Particle size effects in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis by Co catalyst supported on carbon nanotubes

The effect of Co particle size on the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) activity of carbon nanotube (CNT)-supported Co catalysts was investigated. Microemulsion (using water-to-surfactant molar ratios of 2 to12) and impregnation techniques were used to prepare catalysts with different Co particle sizes. Kinetic studies were performed to understand the effect of Co particle size on catalytic activity. Size-dependent kinetic parameters were developed using a thermodynamic method, to evaluate the structural sensitivity of the CNT-supported Co catalysts. The size-independent FTS reaction rate constant and size-independent adsorption parameter increased with increasing reac-tion temperature. The Polani parameter also depended on catalyst particle size, because of changes in the catalyst surface coverage.     

配体对钯纳米催化剂的形成及其电活性的影响

分别在EDTA,甘氨酸(Gly)和木质素磺酸钠(Ls)存在下,以硼氢化钠为还原剂,将Pd²⁺还原为Pd纳米颗粒并负载在多壁碳纳米管(MWCNT)表面。采用扫描电镜(SEM),透射电镜(TEM)和X射线衍射(XRD)对纳米Pd催化剂的形貌和微结构进行了表征。结果表明:EDTA存在时,所形成的Pd纳米颗粒(Pd-EDTA/MWCNT)的粒径更小,在MWCNT上的分散度更高。采用循环伏安(CV)和计时伏安技术(CA),研究了催化剂在碱性环境中对乙醇的电催化活性。在碱性溶液中对乙醇氧化的电化学研究表明:在Pd-EDTA/MWCNT催化剂上,乙醇氧化反应的起始电位较低,电流密度最大,电子传递阻力较小,反应速率较大,并且对乙醇氧化的电催化活性保持稳定。     

载体材料对单Pd三效催化剂性能及催化活性的影响

采用共沉淀法制备了耐高温高比表面的La₂O₃-Al₂O₃(LA)以及铈含量分别为15%、33%和47%的储氧材料CeO₂-ZrO₂-La₂O₃-Al₂O₃(CZLA)、CeO₂-ZrO₂-La₂O₃+La₂O₃-Al₂O₃(CZL+LA)和CeO₂-ZrO₂-La₂O₃(CZL)₄类载体材料,并用浸渍法制备了整体式Pd/LA、Pd/CZLA、Pd/CZL+LA和Pd/CZL汽油车尾气净化三效催化剂,考察了载体材料对单Pd三效催化剂的影响。采用低温N₂吸附-脱附、H₂-程序升温还原(H₂-TPR)以及X射线光电子能谱(XPS)对载体材料及催化剂进行了表征,并考察了催化剂的空燃比性能和三效催化性能。结果表明,CZLA有效地结合了铈基和铝基载体材料的优点,表现出了优异的织构性能、热稳定性及还原性能。老化前后,其负载的单Pd三效催化剂在低温还原率、表面元素含量及Pd的电子结合能等性能方面表现出了最小的差异。催化剂活性测试结果表明,Pd/CZLA的三效窗口明显较宽,且拥有最低的起燃温度,尤其经1000℃老化处理后,其催化活性最高,C₃H₈、NO_x和CO的起燃温度分别为370、257和223℃。可见,相较于其他3种载体材料,CZLA更适合于负载单Pd三效催化剂,从而满足更高标准的三效催化剂的性能要求。     

Pickering Interfacial Catalysis for Biphasic Systems: From Emulsion Design to Green Reactions

Pickering emulsions are surfactant‐free dispersions of two immiscible fluids that are kinetically stabilized by colloidal particles. For ecological reasons, these systems have undergone a resurgence of interest to mitigate the use of synthetic surfactants and solvents. Moreover, the use of colloidal particles as stabilizers provides emulsions with original properties compared to surfactant‐stabilized emulsions, microemulsions, and micellar systems. Despite these specific advantages, the application of Pickering emulsions to catalysis has been rarely explored. This Minireview describes very recent examples of hybrid and composite amphiphilic materials for the design of interfacial catalysts in Pickering emulsions with special emphasis on their assets and challenges for industrially relevant biphasic reactions in fine chemistry, biofuel upgrading, and depollution.     

Three Dimensionally Ordered Mesoporous Carbon as a Stable,High‐Performance Li–O2 Battery Cathode

Enabled by the reversible conversion between Li₂O₂ and O₂, Li–O₂ batteries promise theoretical gravimetric capacities significantly greater than Li‐ion batteries. The poor cycling performance, however, has greatly hindered the development of this technology. At the heart of the problem is the reactivity exhibited by the carbon cathode support under cell operation conditions. One strategy is to conceal the carbon surface from reactive intermediates. Herein, we show that long cyclability can be achieved on three dimensionally ordered mesoporous (3DOm) carbon by growing a thin layer of FeO_x using atomic layer deposition (ALD). 3DOm carbon distinguishes itself from other carbon materials with well‐defined pore structures, providing a unique material to gain insight into processes key to the operations of Li–O₂ batteries. When decorated with Pd nanoparticle catalysts, the new cathode exhibits a capacity greater than 6000 mAh g_carbon^?1 and cyclability of more than 68 cycles.     

