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2026 Volume 42 Issue 2
2026, 42(2):
Abstract:
2026, 42(2): 100130
doi: 10.1016/j.actphy.2025.100130
Abstract:
The development of high-mass-loading electrodes with robust ion transport characteristics is crucial for efficient electrochemical lithium extraction from brine. Herein, we report a solvent-free hot-pressing strategy to fabricate structurally engineered LiFePO4 electrodes with enhanced electrochemical performance and mechanical stability. By integrating etched titanium foil as a current collector and multi-walled carbon nanotubes as a conductive additive, a three-dimensionally interconnected porous structure was formed, enabling accelerated ion diffusion and improved structural integrity. Micro-CT and Avizo-based analysis revealed that the dry press-coated electrodes possess higher porosity, lower tortuosity and more connected ion channels compared to conventional slurry-coated electrodes. Electrochemical tests demonstrated a significantly higher lithium-ion diffusion coefficient and lower charge transfer resistance of the dry press-coated electrodes. Under optimized conditions, the dry press-coated electrodes, possessing a mass loading of 19.4 mg cm-2, delivered a lithium extraction capacity of 4.13 mg cm-2 with a purity of 93.91% over 15 cycles in simulated Uyuni brine. This work establishes a scalable hot-pressing method and elucidates its fundamental physicochemical advantages for lithium-selective electrochemical separation.
The development of high-mass-loading electrodes with robust ion transport characteristics is crucial for efficient electrochemical lithium extraction from brine. Herein, we report a solvent-free hot-pressing strategy to fabricate structurally engineered LiFePO4 electrodes with enhanced electrochemical performance and mechanical stability. By integrating etched titanium foil as a current collector and multi-walled carbon nanotubes as a conductive additive, a three-dimensionally interconnected porous structure was formed, enabling accelerated ion diffusion and improved structural integrity. Micro-CT and Avizo-based analysis revealed that the dry press-coated electrodes possess higher porosity, lower tortuosity and more connected ion channels compared to conventional slurry-coated electrodes. Electrochemical tests demonstrated a significantly higher lithium-ion diffusion coefficient and lower charge transfer resistance of the dry press-coated electrodes. Under optimized conditions, the dry press-coated electrodes, possessing a mass loading of 19.4 mg cm-2, delivered a lithium extraction capacity of 4.13 mg cm-2 with a purity of 93.91% over 15 cycles in simulated Uyuni brine. This work establishes a scalable hot-pressing method and elucidates its fundamental physicochemical advantages for lithium-selective electrochemical separation.
2026, 42(2): 100134
doi: 10.1016/j.actphy.2025.100134
Abstract:
Carbon dots (CDs) have been widely applied in fluorescence imaging both in vitro and in vivo. However, key challenges remain to be addressed, including the poor specificity of CDs as biological markers and their relatively low fluorescence quantum yield (QY) in the red emission region. In this study, we synthesized red fluorescent carbon dots (designated as EA-CDs, λex/λem = 400 nm/660 nm) using a natural plant-derived precursor ethanol extract from Epipremnum aureum leaves via a one-pot solvothermal method. The EA-CDs exhibit a small particle size (average diameter: 3.9 nm), high fluorescence QY (15.4% in ethanol at λem = 660 nm), low toxicity (both in vitro and in vivo), and favorable lipophilicity (oil-water partition coefficient LogP > 0), making them suitable for biological fluorescence imaging and labeling applications. Experimental results indicate that these red-emitting CDs can not only effectively label plant cell membranes, but also serve as an intestinal fluorescence imaging probe in zebrafish models. This suggests their potential as a universal red-emissive bio-membrane dye with high QY. Furthermore, this work pioneers a novel application approach for ornamental plants like Epipremnum aureum.
