High-entropy metal phosphide (HEMP) NiCoFeMnCrP nanoparticles embedded in a carbon matrix are successfully fabricated by a facile sol–gel strategy and demonstrated to have greatly enhanced catalytic activities for the OER and HER.

A glycine-mediated mixed-solvothermal approach has been proposed for the synthesis of novel Cu₂O structures with different morphologies and the morphology effect on the antibacterial activity of the obtained Cu₂O crystals has been studied, confirming that the obtained Cu₂O crystals all show good antibacterial effects and that with the morphology of the Cu₂O crystals changing from cubic to octahedral, the antibacterial property changes from general bacteriostasis to high selectivity.

Nickel oxide nanotubes with great antibacterial activities, electrochemical capacitance, and magnetic properties have been synthesized through a precursor method with dimethylglyoxime as precipitant for the precursor, and the method has been developed for the synthesis of Ni/C nanorods.

NiFe alloy catalysts have received increasing attention due to their low cost, easy availability, and excellent oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalytic activity. Although it is considered that the co-existence of Ni and Fe is essential for the high catalytic activity, the identification of active sites and the mechanism of OER in NiFe alloy catalysts have been controversial for a long time. This review focuses on the catalytic centers of NiFe alloys and the related mechanism in the alkaline water oxidation process from the perspective of crystal structure/composition modulation and structural design. Briefly, amorphous structures, metastable phases, heteroatom doping and in situ formation of oxyhydroxides are encouraged to optimize the chemical configurations of active sites toward intrinsically boosted OER kinetics. Furthermore, the construction of dual-metal single atoms, specific nanostructures, carbon material supports and composite structures are introduced to increase the abundance of active sites and promote mass transportation. Finally, a perspective on the future development of NiFe alloy electrocatalysts is offered. The overall aim of this review is to shed light on the exploration of novel electrocatalysts in the field of energy.

Dendrite-like Co₃O₄ nanostructure, made up of many nanorods with diameters of 15–20 nm and lengths of 2–3 μm, has been successfully prepared by calcining the corresponding nanostructured Co-8-hydroxyquinoline coordination precursor in air. The Co₃O₄ nanostructure was evaluated as an electrochemical sensor for H₂O₂ detection and the results reveal that it has good linear dependence and high sensitivity to H₂O₂ concentration changes. As an electrode material of a supercapacitor, it was found that the nanostructured Co₃O₄ electrode exhibits high specific capacitance and long cycle life. The Co₃O₄ nanostructure also has good catalytic properties and is steadily active for CO oxidation, giving 100% CO conversion at low temperatures. The multifunctional Co₃O₄ nanostructure would be a promising functional nanomaterial applied in multi industrialized fields.