of the electrode material and configuration designs on the exhibited MB/MSC electrochemical performances are also highlighted.

Lithium‑sulfur batteries (LSBs) have drawn intense attention due to their high theoretical specific energy and low material cost. However, shuttle effect of the lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) dissolved in the electrolyte results in severe capacity fading and self-discharge. Herein, a multifunctional modifier composed of mesoporous boron carbon nitride and conductive graphene (BCN/G) has been developed to modify separator as an efficient barrier for LiPSs in LSBs. Benefiting from such a modified separator, LSBs exhibit improved cycling capacity and high rate capacities. The excellent electrochemical performances are mainly attributed to the strong chemical interactions between LiPSs and conductive BCN/G modifier, which have been confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses. Such a design of separator opens a new approach for high-performance LSBs.

High-performance flexible lithium-ion batteries are leading candidates for power sources of wearable and foldable electronics. As a result, it is vital to design freestanding electrodes with high capacity and stability. Herein, we develop a novel strategy to significantly improve the performance of freestanding anodes by artificially introducing an ultrathin but robust interface based on polyacrylamide/gelatin gel with excellent mechanical durability and ionic conductivity. The artificial interface suppresses the formation of a thick solid electrolyte interface, facilitates charge transfer processes and strengthens the integrity of the electrode. Benefitting from these merits, our freestanding anode made of the nano/microstructured NiFe2O4–CNTs composite achieves a high capacity of 612 mA h g−1 based on the total mass of the electrode. The high-performance freestanding anode further enables a stable output capacity of 140 mA h g−1 over 1000 charge/discharge cycles for a full battery using commercial LiMn2O4 as the cathode material. Meanwhile, the excellent rate performance of the freestanding anode guarantees high energy output up to 255 W h kg−1 at a high power density of 12 000 W kg−1 for the full battery. Moreover, the intrinsic flexibility of the freestanding electrodes enables the fabrication of a flexible lithium-ion battery, which is highly stable even under harsh mechanical deformation. This work provides a new perspective to fabricate next-generation flexible batteries with high energy density and excellent stability, further advancing the development of foldable and wearable electronics toward practical applications.

Miniaturized energy storage devices (MESDs) provide future solutions for powering dispersive electronics and small devices. Among them, aqueous zinc ion microbatteries (ZIMBs) are a type of promising MESDs because of their high-capacity Zn anode, safe and green aqueous electrolytes, and good battery performances. Herein, for the first time, a simple and powerful strategy to fabricate flexible ZIMBs based on tailored soft templates is reported, which are patterned by engraving and enables to design the ZIMBs featured with arbitrary shapes and on various substrates. The assembled ZIMBs employing α-MnS as the cathode materials and guar gum gel as the quasi-solid-state electrolyte exhibited very high areal specific capacity of up to 178 μAh cm-2 , a notable areal energy density of 322 μWh cm-2 and power density of 710 μW cm-2 . Footprint areas of the manufactured ZIMBs as small as 40 mm2 can be achieved. The proposed method based on the engraved soft templates provides a practical route for ZIMB and other MESD designs, which is critical for portable and wearable electronics development.

Smart window is a promising green technology with feature of tunable transparency under external stimuli to manage light transmission and solar energy. However, more functions based on the intelligent management of the solar spectrum need to be integrated into present smart windows. In this work, a dual-function smart window is fabricated by pairing the luminescent switch with the electrochromic window. The dual function is based on a single fluorine doped tin oxide coated glass functionalized with tungsten oxide and copper nanocluster, among which tungsten oxide serves as an electrochromic material and copper nanocluster provides photoinduced luminescence. Along with the regulation of the visible light based on the electrochromism of the window, the luminescence can be finely switched on and off, which establishes a pair of reversible states ("on" and "off") for the dual-function smart window. The contrast between two states reaches 88%. Furthermore, the manipulation of dual-function smart window is highly reversible with a short response time of 12.6 s. This prototype of dual-function smart window paves the way for developing multifunctional smart windows by integrating different functional materials into one smart window based on the rational management of the solar spectrum.

Electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline solution is hindered by its sluggish kinetics toward water dissociation. Nickel-based catalysts, as low-cost and effective candidates, show great potentials to replace platinum (Pt)-based materials in the alkaline media. The main challenge regarding this type of catalysts is their relatively poor durability. In this work, we conceive and construct a charge-polarized carbon layer derived from carbon quantum dots (CQDs) on Ni3N nanostructure (Ni3N@CQDs) surfaces, which simultaneously exhibit durable and enhanced catalytic activity. The Ni3N@CQDs shows an overpotential of 69 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm–2 in a 1 M KOH aqueous solution, lower than that of Pt electrode (116 mV) at the same conditions. Density functional theory (DFT) simulations reveal that Ni3N and interfacial oxygen polarize charge distributions between originally equal C–C bonds in CQDs. The partially negatively charged C sites become effective catalytic centers for the ke...

Germanium is a promising anode material for lithium ion batteries because of its high theoretical specific capacity and low operation voltage. However, a significant challenge in using Ge-based anodes is the large volume variation during cycling that causes pulverization and capacity fade. Despite intense studies in the past decade, unsatisfactory cycling stability of the Ge-based electrodes still impedes their widespread applications. In this study, we demonstrate a high-performance electrode through the synergistic combination of a high-capacity Ge film grown on a three-dimensional current collector and an in situ formed poly(vinylidene fluoride)–hexafluoropropene/SiO2 protective layer. Specifically, the polymer matrix is in continuous contact with the surface of the Ge shell, which provides improved mechanical and ionic transport properties. As a highlight, we present impressive cycling stability over 3000 cycles at 1 C rate with a capacity retention as high as 95.7%. Furthermore, the LiCoO2–Ge full ba...

The main challenge associated with sodium-ion battery (SIB) anodes is a search for novel candidate materials with high capacity and excellent rate capability. The most commonly used and effective route for graphene-based anode design is the introduction of in-plane “hole” defects via nitrogen-doping; this creates a spacious reservoir for storing more energy. Inspired by mountains in nature, herein, we propose another way – the introduction of blistering in graphene instead of making “holes”; this facilitates adsorbing/inserting more Na+ ions. In order to properly answer the key question: ““protrusions” or “holes” in graphene, which is better for sodium ion storage?”, two types of anode materials with a similar doping level were designed: a phosphorus-doped graphene (GP, with protrusions) and a nitrogen-doped graphene (GN, with holes). As compared with GN, the GP anode perfectly satisfies all the desired criteria: it reveals an ultrahigh capacity (374 mA h g−1 after 120 cycles at 25 mA g−1) comparable to the best graphite anodes in a standard Li-ion battery (∼372 mA h g−1), and exhibits an excellent rate capability (210 mA h g−1 at 500 mA g−1). In situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations were utilized to uncover the origin of the enhanced electrochemical activity of “protrusions” compared to “holes” in SIBs, down to the atomic scale. The introduction of protrusions through P-doping into graphene is envisaged to be a novel effective way to enhance the capacity and rate performance of SIBs.

For electrochemical production of H2 fuels from water splitting, the development of efficient and economic catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is still a challenging issue. This is because an OER process usually involves multiple electron-transfer and reaction steps; these result in large overpotentials and significant energy loss. Thus, a smart design of highly efficient, stable and cheap OER electrocatalysts is important for the improvement of energy conversion efficiency and reduction of water splitting procedure cost. In this work, we find that a thin crystalline oxyhydroxide layer has been in situ electrochemically formed on the surfaces of conductive nickel–iron disulfide nanostructures; such a heterostructure takes advantage of highly catalytically active oxyhydroxide surfaces and excellent conductivity of the interior disulfide phase. This results in a very low overpotential of 230 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2, which is among the best OER catalysts in alkaline electrolyte ever reported. The crystalline oxyhydroxide layer can effectively prevent the disulfide core from further oxidation, maintains the core–shell structure of the catalyst and is considered to be critical for stable and efficient OER performances.

