Thermoelectric materials are considered promising candidates for thermal energy conversion. This study presents the fabrication of Zn- and Ce-alloyed In ₂ O ₃ with a porous structure. The electrical conductivity was improved by the alloying effect and an ultra-low thermal conductivity was observed owing to the porous structure, which concomitantly provide a distinct enhancement of ZT . However, SiO ₂ nanoparticle additives react with the matrix to form a third-phase impurity, which weakens the electrical conductivity and increases the thermal conductivity. A thermoelectric module was constructed for the purpose of thermal heat energy conversion. Our experimental results proved that both an enhancement in electrical conductivity and a suppression in thermal conductivity could be achieved through nano-engineering. This approach presents a feasible route to synthesize porous thermoelectric oxides, and provides insight into the effect of additives; moreover, this approach is a cost-effective method for the fabrication of thermoelectric oxides without traditional hot-pressing and spark-plasma-sintering processes.

This study reports a streamlined method for producing a highly nanoporous current collector with a substantial specific surface area, serving as an electrode for microsupercapacitors (MSCs). Initially, commercial Ni foams are patterned into an interdigitated structure by laser cutting. Subsequently, the Ni foams are infused with NiO nanopowders through dip coating, sintering, and reduction in an H₂ atmosphere, followed by the growth of MnO₂ through a redox reaction. The incorporation of NiO within this three-dimensional Ni current collector results in notable porosity within the range of approximately 200-600 nm. Such a 3D, highly nanoporous electrode dramatically increases the specific surface area by 30 times and substantially boosts the amount of active material deposition, surpassing those of commercially available Ni foams. Performance evaluations of this highly nanoporous electrode in a 1 M KOH solution demonstrate an areal capacity of 19.3 F/cm², retaining more than 95% capacitance at 5 mA/cm², and exhibiting an energy density of 671 μW h/cm², 25 times greater than commercial Ni foams. Moreover, in the realm of solid-state applications for MSCs, the remarkably high porous electrode achieves a commendable areal capacity of 7.22 F/cm² and an energy density of 263.9 μW h/cm², rendering it exceptionally suitable for use in MSC applications.

In this article, we demonstrate a facile, rapid, and practical approach to growing high-quality Cu₂S nanosheets decorated with Ag nanoparticles (NPs) through the galvanic reduction method. The Ag/Cu₂S nanosheets were efficiently applied to the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and photocatalytic degradation applications. The photodegradation of RhB dye with the Ag/Cu₂S nanosheets composites occurred at a rate of 2.9 times faster than that observed with the undecorated Cu₂S nanosheets. Furthermore, the Ag/Cu₂S nanosheets displayed highly sensitive SERS detection of organic pollutant (R6G) as low as 10⁻⁹ M. The reproducibility experiments indicated that the Ag/Cu₂S nanosheets composites could be used for dual functionality in a new generation of outstandingly sensitive SERS probes for detection and stable photocatalysts.