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Conventional inorganic nanowire (NW) fibers are usually not stretchable and elastic, which may limit their practical applications. Inspired by the similarity between inorganic sub-1 nm NWs and polymer chains in dimension, and helical spring-like structure of cellulose in cherry bark, highly flexible and stretchable NW superlattice fibers composed of sub-1 nm GdOOH NWs are fabricated. The NW fibers could be twined, bent, twisted, and tied without any damage. When the strain is less than 10%, the fibers present elastic deformation. The elongation at break of the fibers usually reaches ≈40–50% and the highest elongation could reach ≈86%. Excellent flexibility and stretchability of the NW fibers are attributed to the well-aligned spring-like NWs assembled superlattice, which are demonstrated by scanning electron microscopy tests, synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering, and obvious birefringence. Moreover, NW-nanoparticle (NP) fibers are fabricated, inspired by inorganic nanoparticle–reinforced polymers. The strength is improved compared with the NW fibers. Based on this work, it is possible to fabricate multifunctional, flexible, and stretchable inorganic NW materials composed of different inorganic sub-1 nm NWs, which may be useful in practical applications.

External fields are introduced to catalytic processes to improve catalytic activities. The light field effect plays an important role in electrocatalytic processes, but is not fully understood. Here we report a series of photo-coupled electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction by mimicking the structure of chlorophyll. The porphyrin-Au catalyst exhibits a high turnover frequency of 37,069 h-1 at -1.1 V and CO Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 94.2% at -0.9 V. Under visible light, the electrocatalyst reaches similar turnover frequency and FE with potential reduced by ~ 130 mV. Interestingly, the light-induced positive shifts of 20, 100, and 130 mV for porphyrin-Co, porphyrin-Cu, and porphyrin-Au electrocatalysts are consistent with their energy gaps of 0, 1.5, and 1.7 eV, respectively, suggesting the porphyrin not only serves as a ligand but also as a photoswitch to regulate electron transfer pathway to the metal center.

Highly active and durable electrocatalysts are of great significance to accelerate the sluggish oxygen evolution and oxygen reduction reaction (OER and ORR) which are indispensable processes in practical devices such as metal–air batteries. Herein, the authors integrate morphological design with compositional manipulation, and successfully achieve well-defined CoNiFe sulfide mesoporous nanospheres (CoNiFe-S MNs). The as-prepared CoNiFe-S MNs exhibit superior OER and ORR catalytic activity, delivering a low overpotential of only 199 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 in 1 m KOH solution and a half-wave potential of 0.78 V in 0.1 m KOH solution toward OER and ORR, respectively. The CoNiFe-S MNs involved Zn–air battery exhibits remarkable charge–discharge performance (voltage gap of 0.76 V at 2 mA cm−2) and high power density (over 140 mW cm−3). Extended-time durability tests validate the structural recoverability of the mesoporous morphology, and the remarkable performance can be attributed to the intrinsic synergistic effect of heterometallic ions. It is believed that the method could pave the way for the design of novel electrocatalysts for Zn–air batteries.

Electrocatalysis represents an efficient and eco‐friendly approach to energy conversion, enabling the sustainable synthesis of valuable chemicals and fuels. The deliberate engineering of electrocatalysts is crucial to improving the efficacy and scalability of electrocatalysis. Notably, the occurrence of in situ amorphization within electrocatalysts has been observed during various electrochemical processes, influencing the energy conversion efficiency and catalytic mechanism understanding. Of note, the dynamic transformation of catalysts into amorphous structures is complex, often leading to various amorphous configurations. Therefore, revealing this amorphization process and understanding the function of amorphous species are pivotal for elucidating the structure‐activity relationship of electrocatalysts, which will direct the creation of highly efficient catalysts. This review examines the mechanisms behind amorphous structure formation, summarizes characterization methods for detecting amorphous species, and discusses strategies for controlling (pre)catalyst properties and electrochemical conditions that influence amorphization. It also emphasizes the importance of spontaneously formed amorphous species in electrochemical oxidation and reduction reactions. Finally, it addresses challenges in the in situ amorphization of electrocatalysts. aiming to guide the synthesis of electrocatalysts for efficient, selective, and stable electrochemical reactions, and to inspire future advancements in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]