Concave Pt-Cu-Fe ternary nanocubes:One-pot synthesis and their electrocatalytic activity of methanol and formic acid oxidation

Concave nanostructures may be developed to improve the specific mass activity of a catalyst for formic acid and methanol electro-oxidation. In this work, we report the elctrocatalytic oxidation of methanol and formic acid in acid medium over concave Pt-Cu-Fe ternary nanocubes (NCs), obtained by the galvanic exchange of Pt and Fe on Cu NCs. The concave Pt-Cu-Fe NCs exhibited improved electrooxidation performance contrasted to Pt-Cu NCs and purchased commercial Pt/C as demonstrated by their improved durability, lower onset potential, and more preferable anti-poisoning properties. These properties are believed to originate from the tailored concave structure of the catalyst and possible synergetic effects among the components of the Pt-Cu-Fe NCs.     

New measurements and analysis of the far-infrared spectrum of CH2DOH in the lowest torsional vibrational state (e0)

In this work the far infrared (FIR) absorption spectrum has been measured for the asymmetrically mono deuterated Methanol (CH₂DOH) species in the wavenumber range of 15–1200 cm⁻¹ better accuracy and signal/noise ratio than known before. Assignments have been made for b-type transitions in the lowest lying torsional vibrational state trans-(e₀) for a wide range of rotational angular momentum. The assignments have been rigorously confirmed by the residual loop defect methods. The ^rR–branch wavenumbers are analyzed by the usual state dependent expansion parameters and the Q-Branch origins. These origins have been used to calculate the torsional and torsional-rotation interaction contributions. These findings are in good agreement with predicted from the Hamiltonian model described in recent publications. A large number of assignments have also been made in the millimeter wave spectrum recorded earlier and thereby evaluated the asymmetry splitting parameters for 4 different axial rotational angular momentum quantum numbers. The analysis and interpretation of the spectra are reported. New assignments for about 260 transitions are included the text and a catalog of about 1500 transitions belonging to the e₀ species is prepared (Appendix 1) and is made available through the open server in “Research Gate” and will be freely available to others.     

A New Polymeric Framework Formed by the Self Assembly of 5,10,15,20-tetra(3-pyridyl)porphyrin,HgI2 And C60

The X-ray structure of H₂T(3-Py)P·HgI₂·C_60, cocrystallized from a chlorobenzene/methanol solvent mixture containing 5,10,15,20- tetra(3-pyridyl)porphyrin, HgI₂ and C₆₀, has been determined. A new two dimensional arrangement of the tetra(3-pyridyl)porphyrin molecules joined by coordination to HgI₂ is formed. These assemblies are connected by close C₆₀-porphyrin π–π interactions leading to the alignment of the porphyrins into linear alternating fullerene porphyrin columns. The structure is compact with no significant cavities.     

A highly selective cobalt-catalyzed carbonylative cyclization of internal alkynes with carbon monoxide and organic thiols

Despite the fact that many transition-metal-catalyzed reactions of organosulfur compounds with internal alkynes are ineffective, cobalt carbonyl (Co₂(CO)₈) is an excellent catalyst for carbonylative cyclization of internal alkynes with carbon monoxide. When Co₂(CO)₈-catalyzed reactions of internal alkynes with organic thiols are conducted in acetonitrile under 4 MPa pressure of carbon monoxide, thiolative lactonization of internal alkynes successfully takes place with incorporation of two molecules of CO. This carbonylation provides a useful tool to prepare the corresponding α,β-unsaturated γ-thio-γ-lactones (butenolide derivatives) in good yields. In the cases of unsymmetrical alkynes, such as 2-octyne and 6-methyl-2-heptyne, the thiolative lactonization proceeds with moderate regioselectivity to give the butenolide derivatives on which the carbonyl group preferentially bonds to the less hindered acetylenic carbon. Mechanistic pathways about the present thiolative lactonization are also discussed.     

