From Extended Nanofluidics to an Autonomous Solar‐Light‐Driven Micro Fuel‐Cell Device

Autonomous micro/nano mechanical, chemical, and biomedical sensors require persistent power sources scaled to their size. Realization of autonomous micro‐power sources is a challenging task, as it requires combination of wireless energy supply, conversion, storage, and delivery to the sensor. Herein, we realized a solar‐light‐driven power source that consists of a micro fuel cell (μFC) and a photocatalytic micro fuel generator (μFG) integrated on a single microfluidic chip. The μFG produces hydrogen by photocatalytic water splitting under solar light. The hydrogen fuel is then consumed by the μFC to generate electricity. Importantly, the by‐product water returns back to the photocatalytic μFG via recirculation loop without losses. Both devices rely on novel phenomena in extended‐nano‐fluidic channels that ensure ultra‐fast proton transport. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate that μFG/μFC source achieves remarkable energy density of ca. 17.2 mWh cm⁻² at room temperature.     

Nanoscale membrane electrode assemblies based on porous anodic alumina for hydrogen–oxygen fuel cell

In this paper, we demonstrate that nanoscale membrane electrode assemblies, functioning in a H₂/O₂ fuel cell, can be fabricated by impregnation of anodic alumina porous membranes with Nafion® and phosphotungstic acid. Porous anodic alumina is potentially a promising material for thin-film micro power sources because of its ability to be manipulated in micro-machining operations. Alumina membranes (Whatman, 50 μm thick, and pore diameters of 200 nm) impregnated with the proton conductor were characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and thermal analysis. The electrochemical characterization of the membrane electrode assemblies was carried out by recording the polarization curves of a hydrogen–oxygen 5 cm² fuel cell working at low temperatures (25?÷?80 °C) in humid atmosphere. Our assemblies realized with alumina membranes filled with phosphotungstic acid and Nafion® reach respectively the peak powers of 20 and 4 mW/cm² at room temperature using hydrogen and oxygen as fuel and oxidizer.     

原位构筑质子化氮化碳/碳化钛光催化制氢肖特基异质结

氢气因其具有高燃烧热、可再生性以及燃烧产物无污染等优势被认为是一种绿色可再生能源,是取代化石燃料的候选能源之一.然而,如何利用自然界中丰富的太阳能和水资源实现光分解水制氢的关键在于开发高效的光催化剂.在尺寸明确、能级带隙匹配的纳米材料间进行完美的界面复合(异质结构筑)是实现高效太阳能-氢能转换的最佳途径.石墨相氮化碳(CN)材料因其电子结构可调和化学性能稳定等特性被光催化界所关注.然而,氮化碳材料较弱的电学性能如电荷传输能力差及电子-空穴对复合率高导致其表现出较低的光催化制氢效率.基于此,我们用盐酸对氮化碳进行质子化处理,使材料表面电荷发生改变,从而实现氮化碳的电子带隙调节和电导率提升.在此基础上,将二维碳化钛原位负载于质子化的氮化碳(PCN)纳米片表面构筑肖特基结.PCN纳米片与碳化钛纳米片间的良好界面接触促进了电荷在材料界面上传输,进而加速了氮化碳材料的电荷分离,实现了氮化碳光催化剂活性的提升.Zeta电位测试结果显示,CN和PCN的表面电位分别为?9.5和27.3 mV,表明质子化处理可以有效改变材料表面电荷,并促其与碳化钛纳米片进行静电组装.该结果进一步得到了扫描电子显微镜(SEM)和原子力显微镜(AFM)的证实.改变表面电荷使氮化碳材料的能带宽度由2.53 eV(CN)减小到2.41 eV(PCN),增强了可见光区吸收.同时,PCN的光电流密度提升了约4倍,电子阻抗和激发态电子的辐射复合都显著降低.将PCN与碳化钛复合制得复合材料(PCN-x,x=10,20,40),实验结果表明5 g的PDN最佳负载碳化钛的量为20 mg(PCN-20).在标准太阳模拟器的可见光区(>420 nm),复合材料PCN-20的光催化水分解产氢量可达2181μmol·g-1,是CN催化剂的约5.5倍,PCN的2.7倍,并且经过5次产氢循环后PCN-20仍具有稳定的氢气释放速率.以上结果表明,氮化碳材料可以通过质子化处理以及与适量的碳化钛复合实现光催化产氢性能的提升,其中碳化钛在体系中起助催化剂的作用.该研究结果可为其他半导体光催化剂的性能优化以及非贵金属助催化剂的研究提供新思路.     

