Nickel (II) tetrapyridyl complexes as electrocatalysts and precatalysts for water oxidation

Two nickel complexes, [Ni(tpen)](ClO₄)₂.0.5CH₃COCH₃ ( 1 ) and [Ni(tpbn)](ClO₄)₂ ( 2 ), of tetrapyridyl ligands N,N,N′,N′-tetrakis(2-pyridyl-methyl)-1,2-ethanediamine (tpen) and N,N,N′,N′-tetrakis(2-pyridyl-methyl)-1,4-butanediamine (tpbn) were prepared and their catalysis for water oxidation reaction (WOR) studied. In 0.1 M phosphate buffer solution (PBS) of pH 8.0, complex 1 is a homogeneous molecular catalyst with an overpotential of ~440 mV and a Faradaic efficiency of 89%. At pH ≥ 9.0, complex 1 degraded gradually during the catalytic process and formed NiO_x composite (nickel oxide with general formula Ni_xO_yH_z) active for WOR. In contrast, complex 2 deteriorated under measured conditions (pH 8.0–12.0) and formed NiO_x composite active for WOR. The NiO_x composite derived from 1 in 0.1 M PBS at pH 11.0 showed an activity with an overpotential of ~500 mV, a Tafel slope of ~90 mV/decade and a Faradaic efficiency of 97%. Mechanisms were proposed for water oxidation catalyzed by 1 and 2 . This work revealed that the catalytic activity of the nickel complexes was related to the flexibility of the tetrapyridyl ligands and the adaptability of the coordination sphere of the nickel(II) center.     

Electrocatalytic Oxidation of Ethanol on the Surface of Graphene Based Nanocomposites: An Introduction and Review to it in Recent Studies

This review gives an overview of the electrochemical investigations about the properties of various types of graphene composites in the ethanol oxidation. Various routes to provide appropriate graphene‐based materials required electrochemical techniques for investigation of different types of the materials as well as their performance and efficacy in ethanol oxidation are discussed in detail. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the incorporation of suitable materials, e. g. noble metals (graphene‐supported binary and ternary metal nanoparticles), metal oxides, conductive polymer, etc, with graphene results in excellent electrocatalytic activity, superb durability and selectivity in ethanol oxidation. Immobilization of electrocatalytically active NPs on graphene supports using physical approaches is considered as an effective route to prepare direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC) anode catalysts.     

A Mechanistic Dichotomy in Two-Electron Reduction of Dioxygen Catalyzed by N,N’-Dimethylated Porphyrin Isomers

Selective two-electron reduction of dioxygen (O₂) to hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) has been achieved by two saddle-distorted N,N’-dimethylated porphyrin isomers, an N21,N’22-dimethylated porphyrin ( anti -Me₂P ) and an N21,N’23-dimethylated porphyrin ( syn -Me₂P ) as catalysts and ferrocene derivatives as electron donors in the presence of protic acids in acetonitrile. The higher catalytic performance in an oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) was achieved by anti -Me₂P with higher turnover number (TON=250 for 30 min) than that by syn -Me₂P (TON=218 for 60 min). The reactive intermediates in the catalytic ORR were confirmed to be the corresponding isophlorins ( anti -Me₂Iph or syn -Me₂Iph ) by spectroscopic measurements. The rate-determining step in the catalytic ORRs was concluded to be proton-coupled electron-transfer reduction of O₂ with isophlorins based on kinetic analysis. The ORR rate by anti -Me₂Iph was accelerated by external protons, judging from the dependence of the observed initial rates on acid concentrations. In contrast, no acceleration of the ORR rate with syn -Me₂Iph by external protons was observed. The different mechanisms in the O₂ reduction by the two isomers should be derived from that of the arrangement of hydrogen bonding of a O₂ with inner NH protons of the isophlorins.     

