Understanding the Role of Titanium Metal-Organic Framework Nanosheets in Modulating Anode Chemistry for Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries.

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries have attracted a continually increasing level of interest for large-scale energy storage because they are highly safe and have high energy density and abundant reserves. However, Zn anodes face significant challenges such as severe dendrite growth and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). We here propose an efficient Zn2+ sieve strategy for modulating the anode chemistry using two-dimensional NH2-MIL-125 (Ti) metal-organic framework (MOF) nanosheets. Theoretical investigations reveal the crucial role of the Ti MOF in regulating Zn2+ solvation structures for fast diffusion and uniform deposition and decreasing HER reactivity. The structure of the nanosheets enables abundant accessible desolvation sites and shortened ionic pathways. As a result, the MOF nanosheet-protected Zn anode exhibited greatly improved cycling stability in both symmetric cells and full cells. Operando optical monitoring and postmortem analysis revealed effective suppression of dendrite growth and HER by Ti MOF nanosheets. This anti-HER MOF-enabled Zn2+ sieve strategy provides a viable Zn anode and provides new insights for optimizing aqueous batteries.

Urchin-like PtNPs@Bi2S3: synthesis and application in electrochemical biosensor.

Efficient urchin-like Pt nanoparticles@Bi2S3 (PtNPs@Bi2S3) composite materials were prepared by a composite soft template synthesis of urchin-like Bi2S3 and then the microwave-assisted growth of PtNPs onto the Bi2S3 nanostructure. For the first time, an accurate electrochemical glucose biosensor was fabricated via immobilizing glucose oxidase (GOx) on PtNPs@Bi2S3. The PtNPs@Bi2S3 composite was investigated via scanning electron microscopy, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry. The PtNPs@Bi2S3 composite provides a large surface area to load a large number of enzyme molecules, which maintains the biological activity. PtNPs loaded on Bi2S3 enhanced the conductivity and improved the direct electron transfer of the proposed biosensor with the synergistic effect. The fabricated electrochemical biosensor possesses high sensitivity, and a wide linear range from 0.003 mM to 0.1 mM and 0.1 mM to 1.9 mM. Moreover, the biosensor has outstanding stability, superior selectivity and good repeatability, which can be utilized to monitor the glucose level in practical human serum. The PtNPs@Bi2S3 composite supplies a special matrix for immobilizing proteins and potential for establishing other effective biosensors.