Molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) after the few-layer (FL) processing draws attention to its attractive characteristics, such as broadening interlayer spacing, increasing active sites, and promoting purity of the metallic phase. Notwithstanding, the poor stability and easy aggregation of FL-MoS₂ limit its potential for development in the field of electrochemistry. Herein, a nanocomposite between FL-MoS₂ and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) is successfully constructed via the one-pot hydrothermal method. Furthermore, the FL-MoS₂@rGO composite with a stable structure is obtained by regulating the amount of rGO. The excellent supercapacitor capacitances of FL-MoS₂ after building heterostructure composites with rGO are displayed, owing to the synergistic effects occurring in heterostructure. The optimal sample of FL-MoS₂@rGO-2 possesses a specific capacitance of 346.1 F g⁻¹ at 1 A g⁻¹ and a rate ability of 57.2%. Moreover, the capacitance of FL-MoS₂@rGO-2 remains 99.1% after 10,000 cyclic charges and discharges. More importantly, the theoretical calculations confirm the source of extra specific capacitance and raise conductivity in FL-MoS₂@rGO. Also, a FL-MoS₂@rGO-2//AC flexible asymmetric supercapacitor device is successfully fabricated, which presents the superior energy density and power density of 84.31 µWh cm⁻² at 700 µW cm⁻², and 51.42 µWh cm⁻² at 3500 µW cm⁻². This work verifies the potential of the heterostructure composite constructed by FL-MoS₂ in energy storage of electrochemical application.

The development of durable efficient electrocatalysts is crucial to alleviate the sluggish kinetics of electrocatalytic urea oxidation reaction (UOR) for energy-saving water splitting. Small Pt-based intermetallic compounds exhibit promising characteristics as UOR catalysts due to their distinctive electronic and geometric structures. This work reported a surfactant-assisted shape evolution method for the controlled synthesis of sub-3 nm Pt₃Ni nanoparticles on carbon black to achieve efficient electrocatalytic UOR. The synthesized catalyst features a uniform dodecahedral structure, maximizing Ni utilization and providing multiple active sites for UOR. The Pt₃Ni catalyst displays the lower working potential of 1.44 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode, outperforming Pt/C (1.78 V) at 10 mA cm⁻², with a smaller Tafel slope of 78.1 mV dec⁻¹, while maintaining exceptional stability during 100 h of continuous urea-assisted water electrolysis. Notably, UOR-boosted system needs only 1.36 V for 10 mA cm⁻², significantly lower than the 1.62 V required for traditional water splitting, highlighting its energy-efficient potential for H₂ production. Furthermore, theoretical studies indicate that Pt₃Ni(111) facilitates the adsorption and activation of urea molecules more effectively than Pt(111), avoiding competition from hydroxyl adsorption. The unique polyhedron structure of the sub-3 nm Pt₃Ni catalyst provides the catalytic active dual-sites, further promoting urea interaction. To the best of knowledge, this study represents the first report of Pt-M materials being utilized for the UOR, thereby expanding the application range of Pt-based alloys in urea electrocatalysis.

The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) involves the recombination of diamagnetic hydroxyl (OH) or water (H₂O) into the paramagnetic triplet state of oxygen (O₂). The spin conservation of oxygen intermediates plays a crucial role in OER, however, research on spin dynamics during the catalytic process remains in its early stages. Herein, β‐Ni(OH)₂ and Fe‐doped β‐Ni(OH)₂ (Ni₅Fe₁(OH)₂) are utilized as model catalysts to understand the mechanism of spin magnetic effects at iron (III) sites during OER. Combined with magnetic characterization, it is founded that the introduction of Fe transforms the antiferromagnetic Ni(OH)₂ into a ferromagnetic material. Testing the magnetic response of the catalyst under an external magnetic field, the OER activity of Ni₅Fe₁(OH)₂ is significantly enhanced in comparison to Ni(OH)₂. This improvement is likely due to the introduction of iron sites, which promote spin magnetic effects and enhance reaction kinetics, thereby increasing catalytic efficiency. Combining experimental and theoretical characterization, it is discovered that the iron sites accelerate the formation of heterogeneous dual‐site O─O bridging, represented as ─Ni─O─O─Fe─, thereby effectively enhancing the kinetics of the OER reaction. This study provides a magnetic perspective on the structure‐function relationship of magnetic iron‐based catalysts and has significant implications for the design of new catalysts.