以类水滑石为前驱体的Cu/ZnO/Al2O3催化剂用于COx加氢合成甲醇：CO在反应混合物中的作用

近年来,催化CO₂加氢合成甲醇被视为有望解决温室效应和燃料枯竭的有效途径。目前,铜基催化剂因具有较高的反应活性被广泛应用于工业生产。然而,竞争逆水煤气变换反应产生的CO导致甲醇选择性较低,同时副产物水引起Cu发生不可逆烧结,进而降低甲醇产率。众所周知,CO能够调整分子的表面竞争吸附和活性位的氧化还原行为,本工作拟向原料气中掺入具有还原性的CO以抑制逆水煤气变换反应和防止表面氧化中毒。另一方面,通常认为铜基催化的CO₂加氢制甲醇是结构敏感性反应,不同的前驱体能够显著影响催化剂结构和形貌,进而影响催化活性。因此,我们首先通过共沉淀法和蒸氨法制备了含有类水滑石前驱体(CHT-CZA)和复合物前驱体(CNP-CZA)结构的Cu/ZnO/Al₂O₃催化剂。随后,为探究CO掺杂后反应机理,在250 ℃,5 MPa的反应条件下,含有不同比例CO的原料气中(CO₂:CO:H₂:N₂ = x:(24.5 - x):72.5:3)评价两种催化剂对甲醇合成的性能。评价结果显示两种催化剂反应性能趋势相同,随着CO含量增加,CO₂转化率和STY_H2O不断降低,STY_MeOH逐渐增加。X射线光谱(XPS)显示随CO含量增加,催化剂表面还原性Cu比例增加。评价和表征结果说明CO引入抑制了逆水煤气变换反应的发生,通过还原被H₂O氧化的活性Cu表面,促使更多的活性Cu位点暴露参与甲醇合成。另一方面,透射电镜(TEM)显示掺杂的CO会过度还原而引起颗粒团聚,导致催化剂逐渐失活。相比之下,含有水滑石前驱体的催化剂在任何气氛下均表现出更加优越的反应性能和长周期稳定性。这可归因于类水滑石前驱体独特的片层结构通过结构限域作用有效避免了因CO过度还原而导致的金属颗粒团聚,从而减少活性位点损失。     

Selective Oxidation of Methane into Methanol Under Mild Conditions

Selective oxidation of methane to methanol under mild conditions has been considered as a dream reaction but suffers from poor efficiency due to the strong C-H bond of methane and easy overoxidation of the methanol product. For overcoming these problems, a series of strategies has been developed for improving methanol productivity with oxidants of hydrogen peroxide and even a mixture of oxygen and hydrogen at mild temperatures. Significant achievements in these strategies using effective catalysts, such as supported metal nanoparticles, colloidal metal nanoparticles, and metal@zeolites are briefly concluded. Moreover, the current challenges, future perspectives for preparing active, selective, and stable catalysts, have been discussed. The zeolite fixed metal nanoparticle structure has been found to boost the reaction by benefiting the formation and enrichment of peroxide intermediates, which might guide the development of more efficient catalysts.     

Current developments in CO2 hydrogenation towards methanol: A review related to industrial application

Regarding the still increasing CO₂ emissions and the accompanied imminent climate change, utilization of CO₂-containing exhaust gases is one of the major opportunities to lower CO₂ emissions while obtaining valuable products in parallel. Methanol as one of today's key platform chemicals can be industrially produced from these exhaust gases by heterogeneously catalyzed CO₂ hydrogenation. This review elaborates why the Cu/ZnO/Al₂O₃ catalyst is still the most promising candidate to catalyze CO₂ hydrogenation from exhaust gases to reduce CO₂ emissions in the short term. It emphasizes catalyst lifetime and deactivation as well as catalyst poisoning, which are significant factors considering the use of impurity-containing exhaust gases. Besides modifications of the Cu/ZnO system, completely different catalysts are discussed regarding their usability and comparability to the conventional Cu/ZnO/Al₂O₃ catalyst.     

Size-controllable carbon spheres doped Ni (II) for enhancing the catalytic oxidation of methanol

Ni(II)/CSs were prepared using a simple two-step hydrothermal method. The morphology and composition of the catalysts were studied with scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, and X-ray diffraction. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that the surface of the prepared carbon spheres was rich in hydroxyl groups, which was beneficial to remove CO intermediates, and therefore, improving the catalytic efficiency and the antipoisoning ability of the catalysts. The results of cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry showed that the electrocatalytic activity and stability of Ni(II)/CSs were higher than that of unloaded NiAc under alkaline environment. When the nickel content was 5 wt.%, the peak oxidation current density of methanol on Ni(II)/CSs electrocatalyst reached the maximum of 34.54 mA/cm², which was about 1.8 times that of unloaded NiAc. These results indicate that Ni(II)/CSs has potential applications in the electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol.     

Ultrasonic-assisted synthesis of Pd–Pt/carbon nanotubes nanocomposites for enhanced electro-oxidation of ethanol and methanol in alkaline medium

Herein, a facile ultrasonic-assisted strategy was proposed to fabricate the Pd–Pt alloy/multi-walled carbon nanotubes (Pd–Pt/CNTs) nanocomposites. A good number of Pd–Pt alloy nanoparticles with an average of 3.4 ± 0.5 nm were supported on sidewalls of CNTs with uniform distribution. The composition of the Pd–Pt/CNTs nanocomposites could also be easily controlled, which provided a possible approach for the preparation of other architectures with anticipated properties. The Pd–Pt/CNTs nanocomposites were extensively studied by electron microscopy, induced coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and applied for the ethanol and methanol electro-oxidation reaction in alkaline medium. The electrochemical results indicated that the nanocomposites had better electrocatalytic activities and stabilities, showing promising applications for fuel cells.