On the way of understanding the behavior of nanometer-scale metallic particles toward the adsorption of CO and NO molecules

Previously, we have proposed a relationship between the adsorption modes of a simple molecule (NO) and the behavior of the nanometer-scale monometallic clusters after this adsorption. More precisely, a set of experiments seems to show that dissociative adsorption of NO leads to the sintering of nanometer-scale metallic particles (NSMPs), whereas molecular adsorption is related to the oxidation. Although numerous investigations have been published on catalytic or electrocatalytic reactions where the interaction between carbon monoxide and NSMPs is involved, only a few studies have been dedicated to the adsorption of CO on NSMPs. This purely energetic approach is discussed through different results already published in the literature and through some recent theoretical calculations related to solid state physics. Although interesting and systematic results are gathered here and are partly explained, this adsorption process still remains a challenge.     

Defect engineering for high-selection-performance of NO reduction to NH3 over CeO2（111） surface: A DFT study

To reduce the greenhouse effect caused by the surgery of nitrogen-oxides concentration in the atmosphere and develop a future energy carrier of renewables, it is very critical to develop more efficient,controllable, and highly sensitive catalytic materials. In our work, we proposed that nitric oxide（NO）, as a supplement to N₂ for the synthesis of ammonia, which is equipped with a lower barrier. And the study highlighted the potential of CeO₂（111） nanosheets with La doping a...     

Reaction scheme of ammonia synthesis in the ECR plasmas

The reaction scheme of ammonia synthesis in the ECR plasma apparatus teas investigated from both identifications of the species in the plasmas and the adsorbed species on the surface of a steel substrate placed in the plasmas. The adsorbed species were considerably different when different kinds of plasmas are used. NH, species were adsorbed on the steel substrate surface in the nitrogen-hydrogen plasma, and N₂ molecules were adsorbed in the nitrogen plasma. By the application of a negative bias potential on the substrate, the adsorption of N atom or Fe-N bond formation was identified on the steel substrate surface. When the stainless steel wall of the chamber was covered with aluminum foil, the yield of NH,, radicals, which were on both the substrate and in the plasma, decreased. By exposure of the substrate, on which N₂ molecules or N atoms adsorbed, to the hydrogen plasma, N₂ and N disappeared from the steel substrate surface, forming ammonia. Moreover, the adsorption of NH,, radicals disappeared when the stainless steel wall surface was covered with aluminum foil. Thus, the surface of the stainless steel wall acts as a catalyst in ammonia formation. The formation of ammonia in the nitrogen-hydrogen ECR plasma, in which the steel substrate served as the catalyst, is not only through the dissociative adsorption of excited nitrogen molecules but also through the dissociative adsorption of nitrogen molecular ions.     

A theoretical study of electrocatalytic ammonia synthesis on single metal atom/MXene

Electrocatalytic ammonia synthesis under mild conditions is an attractive and challenging process in the earth's nitrogen cycle, which requires efficient and stable catalysts to reduce the overpotential. The N₂ activation and reduction overpotential of different Ti₃C₂O₂-supported transition metal (TM) (Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Mo, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag, Cd, and Au) single-atom catalysts have been analyzed in terms of the Gibbs free energies calculated using the density functional theory (DFT). The end-on N₂ adsorption was more energetically favorable, and the negative free energies represented good N₂ activation performance, especially in the presence Fe/Ti₃C₂O₂ (?0.75 eV). The overpotentials of Fe/Ti₃C₂O₂, Co/Ti₃C₂O₂, Ru/Ti₃C₂O₂, and Rh/Ti₃C₂O₂ were 0.92, 0.89, 1.16, and 0.84 eV, respectively. The potential required for ammonia synthesis was different for different TMs and ranged from 0.68 to 2.33 eV. Two possible potential-limiting steps may be involved in the process: (i) hydrogenation of N₂ to *NNH and (ii) hydrogenation of *NH₂ to ammonia. These catalysts can change the reaction pathway and avoid the traditional N–N bond-breaking barrier. It also simplifies the understanding of the relationship between the Gibbs free energy and overpotential, which is a significant factor in the rational designing and large-scale screening of catalysts for the electrocatalytic ammonia synthesis.     