Fuel cell vehicles powered by hydrogen are particularly attractive and competitive among rapidly developing new energy-driven automobiles. One critical problem for this type of vehicles is the high cost for hydrogen storage due to the lack of efficient and low-pressure hydrogen storage technologies. In the frame of development of hydrogen physisorption-relied materials, attention has mostly been paid to the textural designs of porous materials, including specific surface area, pore volume, and pore size. However, based on the hydrogen physisorption mechanism, hydrogen adsorption energy on a material surface is another key factor with regard to hydrogen uptake capacity. Herein, solid experimental evidences are provided and it is also proven that the chemical states of porous boron nitride (BN) materials remarkably affect their hydrogen adsorption performances. The developed carbon and oxygen co-doped BN microsponges exhibit the hydrogen uptake capacity per specific surface area of 2.5–4.7 times larger than those of undoped BN structures. These results show the importance of chemical state modulations on the future designs of high-performance hydrogen adsorbents based on physisorption approaches.

High efficiency supercapacitors require the electrode materials which integrate high specific capacitance, favorable rate capability and long-term cyclic stability. These features are often associated with vacancies and impurities in the electrodes. Understanding the mechanism behind the related process provides a deep insight into improved supercapacitive performance. Here we present the synthesis of spinel structured nickel cobalt sulfide (NiCo2S4) nanomaterials with tunable sulfur vacancy concentrations and impurities by controlling the sulfurization process. The effects of these defects on the nanomaterial supercapacitive properties were then clearly identified. Interestingly, on one hand, the sulfur vacancies were found to increase the specific capacitance by improving electrical conductivity, while, on the other hand, they hindered the rate capability and cyclic stability due to the increased crystal structure disordering. An optimal supercapacitive performance was achieved, namely, high specific capacitance, favorable rate capability and long-term cyclic stability were documented for both three-electrode system and solid-state asymmetric supercapacitor device. These results have significant implications for the design and optimization of pseudocapacitive properties of transition metal compounds.

Highlights 3D plum-pudding-like Si/C composites were synthesized in a quasi-industrial-scale. SiNS/C can effectively alleviate volume change and enable microstructural stability. SiNS/C exhibited ultra-high initial coulombic efficiency and volumetric capacity. Abstract Nanosized silicon (Si) has been widely investigated as a promising material for next generation lithium-ion battery (LIB) anodes because of its ultrahigh capacity. However, only a few results can satisfy all aspects towards practical application, particularly the problems like low initial Coulombic efficiency, low volumetric capacity, huge volume change (>290%), complicated fabrication methods, and especially low production remain unsolved. Here, we propose a 3D plum-pudding-like Si/C micro-/nano- composite (SiNS/C) design for an anode via quasi-industrial-scale production that tackles all these problems: large-scale production of ~300 g/h, ultra-high initial Coulombic efficiency (ICE) of 88%, high volumetric capacity of ~1244 mA h cm−3, and improved rate capability have been achieved. An in-situ high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) probing has testified that a design of Si/C nanospheres with the appropriate size enables only small volume variations (upon lithiation), e.g. ~48% for 50 nm Si/C spheres in the SiNS/C particles as required for the practical applications, and leads to the formation of a stable thin SEI layer on the outer surface of carbon coating layer.

As the most promising anode material for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs), elemental phosphorus (P) has recently gained a lot of interest due to its extraordinary theoretical capacity of 2596 mAh/g. The main drawback of a P anode is its low conductivity and rapid structural degradation caused by the enormous volume expansion (>490%) during cycling. Here, we redesigned the anode structure by using an innovative methodology to fabricate flexible paper made of nitrogen-doped graphene and amorphous phosphorus that effectively tackles this problem. The restructured anode exhibits an ultrastable cyclic performance and excellent rate capability (809 mAh/g at 1500 mA/g). The excellent structural integrity of the novel anode was further visualized during cycling by using in situ experiments inside a high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), and the associated sodiation/desodiation mechanism was also thoroughly investigated. Finally, density functional theory (DFT) calculations confirmed that the N-doped graphene not only contributes to an increase in capacity for sodium storage but also is beneficial in regards to improved rate performance of the anode.

