Cong Lin

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University | PolyU · Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology

The development of extra‐large‐pore (ELP) zeolites is crucial for industries of petrochemical catalysis, notably in processes like diesel cracking and hydrocracking of multi‐carbon hydrocarbon substrates. The catalytic performance and selectivity of these zeolites depend heavily on their specific porous structures, making precise structure determin...

Structure determination plays the most crucial role in the discovery of novel functional materials, because only by knowing the intrinsic structures can we accurately and completely understand their properties and applications. However, most new materials are obtained in polycrystalline form or even as mixtures with multiple phases when first synth...

Atomistic engineering of active sites with multiple functional motifs has gained significant attention in heterogeneous catalytic science due to their potential synergistic cooperativity. While these catalysts have demonstrated superior performance...

The rapid development of modern consumer electronics is placing higher demands on lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO 2 ; LCO) cathode that powers them. Increasing operating voltage is exclusively effective in boosting LCO capacity and energy density but is inhibited by the innate high‐voltage instability of LCO structure that serves as the foundation and...

As one of the most promising alternatives to graphite negative electrodes, silicon oxide (SiOx) has been hindered by its fast capacity fading. Solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) aging on silicon SiOx has been recognized as the most critical yet least understood facet. Herein, leveraging 3D focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM) tom...

A scalable and facile solid-catalyzed growth approach is reported to integrate N-doped carbon tentacles with metal selenide nanoparticles, achieving a coral-like nanostructure that exhibits superior activity as a bifunctional oxygen...

The universal cathode crossover such as chemical and oxygen has been significantly overlooked in lithium metal batteries using high‐energy cathodes which leads to severe capacity degradation and raises serious safety concerns. Herein, a versatile and thin (≈25 μm) interlayer composed of multifunctional active sites was developed to simultaneously r...

Effective harvest of electrochemical energy from insulating compounds serves as the key to unlocking the potential capacity from many materials that otherwise could not be exploited for energy storage. Herein, an effective strategy is proposed by employing LiCoO2, a widely commercialized positive electrode material in Li-ion batteries, as an effici...

Electrically conductive coordination polymers and metal-organic frameworks are attractive emerging electroactive materials for (opto-)electronics. However, developing semiconducting coordination polymers with high charge carrier mobility for devices remains a major challenge, urgently requiring the rational design of ligands and topological network...

It is a long‐standing issue that the sluggish polysulfide conversion and adverse shuttling effects impede the development of lithium‐sulfur (Li‐S) batteries with high energy density and cycling stability, which necessitate the exploration of new electrocatalysts to facilitate the practical applications of Li‐S batteries. Herein, a single‐phase high...

Zeolites are microporous silicates with a large variety of applications as catalysts, adsorbents, and cation exchangers. Stable silica-based zeolites with increased porosity are in demand to allow adsorption and processing of large molecules but challenge our synthetic ability. We report a new, highly stable pure silica zeolite called ZEO-3, which...

Supported bimetallic dual-atom catalysts (DACs) have been regarded as a promising class of materials for small molecule activation, but their syntheses remain challenging. Here, we report the controlled synthesis of...

Zeolites are microporous silicates that find an ample variety of applications as catalysts, adsorbents, and cation exchangers. Stable silica-based zeolites with increased porosity are in demand to allow adsorption and processing of large molecules, but challenge our synthetic ability. Here we report a novel, highly stable pure silica zeolite, ZEO-3...

Stable silica-based zeolites with increased porosity are in demand to allow adsorption and processing of large molecules, but challenge our synthetic ability. Here we report a novel, highly stable pure silica zeolite, ZEO-3, with a multidimensional, interconnected system of extra-large pores open through windows made by 16 and 14 SiO4 tetrahedra, w...

The pursuit of atomic precision structure of porous covalent organic frameworks (COFs) is the key to understanding the relationship between structures and properties, and further developing new materials with superior performance. Yet, a challenge of how to determine their atomic structures has always existed since the first COFs reported seventeen...

The key to breaking through the capacity limitation imposed by intercalating chemistry lies in the ability to harness more active sites that can reversibly accommodate more ions (e.g., Li+) and electrons within a finite space. However, excessive Li‐ion insertion into Li layer of layered cathodes result in fast performance decay due to the huge latt...

The search for cathode materials with high energy density, long-term cycling stability, and low cost is one of the most important challenges for current lithium-ion batteries. To address the structural instability in Mn-rich layered cathodes, we demonstrate herein through thorough experimental and theoretical studies that delocalizing [email protec...

Rational design and synthesis of high-performance bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts with increased effective active sites and facilitated mass/electron transfer are in demand for the lithium-oxygen batteries (LOBs) to overcome the sluggish oxygen reduction/evolution kinetics. Herein, a simple yet effective strategy is proposed by annealing the P...

