Rare Metals - Journal Cover Stories

Issue 4, 2024

Ternary-phase layered cathodes toward ultra-stable and high-rate sodium ion storage

Published: 16 December 2023；Rare Metals. 43, pages 1589–1598, (2024).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-023-02523-6 (this opens in a new tab)

Wen-Ji Yin, Pei-Dan Su, Xiao-Qiong Li, Hong-Qiang Wang, Qing-Yu Li & Si-Jiang Hu

Guangxi Key Laboratory of Low Carbon Energy Materials, School of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, 541004, China

Qi Lu & Teng-Fei Zhou
Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei, 230601, China

Ji-Ming Peng
Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guilin Normal College, Guilin, 541199, China

Ji-Ming Peng
College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Huanggang Normal University, Huanggang, 438000, China

Ge-Meng Liang
School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 5005, Australia

Yu-Liang Cao
Engineering Research Center of Organosilicon Compounds and Materials of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China

Boosting fast ionic transport and stability of layered oxide cathodes via ternary-phase design for high-rate sodium-ion batteries

Sodium-ion batteries are experiencing ever-growing demand for high energy density in electric vehicles and smart grids. Layered oxide cathodes are a practical alternative to meet this demand because of their high specific capacity, high voltage, and relatively low cost. However, these cathodes undergo complex phase transition and the Jahn-Teller effect upon battery cycling. To solve these issues, we designed a P2, P3, and O3 ternary phase via a lattice doping method. The mixed-phase successfully solved problems and obtained remarkable structure stability and excellent rate capability. This ternary-phase layered cathode enables a specific capacity of 120.1 mAh·g–1 at 0.1 C (1.0 C = 175 mA·g-1) with enhanced cycle retention (72.5% 1000 cycles at 10 C). The mixed-phase designing strategy can be expanded to battery electrodes that sustain structural degradations during battery operation.

Issue 3, 2024

Synergistic effect between Er-doped MoS2 nanosheets and interfacial Mo–N coupling phases for enhanced electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Published: 09 November 2023；Rare Metals. 43, pages 1301–1308, (2024).
https://doi.org/ (this opens in a new tab)10.1007/s12598-023-02409-7 (this opens in a new tab)

Nian-Peng Li, Lei Zhang & Fan-Fei Min
State Key Laboratory of Mining Response and Disaster Prevention and Control in Deep Coal Mines, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, 232001, China

Hua Zhang & Guang-Zhi Hu
Donghai Laboratory, Zhoushan, 316021, China

Lei Wang & Sam Toan
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Minnesota-Duluth, Duluth, MN, 55812, USA

Nian-Peng Li, Hua Zhang & Guang-Zhi Hu
School of Ecology and Environmental Science, Institute for Ecological Research and Pollution Control of Plateau Lakes, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650504, China

Xi-Jun Liu
MOE Key Laboratory of New Processing Technology for Non-Ferrous Metals and Materials, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Processing for Non-Ferrous Metals and Featured Materials, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, China

Synergistic effect between Er-doped MoS2 nanosheets and interfacial Mo–N coupling phases for enhanced electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution

We have successfully prepared a polyhedral structure of Er-doped molybdenum disulfide nanosheets (Er-MoS2/NC) grown in situ on nitrogen-doped carbon (NC). The synergistic effect of Mo-N coupling phase at the interface and molybdenum disulfide nanosheets makes the Er-MoS2/NC catalyst have excellent HER catalytic activity, with an overpotential of 55 mV and a Tafel slope of about 76 mV·dec–1 at a current density of 10 mA·cm–2, and excellent stability. The Mo-N coupling phase formed by doping rare earth elements into the nano-materials with multilayer structure effectively changes the electronic structure of layered molybdenum disulfide and increases the exposed active sites, thus reducing the hydrogen adsorption energy. This design provides a new way to improve the performance of multilayer nanostructure materials in electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction. This study is expected to improve the catalytic activity and stability of materials, thus improving the efficiency of energy conversion applications such as electrocatalytic water decomposition.

Issue 2, 2024

Universal paradigm of ternary metacomposites with tunable epsilon-negative and epsilon-near-zero response for perfect electromagnetic shielding

Published: 10 January 2024；Rare Metals. 43, pages 796–809, (2024).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-023-02510-x (this opens in a new tab)

Yun-Peng Qu, Jun-Fei Ding, Yan-Li Chen, Xiu Gong, Jing-Liang Yang, Qiong Peng & Xiao-Si Qi
College of Physics, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China

Yun-Lei Zhou
Hangzhou Institute of Technology, Xidian University, Hangzhou, 311231, China

Yang Luo
Department of Materials, ETH Zurich, 8093, Zurich, Switzerland

Yao Liu
Key Laboratory for Liquid-Solid Structural Evolution and Processing of Materials (Ministry of Education), Shandong University, Jinan, 250061, China

Perfectly shielding electromagnetic interference by epsilon-negative and epsilon-near-zero metacomposites

Metacomposites recently show great potential in electromagnetic (EM) shielding which effectively protecting electronic devices and their environments, preventing EM information leakage, cutting off the propagation path of EM waves, suppressing EM radiation and interference. Herein, we have carefully designed a ternary metacomposites that achieves excellent tunable epsilon-negative and epsilon-near-zero response at radio-frequency band, as schematic by the cabin. At this moment, the Demon is using EM interference to attack the elderly who are focused on playing Go. Fortunately, the small house built with our metacomposites has successfully resisted its attack. As can be seen in the cover figure, the elderly and kittens can play Go with peace of mind. This is mainly due to the three-dimensional conductive carbon network consisting of GR-CB dual fillers with low-frequency plasma oscillation effect, which allows EM waves to be perfectly reflected. This work achieves the tunable e¡-negative and e¡-near-zero response in ceramic-based ternary metacomposites, which opens up the possibility of designing high-performance EM shielding materials.

Issue 1, 2024

Unraveling role of double-exchange interaction in electrochemical water oxidation by external magnetic field

Published: 18 November 2023；Rare Metals. 43, pages 289–297, (2024).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-023-02464-0 (this opens in a new tab)

Jun Li, Jun-Ming Li, Hong Hong, Dong-Xue Liu, Qing-Qi Cao & Dun-Hui Wang
National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures and Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory for Nanotechnology, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China

Dun-Hui Wang
School of Electronics and Information, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou, 310018, China

Double-exchange interaction with magnetic fields makes water oxidation better

Double-exchange (DE) interaction plays an important role in electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction (OER). However, precise achievement of DE interaction often requires foreign dopants or vacancy engineering, leading to destabilization of the catalysts and deterioration of performance. By contrast, the utilize of environmentally friendly, contactless, and continuously adjustable magnetic fields to study the OER process is profitable to avoid aforementioned interference factors and further elucidate the direct relationship between DE interaction and OER activity. Here, by using cobalt hydroxide carbonate (CoHC) nanostructures as a proof-of-concept study, we carefully implement external magnetic fi elds to verify the role of DE interaction during water oxidation reaction. Detailed studies reveal that external magnetic fields effectively enhance the reaction rate of the catalyst and the enhancement exhibits robust durability. Through various in situ measurements, we find that magnetic field promotes the electron migration between Co2+ and Co3+ in the CoHC catalysts with the assistance of DE interactions, thus boosting the OER efficiency.

Issue 12, 2023

Carbon nanotube-carbon black/CaCu3Ti4O12 ternary metacomposites with tunable negative permittivity and thermal conductivity fabricated by spark plasma sintering

Published: 12 September 2023; Rare Metals. 42, 4201–4211 (2023)
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-023-02346-5 (this opens in a new tab)

Ternary metacomposites: adjustable carbon network in Golden Cudgel helping Wukong Sun to escape dielectric loss issue

Metacomposites with negative permittivity usually possess huge dielectric loss, showing potential for microwave attenuation devices where huge heat would generate. The CNT-CB/CCTO ternary metacomposites was schematic by the Golden Cudgel in Wukong Sun’s hands. The Thunder God and Lightning Goddess are imposing radio-frequency microwaves to punish Wukong Sun. However, the dilemma was interestingly resolved by Wukong Sun due to his Golden Cudgel. We meticulously designed the three-dimensional carbon network in the metacomposites in terms of the synergistic effect of CNT and CB which achieved both excellent negative permittivity and thermal conductivity of Golden Cudgel. The huge dielectric loss of metacomposites has been transmitted to heat and then dissipated into the wind and rain which enabled Wukong Sun to escape punishment. Our work could spark significant development of practical application of metacomposites on novel electronic devices and electromagnetic apparatus.