It has remained a great difficulty and challenge to prepare BN-based porous monoliths (BNPMs) via a facile method. Here, we report a brand-new and high-throughput synthesis of BNPMs through a facile two-step template-free reaction including self-bubbling precursor solidification and high-temperature pyrolysis. The resulting BNPMs with an interconnected open-bubble structure exhibit the highest specific surface area ever reported for the BNPM systems, up to 1406 m2 g−1, and high bulk crush strength of ∼1 MPa. Thanks to the spacious hydrophobic surfaces of the BNPM system, the material was applied for the highly efficient separation–adsorption purification of an oil/water system, demonstrating an excellent adsorption capacity of up to 71–98% (volume-based adsorption capacity) toward a wide selection of oil contaminants. Besides, the present BNPMs were designed as a filtration column which rapidly removed rhodamine B (RB) and Cd(II) pollutants from an aqueous solution under a forced filtration–adsorption process, corresponding to an ultrahigh removal capacity of 554 mg g−1 and 561 mg g−1, respectively. Thus, the obtained BNPMs are envisaged to become a fairly promising adsorbent for water cleaning.

Integration of two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials and their composites into energy storage devices, especially rechargeable batteries, offers opportunities to timely tackle the challenges of ever growing clean and sustainable energy demands. Therefore, it is crucial to design hybrid 2D electrode materials for high performance rechargeable batteries and to fundamentally understand their storage mechanisms at the atomic or nanoscopic levels. This review firstly describes some of the exciting progress achieved in the economic production of graphenes, 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), and their composites. Then we survey the recent developments in their electrochemical energy storage pathways and present the associated three kinds of storage mechanisms. In addition, we highlight the uncovered structure-performance relationships while utilizing advanced microscopic techniques, such as in situ high resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and spherical aberration-corrected scanning TEM (STEM), both leading to deep unveiling and understanding of the atomic-scale ion storage/release mechanisms and hence providing clear guidance for designing optimized 2D nanostructured electrode materials. Finally, the major challenges and opportunities that researchers have to face in this field are outlined. We hope that this review can deepen the Chemical and Material Science Communities' understanding of this field and thus effectively contribute to the smart design of future-generation 2D nanostructured electrodes and exploitation of their microscopic mechanisms toward novel high-performance rechargeable batteries.

Functionalization is an important way to breed new properties and applications for a material. This review presents an overview of the progresses in functionalized hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) nanomaterials. It begins with an introduction of h-BN structural features, physical and chemical properties, followed by an emphasis on the developments of BN functionalization strategies and its emerging properties/applications, and ends with the research perspectives. Different functionalization methods, including physical and chemical routes, are comprehensively described toward fabrication of various BN derivatives, hetero- and porous structures, etc. Novel properties of functionalized BN materials, such as high water solubility, excellent biocompatibility, tunable surface affinities, good processibility, adjustable band gaps, etc., have guaranteed wide applications in biomedical, electronic, composite, environmental and "green" energy-related fields.

Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) exhibits a wide band gap of ~5.5 eV, and is well known for its high thermal and chemical inertness. Thus, it is commonly considered that h-BN is inappropriate for photocatalysis and photovoltaic conversion applications. Here, we show that the rationally designed BN porous sheets (BNPS) with richly exposed (002) plane edges (functionalized with hydroxyl groups) exhibit wide-spectrum light absorptions in both UV and visible light ranges. Such intriguing property is seldom reported for any BN materials in experiments. After hybridizing with anatase TiO2 nanoparticles, the resultant TiO2/BNPS composite becomes a potent visible-light photocatalyst for organic compound oxidative degradations. These results confirm that the designed BNPS can efficiently act as an inorganic sensitizer to induce the visible light response of TiO2.

