Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Kai Chen, Anqi Cai, Ting-Ting Li
Summary: Photocatalysis is a promising technology in the fields of energy conversion/storage and environment purification. However, the low catalytic activity of individual photocatalysts hinders their utilization. Covalent organic framework (COF)-semiconductor-based composite photocatalysts provide a feasible route to achieve high-performance photocatalytic reactions. In this review, the synthetic strategies and performance of COF-semiconductor-based heterostructures in different photocatalytic reactions are comprehensively discussed. The potential and challenges of realizing COF-semiconductor-based heterostructures with simple synthesis methods, diverse functions, high performance, and well-defined reaction mechanisms are also presented.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Lucas K. Beagle, Qiyi Fang, Ly D. Tran, Luke A. Baldwin, Christopher Muratore, Jun Lou, Nicholas R. Glavin
Summary: This review highlights recent progress in the synthesis, customization of properties, and integration with other materials of porous polymeric covalent organic frameworks (COFs) thin films, showcasing their potential applications in filtration, electronics, sensors, and electrochemistry.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zonglong Li, Li Sheng, Hangchao Wang, Xiaolin Wang, Mingyang Li, Yulong Xu, Hao Cui, Haitian Zhang, Hongmei Liang, Hong Xu, Xiangming He
Summary: Three-dimensional covalent organic frameworks (3D-COFs) are designable porous materials with unique structural characteristics and porous features. This study introduces a new 3D-COF with the ceq topology, utilizing a D-3h-symmetric triangular prism vertex and a planar triangular linker. The as-synthesized COF shows a twofold-interpenetrated structure with a Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area of 1148.6 m(2) g(-1) and efficient absorption of CO2, CH4, and H2. This work provides new building units and approaches for further exploration of 3D-COFs.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Lucas K. Beagle, David C. Moore, Gwangwoo Kim, Ly D. Tran, Paige Miesle, Christine Nguyen, Qiyi Fang, Kwan-Ho Kim, Timothy A. Prusnik, Michael Newburger, Rahul Rao, Jun Lou, Deep Jariwala, Luke A. Baldwin, Nicholas R. Glavin
Summary: This study demonstrates a microwave facilitated synthesis process to attach few-layer covalent organic framework (COF) films onto monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDC). The electronic coupling between TMDC and COF at higher TMDC defect densities results in a shift in the A-exciton peak location of MoSe2.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Pengzhong Shi, Jiawei Wang, Zhiyong Guo
Summary: A one-dimensional COF based on bis(triphenylamine) was studied, showing high crystallinity and surface area. It exhibited reversible color transition and absorption spectral changes in the near-infrared region during the applied cyclic potentials. This work could have significant implications for the exploration and application of smart optoelectronic materials.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Chang Liu, Fei Liu, Hao Li, Junsheng Chen, Jingyuan Fei, Zixun Yu, Ziwen Yuan, Chaojun Wang, Huiling Zheng, Zongwen Liu, Meiying Xu, Graeme Henkelman, Li Wei, Yuan Chen
Summary: The study introduces coaxial one-dimensional van der Waals heterostructures composed of a carbon nanotube core and a tunable thienothiophene-pyrene COF shell for oxygen reduction and evolution reactions. The charge transfer from CNTs to COF enhances catalytic activity, making it applicable as a bifunctional oxygen electrocatalyst in rechargeable zinc-air batteries with high specific capacity and excellent cycling stability.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Enquan Jin, Shuai Fu, Hiroki Hanayama, Matthew A. Addicoat, Wenxin Wei, Qiang Chen, Robert Graf, Katharina Landfester, Mischa Bonn, Kai A. Zhang, Hai Wang, Klaus Mullen, Akimitsu Narita
Summary: Synthesis of covalent organic frameworks with desirable organic units leads to advanced materials with unique functionalities, with sp(2)-carbon-conjugated COFs providing a platform to build highly stable and crystalline porous polymers. A 2D olefin-linked COF using nanographene, dibenzo[hi,st]ovalene (DBOV), as a building block was prepared, showing ABC-stacked lattices, enhanced stability, and high charge-carrier mobility.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Chao Jia, An Duan, Chao Liu, Wen-Zhuang Wang, Shi-Xian Gan, Qiao-Yan Qi, Yongjun Li, Xiaoyu Huang, Xin Zhao