Issue 11, 2023

Sub-nanometer structured silicon-carbon composite nanolayers armoring on graphite for fast-charging and high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries

Published: 20 September 2023; Rare Metals. 42, 3692–3704 (2023)
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-023-02395-w (this opens in a new tab)

Zhen-Wei Li, Mei-Sheng Han & Jie Yu

Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, Dongguan, 523808, China

Zhen-Wei Li & Jie Yu

Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Semiconductor Optoelectronic Materials and Intelligent Photonic Systems, Shenzhen Engineering Lab for Supercapacitor Materials, School of Material Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518055, China

Mei-Sheng Han

Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China

Sub-nanometer structured silicon-carbon composite nanolayers armoring on graphite for fast-charging and high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries

Silicon/carbon (Si/C) composites have been successfully used in commercial lithium-ion batteries due to their high capacity and good safety. However, their large volume expansion and slow charge transport capability result in poor cycling stability and fast-charging capability under industrial electrode conditions. Herein, a novel Si/C anode fabricated by homogeneously depositing amorphous C-Si nanolayers on graphite (C-Si@graphite) is reported. C-Si nanolayers with uniformly dispersed sub-nanometer Si particles in carbon matrices significantly boost electron and Li-ion transport and efficiently relieve Si's agglomeration and volume change. As a result, the tailored C-Si@graphite electrodes show an excellent rate capacity (760.3 mAh·g-1 at 5C) and long cycle life of over 1000 cycles under industrial electrode conditions. In addition, the assembled full cells (C-Si@graphite, anode; Li[Ni0.8Co0.1Mn0.1]O2, cathode) present superior fast-charging capability (240.4 Wh·kg-1, charging for 16.2 min, 3C) and excellent cyclicity. This work demonstrates the superiority of the sub-nanometer structured silicon-carbon composite nanolayers for lithium storage, thus promoting the practical applications of advanced silicon-carbon anodes.

Issue 10, 2023

Arranging cation mixing and charge compensation of TiNb2O7 with W6+ doping for high lithium storage performance

Published: 23 June 2023；Rare Metals. 42, 3364–3377 (2023)
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-023-02315-y (this opens in a new tab)

Pei Cui, Pan-Pan Zhang, Mei-Qing Li, Xue-Li Chen, Yu Zhou, Ming-Ru Su & Yun-Jian Liu

School of Material Science and Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, China

Guo-Tai Li & Rui-Qiang Guo

Thermal Science Research Center, Shandong Institute of Advanced Technology, Jinan, 250103, China

Guo-Tai Li

Institute of Thermal Science and Technology, Shandong University, Jinan, 250061, China

Tao Wan & De-Wei Chu

School of Materials Science and Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2502, Australia

Arranging Cation Mixing and Charge Compensation of TiNb2O7 with W6+ Doping for High Lithium Storage Performance

Due to the energy crisis and serious environmental concerns, LIBs as the power supply of numerous microelectronic devices have been vigorously developed. TiNb2O7 is an advanced anode material for high energy-density lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) because of its considerable specific capacity and satisfactory safety. However, its poor ionic conductivity and electronic conductivity limit its rate capability. To solve this problem, TiNb2O7 with W6+ doping was synthesized by a convenient solid-state method. W6+ doping will lead to arranging cation mixing and charge compensation. Cations rearrange to form a new lithium conductive environment presenting as the low energy barrier, and Li+ are easier to transport in WTNO. The results show that the Li+ diffusion coefficient of W0.06Ti0.91Nb2O7 is increased by 9.96 times compared with TiNb2O7. Besides, as the calculation proves, W6+ doping results in low charge transfer resistance and excellent electronic conductivity because of the partial reduction of the Nb5+ and Ti4+ due to charge compensation. Moreover, W6+ doping will account for the high pseudocapacitive contribution. At the scan rate of 1 mV·s–1, the pseudocapacitive contribution for TiNb2O7 is 78%, while that for W0.06Ti0.91Nb2O7 is increased to 83%. With these advantages, W6-4h shows surprising cycle performance and rate capacity. The reversible specific capacity of W0.06Ti0.91Nb2O7 after 600 cycles is maintained at 148.90 mAh·g–1 with a loss of only 16.37% at 10 C. Also, it delivers a commendable capacity of 147.22 mAh·g–1 at 30 C, much higher than TiNb2O7 (97.49 mAh·g–1). Our present study provides ideas for the development of electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries.

Issue 9, 2023

Anti-self-discharge ultrathin all-inorganic electrochromic asymmetric supercapacitors enabling intelligent and effective energy storage

Published: 29 May 2023；Rare Metals. 42, 2957–2971 (2023).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-023-02324-x (this opens in a new tab)

Lei Liu, Xiang-Qian Fan, Li-Yong Wang, Hui-Qi Wang & Sheng-Liang Hu

School of Energy and Power Engineering, North University of China, Taiyuan, 030051, China

Chen Liu

Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Science, Shenyang, 110016, China

Meng-Ying Wang & Xun-Gang Diao

School of Energy and Power Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, 100191, China

Bin Li

Research Center for Photovoltaics, Shanghai Institute of Space Power-Sources, Shanghai, 200245, China

Ke Wang

National Key Laboratory of Electromagnetic Space Security, Tianjin, 300308, China

Anti-self-discharge ultrathin all-inorganic electrochromic device able to visualize energy status and effective energy storage

Recently, electrochromic energy storage devices (EESDs) have attracted tremendous attention because of their integrated energy storage and color-changing into one single entity, and are expected to be a technological breakthrough in solving the energy issues of storage and saving. In this work, we demonstrated an ultrathin all-inorganic EESD with excellent anti-self-discharge performance enabled by introducing a thin film (Ta2O5 layer) at the electrode/electrolyte interface. Through the above design, the developed all-inorganic EESD possessed a wide operating voltage of 2.2 V, a higher coloration efficiency of ~74.2 cm²·C^-1, and a high power/energy density, along with superior electrochemical and electrochromic performance. Remarkably, the all-inorganic EESD possessed a tardy self-discharge rate of 12.6 mV·h^-1, which was an extremely low value compared with previous work. Significantly, the ultrathin all-inorganic EESDs could also well maintain a slow self-discharge rate and their original electrochemical characteristics under various environmental temperatures. Considering that the research about self-discharge behavior of all-inorganic EESD is still in its infancy, this work may provide a deep insight into the self-discharge process and a promising strategy to design high-performance intelligent electronics.

Issue 8, 2023

Nb2CTx MXene boosting PEO polymer electrolyte for all-solid-state Li-S batteries: two birds with one stone strategy to enhance Li+ conductivity and polysulfide adsorptivity

Published: 23 May 2023；Rare Metals. 42, 2562–2576 (2023).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-022-02260-2 (this opens in a new tab)

Si-Ming Liu, Meng-Xun Chen, Ying Xie, Xiang Xiong & Kai Han
State Key Laboratory for Powder Metallurgy, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China

Deng-Hua Liu
Shinghwa Advanced Material Group Co., Ltd, Dongying, 257500, China

Jin-Fei Zheng & Heng Luo
School of Physics and Electronics, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China

Heng Jiang
Department of Chemistry, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331-4003, USA

Li-Chang Wang
School of Geosciences and Info-Physics, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China

Nb2CTx MXene boosting PEO polymer electrolyte for all-solid-state Li-S batteries: two birds with one stone strategy to enhance Li+ conductivity and polysulfide adsorptivity
All-solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries have attracted significant attention due to their exceptional energy density and enhanced safety. However, the presence of polysulfides in PEO polymer electrolytes leads to the shuttle effect, along with the relatively low ionic conductivity of PEO electrolytes. To overcome these hurdles, we have successfully integrated Nb2CTx MXene into the PEO solid electrolyte and employed vacuum probe sonication to regulate its sheet size. The introduction of Nb–S bonding between Nb2CTx and polysulfides significantly improves the adsorption of polysulfides. Additionally, the reinforced interaction between the PEO matrix and the Nb2CTx MXene interface facilitates the efficient transport of Li+. In the cover figure, the rapid conduction of Li+ transport by Nb2C, is represented by a high-speed train, while polysulfides are effectively adsorbed by Nb2C, symbolized by a yellow car.

