An efficient and reusable carbon-supported platinum catalyst for aerobic oxidation of alcohols in water

Platinum nanoparticles embedded in a hollow porous carbon shell prepared by a photocatalytic reaction acted as a reusable catalyst for the aerobic oxidation of alcohols under atmospheric pressure of oxygen in water.     

Highly catalytic spherical carbon nanocomposites allowing tunable activity via controllable Au-Pd doping

We report the synthesis of highly catalytic spherical carbon composite particles with Au-Pd bimetallic nanoparticle doping using a microwave-assisted technique that allows control over the location of the nanoparticles (NPs), putting them into stable interior, but still near-surface locations (within a 100 nm thick shell). First, composite particles with Pd NPs inside of nanoporous carbon spheres (CSs) were synthesized. Subsequent immersion of the composite particles in HAuCl(4) solutions containing PVP led to an addition of Au near the Pd. Au-Pd/CS composites with Au:Pd atomic ratios varying from 0.4 to 4.6 were prepared. The growth of Au and its location relative to the carbon's surface and the Pd are discussed. The catalytic activity towards the reduction of 4-nitrophenol is tunable via the Au:Pd atomic ratio. Optimizing the composition increases the activity a hundredfold over that of the corresponding monometallic Pd/CS. The catalytic activity arises from the synergy between different contributing mechanisms, here especially the interaction between the carbon matrix and metals, metal-metal interfaces, and the hydrogen absorption capabilities of Pd.     

超临界二氧化碳中功能化聚乙二醇稳定的钯纳米粒子催化醇的选择氧化反应

 以超临界二氧化碳 (scCO2)/聚乙二醇 (PEG) 两相为反应介质, 双齿氮配体功能化聚乙二醇稳定的 Pd 纳米颗粒作为催化剂, 进行了醇的需氧氧化反应. 系统研究了催化剂制备条件和反应条件对苯甲醇需氧氧化反应的影响. 结果表明, 以氢气为还原剂制备的 Pd 纳米粒子的催化活性最高. 反应结束后, 可以利用 scCO2 直接进行原位萃取得到产物, 实现了催化剂与产物的有效分离和催化剂的循环使用. 反应中没有检测到钯的流失. 催化剂经过 5 次循环利用后转化率仍可达 98%.     

Synthesis and characterization of a Ni nanoparticle stabilized on Ionic liquid‐functionalized magnetic Silica nanoparticles for tandem oxidative reaction of primary alcohols

In this research, preparation of the magnetic nanoparticle, coating by a silica shell using (3‐aminopropyl) triethoxysilane and synthesis of a novel sulfonic acid‐substituted imidazolium‐based ionic liquid onto the surface of these particles via a multi‐component reaction, is described. The functionalized nanoparticles was loaded by Ni nanoparticles and characterized by means of techniques such as XRD, FTIR, SEM, EDX, TEM, TGA and ICP‐OES. The nanostructures have spherical shapes that ranged in size from 80 to 100 nm. The catalytic activity of these nanoparticles was tested in aerobic oxidation of primary alcohols that showed good performance in the wide range of primary alcohols in water at mild reaction conditions. As a second step of this work, the tandem oxidative synthesis of alkylacrylonitriles and bisindolylmethanes were investigated using primary alcohols under oxidation conditions. This catalyst system can be recovered using external magnet and reused for five consecutive cycles without significantly less of its activity.     

Efficient ruthenium-catalyzed aerobic oxidation of alcohols using a biomimetic coupled catalytic system

Efficient aerobic oxidation of alcohols was developed via a biomimetic catalytic system. The principle for this aerobic oxidation is reminiscent of biological oxidation of alcohols via the respiratory chain and involves selective electron/proton transfer. A substrate-selective catalyst (ruthenium complex 1) dehydrogenates the alcohol, and the hydrogens abstracted are transferred to an electron-rich quinone (4b). The hydroquinone thus formed is continuously reoxidized by air with the aid of an oxygen-activating Co[bond]salen type complex (6). Most alcohols are oxidized to ketones in high yield and selectivity within 1-2 h, and the catalytic system tolerates a wide range of O(2) concentrations without being deactivated. Compared to other ruthenium-catalyzed aerobic oxidations this new catalytic system has high turnover frequency (TOF).     

