Achievement

We have developed a high-valent mono-iron(V)oxo complex to be capable of catalyzing the C–H bond of multiple alkanes toward the corresponding alcohols at room temperature. Reacting this active species with four different organic substrates, cyclohexane (DC-H= 99 kcal/mol), cyclopentane (DC-H= 99 kcal/mol), toluene (DC-H= 90 kcal/mol), and ethylbezene (DC-H= 90 kcal/mol), respectively, show high reactivity, and that their decaying rates are linearly related to their C-H bond dissociation energies (DC-H). The product analyses based on GC_MS data reveal the ratio of alcohol to ketone is higher than 5:1, indicating that the C-H hydroxylation reactions are catalyzed by active iron centers rather than radicals possibly induced from Fenton chemistry. This iron(V)oxo catalyst is also applied to react with ethane in the solution of CH3CN at room temperature in the high-pressure reactor (60 psi), and its main product is ethanol with a very small amount of acetaldehyde, with an overall yield of 20%.(The manuscript is in preparationfor journal submission.)

Our research team has made a groundbreaking development in renewable electrode construction using a semiconductor/metal heterostructure. By synthesizing a nanoporous semiconductor film-based metasurface with a strong synergetic effect, the electrode provides excellent photocurrent extraction property. A 14-fold enhancement of the photocurrent was achieved for our as-prepared electrode compared to the gold substrate. In addition, the AuNP-plasmonic meta-surface enables a strong localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect, which results in remarkable broadband absorption.
(The results have been published in Chemical Communications.)
Furthermore, this renewable electrode has significant potential in the field of water splitting for hydrogen generation. It is expected that we will establish a process capable of producing electrode materials in large areas and in large quantities. Additionally, we aim to provide a novel technology for developing high-efficiency, stable, and recyclable green hydrogen materials. This technology will replace traditional energy sources and help us achieve the ultimate goal of carbon neutrality.

Optical coatings with reversibly tunable antireflective characteristics hold a tremendous potential for next generation energy-related applications. Bioinpsired by the camouflage behavior of small yellow leafhoppers, silica hollow sphere/shape memory polymer composites are self-assembled using a non-lithography-based approach. The average visible transmittance of the as-patterned hierarchical structure array-covered substrate is increased by ca. 6.3% at normal incident, and even improved by more than 20% for an incident angle of 75⁰. Interestingly, the broadband omnidirectional antireflection performance can be reversibly erased and recovered by applying external stimuli under ambient conditions. (The results have been published in Journal of Colloid and Interface Science (2023).)
This bioinspired coating can be applied to reduce incident light reflection, thereby improving the efficiency and stability of photocatalysts for sustainable photocatalytic green hydrogen production.

The Prof. Liu’s research team has successfully developed a highly efficient and stable electrocatalytic electrode by depositing ferroelectric BiFeO3 (BFO) on porous Nickel foam. The BFO-modified NF electrode not only demonstrates a smaller energy consumption for water splitting than the non-modified one but also exhibits a novel self-enhanced electrolysis efficiency rarely found in conventional electrodes. It shows an increasing current density with cyclic tests and operation time. According to both experimental and theoretical results, this phenomenon can be ascribed to the the large-scale polarization of BFO, poled by bonding with hydroxyl ions in the electrolyte. Our research results pave a new pathway for polarizing ferroelectrics on a large scale and reveal great potential in the field of hydrogen production using functional oxides. The corresponding findings have been published in the high-quality,peer-reviewed international journal ACS Nano.

The operation of thermoelectric devices requires both N-type and P-type semiconductor materials. Bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) stands out as the most widely used commercially available room-temperature thermoelectric material. However, compared to P-type bismuth telluride, the thermoelectric performance of N-type bismuth telluride has not been satisfactory.

In our research, we successfully synthesized N-type bismuth telluride materials with the world′s highest average thermoelectric figure of merit near room temperature. We found that the primary reason for achieving such high thermoelectric performance lies in the incorporation of copper atoms into the Van der Waals gaps in N-type bismuth telluride, enabling simultaneous high conduction carrier concentration with minimal electron scattering.

This research has been published in Advanced Science in 2022 (IF=17.5).

Ionic liquid (IL) dual‐ion batteries (DIBs) are widely studied as advanced electrochemical systems because of their potential nonflammability, environmental friendliness, and high working voltage. Recycling and reusing valuable IL electrolytes and metallic Ni current collectors might boost the application of IL DIBs. Herein, the preliminary results of the recycling of a spent DIB with 1,2‐dimethyl‐3‐propylimidazolium chloroaluminate (DMPI+)(AlCl4−) electrolyte are reported. Recovery rates of most components (graphite flakes, Ni current collector, and so on) of the DIB reach a range of 84–98%, whereas the IL electrolyte is only 24%. Optimistically, the cost of an IL DIB using recycled components can be reduced by around 68%. Thus, developing the recycling processes might pave the way to increase the competitiveness of IL DIBs for grid‐scale energy storage. The preliminary results have been published in Energy Technology, 11(1), 2023, 2200938.

Aqueous rechargeable batteries with good electrochemical performances have been considered as compelling alternatives in miniaturized energy storage units due to their small-size, better safety, greener manufacturing condition, and easy-to-recycle process. Herein, a binder-free zinc doped manganese oxide (MnOx) with vertically-oriented 3D porous cereal-like nanosheet framework used as a cathode material for eco-friendly aqueous Zn ion battery is developed. Zinc doping induced electrical/ionic conductivity enhancement, along with more active sites provided by 3D porous cereal-like nanostructures and multiple Mn valences, this ZnMM-NSs cell can deliver a high capacity, good rate performance, and satisfying cycling stability. Also, the Zn-doped MnOx are obtained by a green method, which can reduce the entire cost, the usage of toxic solvents, the consumption of energy, and the disposable by-product, paving the way for developing cost-effective, easy-to-recycle, and environmentally friendly next-generation energy storage systems.