Selective and Efficient Reduction of Carbon Dioxide to Carbon Monoxide on Oxide‐Derived Nanostructured Silver Electrocatalysts

In this work, the selective electrocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide on oxide‐derived silver electrocatalysts is presented. By a simple synthesis technique, the overall high faradaic efficiency for CO production on the oxide‐derived Ag was shifted by more than 400 mV towards a lower overpotential compared to that of untreated Ag. Notably, the Ag resulting from Ag oxide is capable of electrochemically reducing CO₂ to CO with approximately 80 % catalytic selectivity at a moderate overpotential of 0.49 V, which is much higher than that (ca. 4 %) of untreated Ag under identical conditions. Electrokinetic studies show that the improved catalytic activity is ascribed to the enhanced stabilization of COOH^. intermediate. Furthermore, highly nanostructured Ag is likely able to create a high local pH near the catalyst surface, which may also facilitate the catalytic activity for the reduction of CO₂ with suppressed H₂ evolution.     

Probing the Electronic Effect of Carbon Nanotubes in Catalysis: NH3 Synthesis with Ru Nanoparticles

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been shown to modify some properties of nanomaterials and to modify chemical reactions confined inside their channels, which are formed by curved graphene layers. Here we studied ammonia synthesis over Ru as a probe reaction to understand the effect of the electron structure of CNTs on the confined metal particles and their catalytic activity. The catalyst with Ru nanoparticles dispersed almost exclusively on the exterior nanotube surface exhibits a higher activity than the CNT‐confined Ru, although both have a similar metal particle size. Characterization with TEM, N₂ physisorption, H₂ chemisorption, temperature‐programmed reduction, CO adsorption microcalorimetry, and first‐principles calculations suggests that the outside Ru exhibits a higher electron density than the inside Ru. As a result, the dissociative adsorption of N₂, which is an electrophilic process and the rate‐determining step of ammonia synthesis, is more facile over the outside Ru than that over the inside one.     

Enhanced Catalytic Activity of Cobalt Porphyrin in CO2 Electroreduction upon Immobilization on Carbon Materials

In a comparative study of the electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction, cobalt meso-tetraphenylporphyrin (CoTPP) is used as a model molecular catalyst under both homogeneous and heterogeneous conditions. In the former case, employing N,N-dimethylformamide as solvent, CoTPP performs poorly as an electrocatalyst giving low product selectivity in a slow reaction at a high overpotential. However, upon straightforward immobilization of CoTPP onto carbon nanotubes, a remarkable enhancement of the electrocatalytic abilities is seen with CO₂ becoming selectively reduced to CO (>90 %) at a low overpotential in aqueous medium. This effect is ascribed to the particular environment created by the aqueous medium at the catalytic site of the immobilized catalyst that facilitates the adsorption and further reaction of CO₂. This work highlights the significance of assessing an immobilized molecular catalyst from more than homogeneous measurements alone.     

Selective catalytic reduction of nitric oxide with ammonia: A theoretical ab initio study

Ab initio quantum chemical studies at the HF/Lanl2dz level were carried out to investigate the interaction of ammonia, NO, and a mixture of the two with vanadia/titania. It was found that the replacement of Ti_6c by V_6c is the only feasible way to form highly dispersed vanadia over the titania. The V?O species thus formed will be in octahedral symmetry with the axial distortions, and no tetrahedrally coordinated V species can be formed. Ammonia fully covers the catalyst surface either through the associative interaction with the Lewis acid site of Ti_5c or the dissociative adsorption channels. The dissociation of ammonia on the O site bridging the Ti_6c and V_6c octahedra and on the V?O group can proceed with the highest gain in energy. The formation of an adsorbed ammonium ion was found to be an energetically highly unfavorable process. The V?O group is no longer expected to play a major role in the stabilization of the surface ammonium ion. NO can be activated on the Ti_5c site of the catalyst containing predissociated ammonia on the bridging O site and V?O group. It can be expected that the SCR reaction products are formed through the reactions of both adsorbed NO and NH₂ or the desorbed NH₂ group with NO in the gas phase. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2001     