Three dimensional graphenes are most desired to deliver the unique nano-sized properties of graphenes to the macro-scale, yet their practical production remains insufficient. Herein we establish a general synthesis approach, i.e. ammonium-assisted chemical blowing via foaming sucrose into the bubble networks of sucrose-derived polymers, to effectively produce three dimensional strutted graphenes (SGs). SG consists of interconnected mono-/few-layered graphene membranes scaffolded by graphitic struts without restacking or agglomeration, which thus fully exposes the huge surface and possesses appropriate porosity. The SG is further applied as additive/binder-free electrodes for supercapacitors, which realize the high energy density of 50 W h kg−1 and the high maximum-power–density of 340 kW kg−1 due to the large surface area, excellent interconnectivity and porosity. The mass-produced self-supporting SG would open up a wide horizon and enable the abundant potentials of graphenes for promising large-scale applications.

Boron nitride (BN) nanostructures with complementary functions to their carbon counterparts are one of the most intriguing nanomaterials. Here we devote a compact review on the syntheses of BN nanomaterials: typical zero-dimensional (0D) fullerenes and nanoparticles, one-dimensional (1D) nanotubes and nanoribbons, two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets as well as three-dimensional (3D) nanoporous BN. Combining low-dimensional quantum confinement and surface effects with unique physical and chemical properties of BN, e.g. excellent electric insulation, wide band gap, and high chemical and thermal stability, BN nanomaterials have drawn particular attention in a variety of potential applications, e.g. luminescence, functional composites, hydrogen accumulators, and advanced insulators, which are also reviewed.

We conceived a material composed of a pseudocapacitive core and an electrostatic double-layer capacitive porous shell for advanced electrochemical energy storage. As a proof-of-concept, the MoS2 nanosheets wrapped with MOF (ZIF-8)-derived microporous carbons (MoS2@MPC) were fabricated via a three-step strategy and applied in supercapacitor research. The structures exhibit a high specific capacitance, rate capability and cycling stability due to the combined involvement of both the structural portions under the electrochemical charge storage and release procedures.

Development of microsized on-chip batteries plays an important role in the design of modern micro-electromechanical systems, miniaturized biomedical sensors, and many other small-scale electronic devices. This emerging field intimately correlates with the topics of rechargeable batteries, nanomaterials, on-chip microfabrication, etc. In recent years, a number of novel designs are proposed to increase the energy and power densities per footprint area, as well as other electrochemical performances of microsized lithium-ion batteries. These advances may guide the pathway for the future development of microbatteries.

Engineering of the optical, electronic, and magnetic properties of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) nanomaterials via oxygen doping and functionalization has been envisaged in theory. However, it is still unclear as to what extent these properties can be altered using such methodology because of the lack of significant experimental progress and systematic theoretical investigations. Therefore, here, comprehensive theoretical predictions verified by solid experimental confirmations are provided, which unambiguously answer this long-standing question. Narrowing of the optical bandgap in h-BN nanosheets (from ≈5.5 eV down to 2.1 eV) and the appearance of paramagnetism and photoluminescence (of both Stokes and anti-Stokes types) in them after oxygen doping and functionalization are discussed. These results are highly valuable for further advances in semiconducting nanoscale electronics, optoelectronics, and spintronics.

Electrically insulating boron nitride (BN) nanosheets possess thermal conductivity similar to and thermal and chemical stabilities superior to those of electrically conductive graphenes. Currently the production and application of BN nanosheets are rather limited due to the complexity of the BN binary compound growth, as opposed to massive graphene production. Here we have developed the original strategy "biomass-directed on-site synthesis" toward mass production of high-crystal-quality BN nanosheets. The strikingly effective, reliable, and high-throughput (dozens of grams) synthesis is directed by diverse biomass sources through the carbothermal reduction of gaseous boron oxide species. The produced BN nanosheets are single crystalline, laterally large, and atomically thin. Additionally, they assemble themselves into the same macroscopic shapes peculiar to original biomasses. The nanosheets are further utilized for making thermoconductive and electrically insulating epoxy/BN composites with a 14-fold increase in thermal conductivity, which are envisaged to be particularly valuable for future high-performance electronic packaging materials.