Summary: This report presents a designed synthesis of a one-dimensional COF and its composites with one-dimensional carbon nanotubes for use as cathode materials in Li-ion batteries. The composites exhibit a unique dendritic core-shell structure, providing abundant and easily accessible redox-active sites, which contribute to improved diffusion rate of lithium ions and specific capacity. The study demonstrates the great potential of one-dimensional COFs in battery technologies.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Lei Zou, Zi-Ao Chen, Duan-Hui Si, Shuai-Long Yang, Wen-Qiang Gao, Kai Wang, Yuan-Biao Huang, Rong Cao
Summary: This study presents a valuable approach to address the limitations of in-plane charge transfer in imine-based covalent organic frameworks (COFs) by constructing a one-dimensional PyTTA-COF framework. The dimensionality-induced local electronic modulation strategy enables significantly enhanced CO2 photoreduction activity, providing a potential solution to improve the efficiency of CO2 reduction.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2023)
Review
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Zhuyu Wang, Chaojun Wang, Yuan Chen, Li Wei
Summary: Covalent-organic frameworks (COFs) are emerging as promising materials candidates for various energy storage applications, especially as capacitive electrode materials in supercapacitors. They have abundant and tunable pores, large and easily accessible surfaces, and plenty of redox-active sites. This review provides a timely and comprehensive summary of the recent progress in the design and synthesis of COF-based or COF-derived materials for capacitive energy storage applications, categorizing and introducing recent literature based on different energy storage mechanisms and material assembly or treatment approaches, and discussing the existing challenges and future directions for practical COF-based supercapacitors.
ADVANCED MATERIALS TECHNOLOGIES
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Jianhong Chang, Cuiyan Li, Xiaoxia Wang, Daohao Li, Jie Zhang, Xiaoming Yu, Hui Li, Xiangdong Yao, Valentin Valtchev, Shilun Qiu, Qianrong Fang
Summary: Metal-free carbon-based materials with highly dense and exposed active sites were synthesized and utilized as electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The unique quasi-three-dimensional cyclotriphosphazene-based covalent organic frameworks (Q3CTP-COFs) and their nanosheets showed excellent ORR catalytic activity and were suitable for Zn-air batteries.
NANO-MICRO LETTERS
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Rui Wang, Jiaxing Guo, Jian Xue, Haihui Wang
Summary: Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are a class of emerging organic porous crystalline materials composed entirely of organic linkers connected by strong covalent bonds. They have unique characteristics that perfectly meet the requirements for the fabrication of advanced separation membranes. Significant progress has been made in the preparation and application of COF membranes over the past few years, with discussions on the structure-performance relationship, intrinsic properties' effects, and fabrication methods.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Chaojun Wang, Fei Liu, Shaojiu Yan, Chang Liu, Zixun Yu, Junsheng Chen, Rong Lyu, Zhuyu Wang, Meiying Xu, Shenglong Dai, Yuan Chen, Li Wei
Summary: Graphene hybrids assembled by mixing 2D COFs and rGO nanosheets effectively address the problem of thick laminate formation, exhibiting excellent capacitance and rate capabilities. This mixing strategy can be extended to various 2D nanosheets, creating a wide range of novel carbon composite materials for fundamental research and applications.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jiehua Ding, Xinyu Guan, Jia Lv, Xiaohong Chen, Yi Zhang, Hui Li, Daliang Zhang, Shilun Qiu, Hai-Long Jiang, Qianrong Fang
Summary: Benefitting from unique structural merits, 3D large-pore COF materials have promising applications due to high surface areas and interconnected large channels. In this study, functional 3D stptopologized COFs named JUC-640-M (M = Co, Ni, or H) were designed, exhibiting record-breaking low crystal density, large interconnected pore size, high surface area, and abundant exposed porphyrin moieties. These materials show high CO production rate, selectivity, and stability, surpassing other COF-based materials. This work not only produces novel 3D COFs with large channels but also offers guidance for COF functionalization and applications.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Shitao Wang, Xiang-Xiang Li, Ling Da, Yaqin Wang, Zhehao Xiang, Wei Wang, Yue-Biao Zhang, Dapeng Cao
