Anchoring and catalytic insights into bilayer C4N3 material for lithium-selenium batteries: a first-principles study.

In the present work, a theoretical design for the viability of bilayer C4N3 (bi-C4N3) as a promising host material for Li-Se battery was conducted utilizing first-principles calculations. The AA- and AB-stacking configurations of bilayer C4N3 can effectively inhibit the shuttling of high-order polyselenides through the synergistic effect of physical confinement and strong Li-N bonds. Compared to conventional electrolytes, the AA- and AB-stacking bilayer C4N3 demonstrate enhanced adsorption capabilities for the polyselenides. The anchored structures of Se8 or Li2Sen (n = 1, 2, 4, 6, 8) molecules within the bilayer C4N3 exhibit high electrical conductivities, which are beneficial for enhancing the electrochemical performance. The catalytic effects of AA- and AB-stacking bilayer C4N3 were investigated by the reduction of Se8 and the energy barrier associated with the decomposition of Li2Se. The AA- and AB-stacking bilayer C4N3 can significantly decrease the activation barrier and promote the decomposition of Li2Se. The mean square displacement (MSD) curves reveal the pronounceably sluggish Li-ions diffusions in polyselenides within the AA- and AB-stacking bilayer C4N3, which in turn demonstrates the notable prospects in mitigating the shuttle effect.

First-Principles Investigation of Phosphorus-Doped Graphitic Carbon Nitride as Anchoring Material for the Lithium-Sulfur Battery.

The utilization of lithium-sulfur battery is hindered by various challenges, including the "shuttle effect", limited sulfur utilization, and the sluggish conversion kinetics of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs). In the present work, a theoretical design for the viability of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) and phosphorus-doping graphitic carbon nitride substrates (P-g-C3N4) as promising host materials in a Li-S battery was conducted utilizing first-principles calculations. The PDOS shows that when the P atom is introduced, the 2p of the N atom is affected by the 2p orbital of the P atom, which increases the energy band of phosphorus-doping substrates. The energy bands of PC and Pi are 0.12 eV and 0.20 eV, respectively. When the lithium polysulfides are adsorbed on four substrates, the overall adsorption energy of PC is 48-77% higher than that of graphitic carbon nitride, in which the charge transfer of long-chain lithium polysulfides increase by more than 1.5-fold. It is found that there are powerful Li-N bonds between lithium polysulfides and P-g-C3N4 substrates. Compared with the graphitic carbon nitride monolayer, the anchoring effect of the LiPSs@P-g-C3N4 substrate is enhanced, which is beneficial for inhibiting the shuttle of high-order lithium polysulfides. Furthermore, the catalytic performance of the P-g-C3N4 substrate is assessed in terms of the S8 reduction pathway and the decomposition of Li2S; the decomposition energy barrier of the P-g-C3N4 substrate decrease by 10% to 18%. The calculated results show that P-g-C3N4 can promote the reduction of S8 molecules and Li-S bond cleavage within Li2S, thus improving the utilization of sulfur-active substances and the ability of rapid reaction kinetics. Therefore, the P-g-C3N4 substrates are a promising high-performance lithium-sulfur battery anchoring material.

Unveiling the anchoring and catalytic effect of Co@C3N3 monolayer as a high-performance selenium host material in lithium-selenium batteries: a first-principles study.