碳模板诱导生长Fe-Nx活性位点

能源危机和环境恶化是当今社会面临的巨大挑战. 燃料电池作为一种高效、清洁的发电装置,受到了社会各界特别是新能源行业的高度关注. 尤其是, 日本丰田推出Mirai燃料电池汽车量产上市计划, 把燃料电池及其关键技术发展推向了一个新的发展纪元. 然而, 制约燃料电池走向大规模商业化的核心问题依然是其综合性能不具竞争力. 其中, 氧电极的缓慢动力学以及贵金属Pt的有限资源、高昂成本等是关键所在, 因此, 亟待实现高性能非贵金属催化剂的突破.近年来, 大量研究表明, Fe-Nx掺杂的碳催化剂具有极大的代Pt潜力, 研究者们尝试各种手段进行开发,如: 调控Fe化合物及N前驱体的类型与添加量, 改变温度、压力等合成条件, 采用轴向配位体连接、共价接枝、球磨等非热解路线, 构建核壳、有序介孔碳、阵列、类石墨烯薄片、多孔碳等碳纳米结构, 制备石墨烯/碳纳米管、石墨烯/碳黑、碳纳米带/碳纳米管、碳纳米颗粒/碳纤维、碳球/碳纳米管/石墨烯等复合材料, 进行酸洗、造孔、二次加热等后处理, 调控不同类型Fe物种相生成等. 此外, EXAFS及M?ssbauer等谱学技术已经证实Fe-Nx特别是Fe-N4为强活性位点. 因此, 有待提出合理策略以促进非贵金属碳催化剂中Fe-Nx强活性位点的高密度掺杂.本文提出了一种碳模板诱导Fe-Nx活性位点生长的方法即通过高温热解含有Fe盐的三聚氰胺前驱体混合物, 成功制备 了Fe-Nx掺杂的碳催化剂, 并结合多种表征技术证实了碳模板对制备碳催化剂结构组成及电化学性能的影响. 形貌结果说明, 碳模板的引入有利于Fe、N化合物的均匀吸附以至于Fe基纳米颗粒的均一成核, 促使竹状碳纳米管在碳模板表面以及中间均一生长; 氮气吸脱附及孔径分布曲线显示, 引入碳模板形成的复合材料较单一的碳纳米管和碳黑材料具有提高的比表面积和总孔体积, 说明复合材料中存在两种单体的有效协同; M?ssbauer、XPS及XRD测试数据证实, 碳模板可以调控Fe、N两种元素的耦合方式, 能够抑制金属Fe和Fe碳化物等非活性Fe物种的生成、诱导Fe-N4和其它Fe氮化物等强活性Fe-Nx物种的生长. 电化学测试数据表明, 复合材料具有提升的面积活性和质量活性, 且TOF值明显提高, 说明碳模板的引入增强了Fe-Nx位点的本征活性; 此外, 复合材料的氧还原过程为高效的4e-途径, 且较商业Pt/C催化剂表现出了优异的循环稳定性和甲醇耐受性.     

中空石墨碳材料作为电催化剂载体在直接乙醇燃料电池中的应用

以间苯二酚、苯酚与甲醛为前体,合成了一种中空石墨碳材料(hollow graphitic carbon,HGC).透射电镜(TEM)、N2吸附-脱附和Raman光谱测试结果表明,所制备的HGC为中孔结构,平均孔径为36nm.与商品Vulcan XC-72R相比,HGC中孔结构丰富,石墨化程度高.分别以HGC和XC-72R为载体制备了总金属载量为45%的PtSn/C电催化剂,X射线衍射和TEM结果表明这两个样品的平均粒径和晶格常数相近.单池性能测试表明,以45%PtSn/HGC为阳极催化剂的直接乙醇燃料电池的最大功率密度达到了62mW/cm2,与PtSn/XC-72R的54mW/cm2相比提高了近15%.     

Facile synthesis of ordered mesoporous molybdenum carbide electrocatalysts for high-performance hydrogen evolution reaction

In this study, a simple method was designed to prepare ordered mesoporous carbons embedded with molybdenum without any extreme conditions. We prepared three different ordered molybdenum carbide materials with mesoporous structures to explore the influence of the structure of molybdenum-based materials on the HER catalytic efficiency. The ordered mesoporous molybdenum carbide catalysts (CMK-3-MoCx, fCMK-3-MoCx, CMK-8-MoCx) were characterized by SEM, TEM, XRD, nitrogen adsorption-desorption and XPS. The HER is catalyzed efficiently on the three electrocatalysts, fCMK-3-MoCx shows the best HER electro-catalytic performance with a small onset potential of −0.06 V vs. RHE, a low tafel slope of 66 mV dec⁻¹ and a small over-potential value of 89 mV at 10 mA cm⁻². This excellent performance on HER is due to its high specific surface area and highly ordered mesoporous structure that resulted in excellent proton transport efficiency and high electron transfer rate. Our results provide a new research direction for the application of flat ordered mesoporous structures in catalysis.     

Singlet Oxygen Induced Site-Specific Etching Boosts Nitrogen-Carbon Sites for High-Efficiency Oxygen Reduction

Targeted construction of carbon defects near the N dopants is an intriguing but challenging way to boost the electrocatalytic activity of N-doped carbon toward oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Here, we report a novel site-specific etching strategy that features targeted anchoring of singlet oxygen (¹O₂) on the N-adjacent atoms to directionally construct topological carbon defects neighboring the N dopants in N-doped carbon (¹O₂−N/C). This ¹O₂−N/C exhibits the highest ORR half-wave potential of 0.915 V_RHE among all the reported metal-free carbon catalysts. Pyridinic-N bonded with a carbon pentagon of the neighboring topological carbon defects is identified as the primary active configuration, rendering enhanced adsorption of O₂, optimized adsorption energy of the ORR intermediates, and a significantly decreased total energy barrier for ORR. This ¹O₂-induced site-specific etching strategy is also applicable to different precursors, showing a tremendous potential for targeted construction of high-efficiency active sites in carbon-based materials.     

