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.

Copper sulphides, as a novel kind of photothermal agent for photothermal therapy (PTT) of cancer cells, have attracted increasing attention in recent years due to good photostability, synthetic simplicity, low toxicity and low cost. However, the unsatisfactory photothermal conversion efficiency of copper sulphides limits their bioapplication as PTT agents. Herein, Cu_7.2S₄ NCs with a mean size of ∼20 nm as a novel photothermal agent have been prepared by a simple thermal decomposition route. Moreover, these NCs exhibit strong near-infrared (NIR) absorption, good photostability and significant photothermal conversion efficiency up to 56.7% due to strong NIR absorption, good dispersity and suitable size. Importantly, these NCs can be very compatibly used as a 980 nm laser-driven PTT agent for the efficient PTT of cancer cells in vitro and in vivo.

Metal sulfides are commonly used in energy storage and electrocatalysts due to their redox centers and active sites. Most literature reports show that their performance decreases significantly caused by oxidation in alkaline electrolyte during electrochemical testing. Herein, S and N co‐doped graphene‐based nickel cobalt sulfide aerogels are synthesized for use as rechargeable alkaline battery electrodes and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts. Notably, this system shows improved cyclability due to the stabilization effect of the S and N co‐doped graphene aerogel (SNGA). This reduces the rate of oxidation and the decay of electronic conductivity of the metal sulfides materials in alkaline electrolyte, i.e., the capacity decrease of CoNi₂S₄/SNGA is 4.2% for 10 000 cycles in a three‐electrode test; the current retention of 88.6% for CoS/SNGA after 12 000 s current–time chronoamperometric response in the ORR test is higher than corresponding CoS nanoparticles and CoS/non‐doped graphene aerogels. Importantly, the results here confirm that the NiCoS ternary materials behave as an electrode for rechargeable alkaline batteries rather than supercapacitors electrodes in three‐electrode test as commonly described and accepted in the literature. Furthermore, formulas to evaluate the performance of hybrid battery devices are specified.

Nanostructures based on metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have promising potential as theragnostic nanoplatforms for phototherapy of cancer cells. However, the MOFs alone are seldom reported to be used as photothermal agents mainly due to their poor near-infrared (NIR) light absorption.