Materials Today Sustainability最新文献

{"title":"Synthesis of multifunctional azo dyes based organic electroactive material: Efficient redox couple for aqueous redox flow batteries","authors":"Shakira Allahbaksh ,&nbsp;Ata-ur- Rehman ,&nbsp;Safyan Akram Khan ,&nbsp;Shahid Ali ,&nbsp;Muhammad Nawaz Tahir ,&nbsp;Muhammad Mansha ,&nbsp;Majad Khan","doi":"10.1016/j.mtsust.2025.101294","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mtsust.2025.101294","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The synthesis, electrochemical properties, and application of a novel multifunctional azo dye (MFAD), containing sulfonated and carboxylated naphthalene groups, were explored for aqueous organic redox flow batteries (AORFBs). MFAD was synthesized via a diazo coupling of 3-aminobenzoic acid with 5-amino-2-naphthalenesulfonic acid, resulting in a 97 % yield. Electrochemical testing was carried out using potassium ferrocyanide and potassium permanganate as catholytes with the MFAD as anolyte in different conditions, i.e., MFAD was dissolved in 1M KOH and made two different supporting electrolyte systems: (i) urea with KCl (MFAD1) and (ii) urea, KCl, and Na₃PO₄ (MFAD2). At a lower current (0.01 A), MFAD1 showed stable charging for 143 cycles but suffered discharge instability after 15 cycles, reducing coulombic efficiency from 99 % to 50 %. Higher current (0.03 A) with supporting electrolytes significantly improved charge capacity and stability. MFAD1 demonstrated a higher average volumetric charge capacity (1200.2 mAh L⁻¹) and average discharge capacity (829.3 mAh L⁻¹), whereas MFAD2, although showing a slightly lower discharge capacity (818.6 mAh L⁻¹), delivered superior coulombic efficiency (76.5 %) compared to MFAD1 (68.8 %). To further assess MFAD's full cell performance, MFAD was further paired with KMnO₄ (0.2 M in 1M KOH) without any supporting electrolyte. Under a current of 0.03 A and 10 min cycling, the MFAD/KMnO₄ cell achieved an average discharge capacity of 128.4 mAh L⁻¹, maintaining 80 % capacity retention and a coulombic efficiency of 77 %. Long-term cycling over 47.3 h demonstrated excellent stability and had also retained 97 % of the initial capacity. Compared to MFAD1 and MFAD2, the MFAD/KMnO₄ system outperformed in stability and coulombic efficiency, highlighting MFAD's strong potential as a scalable and efficient anolyte for high-performance AORFBs. Overall, these findings emphasize the promising role of azobenzene-based molecules for advancing next-generation energy storage systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18322,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today Sustainability","volume":"33 ","pages":"Article 101294"},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145925702","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Clay nanostructures in geotechnical engineering: A critical review of mechanisms, performance, and sustainable soil stabilization","authors":"Amira S. Diab ,&nbsp;Ahmed A. Allam ,&nbsp;Hassan A. Rudayni ,&nbsp;Khaled M. Abdelfadil ,&nbsp;Hasan Arman ,&nbsp;Wail Al Zoubi ,&nbsp;Mostafa R. Abukhadra","doi":"10.1016/j.mtsust.2025.101284","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mtsust.2025.101284","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The growing demand for resilient and low-carbon geotechnical infrastructure has intensified interest in clay-based nanostructures as next-generation soil stabilizers. Although many studies have examined individual nanoclays or specific stabilization outcomes, a unified multi-scale synthesis linking nanostructure geometry (0D, 1D, 2D), micro-mechanisms, and engineering performance remains largely absent. This review addresses this gap by evaluating allophane-type 0D nanoparticles, halloysite nanotubes and fibrous silicates (1D), and layered nanosheets of kaolinite, illite, and smectite (2D), emphasizing how their morphologies govern pozzolanic activity, electrostatic flocculation, double-layer modification, and microstructural densification. Microstructural evidence (SEM/TEM, XRD, MIP) shows that 0D nanoclays accelerate nucleation, 1D nanotubes enhance crack-bridging and fabric interlocking, and 2D nanosheets yield the strongest improvements in stiffness, compressibility, and hydraulic resistance. Hybrid nanoclay–SCM–polymer systems exhibit strong synergistic effects, enabling superior performance at low dosages (0.1–2 %) and reducing cement demand and carbon emissions, though nanoclay-specific LCAs and long-term field validations remain limited. Despite promising results, challenges persist regarding dispersion quality, natural compositional variability, and the lack of standardized mix-design or