Carbon dots (CDs) have been widely applied in fluorescence imaging both in vitro and in vivo. However, key challenges remain to be addressed, including the poor specificity of CDs as biological markers and their relatively low fluorescence quantum yield (QY) in the red emission region. In this study, we synthesized red fluorescent carbon dots (designated as EA-CDs, λex/λem = 400 nm/660 nm) using a natural plant-derived precursor ethanol extract from Epipremnum aureum leaves via a one-pot solvothermal method. The EA-CDs exhibit a small particle size (average diameter: 3.9 nm), high fluorescence QY (15.4% in ethanol at λem = 660 nm), low toxicity (both in vitro and in vivo), and favorable lipophilicity (oil-water partition coefficient LogP > 0), making them suitable for biological fluorescence imaging and labeling applications. Experimental results indicate that these red-emitting CDs can not only effectively label plant cell membranes, but also serve as an intestinal fluorescence imaging probe in zebrafish models. This suggests their potential as a universal red-emissive bio-membrane dye with high QY. Furthermore, this work pioneers a novel application approach for ornamental plants like Epipremnum aureum.
2026, 42(2): 100143
doi: 10.1016/j.actphy.2025.100143
Abstract:
Heterogeneous structure building has proven to be an effective strategy for achieving efficient charge separation and improving photocatalytic performance. In this study, based on the synergistic optimization strategy of elemental doping and heterostructure construction, an S-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst (x% NMT/Na-CN) composed of titanium-based metal-organic framework (NH2-MIL-125, abbreviated as NMT) and sodium-doped carbon nitride (Na-CN) was constructed by a simple impregnation method. The energy band structure of the catalysts was modulated by intra-layer doping of Na, which introduced nitrogen defects and improved the separation efficiency of photogenerated charges. In addition, the composite of Na-CN and NMT formed an S-scheme heterojunction, which further improved the photogenerated charge separation efficiency while retaining the strong redox ability of the composite catalyst. Owing to the synergistic effect of Na doping and NMT composite, the photocatalytic H2O2 production rate of 15% NMT/Na-CN in isopropanol solution was as high as 2474.6 μmol g−1 h−1, which was 38 times higher than that of unmodified bulk carbon nitride. This work offers a novel approach to realize the efficient production of H2O2 from carbon nitride-based photocatalysts based on the doping-heterojunction synergistic optimization strategy.
Heterogeneous structure building has proven to be an effective strategy for achieving efficient charge separation and improving photocatalytic performance. In this study, based on the synergistic optimization strategy of elemental doping and heterostructure construction, an S-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst (x% NMT/Na-CN) composed of titanium-based metal-organic framework (NH2-MIL-125, abbreviated as NMT) and sodium-doped carbon nitride (Na-CN) was constructed by a simple impregnation method. The energy band structure of the catalysts was modulated by intra-layer doping of Na, which introduced nitrogen defects and improved the separation efficiency of photogenerated charges. In addition, the composite of Na-CN and NMT formed an S-scheme heterojunction, which further improved the photogenerated charge separation efficiency while retaining the strong redox ability of the composite catalyst. Owing to the synergistic effect of Na doping and NMT composite, the photocatalytic H2O2 production rate of 15% NMT/Na-CN in isopropanol solution was as high as 2474.6 μmol g−1 h−1, which was 38 times higher than that of unmodified bulk carbon nitride. This work offers a novel approach to realize the efficient production of H2O2 from carbon nitride-based photocatalysts based on the doping-heterojunction synergistic optimization strategy.
2026, 42(2): 100169
doi: 10.1016/j.actphy.2025.100169
Abstract:
Integrating stimuli-responsive luminescence with dynamic emission properties offers a powerful strategy to enhance information encryption through multi-level authentication systems. By rationally tuning the singlet-triplet energy gap (ΔEST) of a material, simultaneous activation of phosphorescence (Phos) and delayed fluorescence (DF) can be achieved, enabling programmable dynamic afterglow behavior. In this work, we report the first carbon dot (CD)-based thermoresponsive dynamic afterglow material, synthesized via in situ covalent immobilization of CDs within a cyanuric acid matrix. The resulting system demonstrates a thermally driven green-to-blue afterglow transition across a wide temperature range (273.15–423.15 K), exhibiting dual-mode thermochromic afterglow (TCA) and time-resolved afterglow (TRA) characteristics. Notably, a blue-to-green afterglow transition occurs above the threshold temperature of 348.15 K, where TRA dominates due to temperature-dependent exciton redistribution. This synergistic TCA-TRA interplay endows the material with unprecedented dynamic afterglow modulation capabilities. Structural and photophysical analyses confirm that covalent fixation reduces the ΔEST of CDs from 0.46 to 0.28 eV, as designed. This ΔEST engineering enables thermal control over the Phos/DF equilibrium, directly governing the observed dynamic emission. Finally, the potential applications of the prepared material in thermal monitoring and high-security information protection are also demonstrated.