Issue 7, 2023

Flexible impedance sensor based on Ti₃C₂T_x MXene and graphitic carbon nitride nanohybrid for humidity-sensing application with ultrahigh response

Published: 18 April 2023；Rare Metals. 42, 2204–2213 (2023).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-023-02268-2 (this opens in a new tab)

Yang Lu, Meng-Yu Wang, Dong-Yue Wang, Yue-Hang Sun, Zi-Hao Liu, Rong-Ke Gao, Lian-Dong Yu & Dong-Zhi Zhang

College of Control Science and Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao, 266580, China

Flexible impedance sensor based on Ti₃C₂T_x MXene and graphitic carbon nitride nanohybrid for humidity-sensing application with ultrahigh response

Humidity monitoring and control have become more important in various fi elds, such as food storage, industrial production, textile technology, and agriculture. As an emerging 2D material, Ti₃C₂T_x has attracted much interest due to its high electrical conductivity and surface composition. The abundant OH group on the surface gives Ti₃C₂T_x excellent hydrophilicity, resulting in great potential of Ti₃C₂T_x as humidity-sensitive material. As a well-known organic polymer with a two-dimensional layered structure, metal-free semiconductor graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) has attractive electronic band structure and good chemical stability, making it have great potential in manufacturing humidity sensors. In this work, a novel sensor was prepared by Ti₃C₂T_x/g-C₃N₄ hybrid film with ultrahigh response in impedance when exposed to 11%–97% RH at a room temperature of 20 ℃. The application of multiple characterizations fully demonstrates the microstructure of Ti₃C₂T_x/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposites. The manufactured humidity sensor has excellent repeatability, fast response/recovery time, and almost negligible hysteresis. All of these prove its broad application in real-time human breath monitoring and water evaporation detection. Flexible humidity testing experiments based on PET substrates have also been used to verify the sensor’s multiple applicability. The excellent sensing performance of Ti₃C₂T_x/g-C₃N₄ composite material proves its great potential in manufacturing high-performance humidity sensors.

Issue 6, 2023

Ti₃AlCN MAX for tailoring MgH₂ hydrogen storage material: from
performance to mechanism

Published: 26 February 2023；Rare Metals. 42, 1923–1934 (2023).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-022-02231-7 (this opens in a new tab)

Xing-Qing Duan, Guang-Xu Li, Wen-Hui Zhang, Hui Luo, Hai-Mei Tang, Cun-Ke Huang, Zhi-Qiang Lan, Wen-Zheng Zhou, Jin Guo & Hai-Zhen Liu

Guangxi Novel Battery Materials Research Center of Engineering Technology, Guangxi Colleges and Universities Key Laboratory of Novel Energy Materials and Related Technology, School of Physical Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, China

Li Xu & Peng Sheng

State Key Laboratory of Advanced Power Transmission Technology, State Grid Smart Grid Research Institute Co., Ltd., Beijing, 102209, China

Xin-Hua Wang

Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China

Xian-Tun Huang

Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Baise College, Baise, 533000, China

Mohammd Bin Ismail

Energy Storage Research Group, Faculty of Ocean Engineering Technology and Informatics, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Kuala Nerus, 21030, Malaysia

MAX for tailoring the hydrogen storage of Mg-based materials

Layered MXene materials are great catalysts to tailoring the hydrogen storage properties of MgH₂. However, the synthesis of MXenes generally requires the consumption of a large quantity of hydrofl uoric acid (HF) to remove the Al layers from the MAX materials, which is environmentally unfriendly. In this work, the MAX materials without HF-etching were demonstrated to also have excellent enhancing impact on the hydrogen storage of MgH₂. As an example, the Ti₃AlCN MAX can observably enhance the kinetics and the cycling stability of MgH₂ and is comparable to many MXenes such as Ti₃C₂ or V₂C. The Ti₃AlCN was observed to act as the active sites for the nucleation and growth of MgH₂ and was believed to help in the dissociation and recombination of the hydrogen molecules. This work not only expands the research scope of catalytic Mg-based hydrogen storage materials but also adds new evidence of nucleation and growth of MgH₂ on a catalyst.

Issue 5, 2023

Nanograined high entropy alloys with local chemical ordering for enhanced thermal stability

Published: 29 December 2022；Rare Metals. 42, 1645–1655 (2023).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-022-02194-9 (this opens in a new tab)

Hong-Hui Wu, Lin-Shuo Dong, Shui-Ze Wang, Gui-Lin Wu, Jun-Heng Gao & Xin-Ping Mao

Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Materials Genome Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China

Shui-Ze Wang, Gui-Lin Wu, Jun-Heng Gao & Xin-Ping Mao Yangjiang Branch, Guangdong Laboratory for Materials Science and Technology (Yangjiang Advanced Alloys Laboratory), Yangjiang, 529500, China

Xu-Sheng Yang

Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, 999077, Hong Kong, China

Xiao-Ye Zhou

Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Durability for Marine Civil Engineering, School of Civil Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China

Nanograined high entropy alloys with local chemical ordering for enhanced thermal stability

Nanograined materials have superior strength compared with their bulk counterparts, however, they often suffer from low thermal stability due to the high volume fraction of grain boundaries. Herein, we investigate the possibility of utilizing local chemical ordering for improving the thermal stability of nanograined FeCoNiCrMn high entropy alloys with hybrid molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo simulations. By analyzing the deformation behaviors and the atomic structure evolution, we found that the formation of local chemical ordering effectively stabilized the grain boundaries and inhibited grain boundary movements. In addition, dislocation nucleation from grain boundaries and dislocation movement were also hindered. The inhibiting effect is more prominent than that in the nanograined models with smaller grain sizes. Our work suggests a possible strategy for enhancing the thermal stability of nanograined FeCoNiCrMn high entropy alloys for service in a high-temperature environment.

Issue 4, 2023

Highly efficient cobalt-based amorphous catalyst for peroxymonosulfate activation towards wastewater remediation

Published: 20 January 2023; Rare Metals. 42, 1160–1174 (2023).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-022-02220-w (this opens in a new tab)

Xue-Chun Zhou, Shuang-Qin Chen, Ming-Jie Zhou, Mai Li, Si Lan & Tao Feng
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Herbert Gleiter Institute of Nanoscience, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094, China

Shuang-Qin Chen
School of Material Science and Engineering, Nanjing Institute of Technology, Nanjing, 211167, China

Highly efficient cobalt-based amorphous catalyst for peroxymonosulfate activation towards wastewater remediation
In recent decades, water pollution aroused by various contaminants has become a critical societal issue, due to its adverse effects on human beings and ecosystem. Metallic glasses (MGs) are rising novae in the catalytic field, due to their unique amorphous structure, such as large residual stress, and high density of low coordination sites. However, there is still an absence of suitable MGs’ catalysts for advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) with peroxymonosulfate (PMS), the most efficient and promising wastewater remediation technology. Particularly, PMS was utilized for AOPs, which is suitable for a wider pH range, and generated SO4•‒ possesses high oxidation potential and long half-life. Herein, Co-MG with nominal composition of Co67Fe4Mo1.5Si16.5B11 (at%) was utilized as catalyst of PMS for azo dye degradation. Azo dyes are the largest class of synthetic dyes used in the textile industry and have caused serious ecological and environmental problems due to their toxicity, non-biodegradability and potential carcinogenicity. The results demonstrated that the Co-MG/PMS system had an order of magnitude higher efficiency on OII degradation, compared with the Fe-MG/PMS system. For fundamental study and field application, the effect of adding inorganic anions (Cl‒, HCO3‒, H2PO4‒, SO42‒, NO3‒ ), environmental factors, and cycle experiments on the degradation properties of Co-MG was investigated emphatically to evaluate overall catalytic performance. It has demonstrated that the Co-MG with better recyclability, more stability and better corrosion resistance contrasted to Fe-MGs. The present results provide not only a new candidate but also shed light on exploring a new kind of AOPs system based on cobalt MGs for wastewater treatment.