Electrocatalytic oxidation of nitric oxide at indium hexacyanoferrate film-modified electrodes

The electrocatalytic oxidation of nitric oxide (NO) by indium (III) hexacyanoferrate (III) films has been studied. These films are electrodeposited onto glassy carbon electrodes through potential cycling in acidic solutions containing a potassium electrolyte, indium (III), and potassium hexacyanoferrate. The resulting modified electrodes exhibit a reversible redox response ascribed to the oxidation/reduction of iron atoms presents in the electrodeposited film. The films have a potent and persistent electrocatalytic activity towards NO oxidation at neutral pH. The electrocatalytic oxidation of NO takes place at potentials around +0.75 V which represents a moderate diminution in the overpotential. In addition, interferences due to the presence of nitrate and nitrite have been significantly reduced. According to these results, the described modified electrodes have been used as sensors for the determination of NO generated by decomposition of a typical NO-donor, such as S-nitroso- N -acetyl- d, l -penicillamine (SNAP).     

Rapid Synthesis of Cobalt Nitride Nanowires: Highly Efficient and Low‐Cost Catalysts for Oxygen Evolution

Electrochemical splitting of water to produce hydrogen and oxygen is an important process for many energy storage and conversion devices. Developing efficient, durable, low‐cost, and earth‐abundant electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is of great urgency. To achieve the rapid synthesis of transition‐metal nitride nanostructures and improve their electrocatalytic performance, a new strategy has been developed to convert cobalt oxide precursors into cobalt nitride nanowires through N₂ radio frequency plasma treatment. This method requires significantly shorter reaction times (about 1 min) at room temperature compared to conventional high‐temperature NH₃ annealing which requires a few hours. The plasma treatment significantly enhances the OER activity, as evidenced by a low overpotential of 290 mV to reach a current density of 10 mA cm^?2, a small Tafel slope, and long‐term durability in an alkaline electrolyte.     

The electrochemical activities of anthraquinone monosulfonate adsorbed on the basal plane of reduced graphene oxide by π–π stacking interaction

The electrochemical properties of anthraquinone monosulfonate (AQS) adsorbed on the basal plane of chemically-reduced graphene oxide (RGO) by π–π stacking interaction were investigated. The AQS/RGO nanocomposites were synthesized via a simple reduction–adsorption method and characterized with various techniques, and the surface concentration of AQS on the basal plane of RGO was estimated to be 1.72?×?10^?12 mol cm^?2. Electrochemical tests showed that the AQS/RGO nanocomposites accelerated the heterogeneous electron transfer, when ferro/ferricyanide was used as a redox probe, and RGO facilitated the electron transfer between AQS and the surface of glassy carbon electrode, producing a well-defined redox couple centered at ?0.490 V versus SCE at neutral medium. Compared with AQS and RGO modified glassy carbon (GC) electrode, the AQS/RGO nanocomposites showed better electrocatalytic activity towards oxygen reduction reaction. Rotating disk electrode data showed that the reduction of O₂ on AQS/RGO/GC electrode underwent a two-electron process to H₂O₂ at low overpotential and shifted to four-electron reduction to H₂O at relatively high overpotential. The present work demonstrates that AQS can be an efficient catalyst when noncovalently functionalized on the basal plane of RGO for electrochemical applications.     

Breaking Local Charge Symmetry of Iron Single Atoms for Efficient Electrocatalytic Nitrate Reduction to Ammonia