Integrating stimuli-responsive luminescence with dynamic emission properties offers a powerful strategy to enhance information encryption through multi-level authentication systems. By rationally tuning the singlet-triplet energy gap (ΔEST) of a material, simultaneous activation of phosphorescence (Phos) and delayed fluorescence (DF) can be achieved, enabling programmable dynamic afterglow behavior. In this work, we report the first carbon dot (CD)-based thermoresponsive dynamic afterglow material, synthesized via in situ covalent immobilization of CDs within a cyanuric acid matrix. The resulting system demonstrates a thermally driven green-to-blue afterglow transition across a wide temperature range (273.15–423.15 K), exhibiting dual-mode thermochromic afterglow (TCA) and time-resolved afterglow (TRA) characteristics. Notably, a blue-to-green afterglow transition occurs above the threshold temperature of 348.15 K, where TRA dominates due to temperature-dependent exciton redistribution. This synergistic TCA-TRA interplay endows the material with unprecedented dynamic afterglow modulation capabilities. Structural and photophysical analyses confirm that covalent fixation reduces the ΔEST of CDs from 0.46 to 0.28 eV, as designed. This ΔEST engineering enables thermal control over the Phos/DF equilibrium, directly governing the observed dynamic emission. Finally, the potential applications of the prepared material in thermal monitoring and high-security information protection are also demonstrated.
2026, 42(2): 100173
doi: 10.1016/j.actphy.2025.100173
Abstract:
Methane, as an abundant resource, serves not only as an excellent fossil fuel but also as a pivotal feedstock for synthesizing high-value-added chemical products. Solar-driven methane conversion offers a highly promising pathway for the direct production of high-value chemicals such as methanol (CH3OH) and formaldehyde (HCHO) under mild conditions. However, the core challenge of this conversion process lies in the tendency of target products to undergo over-oxidation, resulting in low selectivity—a critical bottleneck that urgently requires breakthrough in this field. Herein, we constructed an Ir-modified CdS (Irx/CdS) photocatalytic system and proposed that regulating the generation types of key reaction intermediates via metallic Ir is an effective strategy to enhance the selectivity of target products and suppress over-oxidation. In situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (in situ DRIFTS) confirmed that the types of key intermediates generated during methane activation differ, which decisively influences the product distribution. On pure CdS surfaces, the key intermediate *CH3O tends to participate in subsequent deep oxidation reactions via its O atom, ultimately leading to over-oxidized products like CO2. In contrast, after Ir loading, the key reaction intermediate shifts to *CH3. The Ir sites facilitate the conversion of *CH3 to ‧CH3 radicals through localized electron transfer, and the generated ‧CH3 radicals rapidly combine with ‧OH radicals to selectively form CH3OH. The performance evaluation of photocatalytic methane conversion demonstrated that under conditions of 60 ℃, 0.1 MPa, and molecular oxygen as the oxidant, the 0.50 wt% Ir-loaded Ir0.50/CdS sample exhibited optimal performance: the yield of oxygenated liquid products (CH3OH and HCHO) reached 509.2 μmol g−1 h−1, with overall selectivity enhanced to 88%. Characterization techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed the coexistence of two valence states of Ir on the catalyst surface (metallic Ir0 and oxidized Ir4+), with the metallic state being dominant. The strategy proposed in this work—regulating intermediate species generation via metal modification to inhibit over-oxidation—provides a novel approach for the efficient conversion of methane into high-value oxygenated chemicals.