Heterointerface Engineering of ZnO/CdS Heterostructures through ZnS Layers for Photocatalytic Water Splitting

Solar-driven water splitting to produce clean and renewable hydrogen offers a green strategy to address the energy crisis and environmental pollution. Heterostructure catalysts are receiving increasing attention for photocatalytic hydrogen generation. ZnO/ZnS/CdS and ZnO/CdS heterostructures have been successfully designed and prepared according to two different strategies. By introducing a heterointerface layer of ZnS between ZnO and CdS, a Z scheme charge-transfer channel was promoted and achieved superior photocatalytic performance. A highest hydrogen generation rate of 156.7 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹ was achieved by precise control of the thickness of the heterointerface layer and of the CdS shell. These findings demonstrated that heterostructures are promising catalysts for solar-driven water splitting, and that heterointerface engineering is an effective way to improve the photocatalytic properties of heterostructures.     

Surface-Degenerate Semiconductor Photocatalysis for Efficient Water Splitting without Sacrificial Agents via a Reticular Chemistry Approach

The production of green hydrogen through photocatalytic water splitting is crucial for a sustainable hydrogen economy and chemical manufacturing. However, current approaches suffer from slow hydrogen production (<70 μmol ⋅ g_cat⁻¹ ⋅ h⁻¹) due to the sluggish four-electrons oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and limited catalyst activity. Herein, we achieve efficient photocatalytic water splitting by exploiting a multifunctional interface between a nano-photocatalyst and metal–organic framework (MOF) layer. The functional interface plays two critical roles: (1) enriching electron density directly on photocatalyst surface to promote catalytic activity, and (2) delocalizing photogenerated holes into MOF to enhance OER. Our photocatalytic ensemble boosts hydrogen evolution by ≈100-fold over pristine photocatalyst and concurrently produces oxygen at ideal stoichiometric ratio, even without using sacrificial agents. Notably, this unique design attains superior hydrogen production (519 μmol ⋅ g_cat⁻¹ ⋅ h⁻¹) and apparent quantum efficiency up to 13-fold and 8-fold better than emerging photocatalytic designs utilizing hole scavengers. Comprehensive investigations underscore the vital role of the interfacial design in generating high-energy photoelectrons on surface-degenerate photocatalyst to thermodynamically drive hydrogen evolution, while leveraging the nanoporous MOF scaffold as an effective photohole sink to enhance OER. Our interfacial approach creates vast opportunities for designing next-generation, multifunctional photocatalytic ensembles using reticular chemistry with diverse energy and environmental applications.     

Biohybrid Organic Heterostructure Based on Chlorophyll-Bacteriochlorophyll Aggregates for Ecofriendly Hydrogen Production

Hydrogen energy is an abundant, clean, sustainable and environmentally friendly renewable energy source. Therefore, the production of hydrogen by photocatalytically splitting water on semiconductors has been considered in recent years as a promising and sustainable strategy for converting solar energy into chemical energy to replace conventional energy sources and to solve the growing problem of environmental pollution and the global energy crisis. However, highly efficient solar-driven photocatalytic hydrogen production remains a huge challenge due to the poor visible light response of available photocatalytic materials and the low efficiency of separation and transfer of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. In the present work, organic heterojunction structures based on bacteriochlorophyll (BChl) and chlorophyll (Chl) molecules were introduced and used for solar-driven photocatalytic hydrogen production from water under visible light. Also, noble metal-free photocatalyst was successfully constructed on Ti₃C₂T_x nanosheets by simple successive deposition of Chl and BChl, which was used for the photocatalytic splitting water to hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The results show that the optimal BChl@Chl@Ti₃C₂T_x composite has a high HER performance with 114 μmol/h/g_cat, which is much higher than the BChl@Ti₃C₂T_x and Chl@Ti₃C₂T_x composites.     

