Solar energy is clean and renewable but has a low flux density. The lack of a continuous and reliable power supply reduces their average daily output. Since the infrared part is not utilized to produce electricity, conventional photovoltaic cells use only about half of the solar spectrum. Direct radiation flux is also necessary for solar Stirling engine to work efficiently. The hybrid system can largely overcome these problems. The design combines the photovoltaic and energy storage-integrated Stirling engine or thermal field emission technologies in the same concentrating solar power system, providing a great potential in terms of energy production per unit area. The photovoltaic cells can be deposited on the concentrating solar power main mirror to allow the system to collect and convert the diffuse component of the light. The design allows utilization of existing equipment, particularly a high-grade parabolic dish or midgrade Fresnel concentrator for rooftop installation. To optimize the use of solar energy, beam splitters thermally decouple the modules by splitting the solar spectrum into three spectral ranges and directing visible, ultraviolet and infrared radiation into the photovoltaic cells, gate/Cs-filled gap and cavity-type solar receiver, respectively. A photon-enhanced gate electrode creates on the cathode surface an electrostatic field large enough to compensate space charge field and initiates thermal field emission process. In the thermal field emission cathodes with nano-structured surfaces, the current density can reach values close to the field emission limit. The design of the electrodes based on nano-structured emission materials were experimentally explored by the co-authors. In these experiments, efficiency of heat-to-electricity conversion was investigated and conditions for advanced nano-materials application for harvesting solar energy were found.
Three-dimensional graphene skeletons supported nickel molybdate nanowire composite as novel ultralight electrode for supercapacitors
采用水热法在化学气相沉积法生长的三维石墨烯骨架上制备了NiMoO（$_{4}$）纳米线。X射线衍射和拉曼光谱结果表明，NiMoO $_{4}$为$α$相。这种无粘合剂的超轻石墨烯/ NiMoO $_{4}$复合材料用作超级电容器的正极。该电极在12 mA cm $^{-2}$下的比电容为1194 F g $^{-1}$，1000次循环后的循环效率为97.3%。此外，在1319 W kg $^{-1}$的稳定功率密度下，能量密度达到41 Wh kg $^{-1}$的能量密度。这些结果证明了所设计的复合材料在未来柔性和轻质储能方面的潜力。
Thermal conductivity of intercalation, conversion, and alloying lithium-ion battery electrode materials as function of their state of charge
在插入和取出锂时，对于电化学能量储存重要的材料可以经历热导率（$Λ$）和弹性模量（$\it M$）的变化。这些变化是由于演化的固有的热载流子寿命和原子间的键合强度与电极材料的结构转变具有不同程度的可逆性。利用原位时域热反射技术和皮秒声学技术，系统研究了电极材料在循环过程中的转化、嵌入和合金化过程中的$Λ$和$\it M$。插层V $_{2}$ O $_{5}$和TiO $_{2}$表现出非单调可逆$Λ$和$\it M$切换高达1.8倍（$Λ$）和1.5倍（$\it M$）作为锂含量的函数。在第一次锂化时，转化的Fe $_{2}$ O $_{3}$和NiO在$Λ$和$\it M$中经历不可逆衰变。合金化Sb显示出$Λ$在脱锂状态（18 W m $^{-1}$ K $^{-1}$）和锂化状态（<1 W m $^{-1}$ K $^{-1}$）之间的最大和部分可逆的数量级的量值切换。不可逆的$Λ$归因于循环过程中大量体积变化导致的结构降解和粉碎。这些发现为电池设计的重要性循环过程中电极材料的热和机械性能演变提供了新的理解，并且还指出了形成具有热切换性能的材料的途径。
Nitrogen-doped Nanoporous Carbon Membranes Functionalized with Co/CoP Janus-type nanocrystals as Hydrogen Evolution Electrode in Both Acid and Alkaline Environment
自负载型电催化剂的制备及其直接作为能量转换电极的应用是材料化学和能源领域的研究热点。在此，我们报告了一种合成策略，以制备独立的分层结构，氮掺杂的纳米多孔石墨碳膜功能化与Janus型Co/CoP纳米晶体（称为HNDCM-Co/CoP），这是成功地应用于作为一个高效的，无粘合剂的电极在析氢反应（HER）。HNDCM-Co/CoP具有石墨化程度高、微孔/介孔/大孔三维连通、氮掺杂均匀、Co/CoP纳米晶分散性好以及薄碳层对纳米晶的限制作用等结构优点，在酸性和碱性条件下均表现出优异的电催化活性和长期运行稳定性。作为实际使用的概念验证，在我们的实验室中制备尺寸为5.6cm X 4cm X 60 μ π ι的HNDCM-Co/CoP的宏观片。在太阳能电池的驱动下，在碱性条件下（pH 14）进行水的电还原，并以16 ml/min的速率产生H2，表明其作为现实生活中的能量转换系统的潜力。
Metallic vanadium disulfide nanosheets as a platform material for multifunctional electrode applications
纳米厚度的金属过渡金属二硫属化物，如VS $_{2}$是构建下一代电子和能量存储应用的基本构件，以及用于探索与维度效应相关的独特物理问题。然而，这样的2D层状材料还没有通过机械剥离或自下而上的合成来实现。在此，我们报告了一种简单的化学气相沉积路线，用于直接生产结晶VS $_{2}$纳米片，厚度小于10 nm，域尺寸为数十微米。所得纳米片具有自发的超晶格周期性和优异的导电性（~3 $\times$ 10 $^{3}$ S cm $^{-1}$），其已经实现了各种应用，例如用于单层MoS $_{2}$的接触电极，其接触电阻为Ni/Au金属的接触电阻的~1/4，和在含水电解质中作为超级电容器电极，显示出高达8.6 $\times$ 10 $^{2}$ F g $^{-1}$的比电容。这项工作为这种金属2D材料的微妙结构-性能关系和广阔的应用前景提供了新的见解。