Methane, as an abundant resource, serves not only as an excellent fossil fuel but also as a pivotal feedstock for synthesizing high-value-added chemical products. Solar-driven methane conversion offers a highly promising pathway for the direct production of high-value chemicals such as methanol (CH3OH) and formaldehyde (HCHO) under mild conditions. However, the core challenge of this conversion process lies in the tendency of target products to undergo over-oxidation, resulting in low selectivity—a critical bottleneck that urgently requires breakthrough in this field. Herein, we constructed an Ir-modified CdS (Irx/CdS) photocatalytic system and proposed that regulating the generation types of key reaction intermediates via metallic Ir is an effective strategy to enhance the selectivity of target products and suppress over-oxidation. In situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (in situ DRIFTS) confirmed that the types of key intermediates generated during methane activation differ, which decisively influences the product distribution. On pure CdS surfaces, the key intermediate *CH3O tends to participate in subsequent deep oxidation reactions via its O atom, ultimately leading to over-oxidized products like CO2. In contrast, after Ir loading, the key reaction intermediate shifts to *CH3. The Ir sites facilitate the conversion of *CH3 to ‧CH3 radicals through localized electron transfer, and the generated ‧CH3 radicals rapidly combine with ‧OH radicals to selectively form CH3OH. The performance evaluation of photocatalytic methane conversion demonstrated that under conditions of 60 ℃, 0.1 MPa, and molecular oxygen as the oxidant, the 0.50 wt% Ir-loaded Ir0.50/CdS sample exhibited optimal performance: the yield of oxygenated liquid products (CH3OH and HCHO) reached 509.2 μmol g−1 h−1, with overall selectivity enhanced to 88%. Characterization techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed the coexistence of two valence states of Ir on the catalyst surface (metallic Ir0 and oxidized Ir4+), with the metallic state being dominant. The strategy proposed in this work—regulating intermediate species generation via metal modification to inhibit over-oxidation—provides a novel approach for the efficient conversion of methane into high-value oxygenated chemicals.
2026, 42(2): 100180
doi: 10.1016/j.actphy.2025.100180
Abstract:
Na3V2(PO4)3 (NVP) is a promising cathode material for sodium-ion batteries owing to its NASICON-type framework, which enables efficient reversible sodium insertion. However, its practical performance is limited by slow charge transfer at high cycling rates and cycling instability. Here, we report a facile impregnation method to deposit Nb2O5 on NVP particles, aiming to enhance high-rate capability and long-term cycling stability. Structural and spectroscopic analyses (XRD, electron microscopy, Raman, XPS, and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy) confirm the crystallinity of NVP and the uniform presence of Nb2O5 on particle surfaces without compromising sodium reversibility. Electrochemical measurements reveal that Nb2O5-coated samples show the highest diffusion coefficients, ensuring superior high-rate performance and cycling stability. The 3% Nb2O5 coating delivers the highest diffusion coefficients, superior cycling stability, and sustained capacity retention at a 1C rate. Cyclic voltammetry and impedance spectroscopy indicate enhanced surface capacitance, facilitating rapid sodium storage. XPS shows the conversion of Nb2O5 into NbF5, resulting from HF scavenging, which improved interfacial stability. Extended cycling tests validate the long-term durability of the coated electrode. These results demonstrate that Nb2O5 surface modification is an effective strategy to overcome the intrinsic limitations of NVP, offering a viable route to high-performance sodium-ion batteries.
Na3V2(PO4)3 (NVP) is a promising cathode material for sodium-ion batteries owing to its NASICON-type framework, which enables efficient reversible sodium insertion. However, its practical performance is limited by slow charge transfer at high cycling rates and cycling instability. Here, we report a facile impregnation method to deposit Nb2O5 on NVP particles, aiming to enhance high-rate capability and long-term cycling stability. Structural and spectroscopic analyses (XRD, electron microscopy, Raman, XPS, and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy) confirm the crystallinity of NVP and the uniform presence of Nb2O5 on particle surfaces without compromising sodium reversibility. Electrochemical measurements reveal that Nb2O5-coated samples show the highest diffusion coefficients, ensuring superior high-rate performance and cycling stability. The 3% Nb2O5 coating delivers the highest diffusion coefficients, superior cycling stability, and sustained capacity retention at a 1C rate. Cyclic voltammetry and impedance spectroscopy indicate enhanced surface capacitance, facilitating rapid sodium storage. XPS shows the conversion of Nb2O5 into NbF5, resulting from HF scavenging, which improved interfacial stability. Extended cycling tests validate the long-term durability of the coated electrode. These results demonstrate that Nb2O5 surface modification is an effective strategy to overcome the intrinsic limitations of NVP, offering a viable route to high-performance sodium-ion batteries.
