Direct Observation of Dynamic Bond Evolution in Single‐Atom Pt/C3N4 Catalysts

Single‐atom catalysts are promising platforms for heterogeneous catalysis, especially for clean energy conversion, storage, and utilization. Although great efforts have been made to examine the bonding and oxidation state of single‐atom catalysts before and/or after catalytic reactions, when information about dynamic evolution is not sufficient, the underlying mechanisms are often overlooked. Herein, we report the direct observation of the charge transfer and bond evolution of a single‐atom Pt/C₃N₄ catalyst in photocatalytic water splitting by synchronous illumination X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Specifically, under light excitation, we observed Pt?N bond cleavage to form a Pt⁰ species and the corresponding C=N bond reconstruction; these features could not be detected on the metallic platinum‐decorated C₃N₄ catalyst. As expected, H₂ production activity (14.7 mmol h^?1 g^?1) was enhanced significantly with the single‐atom Pt/C₃N₄ catalyst as compared to metallic Pt‐C₃N₄ (0.74 mmol h^?1 g^?1).     

Synthesis and study of Ru–Ba–Cs/Sibunit ternary catalysts for ammonia synthesis

Ru–Ba–Cs/Sibunit ternary catalysts were synthesized. Their activity in ammonia synthesis and the thermal stability of the support in a reducing atmosphere at elevated temperature depend on the molar ratio of the promoters. The results of studies using physical methods suggest that cesium predominantly interacts with the support, acting as an electronic promoter, whereas barium is a structural promoter. The synergistic action of the promoters at increased barium content of the catalyst was revealed. The highest activity in ammonia synthesis, 34.5 mL_NH3 g_cat ^–1 h^–1, was reached for the 4% Ru–10.8% Ba–2.6% Cs/Sibunit catalyst.     

Photocatalytic Formic Acid Conversion on CdS Nanocrystals with Controllable Selectivity for H2 or CO

Formic acid is considered a promising energy carrier and hydrogen storage material for a carbon‐neutral economy. We present an inexpensive system for the selective room‐temperature photocatalytic conversion of formic acid into either hydrogen or carbon monoxide. Under visible‐light irradiation (λ>420 nm, 1 sun), suspensions of ligand‐capped cadmium sulfide nanocrystals in formic acid/sodium formate release up to 116±14 mmol H₂ g_cat^?1 h^?1 with >99 % selectivity when combined with a cobalt co‐catalyst; the quantum yield at λ=460 nm was 21.2±2.7 %. In the absence of capping ligands, suspensions of the same photocatalyst in aqueous sodium formate generate up to 102±13 mmol CO g_cat^?1 h^?1 with >95 % selectivity and 19.7±2.7 % quantum yield. H₂ and CO production was sustained for more than one week with turnover numbers greater than 6×10⁵ and 3×10⁶, respectively.     

The Effect of Grafting Zirconia and Ceria onto Alumina as a Support for Silicotungstic Acid for the Catalytic Dehydration of Glycerol to Acrolein

The effect of ceria and zirconia grafting onto alumina (α and θ–δ phases) as supports for silicotungstic acid for the dehydration of glycerol to acrolein was studied. 30 % Silicotungstic acid (STA) supported on 5 % zirconia/δ,θ‐alumina was the best catalyst, producing 85 % selectivity to acrolein at 100 % glycerol conversion, and it showed stable activity without using oxygen as a co‐feed. The catalyst produced a STA of 90 g_(acrolein) kg_(cat)^?1 h^?1, which was greater than the STA simply supported on δ,θ‐alumina, which only demonstrated 75 % selectivity towards acrolein. The effect of grafting on the support material was investigated by means of nitrogen adsorption, ammonia temperature‐programmed desorption, thermogravimetric analysis, Raman spectroscopy, and powder X‐ray diffraction. A pulsed‐field gradient (PFG) NMR technique was also used to study diffusion processes associated with the catalysts. Diffusion studies of the grafted catalysts showed that zirconia contributes to the formation of more tortuous pathways within the pore structure, leading to the diminution of acid strength and making the catalyst less susceptible to coke formation.     