Suppressing the shuttle effect of high-order polyselenides is crucial for the development of high-performance host materials in lithium-selenium (Li-Se) batteries. Using first-principles calculations, the feasibility of Co@C3N3 monolayer as selenium cathode host material for Li-Se batteries is systematically evaluated from the aspects of binding energy, charge transfer mechanism, and catalytic effect of polyselenides in the present work. The Co@C3N3 monolayer can effectively prevent the solubilization of high-order polyselenides with large binding energy and charge transfer resulting from the synergistic effect of Li-N and Co-Se bonds. The polyselenides are inclined to adsorb on the surface of Co@C3N3 monolayer instead of interacting with the electrolytes, which effectively inhibits the shuttling of high-order polyselenides and improves cycling stability. The cobalt participation improves the conductivity of C3N3 monolayer, and the semi-metallic characteristics of the Co@C3N3 monolayer are maintained after the adsorption of Li2Sen (n = 1, 2, 4, 6, 8) or Se8 clusters, which is advantageous for the utilization of active selenium material. The crucial catalytic role of the Co@C3N3 monolayer is evaluated by examining the reduction pathway of Se8 and the decomposition barrier of Li2Se, and the results highlight the capability of Co@C3N3 monolayer to enhance the utilization of selenium and promote the transition of Li2Se. Our present work could not only provide valuable insights into the anchoring and catalytic effect of Co@C3N3 monolayer, but also shed light on the future investigation on the high performance C3N3-based host materials for Li-Se batteries.

Enhancing phonon thermal transport in 2H-CrX2 (X = S and Se) monolayers through robust bonding interactions.

Inspired by the groundbreaking discovery of the 2H-MoS2 monolayer with outstanding physical properties, the electronic structure, structural stability, and thermal transport of 2H-CrX2 (X = S and Se) monolayers are theoretically evaluated using density functional theory (DFT) calculations and semiempirical Boltzmann transport theory. The 2H-CrX2 (X = S and Se) monolayers are direct semiconductors with the bandgaps of 0.91 and 0.69 eV. The elastic modulus and phonon dispersion curve analysis show that the 2H-CrX2 (X = S and Se) monolayers possess excellent mechanical and dynamic stabilities on account of elastic constants satisfying the Born-Huang criterion and the absence of negative frequencies. The thermal stabilities of the 2H-CrX2 (X = S and Se) monolayers at 300 K are proved by ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations, as evidenced by the slight changes in the structural evolution and small fluctuation in total energy. High thermal conductivities of 131.7 and 88.6 W m-1 K-1 are discovered for 2H-CrS2 and 2H-CrSe2 monolayers at 300 K. Further analysis of the phonon group velocity, phonon relaxation time, and Grüneisen parameter shows that the high lattice thermal conductivities of 2H-CrX2 (X = S and Se) monolayers could be attributed to the great bond strength, large Young's modulus, relatively small atomic mass, high phonon group velocity, and long phonon relaxation time. In addition, the various scattering mechanisms are further considered in the calculations of phonon thermal transport to evaluate the effect of the scattering rates of the 2H-CrS2 and 2H-CrSe2 monolayers on the lattice thermal conductivity, and the determinative role is found for the phonon boundary scattering. Our present study would not only offer a fundamental understanding of the thermal transport properties of the 2H-CrX2 (X = S and Se) monolayers, but also provide theoretical guidelines for the experimental investigation of thermal management materials with 2H-phase.

Low-cost pentagonal NiX2 (X = S, Se, and Te) monolayers with strong anisotropy as potential thermoelectric materials.

Pentagonal compounds, as a new family of 2D materials, have recently been extensively studied in the fields of electrocatalysis, photovoltaics, and thermoelectrics. Encouraged by the successful synthesis of pentagonal PdSe2, the thermoelectric properties of low-cost pentagonal NiX2 (X = S, Se, and Te) monolayers are theoretically predicted with the help of first-principles calculations and the semiclassical Boltzmann transport theory. The high dynamic and thermal stabilities of pentagonal NiX2 (X = S, Se, and Te) monolayers are confirmed according to the phonon dispersion spectrums and ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations. Indirect semiconductor features with wide bandgaps of 2.44, 2.31, and 1.88 eV at the Heyd-Scuseria-Ernzerhof (HSE06) level are discovered for pentagonal NiS2, NiSe2, and NiTe2 monolayers. Combining the Boltzmann transport equation and deformation potential theory, the Seebeck coefficient, power factor, and thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT) of NiX2 (X = S, Se, and Te) monolayers are evaluated from 300 to 600 K. The strongly anisotropic ZT values are discovered, which are attributed to the significant differences in electrical and thermal transport along the x and y directions. In addition, low lattice thermal conductivities are observed at 600 K for the pentagonal NiTe2 monolayer, accompanying higher ZT values of 1.81 and 1.58 along the x and y directions. The predicted thermoelectric properties indicate that the low-cost pentagonal NiSe2 and NiTe2 monolayers are potential anisotropic thermoelectric materials with high performance.

