In principle, porous physisorbents are attractive candidates for the removal of volatile organic compounds such as benzene by virtue of their low energy for the capture and release of this pollutant. Unfortunately, many physisorbents exhibit weak sorbate–sorbent interactions, resulting in poor selectivity and low uptake when volatile organic compounds are present at trace concentrations. Herein, we report that a family of double-walled metal–dipyrazolate frameworks, BUT-53 to BUT-58, exhibit benzene uptakes at 298 K of 2.47–3.28 mmol g⁻¹ at <10 Pa. Breakthrough experiments revealed that BUT-55, a supramolecular isomer of the metal–organic framework Co(BDP) (H₂BDP = 1,4-di(1H-pyrazol-4-yl)benzene), captures trace levels of benzene, producing an air stream with benzene content below acceptable limits. Furthermore, BUT-55 can be regenerated with mild heating. Insight into the performance of BUT-55 comes from the crystal structure of the benzene-loaded phase (C₆H₆@BUT-55) and density functional theory calculations, which reveal that C–H···X interactions drive the tight binding of benzene. Our results demonstrate that BUT-55 is a recyclable physisorbent that exhibits high affinity and adsorption capacity towards benzene, making it a candidate for environmental remediation of benzene-contaminated gas mixtures.

A strategy to utilize visible-light responsive MOFs as a protective shell over noble-metal-sensitized semiconductors to fabricate photoanode catalysts is developed. The resulting composites demonstrate outstanding performances in photoelectrochemical water splitting.

CoAl-based layered-double-hydroxide@zeolitic-imidazolate-framework-67 (LDH@ZIF-67) was fabricated via a hydrothermal synthesis of LDH film on Ni substrate followed by the in situ growth of ZIF-67. Its derivatives, MMO@Co₃O₄, spinelle@C and LDH@CoS with hierarchical structures were obtained by the subsequent oxidation, carbonization and sulfurization of LDH@ZIF-67, respectively, which exhibit distinct specific capacitances of 692, 781 and 1205 F g⁻¹ at a discharge current density of 1 A g⁻¹. Interestingly, these derivatives retained hierarchical structures with large surface area, which ensures that the majority of exposed active species can participate in the charge–discharge process and thus effectively contribute to total capacitances. The synergistic effect from fast electronic transfer reduces reversible ion accumulation at the interface, which imparts LDH@ZIF-67 derivatives improved electrochemical activities, in contrast to conventional bulk MOF derivatives. In addition, it was found that the combination of the remarkable electrical conductivity of sulfides (compared with their oxide counterparts) and the strong electronic coupling between LDH and CoS can facilitate fast electron transfer. As a result, LDH@CoS exhibits an excellent specific energy of 44.5 W h kg⁻¹ at a current density of 20 A g⁻¹, as well as good capacitance retention of 88.5% after 2000 cycles. This work thus demonstrates a feasible strategy for the design and fabrication of LDH@MOF derived composites as SCs components, which is applicable in constructing other novel electrode materials with hierarchical structures for applications in energy storage systems.

Rare earth elements and transition elements are widely used in aluminum alloys, magnesium alloys and copper alloys due to their unique microalloying effects. With regard to in-depth research on the grain refinement characteristics of rare earth elements and transition elements, the combination of grain refinement and microalloying in the master alloys has a great impact on the theories and technical research of refinement, and the broadening of the application field of master alloys. This paper first summarizes the grain refinement mechanisms and analyzes the effects of rare earth elements and transition elements on the grain refinement of aluminum and aluminum alloys, and summarizes the elements suitable for the preparation of Al-M master alloys and their refinement mechanism.

Simultaneous improvement of strength and conductivity is urgently demanded but challenging for bimetallic materials. Here we show by creating a self-assembled lamellar (SAL) architecture in W-Cu system, enhancement in strength and electrical conductivity is able to be achieved at the same time. The SAL architecture features alternately stacked Cu layers and W lamellae containing high-density dislocations. This unique layout not only enables predominant stress partitioning in the W phase, but also promotes hetero-deformation induced strengthening. In addition, the SAL architecture possesses strong crack-buffering effect and damage tolerance. Meanwhile, it provides continuous conducting channels for electrons and reduces interface scattering. As a result, a yield strength that doubles the value of the counterpart, an increased electrical conductivity, and a large plasticity were achieved simultaneously in the SAL W-Cu composite. This study proposes a flexible strategy of architecture design and an effective method for manufacturing bimetallic composites with excellent integrated properties.