Topotactic Synthesis of Phosphabenzene‐Functionalized Porous Organic Polymers: Efficient Ligands in CO2 Conversion

Progress toward the preparation of porous organic polymers (POPs) with task‐specific functionalities has been exceedingly slow—especially where polymers containing low‐oxidation phosphorus in the structure are concerned. A two‐step topotactic pathway for the preparation of phosphabenzene‐based POPs (Phos‐POPs) under metal‐free conditions is reported, without the use of unstable phosphorus‐based monomers. The synthetic route allows additional functionalities to be introduced into the porous polymer framework with ease. As an example, partially fluorinated Phos‐POPs (F‐Phos‐POPs) were obtained with a surface area of up to 591 m² g^?1. After coordination with Ru species, a Ru/F‐Phos‐POPs catalyst exhibited high catalytic efficiency in the formylation of amines (turnover frequency up to 204 h^?1) using a CO₂/H₂ mixture, in comparison with the non‐fluorinated analogue (43 h^?1) and a Au/TiO₂ heterogeneous catalysts reported previously (<44 h^?1). This work describes a practical method for synthesis of porous organic phosphorus‐based polymers with applications in transition‐metal‐based heterogeneous catalysis.     

介孔炭的孔结构对其负载的Ru基氨合成催化剂性能的影响

采用模板法合成了介孔炭(MC),研究了其孔结构对其负载的Ru基氨合成催化剂Ba-Ru-K/MC性能的影响,采用N₂吸附脱附、扫描电镜和透射电镜等手段对介孔炭的孔结构进行了表征.研究发现,介孔炭载体的孔结构取决于模板剂的用量,当SiO₂/C质量比为1.0时,所制介孔炭比表面积最大.介孔炭负载的Ba-Ru-K催化剂活性与其介孔比表面积相关.在425℃,10MPa和10000h^-1条件下,合成氨的反应速率为139mmol/(g_cat·h).     

High‐Rate,Tunable Syngas Production with Artificial Photosynthetic Cells

An artificial photosynthetic (APS) system consisting of a photoanodic semiconductor that harvests solar photons to split H₂O, a Ni‐SNG cathodic catalyst for the dark reaction of CO₂ reduction in a CO₂‐saturated NaHCO₃ solution, and a proton‐conducting membrane enabled syngas production from CO₂ and H₂O with solar‐to‐syngas energy‐conversion efficiency of up to 13.6 %. The syngas CO/H₂ ratio was tunable between 1:2 and 5:1. Integration of the APS system with photovoltaic cells led to an impressive overall quantum efficiency of 6.29 % for syngas production. The largest turnover frequency of 529.5 h^?1 was recorded with a photoanodic N‐TiO₂ nanorod array for highly stable CO production. The CO‐evolution rate reached a maximum of 154.9 mmol g^?1 h^?1 in the dark compartment of the APS cell. Scanning electrochemical–atomic force microscopy showed the localization of electrons on the single‐nickel‐atom sites of the Ni‐SNG catalyst, thus confirming that the multielectron reduction of CO₂ to CO was kinetically favored.     

High‐Rate,Tunable Syngas Production with Artificial Photosynthetic Cells

An artificial photosynthetic (APS) system consisting of a photoanodic semiconductor that harvests solar photons to split H₂O, a Ni‐SNG cathodic catalyst for the dark reaction of CO₂ reduction in a CO₂‐saturated NaHCO₃ solution, and a proton‐conducting membrane enabled syngas production from CO₂ and H₂O with solar‐to‐syngas energy‐conversion efficiency of up to 13.6 %. The syngas CO/H₂ ratio was tunable between 1:2 and 5:1. Integration of the APS system with photovoltaic cells led to an impressive overall quantum efficiency of 6.29 % for syngas production. The largest turnover frequency of 529.5 h^?1 was recorded with a photoanodic N‐TiO₂ nanorod array for highly stable CO production. The CO‐evolution rate reached a maximum of 154.9 mmol g^?1 h^?1 in the dark compartment of the APS cell. Scanning electrochemical–atomic force microscopy showed the localization of electrons on the single‐nickel‐atom sites of the Ni‐SNG catalyst, thus confirming that the multielectron reduction of CO₂ to CO was kinetically favored.     