Issue 3, 2023

State of health and remaining useful life prediction for lithium-ion batteries based on differential thermal voltammetry and a long and short memory neural network

Published: 05 December 2022；Rare Metals. 42, 885–901 (2023).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-022-02156-1 (this opens in a new tab)

Bin Ma, Xian-Bin Yang, Hai-Cheng Xie & Si-Yan Chen

College of Automotive Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun, 130022, China

Bin Ma, Han-Qing Yu, Wen-Tao Wang, Li-Sheng Zhang & Xin-Hua Liu

School of Transportation Science and Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, 100191, China

Han-Qing Yu

School of Automotive Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Weihai, 264209, China

Cheng Zhang

Institute for Clean Growth & Future Mobility, Coventry University, Coventry, CV1 5FB, UK

State of health and remaining useful life prediction for lithium-ion batteries based on differential thermal voltammetry and a long and short memory neural network

With the widespread use of lithium-ion batteries, the accurate estimation of the state of health (SOH) and remaining useful life (RUL) of batteries has become a high-profile content in recent years. In this paper, a data-driven model with the long short-term memory (LSTM) network is constructed and integrated with feature signal analysis. By feeding the features extracted from the differential thermal voltammetry (DTV) curves into the model, the battery degradation can be characterized, enabling accurate prediction of battery capacity decay. Firstly, the DTV curve is smoothed by the Savitzky-Golay (SG) filter and six alternative features associated with battery degradation are selected. Then, three features highly correlated with capacity decay are filtered out using correlation analysis as model inputs. Finally, the model is constructed, validated and compared using the dataset of the battery. The results show that the method achieves accurate predictions of SOH and RUL, and can also capture the capacity rebound phenomenon. The approach significantly reduces the cost and complexity of computing and offers a potential solution for the application of battery cloud management systems and digital twins.

Issue 2, 2023

Microfluidic assembly of WO3/MoS2 Z-scheme heterojunction as tandem photocatalyst for nitrobenzene hydrogenation

Published: 04 January 2023；Rare Metals. 42, 484–494 (2023).https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-022-02169-w (this opens in a new tab)

Qing Wang, Xuan-Xuan Cao, Tao Liu, Kang-Jie Wu, Juan Deng, Jing-Sheng Chen, Yue-Ji Cai, Chao Yu & Wei-Kang Wang

School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, 212000, China

Meng-Qi Shen

Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA

Microfluidic assembly of WO3/MoS2 Z-scheme heterojunction as tandem photocatalyst for nitrobenzene hydrogenation

Heterojunction-based photocatalyst plays an important role in the various heterogeneous catalysis. Z-scheme photocatalytic systems with two semiconductor materials are suitable for harvesting solar energy, while the advanced nanostructuring tools for the fabrication of Z- scheme heterojunction are limited. Influenced by the butterfly structure, we constructed a WO3/MoS2 (W/M0.2) heterojunction composite in a microfluidic system with enhanced assembly efficiency. Additionally, in the tandem reaction of nitroaromatics transformation, the photogenerated hole (h+) oxidation of formic acid (HCOOH) provides the hydrogen source and the deposited Pd nanoparticles are enriched with photogenerated electrons for improving the transfer hydrogenation efficiency.

Issue 1, 2023

Research progress of optoelectronic devices based on two-dimensional MoS2 materials

Published: 06 October 2022；Rare Metals. 42, 17–38 (2023).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-022-02113-y (this opens in a new tab)

Liang-Rui Zou, Dan-Dan Sang, Yu Yao, Xue-Ting Wang & Qing-Lin Wang

Shandong Key Laboratory of Optical Communication Science and Technology, School of Physics Science and Information Technology, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng, 252000, China

Yuan-Yuan Zheng & Cong Wang

College of Mathematics and Physics, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China

Nai-Zhou Wang

Division of Physics and Applied Physics, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 637371, Singapore

Research progress of optoelectronic devices based on two-dimensional MoS2 materials

MoS2 is a widely used as optoelectronic material with exceptional electrical, magnetic, optical, and mechanical properties. Owing to the quantum confinement effect, high absorption coefficient, high surface-volume ratio, and tunable bandgap, nano-MoS2-based devices exhibit size-dependent and novel optoelectronic properties, such as excellent photoluminescence and high anisotropic electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties. This issue focuses mainly on the latest progress of optoelectronic device applications based on two-dimensional (2D) nano-MoS2. Various advanced devices, such as sensors, photodetectors, light-emitting diodes, memory applications, and fieldeffect transistors are considered. This issue will provide a new perspective in promoting the development of 2D nanomaterial-based photoelectric applications. The possibility of creating MoS2/diamond heterojunction devices is put forward, so as to further explore the development of 2D nano-material optoelectronic devices in complex environment.

Issue 12, 2022

Na₃Zr₂Si₂PO₁₂ solid-state electrolyte with glass-like morphology for enhanced dendrite suppression
Published: 17 September 2022；Rare Metals. 41, 4086–4093 (2022).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-022-02161-4 (this opens in a new tab)

Hang Su, Shi-Wei Zhang, Yi-Meng Liu, Chao Yang, Li-Xiao Zhang & Ya You

State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, China

Ya You
International School of Materials Science and Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, China

Sen Xin
CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Nanostructure and Nanotechnology, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, 100190, China

Sen Xin
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

Na₃Zr₂Si₂PO₁₂ solid-state electrolyte with glass-like morphology for enhanced dendrite suppression

Na₃Zr₂Si₂PO₁₂ solid-state electrolyte with glass-like morphology for enhanced dendrite suppression The solid-state electrolytes are of great interest and importance due to their improved safety. For building the solid-state sodium-metal batteries, Na₃Zr₂Si₂PO₁₂ (NZSP) represents a promising candidate as it features high chemical stability against air exposure and a high Na+ conductivity. The NZSP pellets are usually calcined at a high temperature, and the high volatility of Na and P elements easily lead to the formation of impurity phase. In this work, we have studied the eff ects of calcination temperature and stoichiometry on the phase purity and ionic conductivity of the NZSP electrolyte. For the stoichiometry, the introduction of 5 mol% excessive P results in formation of more Na₃PO₄ and glass-like phase at the grain boundary, and eff ectively suppresses the Na dendrite growth, then accounts for improved cycling performance of Na||Na symmetric cell. Our work provides insights on reasonable design and preparation of NZSP electrolyte towards practical realization of solid-state Na-metal batteries.

Issue 11, 2022

Synergistic effect of cubic C3N4/ZnO/C hybrid composite for selective detection of sulfur dioxide
Published: 16 August 2022; Rare Met. 41, 3662–3670 (2022).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-022-02064-4 (this opens in a new tab)

Xin-Jia Miao, Xiao-Jun Zhao, Hao Qin, Qi Jin, Yang Chen & Qin-He Pan
Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials of Tropical Island Resources, Ministry of Education, School of Science, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China

Xin-Jia Miao, Yang Chen, Wei-Ting Yang & Qin-He Pan
School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China

Zong-Qiang Cao & Qing-Ji Wang
State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, College of Information and Communication Engineering, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China

Synergistic effect of cubic C3N4/ZnO/C hybrid composite for selective detection of sulfur dioxide
With the progress of human society and the development of industry, much attention has been focused on the detection of harmful gases in indoor and outdoor environments. SO2, which is a colorless and highly toxic gas, is harmful to the environment and human health. It is necessary to develop gas sensing materials with good selectivity and durability to SO2. A C3N4/ZnO/C hybrid, MFM@IRMOF-3-T, was prepared successfully for SO2 monitoring by annealing the composite of melamine formaldehyde resin microsphere (MFM) and IRMOF-3. Its excellent sensing response, selectivity and repeatability can be attributed to the formation of C3N4 during the annealing process, which improves the electrical conductivity of the annealed product, and the bonding of nitrogen in MFM and zinc in IRMOF-3, which promotes electron transfer in MFM@IRMOF-3-T. The study of the C3N4/ZnO/C hybrid provides an eff ective strategy for the preparation of SO2 sensor derived from MOF-based composite.

Issue 10, 2022

Anchor single atom in h-BN assist NO synthesis NH3: a computational view
Published: 09 August 2022; Rare Met. 41, 3456–3465 (2022).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-022-02059-1 (this opens in a new tab)

Chao-Zheng He, Ya-Xing Zhang & Jia Wang
Institute of Environment and Energy Catalysis, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Functional Materials and Devices, School of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Xi’an Technological University, Xi’an, 710021, China

Ling Fu
College of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Tianshui Normal University, Tianshui, 741001, China

Anchor single atom in h-BN assist NO synthesis NH3: a computational view
With the development of society, automobiles are becoming more and more common. At the same time, the haze caused by the emission of automobile exhaust is more serious. The reason is that one of the main components of haze is NO, and its main source is the emission of automobile exhaust. In addition to reducing the emission of NO, it is an important purpose for people to convert NO pollutants into favorable resources. This article provides an environmentally friendly and low-cost electrocatalytic method to convert NO into NH3 and realize resource utilization. Mainly through density functional theory (DFT), a series of transition metal atoms were embedded into defects containing h-BN, and a new structure was constructed TM@B2N2 (TM = Ti-Zn, Nb-Ag) twodimensional nanostructure. The activation of NO molecules and the electrochemical performance of these monoatomic catalysts for NO reduction (NORR) were investigated. Looking forward to the future, we hope that our work can provide some theoretical guidance for experimental workers in the fi eld of more environmentally friendly treatment of NO and ammonia synthesis, and promote more relevant research.