Summary: A 3D COF material with high electron mobility and a ferromagnetic phase transition phenomenon was synthesized for the first time, opening up new possibilities for applications in COF materials.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Chang Liu, Zixun Yu, Fangxin She, Jiaxiang Chen, Fangzhou Liu, Jiangtao Qu, Julie M. Cairney, Chongchong Wu, Kailong Liu, Weijie Yang, Huiling Zheng, Yuan Chen, Hao Li, Li Wei
Summary: By constructing heterogeneous molecular catalysts using cobalt porphyrins and carbon nanotubes, the catalytic properties and activity were successfully modulated, resulting in sustainable production of hydrogen peroxide with high selectivity and activity.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jing Li, Zhi Zheng, Zixun Yu, Fangxin She, Leo Lai, Justin Prabowo, Wei Lv, Li Wei, Yuan Chen
Summary: In this study, a thin protective layer is created on zinc surfaces using a simple and rapid chemical treatment, which significantly improves the stability of zinc/electrolyte interfaces and enhances cycling stability of the battery.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY A
(2023)
Review
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Zhuyu Wang, Chaojun Wang, Yuan Chen, Li Wei
Summary: Covalent-organic frameworks (COFs) are emerging as promising materials candidates for various energy storage applications, especially as capacitive electrode materials in supercapacitors. They have abundant and tunable pores, large and easily accessible surfaces, and plenty of redox-active sites. This review provides a timely and comprehensive summary of the recent progress in the design and synthesis of COF-based or COF-derived materials for capacitive energy storage applications, categorizing and introducing recent literature based on different energy storage mechanisms and material assembly or treatment approaches, and discussing the existing challenges and future directions for practical COF-based supercapacitors.
ADVANCED MATERIALS TECHNOLOGIES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Zhenglu Shi, Xing Zhao, Xiaobo Chen, Wenfeng Fu, Lin Lan, Jun Zhang, Francis Chi-Chun Ling, Li Wei, Qiang Ru
Summary: In this study, a metal protection strategy was used to coat the Ti3C2Tx MXene film on a zinc anode (MXene@Zn) to inhibit the formation of zinc dendrites. The MXene film in close contact with the zinc surface facilitated the regulation of zinc deposition and the MXene itself suppressed the growth of zinc dendrites. The MXene@Zn electrode exhibited a dendrite-free morphology and showed long cycle stability.
JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Heng Liu, Xue Jia, Ang Cao, Li Wei, Carmine D'agostino, Hao Li
Summary: By using surface Pourbaix analysis, this study reveals that the surface state of transition metal X-ide catalysts can be different from their pristine forms under electrochemical conditions, due to water dissociation or generation. This suggests the need to consider the surface state under reaction conditions in order to accurately identify and analyze active sites of these catalysts.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yuefeng Zhang, Zixun Yu, Fangxin She, Li Wei, Zhiyuan Zeng, Hao Li
Summary: Under electrocatalytic conditions, the state of the catalyst surface can differ significantly from its original form, which may lead to misleading experimental guidelines if not properly analyzed. In this study, we analyzed the relationship between Gibbs free energy and potential of a new type of dual-atom catalysts and screened out three promising catalysts for nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR). Our results suggest that N3-Co-Ni-N2 has a relatively low DG and slower kinetics of competing reactions, making it a promising NRR catalyst. This work highlights the importance of analyzing the surface occupancy state of catalysts under electrochemical conditions before activity analysis.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yuqi Pan, Liuyue Cao, Yuanyuan Yao, Yongwen Tao, Victor Lo, Zhi Zheng, Benjamin Chivers, Justin Prabowo, Fangzhou Liu, Leo Lai, Li Wei, Yuan Chen
Summary: Graphitic carbon from methane pyrolysis can serve as both cathodes and anodes in dual-carbon batteries, outperforming commercial graphite. With high graphite purity, smaller crystalline sizes, and larger surface areas, the carbon electrodes exhibit faster redox reactions and better structural stability. These findings present a new application for graphite co-products from emission-free H-2 production.