2026, 42(2): 100182
doi: 10.1016/j.actphy.2025.100182
Abstract:
The design of high-performance small-molecule acceptors (SMAs) for organic solar cells (OSCs) remains a central challenge, particularly under the growing demand for environmentally friendly processing conditions. While halogenation has been widely employed to optimize electronic structures and molecular packing, its reliance on toxic halogenated solvents and the limited tunability of intermolecular interactions highlight the need for alternative strategies. In this context, core functionalization with cyano (CN) groups provides a unique opportunity, as the CN unit combines strong electron-withdrawing ability, high polarity, and linear geometry, potentially offering synergistic regulation of both optoelectronic properties and supramolecular assembly. However, systematic studies on core cyanation remain scarce, and its precise role in balancing charge transfer, molecular ordering, and energy loss in OSCs has not been thoroughly clarified.Here, we report a cyano-functionalized benzo[a]phenazine (BP)-core SMA, denoted as NA8, to explore how core cyanation influences device performance. The introduction of the CN group reduces the intramolecular charge transfer, resulting in a blue-shifted absorption and a slightly enlarged optical bandgap compared with the non-cyanated analogue NA1. Despite this apparent drawback, NA8 demonstrates superior molecular packing, as evidenced by grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering (GIWAXS) measurements showing a crystalline coherence length more than twice that of NA1 (101.3 Å vs. 44.6 Å). This improvement originates from the significantly enhanced dipole moment of NA8 (4.26 D vs. 2.21 D for NA1), which facilitates stronger electrostatic and noncovalent interactions (e.g., S···N and H···N contacts), thereby stabilizing more ordered packing motifs.At the blend-film level, atomic force microscopy (AFM) reveals that PM6:NA8 exhibits a rougher yet more clearly phase-separated morphology compared with PM6:NA1, providing continuous transport pathways. Photo-CELIV measurements confirm higher carrier mobility (2.36 × 10−4 cm2 V−1 s−1 vs. 1.29 × 10−4 cm2 V−1 s−1), while transient absorption spectroscopy shows faster exciton dissociation and reduced bimolecular recombination. Together, these synergistic effects explain why the PM6:NA8 device achieves an outstanding power conversion efficiency of 19.04% using non-halogenated o-xylene, compared with 15.14% for PM6:NA1. The improvement primarily arises from the significantly enhanced short-circuit current density (27.35 mA cm−2) and fill factor (78.3%), while the open-circuit voltage is only moderately reduced (0.889 V vs. 0.914 V) due to increased reorganization energy associated with C–C bond vibrations in the CN-substituted BP core. Our study identifies core cyanation as a powerful molecular engineering strategy to concurrently tune energy levels, strengthen molecular packing, and optimize nanoscale morphology, providing valuable design guidance for next-generation organic photovoltaics.