Developing materials for "Nano-vehicles" with clinically approved drugs encapsulated is envisaged to enhance drug therapeutic effects and reduce the adverse effects. However, design and preparation of the biomaterials that are porous, nontoxic, soluble, and stable in physiological solutions and could be easily functionalized for effective drug deliveries are still challenging. Here, we report an original and simple thermal substitution method to fabricate perfectly water-soluble and porous boron nitride (BN) materials featuring unprecedentedly high hydroxylation degrees. These hydroxylated BNs are biocompatible and can effectively load anticancer drugs (e.g., doxorubicin, DOX) up to contents three times exceeding their own weight. The same or even fewer drugs that are loaded on such BN carriers exhibit much higher potency for reducing the viability of LNCaP cancer cells than free drugs.

Dequan Liu , Xi Wang , * Deyan He , * Thang Duy Dao , adaaki T Nagao , * Qunhong Weng , Daiming ang , T Xuebin Wang , Wei Tian , Dmitri Gol berg , and Yoshio Bando *

Construction of cellular architectures has been expected to enhance materials' mechanical tolerance and to stimulate and broaden their efficient utilizations in many potential fields. However, hitherto, there have been rather scarce developments in boron nitride (BN)-type cellular architectures because of well-known difficulties in the syntheses of BN-based structures. Herein, cellular-network multifunctional foams made of interconnective nanotubular hexagonal BN (h-BN) architectures are developed using carbothermal reduction-assisted in situ chemical vapor deposition conversion from N-doped tubular graphitic cellular foams. These ultralight, chemically inert, thermally stable, and robust-integrity (supporting about 25,000 times of their own weight) three-dimensional-BN foams exhibit a 98.5% porosity, remarkable shape recovery (even after cycling compressions with 90% deformations), excellent resistance to water intrusion, thermal diffusion stability, and high strength and stiffness. They remarkably reduce the coefficient of thermal expansion and dielectric constant of polymeric poly(methyl methacrylate) composites, greatly contribute to their thermal conductivity improvement, and effectively limit polymeric composite softening at elevated temperatures. The foams also demonstrate high-capacity adsorption-separation and removal ability for a wide range of oils and organic chemicals in oil/water systems and reliable recovery under their cycling usage as organic adsorbers. These created multifunctional foams should be valuable in many high-end practical applications.

Layered boron nitrides (BNs) are usually viewed as excellent protective coatings and reinforcing materials due to their chemical inertness and high mechanical strength. However, the attention paid to their potential applications in gas sorption, especially in case of hydrogen, has obviously been insufficient. Herein, a novel BN material (i.e., porous microbelts), with the highest specific surface area ever reported for any BN system, up to 1488 m² g⁻¹, is obtained through one-step template-free reaction of a boron acid-melamine precursor with ammonia. Comprehensive high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Raman characterizations all confirm that the obtained BN phase is partially disordered, shows an enlarged average spacing between adjacent (0002) layers (d₀₀₀₂ = 0.38 nm, compared to normal 0.33 nm for a bulk layered BN), and belongs to an intermediate state between hexagonal (h-BN) and amorphous (a-BN) phases. By changing the synthesis temperatures, the textures of obtained porous microbelts are adjustable. H₂ sorption evaluations demonstrate that the materials exhibit high and reversible H₂ uptake from 1.6 to 2.3 wt % at 77 K and at a relatively low pressure of 1 MPa.