Facile Synthesis of Stable MO2N Nanobelts with High Catalytic Activity for Ammonia Decomposition

In the present work, high quality γ‐Mo₂N catalysts for ammonia decomposition were successfully synthesized via temperature programmed nitridation of α‐MoO₃ nanobelts. The optimal conditions for the synthesis of MoO₃ precursors were obtained by using the orthogonal experimental method. The MoO₃ precursors and the corresponding fresh and used Mo₂N catalysts were characterized by various characterization techniques, including transmission electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction and N₂ adsorption‐desorption. Furthermore, temperature‐ programmed desorption by N₂ or NH₃ and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis were performed to better understand the chemical properties of Mo₂N catalysts. The results revealed that Mo₂N catalyst has good NH₃ adsorption ability and facilitates the dissociation adsorption of N₂. Moreover, the morphology and structure of Mo₂N catalysts well maintained after the reaction. Therefore, among the three transition metal nitrides (Mo₂N, W₂N and VN) and some Mo‐based catalysts previously reported, Mo₂N catalysts showed very high activity and stability. Nearly 94% conversion of NH₃ could be reached at 550°C with the gas hourly space velocity of 22000 cm³?g_cat^–1?h^–1 and no obvious deactivation was observed during a 72 h test.     

Hydrogenated Bismuth Molybdate Nanoframe for Efficient Sunlight‐Driven Nitrogen Fixation from Air

Sunlight‐driven dinitrogen fixation can lead to a novel concept for the production of ammonia under mild conditions. However, the efficient artificial photosynthesis of ammonia from ordinary air (instead of high pure N₂) has never been implemented. Here, we report for the first time the intrinsic catalytic activity of Bi₂MoO₆ catalyst for direct ammonia synthesis under light irradiation. The edge‐exposed coordinatively unsaturated Mo atoms in an Mo?O coordination polyhedron can act as activation centers to achieve the chemisorption, activation, and photoreduction of dinitrogen efficiently. Using that insight as a starting point, through rational structure and defect engineering, the optimized Bi₂MoO₆ sunlight‐driven nitrogen fixation system, which simultaneously possesses robust nitrogen activation ability, excellent light‐harvesting performance, and efficient charge transmission was successfully constructed. As a surprising achievement, this photocatalytic system demonstrated for the first time ultra‐efficient (1.3 mmol g^?1 h^?1) and stable sunlight‐driven nitrogen fixation from air in the absence of any organic scavengers.     