The pursuit of atomic precision structure of porous covalent organic frameworks (COFs) is to understand relationship between structure and properties, and further develop new materials with superior performance. Yet, a challenge of how to determine their atomic structures has always existed since the first COFs was reported in seventeen years ago....

Zeolites are microporous silicates that find an ample variety of applications as catalysts, adsorbents, and cation exchangers. Natural and synthetic zeolites possess a fully connected three-dimensional network of corner-sharing SiO4 tetrahedra (i.e. they are tectosilicates or framework silicates, with Si occasionally substituted by other atoms). St...

Oxygen electrolysis is the key component of lithium–oxygen batteries, which require highly active cathode catalysts to reduce cathode polarization and improve cycling stability, while metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) and MOF‐derived carbon‐based materials have aroused great interest as alternatives to noble‐metal oxygen electrocatalysts. Herein, a s...

Lithium-oxygen batteries (LOBs) are emerging as one of the most powerful candidates for the next-generation green energy-storage devices due to their high theoretical energy density. However, the high polarization and poor cycling stability have hampered their practical applications that heavily depend on the dual-functional cathodes with abundant...

Rechargeable sodium metal batteries (SMBs) have emerged as promising alternatives to commercial Li‐ion batteries because of the natural abundance and low cost of sodium resources. However, the overuse of metallic sodium in conventional SMBs limits their energy densities and leads to severe safety concerns. Herein, we propose a sodium‐free‐anode SMB...

Extra-large and intersecting pores Thermally stable zeolites with large pores, such as zeolite Y with 12-membered rings, are used for converting large molecules from petroleum into smaller, more useful hydrocarbons. Lin et al . report the synthesis of ZEO-1, a thermally stable zeolite with extra-large, 16-membered rings. The use of tricyclohexylmet...

Understanding the bulk and interfacial behaviors during the operation of batteries (e.g., Li-ion, Na-ion, Li-O2 batteries, etc.) is of great significance for the continuing improvement of the performance. Electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) is a powerful tool to this end, as it enables in situ investigation into various phenomena, in...

Pressing demand for reducing the dependence of the costly Co and Ni elements has recently made Mn‐rich layered oxides much more attractive as potential cathodes for rechargeable lithium‐ion batteries. Although the Co and Ni effects in Ni‐rich cathodes are investigated in detail, there is still a serious lack of fundamental understandings of the inf...

As a powerful tool for chemical compositional analyses, electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) can reveal an abundance of information regarding the atomic‐level electron state in a variety of materials, including the elemental types as well as their valence and concentration distributions, and the structure‐related atom radial distribution. Benef...

The low practical capacity (<140 mA h g⁻¹) of spinel phase LiMn2-xNixO4 (0< x <1) excludes it from high energy density lithium ion batteries (LIBs) for powering electric vehicles. Extending the operating potential window from 3.0 - 4.8 V to 2.0 - 4.8 V can double the capacity, but result in fast capacity decay due to the drastic cubic-tetragonal ph...

The capacity of the layered oxide cathode in a sodium ion battery can be increased by harnessing anionic redox. However, the extra capacity induced by anionic redox comes at the expense of reversibility due to the irreversible oxidation and subsequent loss of oxygen. Here, we report a universal strategy of improving the reversibility of oxygen redo...

Whether or not the topology of three-dimensional covalent organic frameworks (3D COFs) can be tuned via steric control remains a big question and has never been reported. Herein, we describe the designed synthesis of two highly crystalline 3D COFs (3D-TPB-COF-OMe and 3D-TPB-COF-Ph), through the polycondensation of tetra(p-aminophenyl)methane and me...

Layered lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2, LCO) is the most successful commercial cathode material in lithium-ion batteries. However, its notable structural instability at potentials higher than 4.35 V (versus Li/Li⁺) constitutes the major barrier to accessing its theoretical capacity of 274 mAh g⁻¹. Although a few high-voltage LCO (H-LCO) materials hav...

Low-dimensional lead-based perovskite materials have recently attracted extensive attentions for their diverse structures, unique optoelectronic properties and enhanced stability. However, the toxicity of lead, low photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) and complex preparation processes limit their practical applications. Herein, we present a simpl...

The new zeolite NUD-3 possesses a three-dimensional system of large pore channels that is topologically identical to those of ITQ-21 and PKU-14. However, the three zeolites have distinctly different frameworks: a particular single 4-membered ring inside the denser portion of the zeolite is missing in PKU-14, disordered in ITQ-21 and fully ordered i...

HPM‐14 is a new extra‐large pore zeolite synthesized using imidazolium‐based organic structure‐directing agents (SDAs), fluoride anions, and germanium and silicon as tetrahedral components of the framework. Owing to the presence of stacking disorder, the structure elucidation of HPM‐14 was challenging, and different techniques were necessary to cla...

