National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center

Agglomeration-Induced Deactivation of Metal Oxide-Based Catalysts by Dissolved Organic Matter in Heterogeneous Fenton Systems

Abstract Heterogeneous Fenton processes are promising for wastewater treatment, yet their performance often deteriorates in dissolved organic matter (DOM)-rich waters. DOM inhibition has conventionally been attributed to reactive-species scavenging and active-site coverage. Here,...

Coordination‐Asymmetry‐Regulated Reconstruction of Electron‐Rich Cu Sites for pH‐Dependent Nitrate‐to‐Ammonia Electrocatalysis

ABSTRACT Electrocatalytic nitrate reduction reaction ( e‐ NO 3 RR) offers a promising route to valorize nitrate‐contaminated wastewater while enabling sustainable ammonia production; however, how local coordination asymmetry regulates Cu‐site evolution and reaction pathways acros...

Artificial Grain Boundaries Created by Freestanding Membrane Transfer Reveal Angle‐Dependent Ferroelectric Switching and Leakage in BaTiO 3

ABSTRACT Grain boundaries (GBs) strongly influence polycrystalline ferroelectrics, but their discrete effects are difficult to isolate because of nanoscale heterogeneity. Here, we use freestanding membrane transfer to fabricate artificial GBs with controlled, experimentally acces...

Computationally Guided Design of Facet-Defined Multielement Active Sites on Hexagonal Close-Packed High-Entropy-Alloy Nanosheets for Alkaline Hydrogen Evolution

Abstract Nonconventional hexagonal close-packed (HCP) high-entropy alloys (HEAs) provide distinct catalytic surfaces, but their synthesis with well-defined facets remains challenging, leaving facet-dependent multielement ensemble effects largely unexplored. Here, we report the co...

Electrostatic Regulation of Sulfur Spatial Evolution for Dimensionally Stable Lithium–Sulfur Batteries

ABSTRACT Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries are promising for high‐energy storage but are limited by complex multistep sulfur redox reactions that induce polysulfide migration, sluggish conversion kinetics, and severe cathode swelling. Here, we report a boron nitride/carbon nanotube...

Tailoring electrolyte salt concentration to achieve reversible Li storage in pure-Ni layered oxide

Abstract Modulating electrolyte formulation is an efficient strategy to mitigate side reactions at the electrode/electrolyte interface and thereby enhance the cycling stability of lithium batteries. Herein, the effects of electrolyte salt concentration on the solution structure a...

Synchrotron X-ray-informed machine learning for local hardness mapping in a Cu–Ni–Ti–Hf–Zr high-entropy shape-memory alloy

A supervised machine-learning framework was used to relate colocated synchrotron X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray nanodiffraction (XND), thermodynamic descriptors, and nanoindentation measurements to local hardness in an as-cast Cu 15 Ni 35 Ti 25 Hf 12. 5Zr 12.5 high-entropy shape...

Intrinsic Fermi Level Pinning and Reversible Depinning at Ultralow-Defect Epitaxial MoSe2/Au(111) Interfaces

Abstract Fermi level pinning (FLP) fundamentally limits contact engineering in two-dimensional semiconductors, yet its intrinsic origin remains obscured by the presence of interfacial disorder and defect-induced gap states. Although theoretical models attribute FLP to metal-induc...

Efficient power generation near room temperature in earth-abundant thermoelectric tin sulfide via lattice ordering

The inefficient carrier transport of earth-abundant tin sulfide (SnS), arising from its intrinsically low crystal symmetry, limits its thermoelectric performance at low temperatures. Here, the substitutional Ag+ doping modifies the Na-doped SnS crystal structure by reinforcing la...

Fluorescent Biofunctionalized Silver and Gold Nanoparticles: Bright Tools for Bioimaging Applications

Abstract The aim of this work is to evaluate different nanostructured systems based on noble metal nanoparticles suitable for drug delivery and release related to the treatment of multiple sclerosis. To this end, four different systems are thoroughly characterized from a chemical...