A Pd/C‐CeO2 Anode Catalyst for High‐Performance Platinum‐Free Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

One of the biggest obstacles to the dissemination of fuel cells is their cost, a large part of which is due to platinum (Pt) electrocatalysts. Complete removal of Pt is a difficult if not impossible task for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEM‐FCs). The anion exchange membrane fuel cell (AEM‐FC) has long been proposed as a solution as non‐Pt metals may be employed. Despite this, few examples of Pt‐free AEM‐FCs have been demonstrated with modest power output. The main obstacle preventing the realization of a high power density Pt‐free AEM‐FC is sluggish hydrogen oxidation (HOR) kinetics of the anode catalyst. Here we describe a Pt‐free AEM‐FC that employs a mixed carbon‐CeO₂ supported palladium (Pd) anode catalyst that exhibits enhanced kinetics for the HOR. AEM‐FC tests run on dry H₂ and pure air show peak power densities of more than 500 mW cm^?2.     

Isolated Electron Trap-Induced Charge Accumulation for Efficient Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production

The solar-driven evolution of hydrogen from water using particulate photocatalysts is considered one of the most economical and promising protocols for achieving a stable supply of renewable energy. However, the efficiency of photocatalytic water splitting is far from satisfactory due to the sluggish electron-hole pair separation kinetics. Herein, isolated Mo atoms in a high oxidation state have been incorporated into the lattice of Cd_0.5Zn_0.5S (CZS@Mo) nanorods, which exhibit photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate of 11.32 mmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹ (226.4 μmol h⁻¹; catalyst dosage 20 mg). Experimental and theoretical simulation results imply that the highly oxidized Mo species lead to mobile-charge imbalances in CZS and induce the directional photogenerated electrons transfer, resulting in effectively inhibited electron-hole recombination and greatly enhanced photocatalytic efficiency.     

Synthesis of carbon nitride hollow microspheres with highly hierarchical porosity templated by poly (ionic liquid) for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Hydrogen, as a sustainable and clean energy, has been considered as a promising candidate to replace fossil fuels. And it is meaningful to fabricate the photocatalysts to drive photocatalytic water splitting leading to hydrogen production. Herein, a facile approach was developed by the means of the template effect of poly (ionic liquid) and self-assembly of cyanuric acid and melamine through hydrogen bonds, to obtain carbon nitride hollow microspheres with highly hierarchical porosity. The influence of poly (ionic liquid) concentration on the structure and photocatalytic activity of as-prepared carbon nitride was investigated. The optimized carbon nitride hollow microspheres possessed the multiple porous channels and improved surface area (71 m²/g) due to the decomposition of poly (ionic liquid) and cyanuric acid-melamine supramolecular aggregates. Moreover, the as-prepared carbon nitride hollow microspheres exhibited a remarkable catalytic activity in the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction under visible light irradiation. Especially, the sample CN-0.02 exhibits the highest hydrogen evolution rate (90.1 μmol h⁻¹). The outstanding photocatalytic activity is attributed to the high specific surface area, broad light absorption range and fast separation rate of photogenerated electron–hole pairs. This novel method opens up a new way toward the development of highly-active photocatalysts for water splitting.     

Strong-Base-Assisted Synthesis of a Crystalline Covalent Triazine Framework with High Hydrophilicity via Benzylamine Monomer for Photocatalytic Water Splitting

Methods to synthesize crystalline covalent triazine frameworks (CTFs) are limited and little attention has been paid to development of hydrophilic CTFs and photocatalytic overall water splitting. A route to synthesize crystalline and hydrophilic CTF-HUST-A1 with a benzylamine-functionalized monomer is presented. The base reagent used plays an important role in the enhancement of crystallinity and hydrophilicity. CTF-HUST-A1 exhibits good crystallinity, excellent hydrophilicity, and excellent photocatalytic activity in sacrificial photocatalytic hydrogen evolution (hydrogen evolution rate up to 9200 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹). Photocatalytic overall water splitting is achieved by depositing dual co-catalysts in CTF-HUST-A1, with H₂ evolution and O₂ evolution rates of 25.4 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹ and 12.9 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹ in pure water without using sacrificial agent.     