Issue 9, 2022

Stable GeSe thin-film solar cells employing non-toxic SnO2 as buffer layer
Published: 17 May 2022；Rare Met. 41, 2992–2997 (2022).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-022-02005-1 (this opens in a new tab)

Jian-Min Wu, Yan-Ping Lv, Hao Wu, Hui-Sheng Zhang, Fang Wang, Jun Zhang, Jin-Zeng Wang & Xiao-Hong Xu
Key Laboratory of Magnetic Molecules and Magnetic Information Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Shanxi Normal University, Taiyuan, 030000, China

Stable GeSe thin-film solar cells employing non-toxic SnO2 as buffer layer
Germanium monoselenide (GeSe) has attracted significant attention recently due to its excellent optoelectronic properties, nontoxicity, and high stability. However, the current best-performance GeSe solar cells usually use toxic CdS as the buffer layer that restricts their practical applications. Herein, non-toxic SnO2 was firstly introduced to construct environment-friendly SnO2/GeSe heterojunction solar cells. Benefi ting from (110)-plane SnO2, GeSe film with a preferred [111] orientation was relized, facilitating the carrier transport along in-plane direction. The resulting FTO/ SnO2/GeSe/Au solar cells exhibit a power conversion effi ciency of 0.51%, accompanied by excellent light and air stability. This work demonstrates the great potential of SnO2/GeSe heterojunction solar cells for practical applications.
 

Issue 8, 2022

MXene-wrapped ZnCo2S4 core–shell nanospheres via electrostatic self-assembly as positive electrode materials for asymmetric supercapacitors
Published: 20 March 2022; Rare Met. 41, 2633–2644 (2022).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-021-01956-1 (this opens in a new tab)

Ji-Qiu Qi, Chen-Chen Zhang, Hao Liu, Lei Zhu & Yan-Wei Sui

Jiangsu Province Engineering Laboratory of High Efficient Energy Storage Technology and Equipments, School of Materials Science and Physics, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, 221116, China

Xiu-Juan Feng
The School of Mines, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, 221116, China

Wen-Qing Wei
School of Mechanical-Electronic and Vehicle Engineering, Weifang University, Weifang, 261061, China

Hao Zhang
Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology & Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, China

Peng Cao
Department of Chemical & Materials Engineering, University of Auckland, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand

MXene-wrapped ZnCo2S4 core–shell nanospheres via electrostatic self-assembly as positive electrode materials for asymmetric supercapacitors

MXene shows great application prospects in the fields of catalysis and energy storage due to its abundant surface functional groups and high conductivity. In addition, metallic sulfides have better conductivity, low price, abundant resources and easy synthesis, and have higher specific capacitance. Herein, we prepared MXene-wrapped ZnCo2S4 core-shell nanospheres by electrostatic self-assembly method, where the unique structure of the electroactive ZnCo2S4 nanoplates can provide a large surface area and bring about abundant redox reaction sites, while Ti3C2 nanosheets can act as the conductive and elastic matrixes to accelerate the charge transfer and redox kinetics, as well as alleviate volume change of ZnCo2S4. The as-prepared composite delivers a large specific capacitance of 1072 F·g-1 at 1 A·g-1 and excellent cycle stability of 94.6% after 5000 cycles in a typical three-electrode system. An assembled asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) delivers 1.7 V potential window with an energy density of 30.46 Wh·kg-1 at a power density of 850 W·kg-1. The above results demonstrate that MXene wrapped ZnCo2S4 composite has great application prospects in electrochemical energy storage field

Issue 7, 2022

Rational design of Sn4P3/Ti3C2Tx composite anode with enhanced performance for potassium-ion battery
Published: 3 March 2022; Rare Met. 41, 2259–2267 (2022). 
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-021-01934-7 (this opens in a new tab)

Jie Zhao, Chao-Lin Li & Wen-Hui Wang
School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China

Jie Zhao, Gang Chen, Fei Ji, Yi-Yong Shen & Juan Peng
Shenzhen Environmental Technology Group Co. Ltd., Shenzhen, 518049, China

Chao-Lin Li
State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150090, China

Rational design of Sn4P3/Ti3C2Tx composite anode with enhanced performance for potassium-ion battery
The potential application of high capacity Sn4P3 anode for potassium ion batteries is hindered by the poor cycle stability mainly rooted from the huge volume changes upon cycling and low electronic conductivity. Herein, sandwich-like structured Sn4P3/Ti3C2Tx composite was synthesized via solvothermal reaction followed by low-temperature phosphating process. The introduction of the highly conductive Ti3C2Tx matrix not only provides channels for fast electron transfer, but also alleviates the volume change of Sn4P3 upon charge/discharge. Moreover, the loading of Sn4P3 nanoparticles serves as pillars to prevent Ti3C2Tx sheets from collapse or stack. Owing to the synergistic effect between these two components, Sn4P3/Ti3C2Tx exhibits significantly improved electrochemical performance than that of Sn4P3, which can be ranked as a high-performance anode material for PIBs.
 

Issue 6, 2022

Lithium metal recycling from spent lithium-ion batteries by cathode overcharging process

Published: 21 February 2022; Rare Met. 41, 1843–1850 (2022).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-021-01918-7 (this opens in a new tab)

Mei-Cen Fan, Yu-Qiong Kang, Xian-Shu Wang, Zhe-Xu Zhang, Yun Zhao, Bao-Hua Li & Fei-Yu Kang
Shenzhen Key Laboratory on Power Battery Safety and Shenzhen Geim Graphene Center, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School (SIGS), Shenzhen, 518055, China

John Wozny
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, 60115, USA

Jue Gong
School of Materials and Energy and Center for Applied Chemistry, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China

Guang-Min Zhou
Shenzhen Geim Graphene Center, Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute and Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, 518055, China

Lithium metal recycling from spent lithium-ion batteries by cathode overcharging process
The burgeoning growth of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) has caused great concern for the uninterrupted supply of lithium. Although spent LIBs are a richer source of lithium than the natural resources from ore, salt lake brine, or seawater, the traditional methodology for recycling lithium in spent LIBs suffers from costly energy consumption and the generation of unfriendly environmental pollutants. This research demonstrates the recovery of lithium metal using the overcharging process on the cathodes of spent LIBs, and favorable clean electrical energy drives 90% of the lithium to extract from cathode materials without prominent gas emissions. Compared to the traditional industrial production methods of extracting lithium from spent LIBs, the newly demonstrated methodology saves the cost of chemicals by over $3.7 per kg while increasing the value of lithium products by $79.1 per kg of Li. Thus, the electrochemical process presented here provides a green and economical approach for lithium recovery from spent LIBs.

Issue 5, 2022

Recent development in nonferrous metals and related materials for biomedical applications in China: A review
Published: 24 February 2022; Rare Met. 41, 1410–1433 (2022).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-021-01905-y (this opens in a new tab)

Hai-Ling Tu & Hong-Bin Zhao
State Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials for Smart Sensing, GRINM Group Co., Ltd., Beijing, 100088, China

Yan-Yan Fan
China Academy of Space Technology, Beijing, 100094, China

Qing-Zhu Zhang
Key Laboratory of Microelectronics Devices & Integrated Technology, Institute of Microelectronics, CAS, Beijing, 100029, China

Recent developments in nonferrous metals and related materials for biomedical applications in China: a review

Biomaterials are accessible for use in medical applications to support, enhance, or replace the damaged tissue or a biological function. Since the beginning of 21st century, nonferrous metals and related materials (NMRMs) as a large class of biomaterials have been making dramatic progress in China, and many incredible achievements have been made by Chinese scientists through original research and application-oriented innovation. This review provided the recent findings and succinct insights of the developments of NMRMs for medical applications in China, including titanium, magnesium, copper, zinc, cobalt, zirconium, hafnium, niobium, rhenium, tantalum, tungsten, silver, gold, platinum, palladium, their alloys and compounds, rare earths, high-entropy alloys, and liquid metals for prosthetic implants, tissue repair and regeneration, drug delivery systems, pharmaceutical or biological therapy products, and sensitive diagnostic applications. Several emerging technologies including Materials Genome Engineering have been suggested for future developments of NMRMs for biomedical engineering. Looking forward to the next 30 years, NMRMs are believed to hold the potential to provide more motivation for the development of biomedical engineering and to help people live longer and better lives.