Erythrocyte-like hollow carbon capsules and their application in proton exchange membrane fuel cells

Hierarchical nanostructured erythrocyte-like hollow carbon (EHC) with a hollow hemispherical macroporous core of ca. 230 nm in diameter and 30-40 nm thick mesoporous shell was synthesized and explored as a cathode catalyst support in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). The morphology control of EHC was successfully achieved using solid core/mesoporous shell (SCMS) silica template and different styrene/furfuryl alcohol mixture compositions by a nanocasting method. The EHC-supported Pt (20 wt%) cathodes prepared have demonstrated markedly enhanced catalytic activity towards oxygen reduction reactions (ORRs) and greatly improved PEMFC polarization performance compared to carbon black Vulcan XC-72 (VC)-supported ones, probably due to the superb structural characteristics of the EHC such as uniform size, well-developed porosity, large specific surface area and pore volume. In particular, Pt/EHC cathodes exhibited ca. 30-60% higher ORR activity than a commercial Johnson Matthey Pt catalyst at a low catalyst loading of 0.2 mg Pt cm(-2).     

Pd@tetrahedral hollow magnetic nanoparticles coated with N‐doped porous carbon as an efficient catalyst for hydrogenation of nitroarenes

Hollow magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) with tetrahedral morphology were synthesized and then covered by a shell prepared by coating with melamine–formaldehyde followed by the introduction of glucose‐derived carbon. Subsequently, Pd nanoparticles were immobilized and the core–shell nanocomposite was carbonized. The obtained magnetic catalyst was successfully applied for the hydrogenation of nitroarenes in aqueous media. To investigate the effects of the morphology of MNPs, the nature of carbon shell, and the order of incorporation of Pd nanoparticles, several control catalysts, including the MNPs with different morphologies (disc‐like and cylinder); MNPs coated with different shells (sole glucose‐derived carbon or melamine–formaldehyde carbon shell); and a nanocomposite, in which Pd was immobilized after carbonization, were prepared and examined as catalyst for the model reaction. To justify the observed different catalytic activities of the catalysts, their Pd loadings, leaching, and specific surface areas were compared. The results confirmed that tetrahedral MNPs coated with porous N‐rich carbon shell exhibited the best catalytic activity. The high catalytic activity of this catalyst was attributed to its high surface area and the interaction of N‐rich shell with Pd nanoparticles that led to the higher Pd loading and suppressed Pd leaching.     

光化学合成Au核@Pd壳复合纳米粒子及其表征

在PEG-丙酮溶液体系中, 采用紫外光辐射还原Au(Ⅲ), Pd(Ⅱ)离子混合物和以Au晶种为核、紫外光辐射还原Pd(Ⅱ)使其沉积在Au晶种表面上这两种方法, 合成了Au核@Pd壳复合纳米粒子. 通过改变Au(Ⅲ)离子或Au晶种对Pd(Ⅱ)离子的摩尔比调节复合粒子的尺寸和Pd壳厚度, 分别获得了直径范围为5.6~4.6 nm和4.6~6.2 nm的复合粒子. 利用UV-Vis吸收光谱、TEM、HR-TEM和XPS等表征手段, 证明了合成的纳米粒子为核-壳复合结构. 研究了Au@Pd纳米粒子的直径随溶液中Au(Ⅲ)/Pd(Ⅱ)摩尔比的改变而变化的规律; 对Au核向Pd壳的供电子作用以及复合粒子的光化学形成机理进行了讨论.     

A bis(p-sulfonatophenyl)phenylphosphine-based synthesis of hollow Pt nanospheres

We report herewith the synthesis of hollow Pt nanospheres by using bis(p-sulfonatophenyl)phenylphosphine to selectively remove the Ag cores of Ag-Pt core-shell nanoparticles. Core-shell Ag-Pt nanoparticles were first obtained by the successive reduction method with a discontinuous Pt shell to allow the BSPP passage. Transmission electron microscopy imaging of the core-shell Ag-Pt nanoparticles before and after BSPP dissolution showed little changes in the particle size, indicating that the removal of the Ag cores had occurred isomorphously. The hollow Pt nanospheres, together with the predecessor Ag-Pt core-shell particles of the same size, were transferred from water to toluene and surface modified by dodecylamine in toluene. This allows the catalytic activities of solid and hollow Pt particles in room temperature methanol oxidation reaction to be compared under conditions of identical particle size and the same surface environment. The measured higher specific activity of the Pt hollow nanospheres could then be attributed unambiguously to the larger specific surface area prevalent in the porous hollow structure.     