Emerging materials for plasmon-assisted photoelectrochemical water splitting

Energy production and environmental pollution are the two major problems the world is facing today. The depletion of fossil fuels and the emission of harmful gases into the atmosphere leads to the research on clean and renewable energy sources. In this context, hydrogen is considered an ideal fuel to meet global energy needs. Presently, hydrogen is produced from fossil fuels. However, the most desirable way is from clean and renewable energy sources, like water and sunlight. Sunlight is an abundant energy source for energy harvesting and utilization. Recent studies reveal that photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting has promise for solar to hydrogen (STH) conversion over the widely tested photocatalytic approach since hydrogen and oxygen gases can be quantified easily in PEC. For designing light-absorbing materials, semiconductors are the primary choice that undergoes excitation upon solar light irradiation to produce excitons (electron-hole pairs) to drive the electrolysis. Visible light active semiconductors are attractive to achieve high solar to chemical fuel conversion. However, pure semiconductor materials are far from practical applications because of charge carrier recombination, poor light-harvesting, and electrode degradation. Various heteronanostructures by the integration of metal plasmons overcome these issues. The incorporation of metal plasmons gained significance for improving the PEC water splitting performance. This review summarizes the possible main mechanisms such as plasmon-induced resonance energy transfer (PIRET), hot electron injection (HEI), and light scatting/trapping. It also deliberates the rational design of plasmonic structures for PEC water splitting. Furthermore, this review highlights the advantages of plasmonic metal-supported photoelectrodes for PEC water splitting.     

Noble‐Metal‐Free Janus‐like Structures by Cation Exchange for Z‐Scheme Photocatalytic Water Splitting under Broadband Light Irradiation

Z‐scheme water splitting is a promising approach based on high‐performance photocatalysis by harvesting broadband solar energy. Its efficiency depends on the well‐defined interfaces between two semiconductors for the charge kinetics and their exposed surfaces for chemical reactions. Herein, we report a facile cation‐exchange approach to obtain compounds with both properties without the need for noble metals by forming Janus‐like structures consisting of γ‐MnS and Cu₇S₄ with high‐quality interfaces. The Janus‐like γ‐MnS/Cu₇S₄ structures displayed dramatically enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen production rates of up to 718 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹ under full‐spectrum irradiation. Upon further integration with an MnO_x oxygen‐evolution cocatalyst, overall water splitting was accomplished with the Janus structures. This work provides insight into the surface and interface design of hybrid photocatalysts, and offers a noble‐metal‐free approach to broadband photocatalytic hydrogen production.     

高分散Co0.2Ni1.6Fe0.2P助催化剂改性P掺杂g-C3N4纳米片高效光催化析氢的研究

随着化石燃料使用的增加和温室气体排放量持续上升,20世纪以来气温上升得更快。开发环境友好型能源取代传统化石燃料是当务之急。氢能源作为一种清洁、高效的能源,被认为是最有希望取代传统化石燃料的能源。光催化水分解水产氢作为为一种环保型技术被认为是最有前景的氢能生产方法。提高光生电子-空穴对分离效率是构建高效光催化剂的关键。然而,利用高度分散的助催化剂构建高效、稳定的产氢光催化剂仍然是一个挑战。本文首次成功地采用一步原位高温磷化法制备了高度分散的非贵金属三金属过度金属磷化Co_0.2Ni_1.6Fe_0.2P助催化剂(PCNS-CoNiFeP)掺杂P的石墨相氮化碳纳米片(PCNS)。有趣的是,PCNS-CoNiFeP与传统氢氧前驱体磷化法制备的CoNiFeP相比,没有聚集性,分散性高。X射线衍射(XRD)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、元素映射图像和高分辨率透射电镜(HRTEM)结果表明,PCNS-CoNiFeP已成功合成。紫外-可见吸收光谱结果表明,PCNS-CoNiFeP在200–800 nm波长范围内较PCNS略有增加。光致发光光谱、电化学阻抗谱(EIS)和光电流分析结果表明,CoNiFeP助催化剂能有效促进光生电子-空穴对的分离,加速载流子的迁移。线性扫描伏安法(LSV)结果还表明,负载CoNiFeP助催化剂可大大降低CNS的过电位。结果表明,以三乙醇胺溶液为牺牲剂的PCNS-CoNiFeP最大产氢速率为1200 μmol·h^-1·g^-1,是纯CNS-Pt (320 μmol·h^-1·g^-1)的4倍。在420 nm处的表观量子效率为1.4%。PCNS-CoNiFeP在光催化反应中也表现出良好的稳定性。透射电镜结果表明,6–8 nm的CoNiFeP高度分散在PCNS表面。高度分散的CoNiFeP比聚集的CoNiFeP具有更好的电荷分离能力和更高的电催化析氢活性。由此可见,聚合的CoNiFeP-PCNs (300 μmol·h^-1·g^-1)的产氢速率远低于PCNS-CoNiFeP。此外,CNS的P掺杂可以改善其电导率和电荷传输。     