Integration of two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials and their composites into energy storage devices, especially rechargeable batteries, offers opportunities to timely tackle the challenges of ever growing clean and sustainable energy demands. Therefore, it is crucial to design hybrid 2D electrode materials for high performance rechargeable batteries and to fundamentally understand their storage mechanisms at the atomic or nanoscopic levels. This review firstly describes some of the exciting progress achieved in the economic production of graphenes, 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), and their composites. Then we survey the recent developments in their electrochemical energy storage pathways and present the associated three kinds of storage mechanisms. In addition, we highlight the uncovered structure-performance relationships while utilizing advanced microscopic techniques, such as in situ high resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and spherical aberration-corrected scanning TEM (STEM), both leading to deep unveiling and understanding of the atomic-scale ion storage/release mechanisms and hence providing clear guidance for designing optimized 2D nanostructured electrode materials. Finally, the major challenges and opportunities that researchers have to face in this field are outlined. We hope that this review can deepen the Chemical and Material Science Communities' understanding of this field and thus effectively contribute to the smart design of future-generation 2D nanostructured electrodes and exploitation of their microscopic mechanisms toward novel high-performance rechargeable batteries.

Functionalization is an important way to breed new properties and applications for a material. This review presents an overview of the progresses in functionalized hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) nanomaterials. It begins with an introduction of h-BN structural features, physical and chemical properties, followed by an emphasis on the developments of BN functionalization strategies and its emerging properties/applications, and ends with the research perspectives. Different functionalization methods, including physical and chemical routes, are comprehensively described toward fabrication of various BN derivatives, hetero- and porous structures, etc. Novel properties of functionalized BN materials, such as high water solubility, excellent biocompatibility, tunable surface affinities, good processibility, adjustable band gaps, etc., have guaranteed wide applications in biomedical, electronic, composite, environmental and "green" energy-related fields.

A novel carbon structure, highly branched homogeneous-N-doped graphitic (BNG) tubular foam, is designed via a novel N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF)-mediated chemical vapor deposition method. More structural defects are found at the branched portions as compared with the flat tube domains providing abundant active sites and spacious reservoirs for Li

The hydrofullerene C(50)H(10) is synthesized by low-pressure benzene-oxygen diffusion combustion. The structure of C(50)H(10) is identified through NMR, mass spectrometry, and IR and Raman spectroscopy as a D(5h) symmetric closed-cage molecule with five pairs of fused pentagons stabilized by ten hydrogen atoms. UV/Vis and fluorescence spectrometric analyses disclose its optical properties as comparable with those of its chloride cousin (C(50)Cl(10)). Cyclic and square-wave voltammograms reveal that the first reduction potential of C(50)H(10) is more negative than that of C(50)Cl(10) as well as C(60), with implications for the utilization of C(50)H(10) as a promising electron acceptor for photovoltaic applications.

How to concentrate target molecules on the surface of a SERS substrate is a key problem in the practical application of SERS. Herein, we designed for the first time a pollutant capturing surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrate, namely porous BN microfibers uniformly decorated with Ag nanoparticles, in which the BN microfibers adsorb pollutants, while the Ag nanoparticles provide SERS activity. This SERS substrate captures pollutants from an aqueous solution completely and accumulates them all on its surface without introducing noise signals. The pores of BN protect the silver particles from aggregation which makes BN/Ag a stable and recyclable SERS substrate. What's more, while the dyes are thoroughly concentrated from a diluted solution, the SERS detection limit is easily enhanced, from 10(-6) M to 10(-9) M.

Although derivatives of fullerenes are prevalent in the fullerene-producing flame, the chemistry of these derivatives has rarely been discussed in the previous literature. In this paper, two D5h-C70 derivatives, C70(C14H10) and C70(C5H6), were isolated from the soot of an acetylene–benzene combustion. On the basis of detailed MS, NMR, IR, and UV/vis analyses in combination with DFT calculations, the cycloadduct structures of C70(C14H10) and C70(C5H6) were identified. Both the anthracene (C14H10) and the cyclopentadiene (C5H6) adducts, supposed as the intermediate species produced during the combustion process, were characterized to bond at a [6,6] ring junction at the end of the olivary C70 cage. The present work exemplifies the capture of possible intermediates by the C70 fullerene from the flame and thus provides insight into the mechanism responsible for the formation of fullerene-containing soot.