Unraveling the superior anchoring of lithium polyselenides to the confinement bilayer C2N: an efficient host material for lithium-selenium batteries.

Carbonaceous materials with pores or bilayer spaces are a kind of potential host material to confine polyselenide diffusion and mitigate the shuttling effect. In the present work, a theoretical design of bilayer C2N (bi-C2N) as an efficient host material for lithium-selenium (Li-Se) batteries was explored by first-principles calculations. AA- and AB-stacking bilayer C2N could alleviate the dissolution of high-order polyselenides through a synergistic effect of physical confinement and strong Li-N bonds. Lithium polyselenides prefer to anchor on AA- and AB-stacking bilayer C2N instead of the commonly used electrolytes, showing their capabilities in suppressing the shuttle effect. Charge transfer occurs from Se8 and Li2Sen molecules (LiPSes) to AA- and AB-stacking bilayer C2N, giving rise to the formation of strong Li-N bonds. The AA- and AB-stacking LiPSes@C2N systems possess high electrical conductivities, which is beneficial for high electrochemical performance. In addition, the reversible conversion mechanisms of Li2Sen in the AA- and AB-stacking bilayer C2N are also investigated through the energy changes and decomposition reaction of the Li2Se molecule, and the results indicate that AA- and AB-stacking bilayer C2N facilitate the formation and decomposition of Li2Se by decreasing the active energy barriers and improving the selenium utilization rates. Our present work could shed some light on a possible strategy for designing highly efficient bilayer host materials for high performance Li-Se batteries.

3D-Printed Nanocellulose-Based Cushioning-Antibacterial Dual-Function Food Packaging Aerogel.

Cushioning and antibacterial packaging are the requirements of the storage and transportation of fruits and vegetables, which are essential for reducing the irreversible quality loss during the process. Herein, the composite of carboxymethyl nanocellulose, glycerin, and acrylamide derivatives acted as the shell and chitosan/AgNPs were immobilized in the core by using coaxial 3D-printing technology. Thus, the 3D-printed cushioning-antibacterial dual-function packaging aerogel with a shell-core structure (CNGA/C-AgNPs) was obtained. The CNGA/C-AgNPs packaging aerogel had good cushioning and resilience performance, and the average compression resilience rate was more than 90%. Although AgNPs was slowly released, CNGA/C-AgNPs packaging aerogel had an obvious antibacterial effect on E. coli and S. aureus. Moreover, the CNGA/C-AgNPs packaging aerogel was biodegradable. Due to the customization capabilities of 3D-printing technology, the prepared packaging aerogel can be adapted to more application scenarios by accurately designing and regulating the microstructure of aerogels, which provides a new idea for the development of food intelligent packaging.

Understanding the electrochemical properties of bulk phase and surface structures of Na3TMPO4CO3 (TM = Fe, Mn, Co, Ni) from first principles calculations.