Issue 4, 2022

Intimately coupled WS2 nanosheets in hierarchical hollow carbon nanospheres as the high-performance anode material for lithium-ion storage
Published: 04 October 2021; Rare Met. 41, 1245–1254 (2022).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-021-01850-w (this opens in a new tab)

Ze-Jun Zhao, Fang Wang, Jia-Yi Dai, Yi-Fan Qin, Xiao-Bing Bao & Yong Yang
State Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing, Center of Advanced Lubrication and Seal Materials, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an, 710072, China

Yu-Guang Chao & Shao-Jun Guo
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China

Intimately coupled WS2 nanosheets in hierarchical hollow carbon nanospheres as the high-performance anode material for lithium-ion storage
Lithium-ion hybrid capacitors (LIHCs) have drawn extensive attention in energy storage fields, which can deliver high power and energy densities simultaneously. However, the lack of appropriate electrode materials with rapid kinetics restricted the overall performance of the capacitors. Herein, hierarchical N, P-codoped hollow carbon nanospheres coupling with WS2 nanosheets (N, P-codoped HCNS/WS2 NSs) were designed and fabricated for boosting lithium storage performance. Benefiting from the hollow carbon coupling with WS2 nanosheets structure, the conductivity of the composites and kinetic process could be enhanced significantly. As a result, As-prepared LIHCs devices exhibited high energy density of 166.7 Wh·kg-1 and power density of 5312.4 W·kg-1. Besides, the capacity almost had no obvious deterioration after 6000 cycles at a high current density of 10.0 A·g-1. This work develops a feasible pathway to fabricate advanced functional materials for energy conversion and storage, thus promoting the practical applications of HLICs.

Issue 3, 2022

Selective hydroconversion of 2-methylfuran to pentanols on MWNT-supported Pt catalyst at ambient temperature

Published: 19 July 2021；Rare Met. 41, 889–900 (2022).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-021-01801-5 (this opens in a new tab)

Ting Wang, Bin Zhang, Chao-Qun Yin, Jun Zhao, Xiang Liu & Chuan Wang

Institute of Advanced Synthesis, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Jiangsu National Synergetic Innovation Center for Advanced Materials, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, 211816, China

Ting Wang

Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute (NEWRI), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 637141, Singapore

Selective ring-openings in furan derivatives at room temperature over platinum-based catalysts

The efficient transformation of lignocellulosic biomass into added-value chemical products has attracted considerable interests to relieve the heavy reliance on fossil resources and to mitigate associated environmental impacts. In particular, much effort has been devoted to upgrading the lignocellulose-derived furan derivatives into long chain alcohols, such as pentanols, which are widely used as fuels, chemical additives, and organic solvents. Currently, the development of efficient catalysts which can effectively cleavage C–O bond under mild conditions remains a critical challenge due to its higher energy barrier and the competing breakage of the a/d-C–O bond. In this regard, Wang et al. successfully design some highly active multi-walled carbon nanotube supported Pt catalysts (Pt/MWNT) which can selectively cleave the C–O bond of the furan ring in 2-MF hydrogenolysis to form pentanols at exceptional low temperature of 25°C with 100% 2-MF conversion and 53% pentanols yield. Additionally, the robust Pt/MWNT catalyst, with excellent reusability and a wide feasibility of ring-openings in different furan derivatives (furan, 2,5-dimethylfuran, furfural, 2-ethylfuran, etc.) at room temperature, demonstrates its promising potential in industrial applications. This work also shed light on designing highly efficient catalysts for room-temperature biofuel production.

Issue 2, 2022

Flower-like CuS/graphene oxide with photothermal and enhanced photocatalytic effect for rapid bacteria-killing using visible light

Published: 07 June 2021; Rare Met. 41, 639–649 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-021-01759-4. (this opens in a new tab)

Rui Lv, Yan-Qin Liang, Zhao-Yang Li, Sheng-Li Zhu, Zhen-Duo Cui & Shui-Lin Wu

School of Materials Science & Engineering, the Key Laboratory of Advanced Ceramics and Machining Technology by the Ministry of Education of China, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China

Rui Lv, Yan-Qin Liang, Zhao-Yang Li, Sheng-Li Zhu, Zhen-Duo Cui & Shui-Lin Wu

The Key Laboratory of Advanced Ceramics and Machining Technology by the Ministry of Education of China, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China

Flower-like CuS/graphene oxide with photothermal and enhanced photocatalytic effect for rapid bacteria-killing using visible light

Graphene has been widely used for its high specific surface area due to the carbon atom monolayer structure, which has always been doped to modify existing properties or endow new properties on demand. Herein, flower-like CuS/-graphene oxide (GO) hybrids have been successfully synthesized via simple one-pot hydrothermal process. GO worked as an excellent electron acceptor to transport the photogenerated electrons from CuS, which can suppress the recombination of hole–electron pairs efficiently, thus enhancing the photocatalytic property. In addition, the morphology of CuS and GO with high specific surface area and the increased defect in GO also improved photocatalytic performance of the hybrid. Owing to the synergy of photothermal, enhanced photocatalytic effect and released Cu ions, CuS/GO exhibited outstanding antibacterial efficacy under visible light irradiation for 15 min. Additionally, the hybrid showed great biocompatibility to L929 cell. Hence, the synthesized CuS/GO would be a promising antibacterial material for daily life including rapid water disinfection and wounds sterilization.

Issue 1, 2022

MgO intercalation and crystallization between epitaxial graphene and Ru(0001)

Published: 26 July 2021; Rare Met. 41, 304–310 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-021-01792-3. (this opens in a new tab)

Xue-Yan Wang, Hui Guo, Jin-An Shi, Yi Biao, Yan Li, Guang-Yuan Han, Shuai Zhang, Kai Qian, Wu Zhou, Xiao Lin, Shi-Xuan Du, Cheng-Min Shen, Hong-Liang Lu & Hong-Jun Gao

Institute of Physics and University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China

Wu Zhou, Xiao Lin, Shi-Xuan Du, Cheng-Min Shen, Hong-Liang Lu & Hong-Jun Gao

CAS Center for Excellence in Topological Quantum Computation, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China

Shi-Xuan Du & Hong-Jun Gao

Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, Dongguan, 523808, China

MgO intercalation between graphene and metal substrates for novel electronic devices

The excellent properties of graphene, such as high electron mobility and large spin diffusion length, make it promising for applications in electronic devices. Fabrication of graphene on insulating layers is a key step towards such applications. However, it is still challenging to grow high-quality large-area graphene on insulating layers, especially those with high dielectric constants. In this issue, Wang et al. reported the fabrication of high-quality, large-area, single-crystal graphene on MgO layer by intercalating and oxidizing Mg layer between epitaxial graphene and Ru(0001) substrate. The intercalated MgO has a rock salt structure, with a thickness of up to ~2.3 nm. Since magnesium oxide has a high dielectric constant and can be used as tunnel barrier for spin injection, this work provides a new route to fabricate graphene/MgO/metal heterostructures, which may have potential applications in electronic and spintronic devices based on high-quality graphene.

Issue 12, 2021

Hierarchically Porous Carbon Decorated Li3VO4 as Advanced Anode for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Published: 21 April 2021; Rare Metals volume 40, pages3466–3476 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-021-01712-5 (this opens in a new tab).