In Situ Formation of Au–Pd Bimetallic Active Sites Promoting the Physically Mixed Monometallic Catalysts in the Liquid‐Phase Oxidation of Alcohols

The catalytic oxidation of alcohols with molecular oxygen on supported nanometallic catalysts represents one of the green methods in a crucial process for the synthesis of fine chemicals. We have designed an experiment using physically mixed Au/AC and Pd/AC (AC=activated carbon) as the catalyst in the liquid‐phase oxidation of benzyl alcohol by aerobic oxygen. The evolution of the physically mixed catalyst structures at different stages in the catalytic reaction was investigated by aberration‐corrected high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy and spatially resolved element mapping techniques at the nanometre scale, and they were also compared with the structure of the bimetallic alloy. For the first time we show the formation of surface Au–Pd bimetallic sites by reprecipitation of Pd onto Au nanoparticles. Negligible Au leaching was observed. The in situ structural evolution can be directly correlated to the great enhancement of the catalyst activity. Moreover, we distinguish the different behaviours of Au and Pd, thus suggesting an oxygen differentiating mechanism for Au and Pd sites. The findings are of great importance to both the understanding of the structure–activity correlation and the design of highly active catalysts in green chemistry.     

The production of a high loading of almost monodispersed Pt nanoparticles on single-walled carbon nanotubes for methanol oxidation

Pt/single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) composites have been prepared by mixing surfactant-assisted solubilized SWCNTs and Pt carbonyl complexes. Pt nanoparticles that are nearly monodispersed with a diameter of ca. 2.2 nm are formed on the surface of the SWCNTs and broadly dispersed (even at 60 wt.% loading) on individual and/or small bundles. Formation of the composite does not lead to a change in the structure of SWCNTs, and the composite exhibits significantly enhanced electrocatalytic activity for methanol oxidation. The enhancement in catalytic activity may result from the unique 1-D structures of SWCNTs, the uniform dispersion of Pt nanoparticles, and the interactions between the Pt nanoparticles and the SWCNTs. The SWCNT-supported Pt can serve as a high surface area support for fuel cell applications and a co-catalyst for methanol oxidation.     

A general method for the rapid synthesis of hollow metallic or bimetallic nanoelectrocatalysts with urchinlike morphology

We have reported a facile and general method for the rapid synthesis of hollow nanostructures with urchinlike morphology. In-situ produced Ag nanoparticles can be used as sacrificial templates to rapidly synthesize diverse hollow urchinlike metallic or bimetallic (such as Au/Pt) nanostructures. It has been found that heating the solution at 100 degrees C during the galvanic replacement is very necessary for obtaining urchinlike nanostructures. Through changing the molar ratios of Ag to Pt, the wall thickness of hollow nanospheres can be easily controlled; through changing the diameter of Ag nanoparticles, the size of cavity of hollow nanospheres can be facilely controlled; through changing the morphologies of Ag nanostructures from nanoparticle to nanowire, hollow Pt nanotubes can be easily designed. This one-pot approach can be extended to synthesize other hollow nanospheres such as Pd, Pd/Pt, Au/Pd, and Au/Pt. The features of this technique are that it is facile, quick, economical, and versatile. Most importantly, the hollow bimetallic nanospheres (Au/Pt and Pd/Pt) obtained here exhibit an area of greater electrochemical activity than other Pt hollow or solid nanospheres. In addition, the approximately 6 nm hollow urchinlike Pt nanospheres can achieve a potential of up to 0.57 V for oxygen reduction, which is about 200 mV more positive than that obtained by using a approximately 6 nm Pt nanoparticle modified glassy carbon (GC) electrode. Rotating ring-disk electrode (RRDE) voltammetry demonstrates that approximately 6 nm hollow Pt nanospheres can catalyze an almost four-electron reduction of O(2) to H(2)O in air-saturated H(2)SO(4) (0.5 M). Finally, compared to the approximately 6 nm Pt nanoparticle catalyst, the approximately 6 nm hollow urchinlike Pt nanosphere catalyst exhibits a superior electrocatalytic activity toward the methanol oxidation reaction at the same Pt loadings.     