quantitative dispersion metrics. Advancing this field requires improved dispersion strategies, multi-scale mechanistic modeling, environmental durability assessments, and comprehensive LCAs to translate laboratory findings into reliable field solutions. Overall, 0D–2D clay nanostructures offer a robust and sustainable platform for next-generation soil stabilization, bridging nano-engineering mechanisms with durable, low-carbon geotechnical practices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18322,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today Sustainability","volume":"33 ","pages":"Article 101284"},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145976976","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Metal-oxide nanolaminate barrier coatings to enable large-scale manufacturing of sustainable flex packaging","authors":"Denys Vidish ,&nbsp;Soumyadeep Saha ,&nbsp;Louis-Vincent Delumeau ,&nbsp;Tristan Grovu ,&nbsp;Kevin P. Musselman","doi":"10.1016/j.mtsust.2025.101289","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mtsust.2025.101289","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The world is drowning in single-use-plastic waste. Compostable and recyclable alternatives to single-use flexible packaging exist but do not provide an adequate barrier to water-vapor and oxygen. We address this by using atmospheric-pressure spatial atomic layer deposition to apply Al₂O₃-ZnO nanolaminates on compostable polylactic acid (PLA) and recyclable polyethylene terephthalate (PET) films for flexible packaging. This industrially scalable coating is performed at 50 °C, preserving film integrity while enabling nanoscale control. The nanolaminate structure is found to enhance the bending resistance, improve the coating stability, and drastically reduce the water-vapor transmission rate (WVTR) and oxygen transmission rate (OTR). An optimized 8-stack Al₂O₃-ZnO nanolaminate that is ∼96 nm thick reduces the WVTR of PLA packaging film from ∼300 g m⁻²·24hr⁻¹ to &lt;0.5 g m⁻²·24hr⁻¹ and its OTR from ∼1000 cm³ m⁻²·24hr⁻¹ to &lt;10 cm³ m⁻²·24hr⁻¹ (both measured at 38^oC and 90 % relative humidity), making it ideal for packaging air-sensitive goods. When the 8-stack nanolaminate is laminated between two PET films to form a simple packaging structure and is subjected to the harshest industry-standard Gelbo flex durability testing, it retains a WVTR &lt;2 g m⁻²·24hr⁻¹. These ultrathin coatings are well-positioned to meet recyclability and compostability standards, enabling a viable path to sustainable flex packaging.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18322,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today Sustainability","volume":"33 ","pages":"Article 101289"},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145925812","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhancing the phase, thermal stability, band gap energy, and surface area of iron oxide nanoparticles by varying reducing agents and examining their efficacy in photocatalytic dye degradation","authors":"Gemechu Fikadu Aaga ,&nbsp;Workineh Mengesha Fereja ,&nbsp;Tsion Guta Bekele","doi":"10.1016/j.mtsust.2025.101285","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mtsust.2025.101285","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Iron oxide nanoparticles were synthesized using NaOH, NaBH₄, and <em>Calpurnia aurea</em> leaf extract as reducing agents. XRD analysis confirmed the formation of hematite nanoparticles with rhombohedral structure when using NaOH and NaBH₄ as reducing agents, having the average crystallite size of 28.2287 and 21.86575 nm, respectively. The iron oxide nanoparticles synthesized using <em>Calpurnia aurea</em> leaf extract were maghemite with a cubic spinal structure having an average crystallite size of 21.69002, 21.09579, and 19.61541 nm with leaf extract to precursor ratios of 1:2, 1:1, and 2:1, respectively. The FT-IR analysis demonstrated the formation of Fe-O bonds between 460 and 550 cm⁻¹ and around 570 cm⁻¹ for hematite and maghemite nanoparticles, respectively. The optical band gap energy calculation from DRS analysis gave the indirect band gap energy of 1.32 and 1.14 eV and direct band gap energy of 1.62 and 1.55 eV for hematite nanoparticles synthesized using NaOH and NaBH₄, respectively. For maghemite nanoparticles synthesized with the leaf extract, indirect band gap energies of 1.62, 1.57, and 1.66 eV and direct band gap energies of 2.09, 2.09, and 2.20 eV were calculated for leaf extract to precursor ratios of 1:2, 1:1, and 2:1, respectively. The TGA-DTA analysis confirmed the improved thermal stability of the maghemite nanoparticles synthesized using the leaf extract. The