乙酰丙酸选择性加氢合成γ-戊内酯中高效和可循环使用的Ni3Fe NPs@C 双金属催化剂

生物质经催化转化合成燃料及化学品是当前研究的热点.目前,生物质的催化转化主要聚焦于纤维素、半纤维素和木质素的解聚及其下游产物合成.其中,乙酰丙酸(LA)作为纤维素解聚的主要产物之一,是一种极具竞争力的平台化合物和重要的生物质转化中间体.LA通过催化转化可以合成各类高附加值的化学品,例如,通过催化加氢LA可选择性合成γ-戊内酯(GVL).所合成的GVL用途广泛,可作为绿色溶剂、食品、燃料添加剂、(塑料、高分子、烃类或者其它高附加值化学品)前驱体等.目前,LA-to-GVL的研究主要着眼于非均相催化体系,包括负载型贵金属和非贵金属催化剂体.其中,贵金属催化剂主要有Ru,Au,Pd,Rh,Ir和Pt,虽然催化效率高,条件温和,但是成本高,难以实现工业化.此外对于广泛使用的Ru/C催化剂,存在金属-载体间相互作用不强.活性组分易流失、导致催化剂稳定性差等问题;而非贵金属则普遍存在催化活性不佳及反应条件苛刻等缺点.因此,开发高效、稳定、反应条件温和且具有工业化应用前景的非贵金属催化剂具有显著的研究意义,这也是当前的研究趋势.在特定温度下,金属离子与碳基底存在较强的相互作用.鉴于此,本文通过一步碳热还原法合成了活性炭负载的Ni3Fe双金属催化剂(Ni3Fe NPs@C).该催化剂在LA-to-GVL转化体系中展现了直接加氢(DH)和转移加氢(TH)双功能催化特性.首先,考察了其在DH体系中的反应特性:在130oC和2 MPa氢压反应条件下经2 h反应,LA转化率达到93.8％,GVL选择性为95.5％,GVL产率是相应的单金属Ni/C和Fe/C催化剂的6倍和40倍.此外,在TH催化反应体系中,在180oC,0.5 h和无外加氢源的反应条件下,以异丙醇为反应溶剂和供氢体,LA几乎完全转化为GVL,其反应效率同样相较于单金属Ni/C和Fe/C催化剂大幅度提高.所合成的Ni3Fe NPs@C双金属催化剂DH和TH催化性能优于绝大多数报道的LA加氢贵金属和非贵金属催化剂.而且,该催化剂具有良好的循环利用性能,经过四次循环,其结构和化学状态没有发生明显的改变,稳定性明显优于商业化的Ru/C催化剂.此外,通过系统分析其催化性能以及材料结构,明确了该催化剂在LA的DH和TH反应体系中的活性位点,并提出了可能的反应路径.该研究为其它类型的DH和TH反应体系以及生物质高效转化过程提供了新的催化剂设计思路.并且这种催化剂及其制备方法简单、绿色,易于工业化推广和应用.     

Electrocatalysis of N2 to NH3 by HKUST‐1 with High NH3 Yield

Electrolytic ammonia synthesis from nitrogen at ambient conditions is appearing as a promising alternative to the Haber‐Bosch process which is consuming high energy and emitting CO₂. Here, a typical MOF material, HKUST‐1 (Cu?BTC, BTC=benzene‐1,3,5‐tricarboxylate), was selected as an electrocatalyst for the reaction of converting N₂ to NH₃ under ambient conditions. At ?0.75 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode, it achieves excellent catalytic performance in the electrochemical synthesis of ammonia with high NH₃ yield (46.63 μg h^?1 mg^?1 _cat. or 4.66 μg h^?1 cm^?2) and good Faraday efficiency (2.45%). It is indicated that the good performance of the HKUST‐1 catalyst may originate from the formation of Cu(I). In addition, the catalyst also has good selectivity for N₂ to NH₃.     

Sequential Chemistry Toward Core–Shell Structured Metal Sulfides as Stable and Highly Efficient Visible‐Light Photocatalysts

A universal sequential synthesis strategy in aqueous solution is presented for highly uniform core–shell structured photocatalysts, which consist of a metal sulfide light absorber core and a metal sulfide co‐catalyst shell. We show that the sequential chemistry can drive the formation of unique core–shell structures controlled by the constant of solubility product of metal sulfides. A variety of metal sulfide core–shell structures have been demonstrated, including CdS@CoS_x, CdS@MnS_x, CdS@NiS_x, CdS@ZnS_x, CuS@CdS, and more complexed CdS@ZnS_x@CoS_x. The obtained strawberry‐like CdS@CoS_x core–shell structures exhibit a high photocatalytic H₂ production activity of 3.92 mmol h^?1 and an impressive apparent quantum efficiency of 67.3 % at 420 nm, which is much better than that of pure CdS nanoballs (0.28 mmol h^?1), CdS/CoS_x composites (0.57 mmol h^?1), and 5 %wt Pt‐loaded CdS photocatalysts (1.84 mmol h^?1).     