Wen-Wen Gou, Shuang Zhou, Xin-Xin Cao, Yi-Lin Luo, Xiang-Zhong Kong, Jing Chen, Xue-Fang Xie & An-Qiang Pan

Hierarchically Porous Carbon Decorated Li3VO4 as Advanced Anode for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Developing lithium-ion batteries with high energy density for large-scale energy storage system is an effective way to alleviate the increasing energy and environmental issues. Among numerous candidates, Li3VO4 has been considered as a promising insertion-type anode for lithium-ion batteries due to its high theoretical specific capacity and suitable operating voltage platform. However, this promising anode still suffers from poor electrical conductivity. In this issue, Pan et al. successfully designed double carbon coated LVO composites with porous structure via facile agitation-drying method combined with subsequent calcination, in which Ketjen black carbon with high porosity, easy dispersion and excellent conductivity can serve as one of carbon source. The Li3VO4/C composite prepared at 700 oC with a carbon content of about 10% exhibits the optimized structure. The void space of the composite accommodates the volume changes during the charge/discharge process. Meanwhile, the carbon shell serves as a conductive skeleton to provide bi-continuous Li ions and electrons pathways. The as-prepared Li3VO4/C composites exhibit good cycling stability and excellent rate capability, which can be promising alternative anode material for high energy density lithium-ion batteries.

Issue 11, 2021

In-situ scattering study of multiscale structural evolution during liquid-liquid phase transition in Mg-based metallic glasses

Published: 28 June 2021; Rare Metals volume 40, pages3107–3116 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-021-01767-4 (this opens in a new tab).

Kang-Hua Li, Jia-Cheng Ge, Si-Nan Liu, Shu Fu, Zi-Xuan Yin, Wen-Tao Zhang, Guo-Xing Chen, Shao-Chong Wei, Hua Ji, Tao Feng, Qi Liu, Xun-Li Wang, Xiao-Bing Zuo, Yang Ren, Horst Hahn & Si Lan

Manipulating structure and properties of Mg-based liquid metals based on liquid-liquid phase transition

Mg-based metallic glasses, i.e., liquid metals, as high-strength light alloys combined with excellent corrosion resistance, have been broadly applied in the hydrogen storage and biomedical fields. In this issue, a liquid-liquid phase transition was found to occur in Mg-based liquid metals of an anomalous exothermic peak. The multiscale structures, including medium-range ordered structures and nanoscale heterogeneities, could be tuned by control of the phase transition kinetics. The mechanical properties, electronic properties, and corrosion resistance may be tunable using the revealed structure-properties relation. The robot's left hand is soft and liquid-like, and the mimicking sword of the right hand indicates the high hardness of the strengthening metals after phase transition. The calorimetric curve with an anomalous exothermic peak linking schematic structure models underneath both hands suggests that the structure and properties of the Mg-based alloys could be manipulated through the liquid-liquid phase transition in the supercooled liquid region and the following quenching.

Issue 10, 2021

Formation of hierarchical Co-decorated Mo2C hollow spheres for enhanced hydrogen evolution

Published: 18 May 2021; Rare Metals volume 40, pages2785–2792 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-021-01765-6 (this opens in a new tab).

Yi-Zhong Wang, Yi-Ming Ding, Cai-Hong Zhang, Bo-Wen Xue, Nian-Wu Li & Le Yu

Hierarchical Co-decorated Mo2C hollow nanostructure towards green hydrogen production

Water electrolysis is a promising strategy to produce green hydrogen with high purity. Owing to the high surface area and tunable chemical components, hollow structures attract great attention as unique catalyst designs for enhanced electrocatalytical hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). In this issue, Wang et al. reported an effective strategy for the formation of hierarchical Co-decorated Mo2C hollow spheres (CMCHSs) as electrocatalyst for HER. The synergistic regulation of morphology and chemical composition is realized through this simple method. The as-prepared CMCHSs demonstrate largely enhanced HER performance with low overpotential and good stability in acid. This novel work sheds light on the design of HER electrocatalyst via the combination of hollow structures and surface engineering.

Issue 9, 2021

Advances in electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide to formate over bismuth-based catalysts

Published: 07 May 2021; Rare Metals volume 40, pages2327–2353 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-021-01728-x (this opens in a new tab).

Yu-Hong Wang, Wen-Jun Jiang, Wei Yao, Zai-Lun Liu, Zhe Liu, Yong Yang & Li-Zhen Gao

Advances in electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide to formate over bismuth-based catalysts

Selective CO2 reduction to HCOOH with high added value is one of the most technologically and economically feasible pathways to realize electrochemical CO2 fixation. Formic acid and formate are important organic raw materials in pharmaceutical, pesticide and chemical industry. Furthermore, it makes sense to remove CO2 and produce O2 in a spacecraft to provide an earth-like environment for astronauts. Therefore, electrochemical reduction of CO2 to HCOOH (ERC-HCOO-) on cathode and accompanied production of O2 on anode can exhibit significant economic and practical value. Considering that Bismuth is a star material in ERC-HCOO-, it is necessary to make a detailed and comprehensive summary about ERC-HCOO- over Bi-based catalysts. In this review, Wang et al. presented the performance evaluation indexes, reaction mechanism, means of mechanism research and performance improvement strategies for ERC-HCOO- over Bi-based catalysts. Besides, progress and challenges of ERC-HCOO- over Bi-based catalysts are reviewed in detail.

Issue 8, 2021

Multiscale architectures boosting thermoelectric performance of copper sulfide compound

Published: 28 February 2021; Rare Metals volume 40, pages2017–2025 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-020-01698-6 (this opens in a new tab).

Xin-Qi Chen, Sheng-Jie Fan, Chao Han, Tian Wu, Lian-Jun Wang, Wan Jiang, Wei Dai & Jian-Ping Yang

Multiscale architectures of copper sulfide compound for thermoelectric conversion materials

Copper sulfides, owing to their high performance and earth abundance, have attracted wide attention as a promising medium-temperature thermoelectric material. Nanostructure and grain-boundary engineering have been explored to tune the electrical transport and phonon scattering of copper sulfides based on the liquid-like copper ion for the enhancement of thermoelectric performance. Dai and Yang et al. successfully designed the multiscale architectures in copper sulfides by simultaneously employing nanostructure engineering and grain-boundary engineering. Multiscale architecture-engineered Cu2-xS are fabricated by a room-temperature wet chemical synthesis combining mechanical mixing and spark plasma sintering. The observed electrical conductivity in the multiscale architecture-engineered Cu2-xS is four times as much as that of the Cu2-xS sample at 800 K, which is attributed to the potential energy filtering effect at the new grain boundaries. Moreover, the multiscale architecture in the sintered Cu2-xS increases phonon scattering and results in a reduced lattice thermal conductivity and a 9% increased figure of merit (zT) at 800 K. These results suggest that the introduction of nanostructure and formation of the new interface are effective strategies for the enhancement of thermoelectric material properties.

Issue 7, 2021

Fluorinated graphite nanosheets for ultrahigh-capacity lithium primary batteries

Published: 10 March 2021; Rare Metals volume 40, pages1708–1718 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-020-01692-y (this opens in a new tab).

Xiao-Xia Yang, Guan-Jun Zhang, Bao-Sheng Bai, Yu Li, Yi-Xiao Li, Yong Yang, Xian Jian & Xi-Wen Wang

Fluorinated graphite nanosheets for ultrahigh-capacity lithium primary batteries

Lithium fluorocarbon (Li/CF_x) battery is the battery system with the highest specific energy in solid electrode chemical power supply. The F/C limit of conventional fluorocarbons is 1, and the theoretical specific capacity is 865 mAh·g^-1. Because the energy of the material is difficult to be fully utilized in the practical battery, the specific energy of the battery is usually lower than 700 Wh·kg^-1. At this concern, Wang et al. carried out innovative research on the preparation of fluorocarbon materials and electrodes, breaking through the F/C and specific capacity limits of existing fluorocarbon materials, and providing a new strategy for the realization of ultra-high specific energy lithium galvanic battery. By adjusting the temperature, the edge defects and –CF₂, –CF₃ perfluorinated functional group active sites are introduced into graphite nanosheets (NSs) in the form of covalent/semi-covalent/semi-ionic bonds, which broke the restriction of fluoro-carbon ratio to achieve ultra-thin microstructure with high performances. Using the ultra-high specific capacity CF_x NSs, combined with the "dual function" electrolyte that both conduct lithium ions and participate in the lithium synthesis reaction, and the lightweight battery structure design, a 24-Ah soft-packed lithium fluorocarbon primary battery with specific energy up to 1116 Wh·kg^-1 was developed, which is the highest level reported in the relevant field at present.

Issue 6, 2021

Boosting lithium storage performance of Si nanoparticles via thin carbon and nitrogen/phosphorus co-doped two-dimensional carbon sheet dual encapsulation

Published 08 March 2021; Rare Metals volume 40, pages 1347–1356 (2021).