HPM‐14 is a new zeolite that combines extra‐large pores (12.3×8.6 Å) with odd‐membered plus small pores. The presence of stacking faults disorder meant that unveiling its structural details required of a combination of different techniques: rotation electron diffraction, high‐resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy, and powder X‐ray di...

CeNbO4+δ, a family of oxygen hyperstoichiometry materials with varying oxygen content (CeNbO4, CeNbO4.08, CeNbO4.25, CeNbO4.33) that shows mixed electronic and oxide ionic conduction, has been known for four decades. However, the oxide ionic transport mechanism has remained unclear due to the unknown atomic structures of CeNbO4.08 and CeNbO4.33. He...

We describe HPM-14, a new extra-large pore zeolite synthesized using imidazolium-based organic structure-directing agents, fluoride anions and germanium and silicon as tetrahedral components of the framework. Due to the presence of stacking disorder, the structure elucidation of HPM-14 was challenging, and different techniques were necessary to cla...

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) stands out as one of the most powerful tools for characterizing materials at multiple scales and dimensions. This unique technique has nowadays been widely employed in investigating the lithium-ion battery (LIB) materials. The present perspective paper focuses on several LIB related aspects that are recently r...

p>CeNbO_4+δ, a family of oxygen hyperstoichiometry materials with varying oxygen contents (CeNbO₄, CeNbO_4.08, CeNbO_4.25, CeNbO_4.33) and showing mixed electronic and oxide ionic conduction, have been known for four decades. However, the oxide ionic transport mechanism has remained unclear due to...

Three novel gallium phosphites, Ga-3, Ga-2, and Ga-1, have been hydrothermally synthesized via the commercial 4-dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP) reagent serving as a template in Ga-3 and Ga-1 and a ligand in Ga-2. These main-group-metal phosphites present different topology from the first 3D framework containing extra-large 14-ring (14R) channel (Ga-3)...

Classical crystallography is based on the translational periodicity of crystals and the analysis of discrete Bragg reflections. However, it is inadequate for determining disordered structures, of which the diffuse scattering is vital to evaluate the disorder level. The correlated disorder of IM-18 presents as zigzag chains arranged in translational...

A microporous metal-organic framework functionalized with in situ generated NHC-CuCl units (1) has been successfully synthesized from a novel imidazolium-containing ligand. In particular, the MOF 1 can catalyze β-boration of...

The discovery of new inorganic functional materials is of fundamental importance in synthetic and materials science. In the past, the discovering new materials relied on a slow and serendipitous trial-and-error process, especially in the well-studied oxide systems. Here, we presented a strategy to shorten the period of discovery of new complex meta...

A facile and mild method was successfully developed to prepare the stable, high siliceous Ti-UTL zeolite with extra-large pores. The hydroxyl free radical (⋅OH) was introduced for the first time...

Photoinduced synthesis of inorganic nanomaterials has attracted great attention recently. Herein, we demonstrate the facile photoinduced synthesis of Bi 2 O 3 nanotubes with a uniform pore size of about 2.2 nm at room temperature. Ultraviolet irradiation promoted the crystallization of amorphous bismuth hydroxide into bismuth oxide. The formation o...

All reported layered metal hydroxides have brucite‐like metal‐hydroxyl host layers and the discovery of other types of layered metal hydroxides can significantly extend the layered metal hydroxide families, which is meaningful in both theory and applications. Here through hydroperoxyl anion coordinated In3+ cations as a precursor, we synthesized la...

Hierarchical MFI zeolites with open pores were synthesized by a temperature programmed dissolution-recrystallization post-treatment. By controlling the temperature of post-treatment using TPAOH, open macropores and mesopores were created by simply regulating the kinetics of dissolution and recrystallization. Benzyl alcohol self-etherification react...

A facile and scalable solid-state synthesis is developed to produce hierarchical coralline-like nanostructured electrocatalyst with cobalt nanoparticles and Co-NX sites for efficient oxygen reduction reaction, opening up an avenue for mass-production of non-precious metal catalysts for metal-air batteries and fuels cells, etc.

A facile one-step solid-state method is developed to produce hierarchical coralline-like Co,N-doped carbon electrocatalyst with dispersed metallic Co nanoparticles and Co-Nx sites (Co@CoNC) by directly pyrolyzing cobalt chloride and nitrilotriacetic acid. The synthetic process is free of organic solvents and suitable for large-scale production. The...

We report herein the first example of interpenetration isomerism in covalent organic frameworks (COFs). As a well-known three-dimensional (3D) COF, COF-300 have been synthesized and characterized by the Yaghi group in 2009 as a 5-fold interpenetrated diamond structure (dia-c5 topology). We found that adding an ageing process prior to the reported s...