hematite nanoparticles synthesized with NaOH exhibited a total weight loss of 27.278 % with three different endothermic peaks at 89.95, 31.79, and 650.79 °C, while a weak endothermic peak was observed for hematite nanoparticles obtained using NaBH₄ at 94.25 °C. For the maghemite nanoparticles synthesized using leaf extract, the maximum weight loss observed is 8.192 % at a ratio of 1:1, while there are no endothermic or exothermic peaks observed for the three ratios. From the BET analysis, surface areas of 31.082 and 27.113 m²/g were calculated for hematite nanoparticles synthesized with NaOH and NaBH₄, respectively, and 45.998, 52.743, and 56.243 m²/g were calculated for maghemite nanoparticles synthesized with leaf extract to precursor ratios of 1:2, 1:1, and 2:1, respectively. The photocatalytic malachite green degradation experiment indicates 98.944, 98.902, and 97.930 % degradation efficiency at the optimized experimental parameters for maghemite nanoparticles synthesized with leaf extract and hematite nanoparticles synthesized with NaBH₄ and NaOH, respectively. The degradation of malachite green with the three photocatalysts fits first-order kinetics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18322,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today Sustainability","volume":"33 ","pages":"Article 101285"},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145925701","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Radio frequency energy harvesting: A review on progress and development, applications, and sustainability benefits","authors":"Muhammed Kallumottakkal ,&nbsp;Rizwan A. Farade ,&nbsp;Mohammad Jawaid ,&nbsp;Mahmoud Al Ahmad ,&nbsp;Noor Izzri Abdul Wahab ,&nbsp;T.M. Yunus Khan ,&nbsp;Abdul Saddique Shaik","doi":"10.1016/j.mtsust.2025.101291","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mtsust.2025.101291","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Radio Frequency (RF) energy harvesting is a promising approach to convert ambient RF signals into electrical power suitable for low-energy devices. The exponential growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) has made long-term power solutions important research. This review discusses cutting-edge research on RF energy harvesting, particularly antenna design, which is crucial for maximizing energy efficiency. To deliver a structured analysis, antennas are categorized according to their frequency bands, ports, elements, and polarization modes. The performance metrics—gain, bandwidth, efficiency, and size—are evaluated and analysed in light of practical applications such as healthcare, IoT, mobile communication, and wearable systems. A design-application mapping table and wearable health monitoring case study demonstrate the technology's practicality. This review compares recent designs, discusses design trade-offs, analyses application-specific bottlenecks, and addresses issues related to fabrication challenges for body-worn and flexible systems. Moreover, promotes sustainability through decreased battery dependence, autonomous operation, and reduced electronic waste. Finally, outlines existing limitations and future works focusing on power conversion efficiency, bandwidth upgradability, dynamic range, and key controversies and technological breakthroughs. This paper further elaborates its findings to guide future antenna designs and system integration evolution towards sustainable RF energy harvesting applications for next-generation wireless and IoT applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18322,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today Sustainability","volume":"33 ","pages":"Article 101291"},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145976910","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Self-reinforced bio-based polyesters: recent progress and prospects","authors":"Pejman Heidarian ,&nbsp;Shazed Aziz ,&nbsp;Peter Halley ,&nbsp;Tony McNally ,&nbsp;Ton Peijs ,&nbsp;Luigi-Jules Vandi ,&nbsp;Russell J. Varley","doi":"10.1016/j.mtsust.2025.101290","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mtsust.2025.101290","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The environmental impact of traditional petroleum-based plastics has driven the search for sustainable alternatives, with bio-based polyesters emerging as a promising solution. However, these polymers often suffer from insufficient mechanical properties, which limits their applications. To address this, self-reinforcement has been explored as an innovative approach to enhance the performance of bio-based polyesters. This review provides an overview of the recent advancements in self-reinforced