Strong‐Base‐Assisted Synthesis of a Crystalline Covalent Triazine Framework with High Hydrophilicity via Benzylamine Monomer for Photocatalytic Water Splitting

Methods to synthesize crystalline covalent triazine frameworks (CTFs) are limited and little attention has been paid to development of hydrophilic CTFs and photocatalytic overall water splitting. A route to synthesize crystalline and hydrophilic CTF‐HUST‐A1 with a benzylamine‐functionalized monomer is presented. The base reagent used plays an important role in the enhancement of crystallinity and hydrophilicity. CTF‐HUST‐A1 exhibits good crystallinity, excellent hydrophilicity, and excellent photocatalytic activity in sacrificial photocatalytic hydrogen evolution (hydrogen evolution rate up to 9200 μmol g^?1 h^?1). Photocatalytic overall water splitting is achieved by depositing dual co‐catalysts in CTF‐HUST‐A1, with H₂ evolution and O₂ evolution rates of 25.4 μmol g^?1 h^?1 and 12.9 μmol g^?1 h^?1 in pure water without using sacrificial agent.     

Efficient One-Pot Microwave-Assisted Hydrothermal Synthesis of Nitrogen-Doped TiO2 for Hydrogen Production by Photocatalytic Water Splitting

Develop a photocatalyst system for solar energy conversion to electric energy or chemical energy is a topic of great interest for fundamental and practical importance. In this study, nitrogen-doped TiO₂ with high hydrogen production by photocatalytic water splitting were prepared by microwave-assisted hydrothermal method using titanium sulfate as precursor in the presence of urea. The nitrogen doped TiO₂ prepared in this study was pure anatase phase with a high surface area (372?m²?g^?1) and showed a very high hydrogen evolution rate of water splitting reaction under UV light irradiation (4,386?μmol?g^?1?h^?1) and visible light irradiation (185?μmol?g^?1?h^?1) which was about 15?times higher than commercial TiO₂ (Degussa P25).     

Promotion of photocatalytic steam reforming of methane over Ag~0/Ag~+-SrTiO_3

Methane(CH_4) is not only used as a fuel but also as a promising clean energy source for hydrogen generation.The steam reforming of CH4(SRM) using photocatalysts can realize the production of syngas(CO+H_2) with low energy consumption.In this work,Ag~0/Ag~+-loaded SrTi03 nanocomposites were successfully prepared through a photodeposition method.When the loading amount of Ag is 0.5 mol%,the atom ratio of Ag~+ to Ag~0 was found to be 51:49.In this case,a synergistic effect of Ago and Ag~+ was observed,in which Ago was proposed to improve the adsorption of H_2 O to produce hydroxyl radicals and enhance the utilization of light energy as well as the separation of charge carriers.Meanwhile,Ag~0 was regarded as the reduction reaction site with the function of an electron trapping agent.In addition,Ag~+adsorbed the CH4 molecules and acted as the oxidation reaction sites in the process of photocatalytic SRM to further promote electron-hole separation.As a result,0.5 mol% Ag-SrTi03 exhibited enhancement of photocatalytic activity for SRM with the highest CO production rate of 4.3 μmol g~(-1) h~(-1),which is ca.5 times higher than that of pure SrTi03.This work provides a facile route to fabricate nanocomposite with cocatalyst featuring different functions in promoting photocatalytic activity for SRM.     

