High-entropy alloys (HEAs) have received a lot of attention in electrocatalysis due to their potent synergistic effects of uniformly mixing many elements. In this study, HEAs FeCoNiCuX (X = Al, Mo)-Ce0.8Sm0.2O2 (SDC) are considered as a prospective intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) anode. FeCoNiCuX-SDC as a SOFC anode shows comparable high conductivity with a Ni-based anode and exhibits outstanding catalytic capability for H2, CH4, and CO2. The LSGM electrolyte-supported single cell with FeCoNiCuAl-SDC as anode shows maximum power densities of 779 and 526 mW cm–2 with H2 and CH4 as fuel gases and testing at 850 °C, respectively. The distribution of relaxation time analysis shows that the prime speed-limiting steps for the FeCoNiCuX-SDC anode are the adsorption/dissociation of fuel gas. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results showed that FeCoNiCuX HEAs with the main constituents in different valence states created more active sites, which provided a synergistic effect for H2, CH4, and CO2 catalysis.

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With the prevalence of COVID-19, wearing medical surgical masks has become a requisite measure to protect against the invasion of the virus. Therefore, a huge amount of discarded medical surgical masks will be produced, which will become a potential hazard to pollute the environment and endanger the health of organisms without our awareness. Herein, a green and cost-effective way for the reasonable disposal of waste masks becomes necessary. In this work, we realized the transformation from waste medical surgical masks into high-quality carbon–nickel composite nanowires, which not only benefit the protection of the environment and ecosystem but also contribute to the realization of economic value. The obtained composite carbon-based materials demonstrate 70 S m–1 conductivity, 5.2 nm average pore diameters, 234 m2 g–1 surface areas, and proper graphitization degree. As an anode material for lithium-ion batteries, the prepared carbon composite materials demonstrate a specific capacity of 420 mA h g–1 after 800 cycles at a current density of 0.2 A g–1. It also displays good rate performance and decent cycling stability. Therefore, this study provides an approach to converting the discarded medical surgical masks into high-quality carbon nanowire anode materials to turn waste into treasure.

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