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-021-01716-1 (this opens in a new tab)

 Cheng-Zhi Ke, Fang Liu, Zhi-Ming Zheng, He-He Zhang, Meng-Ting Cai, Miao Li, Qi-Zhang Yan, Hui-Xin Chen & Qiao-Bao Zhang*

Roads toward boosting lithium storage performance of Si nanoparticles

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) play an indispensable role in our daily life as they are widely applied in many fields from portable electronic devices to electrical vehicles, the ever-demanding requirements to achieve higher energy densities of LIBs are thus ever-increasing. Among numerous candidates, Silicon (Si) stands out as the most promising anode candidate for the next-generation LIBs, because of its low average discharge potential, extremely high theoretical capacity, and natural abundance. However, the dramatic volume expansion and contraction of Si during cycling cause a number of destruction. In this regard, we propose a double carbon synergistic encapsulation strategy, namely thin carbon shell and nitrogen/phosphorus co-doped two-dimensional (2D) carbon sheet dual encapsulate Si nanoparticles (denoted as 2D NPC/C@Si) to cushion the volume change of Si nanoparticles and enhance electron/ion transport when applied as anodes for LIBs, which exhibits significantly enhanced performance. Our proposed strategy can potentially be extended to the delicate design and engineering of other types of electrodes that tend to undergo large volume expansion for advanced LIBs.

Issue 5, 2021

Structure, mechanical, thermodynamic, and electronic properties of Pt3M (M = Al, Co, Hf, Sc, Y, Zr) compounds under high pressure

Published 07 January 2021; Rare Metals volume 40, pages 1208–1218(2021).

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-020-01656-2 (this opens in a new tab)

Zong-Bo Li, Kai Xiong*, Cheng-Chen Jin, Ying-Jie Sun, Bao-Wen Wang, Shun-Meng Zhang, Jun-Jie He & Yong Mao*

Platinum-based high-temperature alloys for high efficiency airspace engine

The engine efficiency of aero-engine engine is determined by the operating temperature of turbine blade materials. Pt-based alloys attract more attention as their high elevated-temperature tension and fatigue strength, good oxidation and thermal corrosion resistance, and have been applied to prepare jet nozzle for the control component of satellite or rocket. The excellent elevated-temperature properties of Pt-based alloys are benefited from the precipitation of Pt3M-type phases that can inhibit dislocation motion, resulting in improving their mechanical strength and creep resistance. Despite Pt3M phases play a significant role in the deformation of Pt-based alloys, little research has been done in this topic, especially for them under high pressure. Given that, the structure, mechanical, thermodynamic and electronic properties of typical Pt3M compounds were investigated systematically by the first-principles calculations under the pressure range of 0-100 GPa. Li et al. demonstrated that the Pt3M compounds have an inherently mechanical anisotropy. Increasing pressure results in improving the electrical conductivity, bonds strengthen and crystal stability of these compounds, also enhancing their anisotropy. This work can help us understand the mechanical and electronic properties of Pt3M compounds, and thus benefit for designing Pt-based alloys.

Issue 4, 2021

Multi-core–shell-structured LiFePO4@Na3V2(PO4)3@C composite for enhanced low-temperature performance of lithium-ion batteries

Published: 12 January 2021; Rare Metals volume 40, pages828–836(2021).

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-020-01669-x (this opens in a new tab).

Xing-Xing Gu*, Shuang Qiao, Xiao-Lei Ren, Xing-Yan Liu, You-Zhou He, Xiao-Teng Liu & Tie-Feng Liu*

Multi-Core-shell structured cathode contributes vehicles cruising at low temperature

In cold climates and high-altitude drones, lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are required to work at subzero temperature. However, cold temperature causes sluggish diffusion rate and slow reaction kinetics for the electrodes. In this issue, Gu et al. successfully designed a multi-core-shell structured LiFePO₄@Na₃V₂(PO₄)₃@C (LFP@NVP@C) composite to address inferior low temperature performance of LiFePO₄ cathode for LIBs. The outer carbon layers could enhance the conductivity of the cathode. The inner NVP interlayer processes an open framework for easy insertion/desertion of Li⁺ into/ out of the crystal, and the introduction of NVP interlayer also modifies the surface of LFP crystal by offering more diffusion channels of Li⁺. As the temperature falls, LFP@NVP@C exhibits an enhanced l ow-temperature performance by ca. 8~33% in comparison with LFP@C, which is attributed to reduced charge-transfer resistance and enhanced Li⁺ diffusion. Even at -10 ^oC with 0.5 C, LFP@NVP@C delivers a discharge capacity of ca. 96.9 mAh·g^-1 and discharge voltage of ca. 3.3 V.

Issue 3, 2021

Chemically synthesizing exchange-coupled SmCo5/Sm2Co17 nanocomposites

Published: 04 August 2020; Rare Met. volume 40, pages 575–581(2021).

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-020-01516-z (this opens in a new tab).

Yao-Hui Xu, Qiang Jiang, Kun Li*, Zhen-Hui Ma*

Exchange-coupled SmCo₅/Sm₂Co₁₇ nanocomposites for wind turbine

SmCo₅ alloys are extremely important magnetic materials and have been widely applied wind turbine. By fabricating hard/soft nanocomposites, the energy density can be further improved to miniaturize the devices. However, the strict requirements for controllable size and well distribution at nanoscale put forward a challenge to the preparation process. Conventional physical or chemical methods which try to build SmCo₅/Fe nanocomposites generated uneven phase distribution and large grain size, leading to a low magnetic property. At this concern, Xu et al. demonstrated a chemical strategy that can build exchange-coupled SmCo₅/Sm₂Co₁₇ nanocomposites by in situ decomposition of SmCo_x. By using chemical procedure, the SmCo₅/Sm₂Co₁₇ nanocomposites with their size less than 10 nm can be obtained, which display a strong exchange-coupling interaction, and their M_s value increases by 21% than pure SmCo₅. Our synthesis provides a new protocol to prepare exchange-coupled high-performance nanocomposites.

Issue 2, 2021

Challenges and strategies for ultrafast aqueous zinc-ion batteries

Published: 09 November 2020; Rare Met. 40, 309–328 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-020-01588-x (this opens in a new tab).

Qiao-Nan Zhu, Zhen-Ya Wang, Jia-Wei Wang, Xiao-Yu Liu, Li-Wei Cheng, Meng-Yao Tang & Hua Wang*

Roads toward ultrafast rechargeable aqueous zinc-ion batteries

With the rising demand for fast charging technology, significant efforts have been devoted to the development of high-rate batteries. Among numerous candidates, rechargeable aqueous zinc-ion battery (ZIB) is a promising option due to its characteristics of high energy density, low price, and environmental friendliness. However, the strong electrostatic interaction between Zn²⁺ and host materials generally leads to sluggish ion transport kinetics and structure collapse of cathode material, which hinders the high-rate performance and cycling stability of ZIB. Therefore, many strategies have been proposed to enhance its fast charging and discharging performance. In this review, a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art ultrafast rechargeable zinc-ion battery is provided with respect to the various strategies for cathode fabrication, including crystal structure engineering, nanostructuring and morphology controlling, conductive materials introducing and organic molecule designing. Finally, Zhu et al. outlook the future rational cathode materials design for fast-charging ZIB.

Issue 1, 2021

Bimodal grain structures and tensile properties of a biomedical Co–20Cr–15W–10Ni alloy with different pre-strains

Cheng-Lin Li* & Qing-Song Mei

Published: 02 September 2020; Rare Met. 40, 20–30 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-020-01566-3 (this opens in a new tab)

Strong and ductile Co-Cr alloy for vascular stents

Co-Cr alloy (L-605) is one of the most promising metals to manufacture balloon-expandable stents. Unlike conventional structural applications, materials for balloon-expandable stents prefer high ductility and high tensile strength, but low yield strength. However, L-605 alloy also has a strength–ductility trade-off, namely, it can be processed to reach high strength, but at a drastic loss of ductility. Particularly, yield strength and tensile strength often increase simultaneously. New engineering solutions are required to overcome these issues for L-605 stents. In this issue, Li et al. demonstrated that a superior combination of high tensile strength (>1200 MPa) and low yield strength (<630 MPa), and high ductility (>65%) can be achieved through introducing bimodal grain structure design in this alloy. This effort can contribute to manufacturing ultra-thin strong and ductile vascular stents, hence improving flexibility, deliverability, and access to small vessels.