ADVANCED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Yanxi Yu, Zixun Yu, Leo Lai, Fangzhou Liu, Zhi Zheng, Liuyue Cao, Yuanyuan Yao, Dong Suk Han, Li Wei, Yuan Chen
Summary: The performance of lithium manganate (LMO) can be significantly improved by wrapping it with ion-selective reduced graphene oxide (rGO) coatings. The rGO coatings attract cations from low lithium concentration simulated seawater and restrict the mass transfer of large ions, resulting in enhanced capacity retention and extraction purity of LMO.
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jing Li, Chaojun Wang, Zixun Yu, Yuan Chen, Li Wei
Summary: Zinc is a promising alternative to lithium for electrochemical energy storage devices, and MXenes are potential materials for high-performance electrodes in these devices. This review summarizes the recent progress on MXene-based electrodes for Zn-based energy storage devices, including synthesis, chemical functionalization, and structural design. The relations between material properties, electrode structures, and device performance are analyzed, and suggestions for future research are proposed towards practical MXene-based electrodes for commercialization of Zn-based energy storage devices.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Mengjun Liang, Jiancong Zhang, Xuncai Chen, Mono Zaw, Than Zaw Oo, Nyein Wint Lwin, Su Htike Aung, Yuan Chen, Fuming Chen
Summary: We demonstrate a novel solar-driven redox flow desalination device with double photoelectrodes, achieving efficient desalination without electrical energy consumption. The device consists of three units: a photoanode unit, a photocathode unit, and a redox flow desalination unit. Under light illumination, high-quality freshwater is obtained from brackish water. The device can work in multiple desalination cycles without significant performance declines, opening opportunities for efficient and practical solar-driven desalination processes.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Anna P. P. Ovvyan, Min-Ken Li, Helge Gehring, Fabian Beutel, Sandeep Kumar, Frank Hennrich, Li Wei, Yuan Chen, Felix Pyatkov, Ralph Krupke, Wolfram H. P. Pernice
Summary: In order to achieve chip-level integration of controllable nanoscale light sources, the authors demonstrate a novel approach of heterogeneously integrating electroluminescent carbon nanotubes with photonic circuits. By back-gating the nanotubes, electrical control of the emission is achieved with high on-off ratio and strong enhancement in the telecommunication band. The use of nanographene as a low-loss material enables efficient coupling without compromising optical quality. This study provides a versatile method for integrated photonic circuits.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jing Li, Zhongyuan Guo, Jiacheng Wu, Zhi Zheng, Zixun Yu, Fangxin She, Leo Lai, Hao Li, Yuan Chen, Li Wei
Summary: It is demonstrated that dextran, a branched sugar widely used in eyedrop products, is a multifunctional electrolyte additive for high-performance aqueous Zn ion batteries (ZIBs). Dextran functions as a surface protective layer, facilitates [Zn(H2O)(6)](2+) desolvation, preferentially adsorbs on Zn(0002) planes, and homogenizes the electric field. ZIBs with dextran show excellent performance in terms of Coulombic efficiency, plating capacity, cycle stability, and mechanical flexibility.
ADVANCED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Justin Prabowo, Leo Lai, Benjamin Chivers, Declan Burke, An Huy Dinh, Linlin Ye, Yangyang Wang, Yanqing Wang, Li Wei, Yuan Chen
Summary: This review summarizes recent research findings related to solid carbon co-products from CH4 pyrolysis, including methods classification, carbon material formation mechanism, comparison of carbon materials produced by different methods, and application studies. Diverse carbon materials are currently produced in CH4 pyrolysis, but systematic studies on their purification and applications are still limited.