First principles calculations were performed to investigate the electrochemical performance (voltage, cycling stability, electrical conductivity, mechanical properties and safety) of the bulk phase and surface structures of Na3TMPO4CO3 (TM = Fe, Mn, Co, Ni). Na3FePO4CO3 and Na3MnPO4CO3 are estimated to be promising candidates for the cathode materials of sodium ion batteries because of the moderate voltages, good stability and high safety during the cycling process of two sodium ions per formula unit. For the purpose of improving the rate performances, Na3MnPO4CO3 was chosen as an example to explore its surface performance. The surface energies, equilibrium morphology, redox potentials and electronic conductivities of surfaces are explored in detail. The results suggest that (010), (001), (111) and (110) orientations are the dominating surfaces in the Wulff shape, while the surfaces (010) and (001) possess high second surface redox potentials, corresponding to the unsatisfactory specific capacity and ionic conductivity. Moreover, low surface band gaps are discovered in all orientations, which gives a good explanation for the enhanced electronic conductivity as a consequence of decreasing particle size. In addition, the (110), (101) and (12-1) surfaces display significantly lower surface band gaps and comparatively lower second redox potentials, thus enlarging the relative surface areas of surfaces (110), (101) and (12-1) could be an efficient methodology to further improve the specific capacity and electronic conductivity of the Na3MnPO4CO3 material.

Insights into the effect of the interlayer spacings of bilayer graphene on the desolvation of H+, Li+, Na+, and K+ ions with water as a solvent: a first-principles study.

The desolvation effect of ions plays an important role in adjusting the capacity of supercapacitors and has attracted considerable attention after its discovery. Here, first-principles calculations were conducted to calculate the reaction energies of ions, water, and hydrated ions in bilayer graphene (BG) with different interlayer spacings (d) and to explore the desolvation behaviors of H+, Li+, Na+, and K+ ions. The calculated results showed that H+ can only exist in the state of H3O+ in AA-stacking BG, and desolvation exists only in the case of AB-stacking BG. The complete desolvation size for H+ ions in the AB-stacking system reached 5.6 Å, which was the largest desolvation size of the four ions studied. The critical desolvation sizes of Li+, Na+, and K+ in the BG layers of AA- and AB-stacking increased sharply as a consequence of the increasing ionic radius. However, the complete desolvation sizes of all three ions were in the range of 4-5 Å and with the increase in ionic radius, the complete desolvation sizes showed a reverse tendency. The complete desolvation size of Na+ in AB-stacking BG was slightly larger than that in AA-stacking BG. Further analysis presented that the ionic radii of H+, Li+, Na+, and K+ ions make a dominant contribution to the critical size of desolvation. Our present results provide useful information for improving the capacity of supercapacitors by precisely matching the pore structure and electrolyte through the adjustment of the pore structure of carbon materials.

Effect of α-Tocopherol on the Physicochemical Properties of Sturgeon Surimi during Frozen Storage.

This study investigated the effects of α-tocopherol (α-TOH) on the physicochemical properties of sturgeon surimi during 16-week storage at -18 °C. An aliquot of 0.1% (w/w) of α-TOH was added into the surimi and subjected to frozen storage, and 8% of a conventional cryoprotectant (4% sorbitol and 4% sucrose, w/w) was used as a positive control. Based on total viable count, pH and whiteness, α-TOH exhibited a better protection for frozen sturgeon surimi than cryoprotectant during frozen storage. According to soluble protein content, carbonyl content, total sulfhydryl content, and surface hydrophobicity, α-TOH and cryoprotectant showed the same effects on retarding changes of proteins. The results of breaking force, deformation, gel strength, water-holding capacity and microstructure of sturgeon surimi indicated that the gel properties of frozen sturgeon surimi were retained by α-TOH. Our results suggest that α-TOH is an attractive candidate to maintain the quality of sturgeon surimi during frozen storage.

Mechanistic Insights into the Nickel-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling Reaction of Benzaldehyde with Benzyl Alcohol via C-H Activation: A Theoretical Investigation.