Atomically Dispersed Iron Regulating Electronic Structure of Iron Atom Clusters for Electrocatalytic H2O2 Production and Biomass Upgrading

The integration of highly active single atoms (SAs) and atom clusters (ACs) into an electrocatalyst is critically important for high-efficiency two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (2e⁻ ORR) to hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). Here we report a tandem impregnation-pyrolysis-etching strategy to fabricate the oxygen-coordinated Fe SAs and ACs anchored on bacterial cellulose-derived carbon (BCC) (FeSAs/ACs-BCC). As the electrocatalyst, FeSAs/ACs-BCC exhibits superior electrocatalytic activity and selectivity toward 2e⁻ ORR, affording an onset potential of 0.78 V (vs. RHE) and a high H₂O₂ selectivity of 96.5 % in 0.1 M KOH. In a flow cell reactor, the FeSAs/ACs-BCC also achieves high-efficiency H₂O₂ production with a yield rate of 12.51±0.18 mol g_cat⁻¹ h⁻¹ and a faradaic efficiency of 89.4 %±1.3 % at 150 mA cm⁻². Additionally, the feasibility of coupling the produced H₂O₂ and electro-Fenton process for the valorization of ethylene glycol was explored in detail. The theoretical calculations uncover that the oxygen-coordinated Fe SAs effectively regulate the electronic structure of Fe ACs which are the 2e⁻ ORR active sites, resulting in the optimal binding strength of *OOH intermediate for high-efficiency H₂O₂ production.     

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.     

对电极材料对非贵金属电催化剂耐久性评价的影响

质子交换膜燃料电池(PEMFCs)环境友好,具有高的能量转换效率,已受到了广泛的关注.目前,铂基电催化剂广泛使用在 PEMFCs中,但铂的储量有限,活性低,耐久性差,成本高,急需开发高性能的非贵金属电催化剂替代铂基电催化剂.非贵金属电催化剂的电化学表征基本上都沿用了铂基电催化剂的评价体系和方法,不一定适用于非贵金属电催化剂的表征.
　　本文选用铂和石墨为对电极考察其对非贵金属电催化剂在酸性电解质中耐久性测试的影响.当使用铂对电极时,商业 Pt/C电催化剂的氧还原(ORR)活性随着耐久性测试圈数的增加而降低,而非贵金属电催化剂的氧还原活性在耐久性测试过程中的变化规律与商业 Pt/C不同,呈现先降低,后升高的规律.耐久性测试前后的透射电镜(TEM)分析表明非贵金属电催化剂经过耐久性测试后,在电催化剂表面生长了铂纳米颗粒.高分辨透射电镜(HRTEM)和能量色散 X射线光谱(EDX)进一步证明以铂为对电极的三电极体系,在进行非贵金属电催化剂耐久性测试的过程中,非贵金属电催化剂表面生长了铂纳米颗粒,使得非贵金属电催化剂的 ORR活性在耐久性测试后得到显著提高.耐久性测试前后,非贵金属电催化剂氧还原过程的电子转移数由3.7变为4.0,再次证明了耐久性测试过程中铂颗粒的生成.在三电极电化学体系中,当工作电极发生阴极反应时,对电极为阳极反应,反之亦然,即在工作电极上发生的任何电化学过程,都会在对电极上完成相反的电化学过程.在循环电位扫描过程中,当铂对电极的电压高于1.0 V (vs RHE)时,开始发生铂的溶解现象,并且当电压高于1.2 V (vs RHE)时,铂的溶解量会急剧增加,部分溶解的铂会扩散到工作电极附近,并在工作电极的非贵金属电催化剂表面发生沉积作用.随着扫描圈数的增加,沉积的铂纳米颗粒的数量增加,颗粒变大,从而使非贵金属电催化剂的表观 ORR活性显著提高.该现象使得非贵金属电催化剂在酸性电解质中无法表现出其真实的耐久性.当选用石墨棒为对电极材料时,非贵金属电催化剂在酸性电解质中的 ORR活性不会受到对电极材料的影响.
　　通过考察对电极材料对非贵金属电催化剂在酸性电解质中耐久性能的影响,可以得出结论,即对非贵金属电催化剂在酸性电解质中的耐久性测试中,不宜使用铂对电极,应该使用石墨为对电极材料,以防止对电极材料干扰耐久性测试.