An Efficient,Visible‐Light‐Driven,Hydrogen Evolution Catalyst NiS/ZnxCd1−xS Nanocrystal Derived from a Metal–Organic Framework

Photocatalytic water splitting for hydrogen production using sustainable sunlight is a promising alternative to industrial hydrogen production. However, the scarcity of highly active, recyclable, inexpensive photocatalysts impedes the development of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) schemes. Herein, a metal–organic framework (MOF)‐template strategy was developed to prepare non‐noble metal co‐catalyst/solid solution heterojunction NiS/Zn_xCd_1?xS with superior photocatalytic HER activity. By adjusting the doping metal concentration in MOFs, the chemical compositions and band gaps of the heterojunctions can be fine‐tuned, and the light absorption capacity and photocatalytic activity were further optimized. NiS/Zn_0.5Cd_0.5S exhibits an optimal HER rate of 16.78 mmol g^?1 h^?1 and high stability and recyclability under visible‐light irradiation (λ>420 nm). Detailed characterizations and in‐depth DFT calculations reveal the relationship between the heterojunction and photocatalytic activity and confirm the importance of NiS in accelerating the water dissociation kinetics, which is a crucial factor for photocatalytic HER.     

Self‐organized Ruthenium–Barium Core–Shell Nanoparticles on a Mesoporous Calcium Amide Matrix for Efficient Low‐Temperature Ammonia Synthesis

A low‐temperature ammonia synthesis process is required for on‐site synthesis. Barium‐doped calcium amide (Ba‐Ca(NH₂)₂) enhances the efficacy of ammonia synthesis mediated by Ru and Co by 2 orders of magnitude more than that of a conventional Ru catalyst at temperatures below 300 °C. Furthermore, the presented catalysts are superior to the wüstite‐based Fe catalyst, which is known as a highly active industrial catalyst at low temperatures and pressures. Nanosized Ru–Ba core–shell structures are self‐organized on the Ba‐Ca(NH₂)₂ support during H₂ pretreatment, and the support material is simultaneously converted into a mesoporous structure with a high surface area (>100 m² g⁻¹). These self‐organized nanostructures account for the high catalytic performance in low‐temperature ammonia synthesis.     

Highly Active Carbene Ruthenium Catalyst for Metathesis of 1-Hexene

A new carbene ruthenium complex, 1,3-bis（2,6-dimethylphenyl）-4,5-dihydroimidazol-2-ylidene）（PPh3）Cl2-Ru=CHPh, was synthesized and used as catalyst for the metathesis of 1-hexene. The resulting complex exhibited very high catalytic activity whose TOF is up to 6680 h^-1. However, at the same time significant olefin isomerization was observed and could be surpressed by changing reaction conditions, such as temperature, time, alkene/Ru molar ratio and solvent.     

Metal‐Free Photocatalytic Hydrogenation Using Covalent Triazine Polymers

Photocatalytic hydrogenation of biomass‐derived organic molecules transforms solar energy into high‐energy‐density chemical bonds. Reported herein is the preparation of a thiophene‐containing covalent triazine polymer as a photocatalyst, with unique donor‐acceptor units, for the metal‐free photocatalytic hydrogenation of unsaturated organic molecules. Under visible‐light illumination, the polymeric photocatalyst enables the transformation of maleic acid into succinic acid with a production rate of about 2 mmol g^?1 h^?1, and furfural into furfuryl alcohol with a production rate of about 0.5 mmol g^?1 h^?1. Great catalyst stability and recyclability are also measured. Given the structural diversity of polymeric photocatalysts and their readily tunable optical and electronic properties, metal‐free photocatalytic hydrogenation represents a highly promising approach for solar energy conversion.     