With the aid of density functional theory (DFT) calculations, mechanistic investigations have been carried out for the nickel-catalyzed dehydrogenative cross-coupling reaction of benzaldehyde with benzyl alcohol in the presence of N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligand. The overall Ni(0)/Ni(II) catalytic cycle consists of four basic steps: ligand exchange, oxidative addition, hydrogen transfer, and reductive elimination. Considerable interests are paid on detecting the transition state of the rate-determining step, with particular emphasis on the structural and electronic properties, together with clarifying the important roles of external oxidant and hydrogen acceptor. The hydrogen transfer process in the oxidative addition step is rate-determining in the whole catalytic cycle, which is accomplished by C-Ha (active Ha) activation without generating the high energy nickel hydride intermediate. Such process could be understood as the direct hydrogen transfer, instead of general concerted oxidative addition to low valent transition metal. The analysis of the bond distances, electron distributions, and orbital interactions highlights the direct hydrogen transfer mechanism. Furthermore, by exploring the influences from the electronic effect of different substrates on the reaction energy barriers, the  a,a,a-trifluoroacetophenone could accelerate the direct hydrogen transfer with low activate energy.

Polysulfide intercalation in bilayer-structured graphitic C3N4: a first-principles study.

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries have attracted increasing attention due to their high theoretical capacity, being a promising candidate for portable electronics, electric vehicles and large-scale energy storage. The interactions of bilayer structured graphitic C3N4 (bi-C3N4) with S8, lithium polysulfides (LiPSs), 1,3-dioxolane, 1,2-dimethoxyethane and tetrahydrofuran ether-based solvents have been studied using first-principles calculations. It has been found that the (micropore-scale) interlayer of bi-C3N4 shows intimate contact and strong binding with S8 and LiPSs due to the formation of chemical Li-N bonds. The incorporation of soluble LiPSs by the wrinkled layers of bi-C3N4 with 5.5-7.2 Å interlayer pores can suppress the shuttling effect. The interlayer ultramicropores with interlayer distances of <4 Å can accommodate the small Li2S2 and Li2S molecules, and impede the irreversible reaction between the solvents and the LiPSs. The calculated energy gap of bi-C3N4 decreases to be narrow during lithiation. Our results can provide a guideline for promoting the electrochemical performance of microporous g-C3N4/sulfur composites for Li-S batteries.

General filtering method for electronic speckle pattern interferometry fringe images with various densities based on variational image decomposition.

Filtering off speckle noise from a fringe image is one of the key tasks in electronic speckle pattern interferometry (ESPI). In general, ESPI fringe images can be divided into three categories: low-density fringe images, high-density fringe images, and variable-density fringe images. In this paper, we first present a general filtering method based on variational image decomposition that can filter speckle noise for ESPI fringe images with various densities. In our method, a variable-density ESPI fringe image is decomposed into low-density fringes, high-density fringes, and noise. A low-density fringe image is decomposed into low-density fringes and noise. A high-density fringe image is decomposed into high-density fringes and noise. We give some suitable function spaces to describe low-density fringes, high-density fringes, and noise, respectively. Then we construct several models and numerical algorithms for ESPI fringe images with various densities. And we investigate the performance of these models via our extensive experiments. Finally, we compare our proposed models with the windowed Fourier transform method and coherence enhancing diffusion partial differential equation filter. These two methods may be the most effective filtering methods at present. Furthermore, we use the proposed method to filter a collection of the experimentally obtained ESPI fringe images with poor quality. The experimental results demonstrate the performance of our proposed method.

para-Selective Alkylation of Benzamides and Aromatic Ketones by Cooperative Nickel/Aluminum Catalysis.

We report a method that ensures the selective alkylation of benzamides and aromatic ketones at the para-position via cooperative nickel/aluminum catalysis. Using a bulky catalyst/cocatalyst system allows reactions between benzamides and alkenes to afford the corresponding para-alkylated products. The origin of the high para-selectivity has also been investigated by density functional theory calculations.

Morphology and surface properties of LiVOPO4: a first principles study.