Pd/Fe3O4-C催化剂对甲醇、乙醇和丙醇氧化的电催化活性

制备对醇氧化反应具有优异电活性的钯催化剂是醇燃料电池研究的重要内容。本文用硼氢化钠还原法制备了钯纳米颗粒, 然后沉积在Fe3O4/C复合物表面, 得到了不同Fe₃O₄负载量的Pd/Fe₃O₄-C催化剂. 透射电镜（TEM）图显示钯纳米颗粒均匀地分散在Fe₃O₄/C表面. 对制备好的Pd/Fe₃O₄-C催化剂进行了循环伏安法（CV）、计时电流（CA）和电化学阻抗谱（EIS）的测试, 研究了其在碱性介质中对C1-C3醇类（甲醇、乙醇和丙醇）氧化的电催化活性. 结果表明, 所制备的不同Fe₃O₄负载量的Pd/Fe₃O₄(2%)-C,Pd/Fe₃O₄(5%)-C, Pd/Fe₃O₄(10%)-C和Pd/C催化剂中, Pd/Fe₃O₄(5%)-C催化剂表现出最高的醇氧化电流密度. 依据循环伏安（CV）数据,Pd/Fe₃O₄(5%)-C催化剂对甲醇、乙醇、正丙醇和异丙醇氧化的阳极峰电流密度分别是Pd/C催化剂的1.7、1.4、1.7和1.3倍. Pd/Fe₃O₄(5%)-C催化剂对乙醇氧化的电荷传递电阻也远低于Pd/C催化剂. 制备的所有催化剂对C1-C3醇类电氧化的电流密度大小排序如下: 正丙醇﹥乙醇﹥甲醇﹥异丙醇. 此外, 碳粉中Fe₃O₄纳米颗粒的存在提高了钯纳米颗粒的电化学稳定性.     

Selective aerobic oxidation of hydroxy compounds catalyzed by photoactivated ruthenium-salen complexes (selective catalytic aerobic oxidation)

Selective oxidation of alcohols to the corresponding carbonyl compounds is one of the most fundamental reactions in organic synthesis. Traditional methods for this transformation generally rely on stoichiometric amount of oxidants represented by Cr(VI) or DMSO reagents, though their synthetic utility is encumbered by unpleasant waste materials. From ecological and atom-economic viewpoints, catalytic aerobic oxidation is much more advantageous because molecular oxygen is ubiquitous and the byproduct is basically non-toxic water or hydrogen peroxide. On the other hand, phenol derivatives undergo oxidative coupling, forming C-C or C-O bond, through radical intermediates coupled with an electron-transfer process. Molecular oxygen is also well known to serve as electron acceptor in this reaction. Thus, a variety of transition metal complexes have so far been examined for aerobic oxidations of alcohols and phenols, and high catalytic activities have been achieved in some cases. However, stereo- and chemo-selective aerobic oxidations are still limited in number and are of current interest. Presented in this paper is our recent studies on catalytic aerobic oxidations with photoactivated nitrosyl ruthenium-salen complexes, including asymmetric oxidation of secondary alcohols to ketones (kinetic resolution), enantioselective oxidative coupling of 2-naphthols to binaphthols and oxygen-radical bicyclization of 2,2'-dihydroxystilbene, chemoselective oxidation of primary alcohols to aldehydes and diols to lactols, and asymmetric desymmetrization of meso-diols to lactols.     

碳纳米粒子支撑的钯纳米催化剂在甲酸氧化中的电催化活性

采用化学还原法制备了碳纳米粒子支撑的钯纳米结构(Pd-CNP). 透射电镜表征显示在Pd-CNP纳米复合物中,金属Pd呈菜花状结构,粒径约20~30 nm。它们由许多更小的Pd纳米粒子（3~8 nm）组成. 电化学研究表明,虽然Pd-CNP的电化学活性面积比商业Pd黑低40%（可能原因是部分Pd表面被一层碳纳米粒子覆盖）,但其对甲酸氧化却表现出更好的电催化活性：质量比活性和面积比活性都比Pd黑高几倍. 催化活性增强的原因可能是碳纳米粒子支撑的Pd纳米结构具有特殊的层次化结构,可以形成更多的活性位,以及表面位更利于反应进行.     

Synthesis and characterization of platinum monolayer oxygen-reduction electrocatalysts with Co–Pd core–shell nanoparticle supports

We synthesized Pt monolayer electrocatalysts for oxygen-reduction using a new method to obtain the supporting core–shell nanoparticles. They consist of a Pt monolayer deposited on carbon-supported Co–Pd core–shell nanoparticles with the diameter of 3–4 nm. The nanoparticles were made using a redox-transmetalation (electroless deposition) method involving the oxidation of Co by Pd cations, yielding a Pd shell around the Co core. The quality of the thus-formed core–shell structure was verified using transmission electron microscopy and X-ray absorption spectroscopy, while cyclic voltammetry was employed to confirm the lack of Co oxidation (dissolution). A Pt monolayer was deposited on the Co–Pd core–shell nanoparticles by the galvanic displacement of a Cu monolayer obtained by underpotential deposition. The total noble metal mass-specific activity of this Pt monolayer electrocatalyst was ca. 3-fold higher than that of commercial Pt/C electrocatalysts.     