Splitting water with cobalt

The future of energy supply depends on innovative breakthroughs regarding the design of cheap, sustainable, and efficient systems for the conversion and storage of renewable energy sources, such as solar energy. The production of hydrogen, a fuel with remarkable properties, through sunlight-driven water splitting appears to be a promising and appealing solution. While the active sites of enzymes involved in the overall water-splitting process in natural systems, namely hydrogenases and photosystem II, use iron, nickel, and manganese ions, cobalt has emerged in the past five years as the most versatile non-noble metal for the development of synthetic H(2)- and O(2)-evolving catalysts. Such catalysts can be further coupled with photosensitizers to generate photocatalytic systems for light-induced hydrogen evolution from water.     

溴染料敏化担载Pt石墨烯催化可见光制氢、氘和氦

3He是理想的核聚变燃料,但是地球上3He的储量十分有限,大约只有500 kg.我们报道了在可见光光照条件下,溴染料敏化担载Pt石墨烯催化水还原为氢气过程中伴生少量氘和氦的实验现象.结果表明在温和条件下自水中的质子生产氘和氦的是可能的.     

N,P‐Codoped Carbon Networks as Efficient Metal‐free Bifunctional Catalysts for Oxygen Reduction and Hydrogen Evolution Reactions

The high cost and scarcity of noble metal catalysts, such as Pt, have hindered the hydrogen production from electrochemical water splitting, the oxygen reduction in fuel cells and batteries. Herein, we developed a simple template‐free approach to three‐dimensional porous carbon networks codoped with nitrogen and phosphorus by pyrolysis of a supermolecular aggregate of self‐assembled melamine, phytic acid, and graphene oxide (MPSA/GO). The pyrolyzed MPSA/GO acted as the first metal‐free bifunctional catalyst with high activities for both oxygen reduction and hydrogen evolution. Zn–air batteries with the pyrolyzed MPSA/GO air electrode showed a high peak power density (310 W g^?1) and an excellent durability. Thus, the pyrolyzed MPSA/GO is a promising bifunctional catalyst for renewable energy technologies, particularly regenerative fuel cells.     

Optimizing electronic structure and charge transport of sulfur/potassium co‐doped graphitic carbon nitride with efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution performance

Recently, graphitic carbon nitride (CN) has been widely investigated for solar energy conversion through water splitting, but its low photocatalytic activity needs to be further improved and optimized. Herein, S/K co‐doped CN photocatalysts have been fabricated by condensation of thiourea and dithiooxamide followed by post‐treatment in molten salt. As evidenced by XRD patterns and UV–vis DRS plots, the engineering crystalline and electronic structure of all as‐prepared samples have been explored through tailoring the mass ratio of thiourea and dithiooxamide as well as ratio of molten salt/the precursor. After optimization, the as‐prepared S/K co‐doped CN photocatalysts with needle‐like nanorods structure exhibit excellent hydrogen evolution rate of 1962.10 μmol^?1 g^?1 h^?1. While its photocatalytic activity is lower than that of pure CN by molten salt treatment (K‐doped CN) (2066.40 μmol^?1 g^?1 h^?1), which results from that the K content of S/K co‐doped CN photocatalyst is lower than that of K‐doped CN. Moreover, compared with K‐doped CN, S/K co‐doped CN photocatalyst possesses higher photocatalytic performance when irradiated by a light source (λ > 520 nm). This might be ascribed to the fact that the introduction of sulfur can expand light absorption region (λ > 520 nm), whereas K cannot improve light absorption of CN in this wavelength region. Furthermore, DFT calculation reveals that both S and K atoms can offer more electrons to band gap, leading to the formation of metallic‐character band structure. In addition, K atom can intercalate in the interlayer of CN and bridge the adjacent two layers, leading to the formation of charge delivery channels. These results demonstrate that S/K co‐doped CN photocatalysts facilitate the separation and transport of photogenerated charge carries, resulting in the efficient photocatalytic activity for hydrogen evolution. Besides, a competition between sulfur and potassium atom during the synthesis process is also discussed in details.