The design of high-performance small-molecule acceptors (SMAs) for organic solar cells (OSCs) remains a central challenge, particularly under the growing demand for environmentally friendly processing conditions. While halogenation has been widely employed to optimize electronic structures and molecular packing, its reliance on toxic halogenated solvents and the limited tunability of intermolecular interactions highlight the need for alternative strategies. In this context, core functionalization with cyano (CN) groups provides a unique opportunity, as the CN unit combines strong electron-withdrawing ability, high polarity, and linear geometry, potentially offering synergistic regulation of both optoelectronic properties and supramolecular assembly. However, systematic studies on core cyanation remain scarce, and its precise role in balancing charge transfer, molecular ordering, and energy loss in OSCs has not been thoroughly clarified.Here, we report a cyano-functionalized benzo[a]phenazine (BP)-core SMA, denoted as NA8, to explore how core cyanation influences device performance. The introduction of the CN group reduces the intramolecular charge transfer, resulting in a blue-shifted absorption and a slightly enlarged optical bandgap compared with the non-cyanated analogue NA1. Despite this apparent drawback, NA8 demonstrates superior molecular packing, as evidenced by grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering (GIWAXS) measurements showing a crystalline coherence length more than twice that of NA1 (101.3 Å vs. 44.6 Å). This improvement originates from the significantly enhanced dipole moment of NA8 (4.26 D vs. 2.21 D for NA1), which facilitates stronger electrostatic and noncovalent interactions (e.g., S···N and H···N contacts), thereby stabilizing more ordered packing motifs.At the blend-film level, atomic force microscopy (AFM) reveals that PM6:NA8 exhibits a rougher yet more clearly phase-separated morphology compared with PM6:NA1, providing continuous transport pathways. Photo-CELIV measurements confirm higher carrier mobility (2.36 × 10−4 cm2 V−1 s−1 vs. 1.29 × 10−4 cm2 V−1 s−1), while transient absorption spectroscopy shows faster exciton dissociation and reduced bimolecular recombination. Together, these synergistic effects explain why the PM6:NA8 device achieves an outstanding power conversion efficiency of 19.04% using non-halogenated o-xylene, compared with 15.14% for PM6:NA1. The improvement primarily arises from the significantly enhanced short-circuit current density (27.35 mA cm−2) and fill factor (78.3%), while the open-circuit voltage is only moderately reduced (0.889 V vs. 0.914 V) due to increased reorganization energy associated with C–C bond vibrations in the CN-substituted BP core. Our study identifies core cyanation as a powerful molecular engineering strategy to concurrently tune energy levels, strengthen molecular packing, and optimize nanoscale morphology, providing valuable design guidance for next-generation organic photovoltaics.
2026, 42(2): 100151
doi: 10.1016/j.actphy.2025.100151
Abstract:
The conversion efficiency and stability of energy-related devices are significantly influenced by the photocatalysts and electrocatalysts. Orbital hybridization has emerged as a crucial strategy to enhance catalytic performance, with significant advancements made in recent years. This review focuses on the progress, challenges, and future prospects of orbital hybridization in photocatalysis and electrocatalysis. It begins with the fundamentals of orbital hybridization, covering basic principles and three typical classifications (reaction-level, structure-level, and cascaded orbital hybridization). It further introduces the vital roles of orbital hybridization in improving bonding efficiency, intrinsic activity, selectivity, and stability of the catalysts. Subsequently, recent advances in tuning orbital hybridization to enhance various photocatalytic and electrocatalytic reactions (e.g., HER, OER, ORR, and NRR) are highlighted. After that, modulation strategies (e.g., alloying, heteroatom doping, heterostructure construction, defect engineering, and coordination environment modulation) for orbital hybridization are summarized and discussed from both structural and reaction perspectives. Finally, this review presents the challenges faced in utilizing orbital hybridization to improve catalyst performance and outlines future prospects. By summarizing design strategies related to orbital hybridization, it offers new insights for the tailored construction and optimization of high-activity catalysts, advancing efficient and sustainable energy conversion and storage technologies.
The conversion efficiency and stability of energy-related devices are significantly influenced by the photocatalysts and electrocatalysts. Orbital hybridization has emerged as a crucial strategy to enhance catalytic performance, with significant advancements made in recent years. This review focuses on the progress, challenges, and future prospects of orbital hybridization in photocatalysis and electrocatalysis. It begins with the fundamentals of orbital hybridization, covering basic principles and three typical classifications (reaction-level, structure-level, and cascaded orbital hybridization). It further introduces the vital roles of orbital hybridization in improving bonding efficiency, intrinsic activity, selectivity, and stability of the catalysts. Subsequently, recent advances in tuning orbital hybridization to enhance various photocatalytic and electrocatalytic reactions (e.g., HER, OER, ORR, and NRR) are highlighted. After that, modulation strategies (e.g., alloying, heteroatom doping, heterostructure construction, defect engineering, and coordination environment modulation) for orbital hybridization are summarized and discussed from both structural and reaction perspectives. Finally, this review presents the challenges faced in utilizing orbital hybridization to improve catalyst performance and outlines future prospects. By summarizing design strategies related to orbital hybridization, it offers new insights for the tailored construction and optimization of high-activity catalysts, advancing efficient and sustainable energy conversion and storage technologies.
