We demonstrate the design and fabrication of hierarchical mesoporous NiCo₂O₄@MnO₂ core–shell nanowire arrays on nickel foam via a facile hydrothermal and electrodeposition process for supercapacitor applications. In order to increase the energy density and voltage window, a high-voltage asymmetric supercapacitor based on hierarchical mesoporous NiCo₂O₄@MnO₂ core–shell nanowire arrays on nickel foam as the positive electrode and activated carbon (AC) as the negative electrode was successfully fabricated. The as-fabricated asymmetric supercapacitor device achieved a specific capacitance of 112 F g⁻¹ at a current density of 1 mA cm⁻² with a stable operational voltage of 1.5 V and a maximum energy density of 35 W h kg⁻¹. The present NiCo₂O₄@MnO₂ core–shell nanowire arrays with remarkable electrochemical properties could be considered as potential electrode materials for next generation supercapacitors in high energy density storage systems.

The semiconductor compounds have been proven to be promising candidates as a new type of photothermal therapy agent, but unsatisfactory photothermal conversion efficiencies limit their widespread application in photothermal therapy (PTT). Herein, we synthesized cysteine-coated CuS nanoparticles (Cys-CuS NPs) as highly efficient PTT agents by a simple aqueous solution method. The Cys-CuS NPs have a good biocompatibility owing to their biocompatible cysteine coating and exhibit a strong absorption in the near-infrared region due to the localized surface plasma resonances of valence-band free carriers. The photothermal conversion efficiency of Cys-CuS NPs reaches 38.0%, which is much higher than that of the recently reported Cu₉S₅ and Cu_2−xSe nanocrystals. More importantly, tumor growth can be efficiently inhibited in vivo by the fatal heat arising from the excellent photothermal effect of Cys-CuS NPs at a low concentration under the irradiation of a 980 nm laser with a safe power density of 0.72 W cm⁻². Therefore, the Cys-CuS NPs have great potential as ideal photothermal agents for cancer therapy.