The electrochemical conversion of nitrate pollutants into value-added ammonia is a feasible way to achieve artificial nitrogen cycle. However, the development of electrocatalytic nitrate-to-ammonia reduction reaction (NO₃⁻RR) has been hampered by high overpotential and low Faradaic efficiency. Here we develop an iron single-atom catalyst coordinated with nitrogen and phosphorus on hollow carbon polyhedron (denoted as Fe−N/P−C) as a NO₃⁻RR electrocatalyst. Owing to the tuning effect of phosphorus atoms on breaking local charge symmetry of the single-Fe-atom catalyst, it facilitates the adsorption of nitrate ions and enrichment of some key reaction intermediates during the NO₃⁻RR process. The Fe−N/P−C catalyst exhibits 90.3 % ammonia Faradaic efficiency with a yield rate of 17980 μg h⁻¹ mg_cat⁻¹, greatly outperforming the reported Fe-based catalysts. Furthermore, operando SR-FTIR spectroscopy measurements reveal the reaction pathway based on key intermediates observed under different applied potentials and reaction durations. Density functional theory calculations demonstrate that the optimized free energy of NO₃⁻RR intermediates is ascribed to the asymmetric atomic interface configuration, which achieves the optimal electron density distribution. This work demonstrates the critical role of atomic-level precision modulation by heteroatom doping for the NO₃⁻RR, providing an effective strategy for improving the catalytic performance of single atom catalysts in different electrochemical reactions.     

Comparative study of different types of graphenes as electrocatalysts for ascorbic acid

A comparative study regarding the electrocatalytic activity of graphene oxide (GO), chemically-reduced graphene oxide (crGO) and graphene produced by direct liquid exfoliation (dG) is presented. Sensors were developed by modifying glassy carbon (GC) electrodes with GO, crGO and dG and ascorbic acid was used as a pilot analyte. GC/GO electrodes offer substantially lower oxidation overpotential, up to 350 mV, compared with GC/crGO, GC/dG and unmodified GC electrodes. In addition, the different carbon-to-oxygen atomic ratios in GO, as it occurs depending on the synthetic route, were found to have a remarkable effect on the performance of the sensors. Reduction of GO was achieved by immersing the modified electrodes into a stirred solution of NaBH₄ for 10 min at room temperature. This process was used alternatively of the time consuming and laborious process of hydrazine, and its effectiveness was confirmed by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Analytical utility of the sensors is demonstrated.     

Mechanism of oxygen poisoning of ammonia synthesis catalyst

The effect of oxygen adsorbed on the surface of a commercial catalyst from a mixture of hydrogen with water vapor on the steady-state and nonsteady-state ammonia synthesis kinetics is studied under gradientless conditions at the pressures of the stoichiometric nitrogen-hydrogen mixture below the atmospheric pressure and at the temperatures of 285 and 240°C. The results obtained are discussed on the basis of the concepts of the ammonia synthesis theory of Temkin. The poisoning effect of oxygen on the reaction rate is explained by an increase in the activation energy of the rate constant k ₊ in the Temkin-Pyzhev equation, i.e., an increase in the activation energy of the rate constant of nitrogen adsorption at the fixed nitrogen adsorption heat. This conclusion agrees with the concepts of Ertl et al., according to which the activation energy of nitrogen adsorption on iron changes in symbasis with the variation of the electronic work function. Oxygen adsorption on the catalyst surface increases the electronic work function. Thus, the mechanism of the catalyst poisoning by oxygen (at its low surface coverage) consists in an increase in the electronic work function. Assumptions are stated as to the role of chemical promoters of iron catalysts.     

Magnetic Field-Enhanced Electrocatalytic Oxygen Evolution on a Mixed-Valent Cobalt-Modulated LaCoO3 Catalyst

Extensive efforts to enhance the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalytic performance of transition metal oxides mainly concentrate on the extrinsic morphology tailoring, lattice doping, and electrode interface optimizing. Nevertheless, little room is left for performance improvement using these methods and an obvious gap still exists compared to the precious metal catalysts. In this work, a novel “mixed-valent cobalt modulation” strategy is presented to enhance the electrocatalytic OER of perovskite LaCoO₃ (LCO) oxide. The valence transition of cobalt is realized by ethylenediamine post reduction procedure at room temperature, which further induces the variation of magnetic properties for LCO catalyst. The optimized LCO catalyst with Co²⁺/Co³⁺ of 1.98 % exhibits the best OER activity, and the overpotential at 10 mA cm⁻² current density is decreased by 170 mV compared pristine LCO. Impressively, the ferromagnetic LCO catalyst can perform magnetic OER enhancement. By application of an external magnetic field, the overpotential of LCO at 10 mA cm⁻² can be further decreased by 20 mV compared to that of under zero magnetic field, which arises from the enhanced energy states of electrons and accelerated electron transfer process driven by magnetic field. Our findings may provide a promising strategy to break the bottleneck for further enhancement of OER performance.     