First principles calculations were used to investigate the surface energies, equilibrium morphology, surface redox potentials, and surface electrical conductivity of LiVOPO4. Relatively low-energy surfaces are found in the (100), (010), (001), (011), (111), and (201) orientations of the orthorhombic structure. Thermodynamic equilibrium shape of the LiVOPO4 crystal is built with the calculated surface energies through a Wulff construction. The (001) and (111) orientations are the dominating surfaces in the Wulff shape. Similar calculations for VOPO4 display a larger decrease in surface energies for the (100) surface rather than those in the other surfaces. It suggests that the Wulff shape of LiVOPO4 is closely related to the chemical environment around. Surfaces (100), (010) and (201) present lower Li surface redox potentials in comparison with the bulk material. Therefore, the Li migration rate on surfaces could be effectively increased by maximizing the exposure of these low redox potential surfaces. In addition, lower surface band gaps are found in all orientations compared to the bulk one, which indicates that electrical conductivity can be improved significantly by enlarging surfaces with relatively low band gaps in the particle. Therefore, synthesizing (201) and (100) nanosheets will greatly improve the electrochemical properties of the material.

Double-drying 3D lamellar-structured aerogel membrane for efficient oil-water separation and long-lasting antibacterial activity.

Conventional oil-water separation membranes are difficult to establish a trade-off between membrane flux and separation efficiency, and often result in serious secondary contamination due to their fouling issue and non-degradability. Herein, a double drying strategy was introduced through a combination of oven-drying and freeze-drying to create a super-wettable and eco-friendly oil-water separating aerogel membrane (TMAdf). Due to the regular nacre-like structures developed in the drying process and the pores formed by freeze-drying, TMAdf aerogel membrane finally develops regularly arranged porous structures. In addition, the aerogel membrane possesses excellent underwater superoleophobicity with a contact angle above 168° and antifouling properties. TMAdf aerogel membrane can effectively separate different kinds of oil-water mixtures and highly emulsified oil-water dispersions under gravity alone, achieving exceptionally high flux (3693 L·m-2·h-1) and efficiency (99 %), while being recyclable. The aerogel membrane also displays stability and universality, making it effective in removing oil droplets from water in corrosive environments such as acids, salts and alkalis. Furthermore, TMAdf aerogel membrane shows long-lasting antibacterial properties (photothermal sterilization up to 6 times) and biodegradability (completely degraded after 50 days in soil). This study presents new ideas and insights for the fabrication of multifunctional membranes for oil-water separation.

Insight into the Desolvation of Quaternary Ammonium Cation with Acetonitrile as a Solvent in Hydroxyl-Flat Pores: A First-Principles Calculation.

Supercapacitors have a wide range of applications in high-technology fields. The desolvation of organic electrolyte cations affects the capacity size and conductivity of supercapacitors. However, few relevant studies have been published in this field. In this experiment, the adsorption behavior of porous carbon was simulated with first-principles calculations using a graphene bilayer with a layer spacing of 4-10 Å as a hydroxyl-flat pore model. The reaction energies of quaternary ammonium cations, acetonitrile, and quaternary ammonium cationic complexes were calculated in a graphene bilayer with different interlayer spacings, and the desolvation behavior of TEA+ and SBP+ ions was described. The critical size for the complete desolvation of [TEA(AN)]+ was 4.7 Å, and the partial desolvation size ranged from 4.7 to 4.8 Å. The critical size for the complete desolvation of [SBP(AN)]+ was 5.2 Å, and the partial desolvation size ranged from 5.2 to 5.5 Å. As the ionic radius of the quaternary ammonium cation decreased, the desolvation size showed a positive trend. A density of states (DOS) analysis of the desolvated quaternary ammonium cations embedded in the hydroxyl-flat pore structure showed that the conductivity of the hydroxyl-flat pore was enhanced after gaining electrons. The results of this paper provide some help in selecting organic electrolytes to improve the capacity and conductivity of supercapacitors.