bio-based polyesters, focusing on polymers such as poly(lactic acid) (PLA), polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), and poly(butylene succinate) (PBS). Different self-reinforcement techniques, such as electrospinning, melt spinning, and hot compaction are explored for their effectiveness in enhancing tensile strength, modulus, and overall durability. The review also discusses the integration of these materials into applications ranging from packaging to biomedical devices, where biodegradability and mechanical performance are critical. Furthermore, the paper explores the prospects of self-reinforced bio-based polyesters, emphasizing the need for continued innovation in material design and processing techniques to overcome current limitations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18322,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today Sustainability","volume":"33 ","pages":"Article 101290"},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145925811","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sustainable dielectric materials for energy storage: Processing, properties, and performance evaluation","authors":"Kiran Keshyagol ,&nbsp;Shivashankarayya Hiremath ,&nbsp;H.M. Vishwanatha ,&nbsp;Pavan Hiremath","doi":"10.1016/j.mtsust.2025.101281","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mtsust.2025.101281","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The growing demand for sustainable electrical and electronic technologies has accelerated the search for environmentally benign dielectric materials with high-performance characteristics suited for applications such as electromagnetic shielding, energy storage, and electroactive devices. In this work, a Naturally Extracted Dielectric (NED) material derived from cuttlefish bone was processed via lyophilization and thermal calcination at various temperatures to enhance structural consistency. Structural evolution from aragonite-based calcium carbonate to calcium oxide (CaO) was confirmed through X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Dielectric behavior and ion transport mechanisms were assessed using Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS). Among all samples, the material calcined at 750 °C (NED-750) demonstrated the best performance, exhibiting strong Maxwell–Wagner interfacial polarization, high permittivity at low-frequency, and a peak DC conductivity of 5.4 × 10⁻³ S/m. A reduction of 8.2 % in material density with increasing calcination temperature further indicated enhanced porosity and polarization sites. The correlation of structural data with dielectric response establishes a comprehensive framework for evaluating bio-derived ceramics. These results highlight NED as a promising candidate for next-generation, sustainable dielectric energy storage system and electronic device.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18322,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today Sustainability","volume":"33 ","pages":"Article 101281"},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145925696","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Hydrogen embrittlement in storage tank materials and welded joints","authors":"Ammar Elsheikh ,&nbsp;Ali Ali ,&nbsp;Fadl A. Essa ,&nbsp;Mohamed A.E. Omer ,&nbsp;Mohamed G. Abou-Ali ,&nbsp;Ninshu Ma","doi":"10.1016/j.mtsust.2025.101282","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mtsust.2025.101282","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Hydrogen embrittlement (HE) poses a significant threat to the structural integrity and long-term reliability of its storage tanks, particularly in welded joints, where microstructural heterogeneities increase susceptibility. This review presents a comprehensive analysis of HE phenomena, emphasizing its critical role in material degradation. The paper begins by outlining the fundamentals of HE, describing how atomic hydrogen infiltrates metallic lattices, leading to loss of ductility and premature failure. Various HE mechanisms, including hydrogen-enhanced decohesion (HEDE), hydrogen-enhanced localized plasticity (HELP), and hydrogen-induced cracking (HIC), are discussed and classified based on their underlying physical principles. The susceptibility of commonly used storage tank materials, such as high-strength steels and aluminum alloys, is evaluated, with a focus on microstructural and compositional factors. Special attention is given to the welded regions, where residual stresses, grain boundary structures, and weld metal (WM) composition play a pivotal role in accelerating HE. The review also highlights key factors influencing HE in welded joints, including hydrogen diffusion pathways, welding processes, and post-weld treatments. Experimental methodologies, such as slow strain rate testing and thermal desorption analysis, are discussed alongside simulation approaches that model hydrogen diffusion and crack propagation. Finally, the paper outlines current mitigation strategies, including material selection, heat treatment, hydrogen barriers, and cathodic protection, offering insights into practical solutions for reducing HE risks in hydrogen storage systems. This review aims to guide future research and inform engineering practices for safer hydrogen infrastructure.