NO在Cu(111)表面吸附和分解的XPS和TPD研究：不同氧物种的影响

利用X射线光电子能谱和程序升温脱附谱研究了NO在清洁和预吸附氧的Cu(111)表面上的吸附和反应.通过改变NO的暴露量和退火温度,在Cu(111)表面可以制备出不同种类的化学吸附氧物种,其O 1s的结合能分别位于531.0 eV (O₅₃₁)和529.7 eV (O₅₂₉).表面O₅₃₁物种的存在对NO的不同吸附状态有着显著影响,同时使得大部分NO吸附分子(NO(a))在加热过程中发生分解并以N₂O和N₂形式脱附; 而表面O₅₂₉物种对NO(a)的解离脱附有着明显的抑制作用.相对于O₅₃₁物种来说,O₅₂₉物种对NO吸附表现出更强的位阻效应.上述结果表明,NO在Cu(111) 表面的吸附和分解行为与预吸附氧物种的种类和覆盖度密切相关.     

Study of carbon dioxide adsorption on chromium oxide and gallium oxide catalysts on the basis of linear relaxation times

Results of nonstationary experiments on linear relaxation times were used to determine the rates of carbon dioxide adsorption and desorption on chromium oxide and gallium oxide catalysts by various mechanisms. The rate constants were used to calculate nonstationary concentrations of carbon dioxide on the assumption of linear, dissociative, and bimolecular adsorption–desorption mechanisms. A comparison of the calculated and experimental concentrations of carbon dioxide led to a conclusion that the process of its adsorption most probably occurs by the dissociative mechanism.     

Linear Adsorption Enables NO Selective Electroreduction to Hydroxylamine on Single Co Sites

Hydroxylamine (NH₂OH), a vital industrial feedstock, is presently synthesized under harsh conditions with serious environmental and energy concerns. Electrocatalytic nitric oxide (NO) reduction is attractive for the production of hydroxylamine under ambient conditions. However, hydroxylamine selectivity is limited by the competitive reaction of ammonia production. Herein, we regulate the adsorption configuration of NO by adjusting the atomic structure of catalysts to control the product selectivity. Co single-atom catalysts show state-of-the-art NH₂OH selectivity from NO electroreduction under neutral conditions (FE : 81.3 %), while Co nanoparticles are inclined to generate ammonia (FE : 92.3 %). A series of in situ characterizations and theoretical simulations unveil that linear adsorption of NO on isolated Co sites enables hydroxylamine formation and bridge adsorption of NO on adjacent Co sites induces the production of ammonia.     

Catalytic oxidation of ammonia on RuO2(110) surfaces: mechanism and selectivity

The selective oxidation of ammonia to either N2 or NO on RuO2(110) single-crystal surfaces was investigated by a combination of vibrational spectroscopy (HREELS), thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS) and steady-state rate measurements under continuous flow conditions. The stoichiometric RuO2(110) surface exposes coordinatively unsaturated (cus) Ru atoms onto which adsorption of NH3 (NH3-cus) or dissociative adsorption of oxygen (O-cus) may occur. In the absence of O-cus, ammonia desorbs completely thermally without any reaction. However, interaction between NH3-cus and O-cus starts already at 90 K by hydrogen abstraction and hydrogenation to OH-cus, leading eventually to N-cus and H2O. The N-cus species recombine either with each other to N2 or with neighboring O-cus leading to strongly held NO-cus which desorbs around 500 K. The latter reaction is favored by higher concentrations of O-cus. Under steady-state flow condition with constant NH3 partial pressure and varying O2 pressure, the rate for N2 formation takes off first, passes through a maximum and then decreases again, whereas that for NO production exhibits an S-shape and rises continuously. In this way at 530 K almost 100% selectivity for NO formation (with fairly high reaction probability for NH3) is reached.