Theoretical Prediction of Thermoelectric Performance for Layered LaAgOX (X = S, Se) Materials in Consideration of the Four-Phonon and Multiple Carrier Scattering Processes.

Inspired by the experimental achievement of layered LaCuOX (X = S, Se) with superior thermoelectric (TE) performance, the TE properties of Ag-based isomorphic LaAgOX are systemically investigated by the first-principles calculation. The LaAgOS and LaAgOSe are direct semiconductors with wide bandgaps of ≈2.50 and ≈2.35 eV. Essential four-phonon and multiple carrier scattering mechanisms are considered in phonon and electronic transport calculations to improve the accuracy of the figure-of-merit (ZT). The p-type LaAgOX (X = S, Se) shows excellent TE performance on account of the large Seebeck coefficient originated from the band convergency and low thermal conductivity caused by the strong phonon-phonon scattering. Consequently, the optimal ZTs along the out-of-plane direction decrease in the order of n-type LaAgOSe (≈2.88) > p-type LaAgOSe (≈2.50) > p-type LaAgOS (≈2.42) > n-type LaAgOS (≈2.27) at 700 K, and the optimal ZTs of ≈1.16 and ≈1.29 are achieved for p-type LaAgOS and LaAgOSe at the same temperature. The present work would provide a deep insight into the phonon and electronic transport properties of LaAgOX (X = S, Se), but also could shed light on the way for the rational design of state-of-the-art heteroanionic materials for TE application.

Fine Tuning of Defects Enables High Carrier Mobility and Enhanced Thermoelectric Performance of n-Type PbTe.

High carrier mobility is critical to improving thermoelectric performance over a broad temperature range. However, traditional doping inevitably deteriorates carrier mobility. Herein, we develop a strategy for fine tuning of defects to improve carrier mobility. To begin, n-type PbTe is created by compensating for the intrinsic Pb vacancy in bare PbTe. Excess Pb2+ reduces vacancy scattering, resulting in a high carrier mobility of ∼3400 cm2 V-1 s-1. Then, excess Ag is introduced to compensate for the remaining intrinsic Pb vacancies. We find that excess Ag exhibits a dynamic doping process with increasing temperatures, increasing both the carrier concentration and carrier mobility throughout a wide temperature range; specifically, an ultrahigh carrier mobility ∼7300 cm2 V-1 s-1 is obtained for Pb1.01Te + 0.002Ag at 300 K. Moreover, the dynamic doping-induced high carrier concentration suppresses the bipolar thermal conductivity at high temperatures. The final step is using iodine to optimize the carrier concentration to ∼1019 cm-3. Ultimately, a maximum ZT value of ∼1.5 and a large average ZT ave value of ∼1.0 at 300-773 K are obtained for Pb1.01Te0.998I0.002 + 0.002Ag. These findings demonstrate that fine tuning of defects with <0.5% impurities can remarkably enhance carrier mobility and improve thermoelectric performance.

Nacre-inspired biodegradable nanocellulose/MXene/AgNPs films with high strength and superior gas barrier properties.

Super strength and high barrier properties are the bottleneck of the application of cellulose film materials. Herein, it is reported a flexible gas barrier film with nacre-like layered structure, in which 1D TEMPO-oxidized nanocellulose (TNF) and 2D MXene self-assembled to form an interwoven stack structure with 0D AgNPs filling the void space. The strong interaction and dense structure endowed TNF/MX/AgNPs film with mechanical properties far superior to PE films and acid-base stability. Importantly, the film presented ultra-low oxygen permeability confirmed by molecular dynamics simulations and better barrier properties to volatile organic gases than PE films. It is here considered the tortuous path diffusion mechanism of the composite film responsible for the enhanced gas barrier performance. The TNF/MX/AgNPs film also possessed antibacterial properties, biocompatibility and degradability (completely degraded after 150 days in soil). Collectively, the TNF/MX/AgNPs film brings innovative insights into the design and fabrication of high-performance materials.