水滑石负载 Au 纳米粒子的制备及其催化醇氧化反应

 采用离子交换法和 NaBH4 还原法制备了 Mg-Al-水滑石 (LDH) 负载的 Au 纳米粒子 (Au/LDH) 催化剂. X 射线衍射和透射电镜结果表明, Au 粒子较均匀地分散在水滑石表面, 载体仍保持层状结构. 在温和的反应条件下, Au/LDH 对一系列醇的氧化反应表现出优异的催化性能, 如在室温常压下进行分子 O2 氧化 1-苯基乙醇的反应, 底物转化率和苯乙酮选择性都接近 100%, 而且催化剂经过多次循环使用后, 其活性未见下降. 可见, Au/LDH 催化剂在醇氧化反应中具有良好的应用前景.     

Metal–Support Cooperative Catalysts for Environmentally Benign Molecular Transformations

Metal–support cooperative catalysts have been developed for sustainable and environmentally benign molecular transformations. The active metal centers and supports in these catalysts could cooperatively activate substrates, resulting in high catalytic performance for liquid‐phase reactions under mild conditions. These catalysts involved hydrotalcite‐supported gold and silver nanoparticles with high catalytic activity for organic reactions such as aerobic oxidation, oxidative carbonylation, and chemoselective reduction of epoxides to alkenes and nitrostyrenes to aminostyrenes using alcohols and CO/H₂O as reducing reagents. This high catalytic performance was due to cooperative catalysis between the metal nanoparticles and basic sites of the hydrotalcite support. To increase the metal–support cooperative effect, core–shell nanostructured catalysts consisting of gold or silver nanoparticles in the core and ceria supports in the shell were designed. These core–shell nanocomposite catalysts were effective for the chemoselective hydrogenation of nitrostyrenes to aminostyrenes, unsaturated aldehydes to allyl alcohols, and alkynes to alkenes using H₂ as a clean reductant. In addition, these solid catalysts could be recovered easily from the reaction mixture by simple filtration, and were reusable with high catalytic activity.     

内核含Pd的Pt基核壳结构电催化剂

燃料电池汽车已被确立为我国的战略性新兴产业,目前正处于大规模商业化的前夜,铂基电催化剂作为质子交换膜燃料电池的核心材料之一,其活性、耐久性和成本制约着这一洁净能源技术的进一步发展。高性能低铂核壳电催化剂被广泛认为有望解决这一瓶颈问题,虽然国内外在这一领域的研究取得了诸多重要的进展,但是仍存在着制备过程复杂、非铂贵金属内核尺寸较大及核壳结构宏观表征困难等问题。本文介绍两种相对简单、易放大的制备方法,即一锅法和液相合成结合区域选择原子层气相沉积法,均获得了性能优良的Pd3Au@Pt/C核壳结构电催化剂,Pd3Au内核尺寸控制在约5 nm,并利用循环伏安测试和甲酸氧化反应从宏观角度研究了铂层在内核表面的覆盖情况,探索了含钯核壳结构电催化剂的新型宏观表征方法。     

A nano-fibrillated mesoporous carbon as an effective support for palladium nanoparticles in the aerobic oxidation of alcohols "on pure water"

A novel nano-fibrillated mesoporous carbon (IFMC) was successfully prepared via carbonization of the ionic liquid 1-methyl-3-phenethyl-1H-imidazolium hydrogen sulfate (1) in the presence of SBA-15. The material was shown to be an efficient and unique support for the palladium nanoparticle (PdNP) catalyst Pd@IFMC (2) in aerobic oxidation of heterocyclic, benzylic, and heteroatom containing alcohols on pure water at temperatures as low as 40 °C for the first time and giving almost consistent activities and selectivities within more than six reaction runs. The catalyst has also been employed as an effective catalyst for the selective oxidation of aliphatic and allylic alcohols at 70-80 °C. The materials were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), N(2) adsorption-desorption analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and electron tomography (ET). Our compelling XPS and ET studies showed that higher activity of 2 compared to Pd@CMK-3 and Pd/C in the aerobic oxidation of alcohols on water might be due to the presence of nitrogen functionalities inside the carbon structure and also the fibrous nature of our materials. The presence of a nitrogen heteroatom in the carboneous framework might also be responsible for the relatively uniform and nearly atomic-scale distribution of PdNPs throughout the mesoporous structure and the inhibition of Pd agglomeration during the reaction, resulting in high durability, high stability, and recycling characteristics of 2. This effect was clearly confirmed by comparing the TEM images of the recovered 2 and Pd@CMK-3.