huachaoyang

Nature Sustainability, Published online: 29 December 2025; doi:10.1038/s41893-025-01724-4

A vitrimer catalyst with C═N bond enables efficient CO₂ reduction via contact-electrocatalysis, driven by water droplet-induced charges. Imine groups stabilize CO₂ adsorption, enrich electrons, and mediate electron transfer, achieving >90% methanol selectivity. The system demonstrates exceptional stability, recyclability, and sustained catalysis, offering a sustainable pathway for CO₂ conversion to methanol.

Abstract

Metal catalysts for the CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR) face challenges such as high cost, limited durability, and environmental impact. Although various structurally diverse and functional metal-free catalysts have been developed, they often suffer from slow kinetics, low selectivity, and nonrecyclability, significantly limiting their practical applications. In this study, we introduce a recyclable nonmetallic polymer material (vitrimer) as a catalyst for a new platform in contact-electrocatalysis. This approach harnesses the contact charges generated between water droplets and vitrimer to drive CO₂RR, achieving methanol selectivity exceeding 90%. The imine groups within the vitrimer play a dual role, facilitating CO₂ adsorption and enriching friction-generated electrons, thereby mediating efficient electron transfer between the imine groups and CO₂ to promote CO₂RR. After 84 h of CO₂RR, the system achieved a methanol production rate of 13 nmol·h⁻¹, demonstrating the excellent stability of the method. Moreover, the vitrimer retains its high-performance electrocatalytic activity even after recycling. Mechanistic studies reveal that, compared to traditional metal catalysts, the N─O bond in the imine, which adsorbs the key intermediate *OCH₃, breaks more readily to produce methanol, resulting in enhanced product selectivity and yield. This efficient and environmentally friendly contact-electroreduction strategy for CO₂ offers a promising pathway toward a circular carbon economy by leveraging natural water droplet-based contact-electrochemistry.

The initial monomer free energy of polymerization (∆G_ROP) is traditionally regarded as the benchmark for the polymer's chemical recyclability. But if we instead consider every ring size present at equilibrium (∆G_RCE), a different viewpoint emerges. We found that polymers previously regarded as unsuitable for chemical recycling are highly chemically recyclable at low temperatures under the right concentration and catalytic conditions.

Abstract

Aliphatic polyesters synthesized via ring-opening polymerization (ROP) have properties competitive to incumbent plastic (PE, PP), while simultaneously opening up for chemical recycling to monomer (CRM). However, not all aliphatic polyesters are prone to undergo CRM, and the ability to shift the equilibrium between polymer and monomer is tightly associated with the initial monomer structure. The standard strategy to measure CRM is to evaluate the change in free energy during polymerization (∆G_ROP). However, ∆G_ROP is only one-dimensional by assessing the equilibrium between initial monomer and polymer. But under active catalytic conditions, the depolymerization of polymers can lead to formation of larger rings, such as dimers, trimers, tetramers, and so on, via the ring-chain equilibrium (RCE), meaning that the real thermodynamic recycling landscape is multi-dimensional. This work introduces a multi-dimensional chemical recycling to all rings (CRR) via a highly active catalytic system to reach RCE. Thermodynamically ∆G_RCE is completely different from ∆G_ROP. Using ∆G_RCE instead of ∆G_ROP allows us to achieve CRR for polymers notoriously difficult to achieve CRM for, as exemplified within by CRR for poly(ε-caprolactone), poly(pentadecalactone), and mixed polymer systems. Overall, this work provides a new general concept of closing the material loop.

Chiral metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) nanoparticles with different afterglow times are prepared by combining chiral induction approach and auxiliary ligands regulation strategy, displaying tunable circularly polarized luminescence afterglow performance. Furthermore, the corresponding chiral MOFs nanoparticles are first prepared to various chiral monoliths by photo-curing 3D printing technology for anti-counterfeiting and information encryption applications.

Abstract

Developing coordination complexes (such as metal–organic frameworks, MOFs) with circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) is currently attracting tremendous attention and remains a significant challenge in achieving MOF with circularly polarized afterglow. Herein, MOFs-based circularly polarized afterglow is first reported by combining the chiral induction approach and tuning the afterglow times by using the auxiliary ligands regulation strategy. The obtained chiral R/S-ZnIDC, R/S-ZnIDC(bpy), and R/S-ZnIDC(bpe)(IDC = 1H-Imidazole-4,5-dicarboxylate, bpy = 4,4′-Bipyridine, bpe = trans-1,2-Bis(4-pyridyl) ethylene) containing a similar structure unit display different afterglow times with 3, 1, and <0.1 s respectively which attribute to that the longer auxiliary ligand hinders the energy transfer through the hydrogen bonding. The obtained chiral complexes reveal a strong chiral signal, obvious photoluminescence afterglow feature, and strong CPL performance (g_lum up to 3.7 × 10⁻²). Furthermore, the photo-curing 3D printing method is first proposed to prepare various chiral MOFs based monoliths from 2D patterns to 3D scaffolds for anti-counterfeiting and information encryption applications. This work not only develops chiral complexes monoliths by photo-curing 3D printing technique but opens a new strategy to achieve tunable CPL afterglow in optical applications.