2026, 42(2): 100164
doi: 10.1016/j.actphy.2025.100164
Abstract:
Over the past decades, excessive CO2 emissions have led to various environmental issues. Solar-driven photocatalytic conversion of CO2 into valuable chemicals offers a promising solution for energy and environmental problems. Recently, a class of porous coordination polymers that self-assemble from organic linkers and metal ions or clusters, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), have been widely explored for photoinduced CO2 conversion because of their great CO2 capture ability and adjustable structures. However, the development of MOFs with high efficiency for CO2 conversion remains a significant challenge. In this review, we elaborate on four key engineering strategies for constructing efficient MOFs toward photocatalytic CO2 reduction: ligand engineering, secondary building unit (SBU) engineering, defect engineering, and morphology engineering. These strategies focus on optimizing key structural properties of MOFs that critically influence their catalytic performance in CO2 photoreduction, notably light absorption, CO2 adsorption capacity, and charge separation and transport. The established design principles and modulation strategies demonstrate broad applicability and can be extended to guide the rational design of diverse MOF-based functional systems. Furthermore, we critically evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of each strategy, highlighting their specific contributions and inherent limitations. Finally, we outline the development prospects and identify promising future research directions for MOF-based photocatalytic CO2 reduction.
Over the past decades, excessive CO2 emissions have led to various environmental issues. Solar-driven photocatalytic conversion of CO2 into valuable chemicals offers a promising solution for energy and environmental problems. Recently, a class of porous coordination polymers that self-assemble from organic linkers and metal ions or clusters, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), have been widely explored for photoinduced CO2 conversion because of their great CO2 capture ability and adjustable structures. However, the development of MOFs with high efficiency for CO2 conversion remains a significant challenge. In this review, we elaborate on four key engineering strategies for constructing efficient MOFs toward photocatalytic CO2 reduction: ligand engineering, secondary building unit (SBU) engineering, defect engineering, and morphology engineering. These strategies focus on optimizing key structural properties of MOFs that critically influence their catalytic performance in CO2 photoreduction, notably light absorption, CO2 adsorption capacity, and charge separation and transport. The established design principles and modulation strategies demonstrate broad applicability and can be extended to guide the rational design of diverse MOF-based functional systems. Furthermore, we critically evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of each strategy, highlighting their specific contributions and inherent limitations. Finally, we outline the development prospects and identify promising future research directions for MOF-based photocatalytic CO2 reduction.
2026, 42(2): 100167
doi: 10.1016/j.actphy.2025.100167
Abstract:
Carbon dots (CDs), as a class of highly promising multifunctional carbon nanomaterials, have emerged as a hot research topic in photocatalysis due to their strong visible-light absorption, favorable optical properties, and tunable bandgap structures. In recent years, extensive efforts have been devoted to enhancing the catalytic performance by combining CDs with other catalysts to form complexes. Beyond that, CDs also present a decent catalytic performance in various fields. However, summaries focusing on photocatalytic performance and mechanisms of CDs as a single-component photocatalyst remain scarce. A thorough understanding of structural characteristics and modulation strategies of the CDs is crucial for further advancing their photocatalytic applications. This review systematically summarizes the intrinsic structural features of CDs, performance enhancement strategies, including elemental doping and surface functionalization, and their applications as single-component catalysts in diverse photocatalytic reactions.
Carbon dots (CDs), as a class of highly promising multifunctional carbon nanomaterials, have emerged as a hot research topic in photocatalysis due to their strong visible-light absorption, favorable optical properties, and tunable bandgap structures. In recent years, extensive efforts have been devoted to enhancing the catalytic performance by combining CDs with other catalysts to form complexes. Beyond that, CDs also present a decent catalytic performance in various fields. However, summaries focusing on photocatalytic performance and mechanisms of CDs as a single-component photocatalyst remain scarce. A thorough understanding of structural characteristics and modulation strategies of the CDs is crucial for further advancing their photocatalytic applications. This review systematically summarizes the intrinsic structural features of CDs, performance enhancement strategies, including elemental doping and surface functionalization, and their applications as single-component catalysts in diverse photocatalytic reactions.