Synthesis of Ni–Ru Alloy Nanoparticles and Their High Catalytic Activity in Dehydrogenation of Ammonia Borane

We report the synthesis and characterization of new Ni_xRu_1?x (x=0.56–0.74) alloy nanoparticles (NPs) and their catalytic activity for hydrogen release in the ammonia borane hydrolysis process. The alloy NPs were obtained by wet‐chemistry method using a rapid lithium triethylborohydride reduction of Ni²⁺ and Ru³⁺ precursors in oleylamine. The nature of each alloy sample was fully characterized by TEM, XRD, energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDX), and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). We found that the as‐prepared Ni–Ru alloy NPs exhibited exceptional catalytic activity for the ammonia borane hydrolysis reaction for hydrogen release. All Ni–Ru alloy NPs, and in particular the Ni_0.74Ru_0.26 sample, outperform the activity of similar size monometallic Ni and Ru NPs, and even of Ni@Ru core‐shell NPs. The hydrolysis activation energy for the Ni_0.74Ru_0.26 alloy catalyst was measured to be approximately 37 kJ mol^?1. This value is considerably lower than the values measured for monometallic Ni (≈70 kJ mol^?1) and Ru NPs (≈49 kJ mol^?1), and for Ni@Ru (≈44 kJ mol^?1), and is also lower than the values of most noble‐metal‐containing bimetallic NPs reported in the literature. Thus, a remarkable improvement of catalytic activity of Ru in the dehydrogenation of ammonia borane was obtained by alloying Ru with a Ni, which is a relatively cheap metal.     

Ru 前驱体对 Ru/MgO-CeO2 氨合成催化剂性能的影响

 分别以 K₂RuO₄, Ru(Ac)₃ 和 RuCl₃ 为 Ru 前驱体, 制备了 Ru/MgO-CeO₂ 催化剂, 并运用 X 射线衍射、X 射线荧光光谱, CO 吸附、N₂ 物理吸附和 H₂程序升温还原等技术对催化剂进行了表征, 考察了 Ru 前驱体对 Ru/MgO-CeO₂ 催化剂氨合成性能的影响. 结果表明, Ru 前驱体对载体 MgO-CeO₂ 和 Ru 的还原性能、氯残留量和催化剂比表面积的影响都很大, 从而导致催化剂的氨合成性能的不同. 其中以 K₂RuO₄ 为 Ru 前驱体制备的催化剂的载体和 Ru 容易还原, 无氯离子, 且比表面积较高, 因而催化剂活性和氨合成转换频率较高. 在 10 MPa, 425 °C, 10 000 h^-1 条件下, K₂RuO₄, Ru(Ac)₃ 和 RuCl₃ 作前驱体制备的催化剂上氨合成转换频率比为 1.33:1.05:1.     

Durable Electrocatalytic Reduction of Nitrate to Ammonia over Defective Pseudobrookite Fe2TiO5 Nanofibers with Abundant Oxygen Vacancies

We propose the pseudobrookite Fe₂TiO₅ nanofiber with abundant oxygen vacancies as a new electrocatalyst to ambiently reduce nitrate to ammonia. Such catalyst achieves a large NH₃ yield of 0.73 mmol h⁻¹ mg⁻¹_cat. and a high Faradaic Efficiency (FE) of 87.6 % in phosphate buffer saline solution with 0.1 M NaNO₃, which is lifted to 1.36 mmol h⁻¹ mg⁻¹_cat. and 96.06 % at −0.9 V vs. RHE for nitrite conversion to ammonia in 0.1 M NaNO₂. It also shows excellent electrochemical durability and structural stability. Theoretical calculation reveals the enhanced conductivity of this catalyst and an extremely low free energy of −0.28 eV for nitrate adsorption at the presence of vacant oxygen.