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18322,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today Sustainability","volume":"33 ","pages":"Article 101282"},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145925601","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The use of biobased polymeric materials as membrane technologies for CO2 capture and separation: a review","authors":"Zahra Maghazeh,&nbsp;Virginia Signorini,&nbsp;Marco Giacinti Baschetti","doi":"10.1016/j.mtsust.2025.101279","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mtsust.2025.101279","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Bio-based polymers have recently emerged as a promising alternative to conventional materials for carbon dioxide (CO₂) separation, offering a sustainable and environmentally friendly approach to mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. This review explores recent advancements in the design and application of bio-based polymeric membranes for CO₂ capture, focusing on their structural properties, separation performance, and scalability. The unique characteristics of bio-based polymers, including tunable functional groups, high processability, and biocompatibility, make them highly suitable for selective CO₂ separation in various industrial applications, provided that key challenges such as improving permeability-selectivity trade-off and enhancing chemical stability under harsh conditions, are properly addressed. Additionally, the integration of bio-based polymers with other advanced materials, including nanocomposites and hybrid membranes, is examined as a strategy to further enhance separation efficiency. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of bio-based polymers in membrane technologies for CO₂ separation, highlighting both their potential and the technical challenges that need to be addressed for large-scale implementation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18322,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today Sustainability","volume":"33 ","pages":"Article 101279"},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145925810","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tuning overall water dissociation performance in Fe–Ni–Co layered hydroxides via S, P, and B doping: Experimental and theoretical study","authors":"Mohsen Saeidi ,&nbsp;Amir Hossein Aghaii ,&nbsp;Kaivan Mohammadi ,&nbsp;Farzaneh Shayeganfar ,&nbsp;Jing Bai ,&nbsp;Abdolreza Simchi","doi":"10.1016/j.mtsust.2025.101280","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mtsust.2025.101280","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Alkaline water electrolysis (AWE) remains limited by sluggish reaction kinetics, high overpotentials, and insufficient catalyst stability. Here, we introduce an engineered hierarchical electrocatalyst in which (B, P, S)-modulated Fe–Ni–Co layered double hydroxides (LDHs) are grown on 3D-printed 316L stainless-steel microarrays with an interface of nickel nanocones (NC) to maximize active surface area and enhance mass transport. Density functional theory indicates that boron substitution at Fe sites balances oxygen-evolution reaction (OER) intermediate binding energies, creating a fully downhill free-energy profile and reducing the OER barrier. Phosphorus incorporation on Ni sites tunes the hydrogen adsorption energy toward near-thermoneutral values, optimizing hydrogen-evolution reaction (HER) kinetics. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirms strong interfacial interactions, reduced oxygen vacancies, and optimized metal–anion bonding, facilitating enhanced charge transfer. The optimized asymmetric electrolyzer delivers 500 mA cm⁻² at 1.93 V with Faradaic efficiencies exceeding 79 %, demonstrating a scalable route to efficient and durable AWE.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18322,"journal":{"name":"Materials Today Sustainability","volume":"33 ","pages":"Article 101280"},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145925693","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}