Weak Ferromagnetism in NiS 2 under Nanocrystallization

Structurally well-ordered NiS 2 nanocrystals with an average diameter of 27.0 ± 6.5 nm retain the bulk-like two-step antiferromagnetic transitions, as shown by magnetization and heat-capacity measurements. Below the lower transition, the nanocrystals exhibit a hysteretic ferromag...

Atomic-Scale Intergrowth Regulation Enables Long-Cycling Zero-Strain Sodium Layered Oxide Cathodes

Abstract P2-type layered oxide cathodes feature high median voltage and outstanding cycling stability, but their specific capacity of merely 80 mAh g–1 severely limits practical utility. Conventional P2/O3 biphasic strategies to boost capacity typically sacrifice structural stabi...

Surface Atomic Arrangements on High-Entropy-Alloy Nanocrystals Govern Alkaline Hydrogen Oxidation via Symmetry-Selected Multi-Atom Ensembles

Abstract High-entropy alloys (HEAs) provide compositionally diverse surfaces for electrocatalysis, yet how their surface atomic arrangements dictate active-site ensembles and catalytic activity remains unclear. Here, we develop a dropwise deposition strategy to synthesize Pd@Pd0....

Selectivity of Nitrate Reduction and Hydrogen Evolution Reaction Modulated by Aggregation of Carbon-Supported Fe Species

Abstract Fe-species distribution plays an important role in electrochemical nitrate reduction, yet its influence on the competing hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) remains insufficiently understood. Herein, carbon-supported Fe catalysts with distinct Fe-species distributions were...

Electrochemical activation-induced electronic structure modulation of ZnMn-Ni/graphene scaffolds for high-performance asymmetric supercapacitor

In this work, Zn–Mn incorporated three-dimensional porous Ni/graphene composite electrodes (NGZn x Mn y , x/y = 1/1, 1/3, and 1/5) were systematically developed to elucidate the synergistic effects of Zn/ Mn species incorporation and electrochemical activation on local coordinati...

Electronic Conductivity as a Rate‑Limiting Factor for Calcium‑Ion Storage in Layered Vanadium Oxides

ABSTRACT Rechargeable calcium batteries are promising for sustainable energy storage but lack cathode materials that reversibly intercalate Ca 2+ at practical rates. While considerable efforts have focused on improving ionic conductivity, this work investigates how electronic con...

Solar‐Driven Photothermal Manufacturing of Defect‐Rich Oxide Interfaces for Biomass Electrocatalysis

ABSTRACT Defect‐rich metal oxides are central to sustainable electrocatalysis, yet conventional heat treatment is generally constrained by thermodynamic equilibrium, limiting precise control over defect chemistry while requiring substantial energy input. Here, we establish a sola...

A Dual-Criterion System for Surface-Localized States Identification: Application to Al(001) Surface

Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) clearly resolves surface-localized (SL) states, yet conventional density functional theory (DFT) band structures from slab calculations do not readily distinguish weakly confined SL states on surfaces such as Al(001), as tradition...

A ComplexSpin-Transition Thermal Hysteresis Unlockedby Two Competing Symmetry-Breakings

Abstract The spin-crossover material [Fe(NH2trz)3](NO3)2 belongs to the class of 1D triazole-based polymeric SCO complexes. It exhibits a thermal phase transition, with a 28 K wide thermal hysteresis, characterized by phase transition temperatures T↑ = 346 K upon warming and T↓ =...

Tetraniline-Engineered Nickel Molecular Frameworks for Combinatorial NIR-Triggered Photothermal and Photodynamic Cancer Therapy

Near-infrared (NIR)-responsive nanomaterials are of critical importance for biomedical applications owing to their superior tissue penetration depths. Herein, we present a rational design of NIR-responsive tetraniline (TANI)-engineered nickel coordination frameworks for multimoda...