Silicon stands out as an exceptionally viable anode material, distinguished by its substantial capacity, plentiful natural reserves, eco-friendliness, and favorable low working potential. Nonetheless, the material’s pronounced volume fluctuations readily induce particle fragmentation, detachment of active components, and repeated disruption of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer. These factors contribute to a shortened cycle life and rapid capacity fading, thus hindering its practical application. The carbon composite approach can efficiently counteract these issues by capitalizing on silicon’s high capacity and employing carbon as a cushioning agent to diminish volume swelling, thus enhancing the deployment of silicon-based anode materials. This paper offers an exhaustive examination of the lithiation processes involved in Si/C anodes and delves into the strategic utilization of diverse carbon materials, including graphite, graphene, graphdiyne, carbon nanotubes, carbon fibers, MXenes, pitch, heteroatom-doped polymers, biomass-derived carbon, carbon-containing gas-derived carbon, MOFs, and g-C₃N₄ to advance the application of silicon in lithium-ion battery (LIB) anodes. Overall, this paper concentrates on summarizing the current research status and technological advancement and juxtaposes the merits and demerits of various carbon sources in Si/C anodes, thus providing a comprehensive assessment and forward-looking perspective on their future development.

In recent years, transition metal oxides (TMOs) have emerged as promising candidates for anode materials in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) owing to their high theoretical capacities. Regrettably, most TMOs exhibit poor electronic/ionic conductivity and undergo substantial volume expansion during the lithiation/delithiation processes. In this study, an electrostatic spinning method using polyacrylonitrile, graphene, and iron(III) acetylacetonate as precursors was employed to synthesize the Fe₃O₄@G/C composite through carbon coating and graphene doping. The composition, phase structure, and morphology of the Fe₃O₄@G/C composite were thoroughly investigated. The electrochemical performance of the Fe₃O₄@G/C composite as a lithium-ion battery anode was evaluated through a continuous charge–discharge cycling test. After 100 cycles at a current density of 0.1 A/g, the specific capacity of the Fe₃O₄@G/C material remained at 595.8 mAh/g. Additionally, the incorporation of graphene leads to a reduction in the electron orbital energy of Fe, which was verified by comparing the density of states (DOS) before and after the doping. Simultaneously, the electrochemical performance of CoO@G/C and NiO@G/C composites further demonstrates that doping transition metal oxides with graphene can enhance their performance as anodes for lithium-ion batteries. We anticipate that this design concept will open new avenues for the development of transition metal oxides (TMOs) and propel their adoption in practical applications.

Piezo-photocatalysis is a promising solution to address both water pollution and the energy crisis. However, the recombination of electron–hole pairs often leads to poor performance, rendering current piezoelectric photocatalysts unsuitable for industrial water treatment. To overcome this issue, oxygen vacancies (V) and Ag nanoparticles (NPs) are introduced into Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ (BTO) nanosheets, forming Schottky junctions (BTO-V/Ag). These 2D/3D structures offer more exposed active sites, shorter carrier separation distances, and improved piezo-photocatalytic performance. Additionally, the photothermal effect of Ag NPs supplies additional energy to counteract adsorption changes caused by active species, promoting the generation of more active species. The rate constant of the optimized BTO-V/Ag-2 in the piezo-photocatalytic degradation of nizatidine (NZTD) was 4.62 × 10⁻² min⁻¹ (with a removal rate of 98.34%), which was 4.32 times that of the initial BTO. Moreover, the composite catalyst also showed good temperature and pH response. This study offers new insights into the regulatory mechanisms of piezo-photocatalysis at the Schottky junction.

The crystallograpic structure and properties of Zirconium nitride (ZrN) films deposited on 304 stainless steel were investigated. The substrates were placed either parallel with or perpendicular to the Zirconium target. The ZrN films were found to exhibit {311} orientations when substrate parrallel with target, however {220} orientation when substrates perpendicular to target. SEM results showed that the parallel ZrN films have round-shaped droplets, and perpendicular orientation ZrN films have oval-shaped droplets. The thickness of ZrN films in parallel mode is 1/2 of that in perpendicular mode. Nanoindentation results showed the hardness of ZrN films in perpendicular mode is lower than that of parallel mode. Potentiodynamic scanning results showed the corrosion resistance of films in perpendicular mode is better than that of films in parallel mode