Nature Energy, Published online: 11 October 2023; doi:10.1038/s41560-023-01374-w

Periodic 3D hemispherical structured Cu foil with preferential exposure of the Cu (100) crystal plane are designed and obtained using a sequential photolithography-wet chemistry method. The 3D Cu foil lowers the Zn nucleation barriers, reduces the local current density and buffers the volume expansion during the cycling process, which induces homogeneous Zn deposition and achieves prolonged cycle life.

Abstract

The unsatisfactory electrochemical performance of Zn metal batteries (ZMBs) caused by uncontrollable Zn dendrite growth and detrimental parasitic reactions has significantly hindered their large-scale applications. Herein, periodic hemispherical structures with a preferential exposure of Cu (100) crystal plane are designed and obtained using facile photolithography, which is followed by wet etching treatment. An exposed zincophilic Cu (100) crystal plane with low nucleation barriers acts as the preferred deposition site to induce homogeneous Zn deposition. Additionally, the periodic hemispherical structure with an enlarged surface area not only suppresses the Zn dendrite growth by reducing the local current density, but also synergistically buffers the volume expansion during the cycling process. As a result, the as-prepared faceted Cu hemispherical electrodes achieve ultra-stable Coulombic efficiency of over 99.9% for 1500 cycles at a current density of 5 mA cm⁻². This work has significant potential for the rational design of dendrite-free Zn anodes to boost their potential for practical applications.

This review focuses on the recent progress in the fabrication of MOFs and their composites photocatalysts. The various synthesis strategies and different applications of MOFs and their composites-based photocatalysts are summed up. The challenges and some suggestions for the future development of MOFs- and their composites-based photocatalysts are highlighted.

Abstract

Photocatalysis is considered to be a green and environment-friendly technology since it can convert solar energy into other types of chemical energies. Over the past several years, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)-based photocatalysts have received remarkable research interest due to their unique morphology, high photocatalytic performance, good chemical stability, easy synthesis, and low cost. In this review, the synthetic strategies of developing MOFs-based photocatalysts are first introduced. Second, the recent progress in the fabrication of various types of MOFs composites photocatalysts is summarized. Third, the different applications including hydrogen evolution reaction, oxygen evolution reaction, overall water splitting, nitrogen reduction reaction, carbon dioxide reduction reaction as well as photodegradation of organic pollutants of MOFs-based photocatalysts are summed up. Finally, the challenges and some suggestions for the future development of MOFs- and their composites-based photocatalysts are also highlighted. It is expected that this report will help researchers to systematically devise and develop highly efficient photocatalysts based on MOFs and their composites.

A novel strategy is developed for preparing high-efficient perovskite solar cells (PSCs) with ferroelectricity by incorporating 1D ferroelectric perovskite with 3D organic–inorganic hybrid perovskite (OIHP). The 1D/3D mixed OIHP films exhibit evident ferroelectricity, and the 1D perovskite is randomly distributed. The poling of the 1D/3D mixed PSCs increase V _oc, and the ferroelectric-polarization is retained for a long time.

Abstract

With the capability to manipulate the built-in field in solar cells, ferroelectricity is found to be a promising attribute for harvesting solar energy in solar cell devices by influencing associated device parameters. Researchers have devoted themselves to the exploration of ferroelectric materials that simultaneously possess strong light absorption and good electric transport properties for a long time. Here, it is presented a novel and facile approach of combining state-of-art light absorption and electric transport properties with ferroelectricity by the incorporation of room temperature 1D ferroelectric perovskite with 3D organic–inorganic hybrid perovskite (OIHP). The 1D/3D mixed OIHP films are found to exhibit evident ferroelectric properties. It is notable that the poling of the 1D/3D mixed ferroelectric OIHP solar cell can increase the average V _oc can be increased from 1.13 to 1.16 V, the average PCE from 20.7% to 21.5%. A maximum power conversion efficiency of 22.7%, along with an enhanced fill factor of over 80% and open-circuit voltage of 1.19 V, can be achieved in the champion device. The enhancement is by virtue of reduced surface recombination by ferroelectricity-induced modification of the built-in field. The maximum power point tracking measurement substantiates the retention of ferroelectric-polarization during the continued operation.