High-performance coatings originated in ingenious coating designs and advanced preparation techniques are expected to fulfill imperious demands in propulsion, bearings and mechanical seals, etc in marine systems for seawater lubrication. In this work, TiSiCN nanocomposite coatings were deposited by high power impulse magnetron sputtering at a power of 4–8 kW. As power is increased, TiSiCN coatings possess nanocrystalline (TiN, TiC, TiCN)/amorphous (Si₃N₄, SiC, sp²-C) nanocomposite structure without distinctly preferred orientation. The highest hardness (H) of 43 GPa and effective Young’s modulus (E*) of 360 GPa were achieved at 8 kW, while the highest H/E* of 0.123 and H³/E*² of 0.61 appear at 7 kW due to refined nano-grains, uniform distribution, high surface/interface integrity and fully dense microstructure. Rockwell C adhesion level increased from HF2 at 4 kW to HF1 at 8 kW. TiSiCN coatings with high H, H/E*, H³/E*² and adhesion exhibit high open circuit potential of −0.07 V, low friction coefficient of 0.25 and specific wear rate of 4.78 × 10⁻⁵ mm³ N⁻¹ m⁻¹, resulting from mild abrasive wear without the occurrence of pitting corrosion in 3.5 wt.% NaCl aqueous solution. Moreover, cycling tribocorrosion tests revealed that passive films possess strong abilities of regeneration and self-repairation on sliding contact surface.

The friction and wear response of hard coatings is complex, which largely depends on a good combination of hardness and toughness, and their service life is difficult to predict. Hence, in this work, hard yet tough TiN coatings were deposited using high-power impulse magnetron sputtering at 5–10 kW. With increasing sputtering power, the coatings showed a transition in crystal texture from (200) to (111), along with a refinement in microstructure, leading to an improvement in hardness (H) of 29.8–31.2 GPa and an effective Young’s modulus (E*) of 310–365 GPa. The hard yet tough TiN coatings deposited at 6.5 kW exhibited the highest H/E* and H³/E*² ratios of 0.097 and 0.29, respectively, as well as the highest fracture toughness of 2.1 MPa·m^1/2 and elastic recovery of 42.5%. Accordingly, the coatings possessed an enhanced adhesion and cohesion, in terms of micro-scratch critical load (L_C3 = 19.67 N) and HF Rockwell HF1 level. The friction and wear response of hard yet tough TiN coatings under the normal load of 1–10 N were investigated to explore their durability and predict their critical load up to failure. Wear mechanisms changed from oxidative to severe abrasive wear, with load increasing from 1 to 10 N. At 2–5 N, a combination of oxidative and abrasive wear was observed. The coatings maintained their integrity up to the critical load of 9.4 N before failure event, with a maximum wear track depth of 1.8 μm, indicating their durability under the loading conditions.

Rechargeable aqueous Zn-MnO₂ batteries are positioned as a highly promising candidate for next-generation energy storage, owing to their compelling combination of economic viability, inherent safety, exceptional capacity (with a theoretical value of ≈308 mAh·g⁻¹), and eco-sustainability. However, this system still faces multiple critical challenges that hinder its practical application, primarily including the ambiguous energy storage reaction mechanism (e.g., unresolved debates on core issues such as ion transport pathways and phase transition kinetics), dendrite growth and side reactions (e.g., the hydrogen evolution reaction and corrosion reaction) on the metallic Zn anode, inadequate intrinsic electrical conductivity of MnO₂ cathodes (≈10⁻⁵ S·cm⁻¹), active material dissolution, and structural collapse. This review begins by systematically summarizing the prevailing theoretical models that describe the energy storage reactions in Zn-Mn batteries, categorizing them into the Zn²⁺ insertion/extraction model, the conversion reaction involving MnO_x dissolution–deposition, and the hybrid mechanism of H⁺/Zn²⁺ co-intercalation. Subsequently, we present a comprehensive discussion on Zn anode protection strategies, such as surface protective layer construction, 3D structure design, and electrolyte additive regulation. Furthermore, we focus on analyzing the performance optimization strategies for MnO₂ cathodes, covering key pathways including metal ion doping (e.g., introduction of heteroions such as Al³⁺ and Ni²⁺), defect engineering (oxygen vacancy/cation vacancy regulation), structural topology optimization (layered/tunnel-type structure design), and composite modification with high-conductivity substrates (e.g., carbon nanotubes and graphene). Therefore, this review aims to establish a theoretical foundation and offer practical guidance for advancing both fundamental research and practical engineering of Zn-manganese oxide secondary batteries.