Ultrathin nano-materials have aroused much attention because of enhanced photocatalytic activities. However, conventional exfoliation methods require a complex preparation procedure and the intercalated cationic organic compounds are difficult to remove. Here, HNb3O8 nanobelts were successfully prepared by a one-pot hydrothermal route by using POM...

Synthesis of new zeolites involving organic molecules heavily relies on the trial‐and‐error approach because it is difficult to interpret the determining effects of organics on zeolite crystal symmetry. Here, the intrinsic relationships among the space‐filling of organics, included volume of channels and zeolite crystal symmetry are systematically...

The construction of hierarchical pore systems from the post-synthesis modifications of lamellar zeolite catalysts have attracted wide interests to solve the diffusion limitations in the catalytic application of zeolite catalysts. Herein, the interlayer expanded MWW with different interlayer spacing were obtained, based on the post-synthesis modific...

PKU-25Al, an open-framework aluminophosphite possessing extra-large intersecting 14-ring (14R) channels and a novel Al/P ratio of 9/14, was hydrothermally synthesized using commercially available 4-dimethyaminopyridine (DMAP) as organic structure-directing agents (OSDA). Two types of secondary building units (SBUs), SBU-1 with 6*1 units and racemic...

Crystal structures and its change trend in the strontium-bismuth-oxide system are critical for the studies of related systems and their applications. The crystal structure of Sr3Bi2O6 was obtained for the first time in the space group of R-3 with a huge unit cell a=b=25.1146(19) Å, c=18.3685(16) Å, and all bismuth ions are Bi3+ forming [BiO3] trigo...

The water-triggered reversible transformation plays a significant role in bio-systems. To develop artificial materials with reversible structural transformability under mild conditions would be helpful to understand how bio-systems work. Here we report on a flexible coordination polymer, Cu-(Gly-Thr)•2H2O, whose structure can be controlled by humid...

AlPO4-5 is the most extensively studied material in exploring the crystallization mechanism of aluminophosphate molecular sieves, and could be synthesized using 4-dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP) as organic structure-directing agent (OSDA). Obtaining the AlPO4-5 intermediate in the crystalline form would be of great importance and significance for this...

Among the various building blocks beyond polycrystalline thin films, perovskite wires have attracted extensive attention for potential applications including nano-lasers, wave-guides, field effect transistors, and more. In this work, millimeter-scale lead iodine-based perovskite wires employing various A-site substitutions, namely, Cs, methylammoni...

Supercapacitors attract great interest because of the increasing and urgent demand for environment-friendly high-power energy sources. Ti3C2, a member of MXene family, is a promising electrode material for supercapacitors owing to its excellent chemical and physical properties. However, the highest gravimetric capacitance of the MXene-based electro...

Many synthesis parameters can influence zeolite crystallization, which include the molar ratio of reagents, water content, temperature, the selection of extraframework cations (organic or inorganic template) and so on. In this paper, two new materials, BUCT-1 with cuboid morphology and BUCT-2 with plate-like morphology were obtained based on the sy...

We introduced a pore-expansion strategy to transform metal-organic framework (MOF) into foam-like carbons with high surface area and hierarchical pores. A typical kind of MOF was chosen as the starting material. The catalytic carbon, which displayed a remarkably enlarged surface area and high pore volume, was prepared by a solvent-assistant-linker-...

ITH-type germanosilicate, Cu- and Co-containing ITH-zeotype materials, were synthesized by the hydrothermal method in the presence of an organic structure-directing agent, N,N,N′,N′-tetramethyl-1,6-hexanediamine. The effects of reaction compositions, including the molar ratios of SiO2/GeO2, SiO2/H2O, and MeO/SiO2 (Me = Cu and Co transition atoms) o...

Pure STW-type germanosilicate (denoted as GeSi-STW), Cu- and Co-containing STW-zeotype (denoted as Cu-STW and Co-STW) materials were synthesized by the hydrothermal method in the presence of an organic structure-directing agent (OSDA), N,N-diethylethylenediamine (DEEDA). The effects of the reaction mixture ratio and the incorporation of transition...

A novel microporous aluminoborate, denoted as PKU-3 was prepared by the boric acid flux method. The structure of PKU-3 was determined by combining the rotation electron diffraction and synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction data with well resolved ordered Cl- ions in the channel. Composition and crystal structure analysis showed that there are both p...

Single crystals of pure aluminoborate PKU-1 (Al3B6O11(OH)5·nH2O) were obtained, and the structure was redetermined by X-ray diffraction. There are three independent Al atoms in the R3 structure model, and Al3 locates in a quite distorted octahedral environment, which was evidenced by (27)Al NMR results. This distortion of Al3O6 octahedra release th...