Probing the Coordinative Unsaturation and Local Environment of Ti3+ Sites in an Activated High‐Yield Ziegler–Natta Catalyst

The typical activation of a fourth generation Ziegler–Natta catalyst TiCl₄/MgCl₂/phthalate with triethyl aluminum generates Ti³⁺ centers that are investigated by multi‐frequency continuous wave and pulse EPR methods. Two families of isolated, molecule‐like Ti³⁺ species have been identified. A comparison of the experimentally derived g tensors and ^35,37Cl hyperfine and nuclear‐quadrupole tensors with DFT‐computed values suggests that the dominant EPR‐active Ti³⁺ species is located on MgCl₂(110) surfaces (or equivalent MgCl₂ terminations with tetra‐coordinated Mg). O₂ reactivity tests show that a fraction of these Ti sites is chemically accessible, an important result in view of the search for the true catalyst active site in olefin polymerization.     

NiSe Nanowire Film Supported on Nickel Foam: An Efficient and Stable 3D Bifunctional Electrode for Full Water Splitting

Active and stable electrocatalysts made from earth‐abundant elements are key to water splitting for hydrogen production through electrolysis. The growth of NiSe nanowire film on nickel foam (NiSe/NF) in situ by hydrothermal treatment of NF using NaHSe as Se source is presented. When used as a 3D oxygen evolution electrode, the NiSe/NF exhibits high activity with an overpotential of 270 mV required to achieve 20 mA cm^?2 and strong durability in 1.0 M KOH, and the NiOOH species formed at the NiSe surface serves as the actual catalytic site. The system is also highly efficient for catalyzing the hydrogen evolution reaction in basic media. This bifunctional electrode enables a high‐performance alkaline water electrolyzer with 10 mA cm^?2 at a cell voltage of 1.63 V.     

Dealloyed PtCu catalyst as an efficient electrocatalyst in oxygen reduction reaction

Pt-transition metal alloy catalysts with an active Pt surface have exceptional properties for use in oxygen electro-reduction reactions in fuel cells. Herein, we report the simple synthesis of dealloyed PtCu catalysts and their catalytic performance in oxygen reduction. The dealloyed PtCu catalysts consisted of a Pt-enriched shell with a Pt–Cu alloy core and were synthesized through a chemical co-reduction process followed by thermal annealing and chemical dealloying. During synthesis, thermal annealing leads to a high degree of formation of PtCu alloy particles (e.g., PtCu or PtCu₃), and chemical dealloying causes selective dissolution of unstable Cu species from the surface layers of the PtCu alloy particles, resulting in a PtCu alloy@Pt-enriched surface core–shell configuration. Our PtCu₃/C catalyst exhibits a great improvement in the oxygen reduction reaction with a mass activity of 0.501 A/mg_Pt, which is 2.24 times greater than that of a commercial Pt catalyst. In this article, the synthesis details, characteristics and performance improvements in ORR of chemically dealloyed PtCu catalysts are systemically explained.     

Branched Polymers via ROMP of Termimers

Today's olefin metathesis catalysts show high reactivity, selectivity, and functional group tolerance and allow the design of new syntheses of precisely functionalized polymers. Here the synthesis of a new end‐capping reagent is investigated allowing the introduction of a highly reactive activated ester end‐group at the polymer chain end as well as its prefunctionalization to directly introduce functional moieties. The versatility of this new end‐capping reagent is demonstrated by utilizing it to synthesize a so‐called termimer (a monomer with termination capabilities). Copolymerization of a norbornene derivative with the termimer leads to hyperbranched ring‐opening metathesis polymerization polymers as proven by gel permeation chromatography and MALDI‐ToF‐(matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight) mass spectrometry.

     

Precision Chain‐Walking Polymerization of trans‐4‐Octene Catalyzed by α‐Diimine Nickel(II) Catalysts Bearing ortho‐sec‐Phenethyl Groups

α‐Diimine nickel complexes bearing bulky ortho‐sec‐phenethyl groups (bis{[N,N′‐(4‐methyl‐2,6‐di‐sec‐phenethylphenyl)imino]‐1,2‐dimethylethane}dibromonickel ( 1 ), bis{[N,N′‐(4,6‐dimethyl‐2‐sec‐phenethylphenyl)imino]‐1,2‐dimethylethane}dibromonickel ( 2 ), bis{[N,N′‐(4‐methyl‐2‐sec‐phenethylphenyl)imino]‐1,2‐dimethylethane}dibromonickel ( 3 )) and {bis[N,N′‐(2,4,6‐trimethylphenyl)imino]‐1,2‐dimethylethane}dibromidonickel ( 4 ) are used as a precatalyst for the polymerization of trans‐4‐octene upon activation with modified methylaluminoxane. These catalysts conduct chain‐walking polymerization of trans‐4‐octene to give polymers possessing propyl and butyl branches with high molecular weight and narrow molecular weight distribution. The branching structure depends on the nickel complex as well as the polymerization temperature, and the ratio of propyl branch was increased with increasing the bulkiness of the ligand and decreasing the polymerization temperature. Consequently, the most bulky 1 among the complexes used is found to polymerize trans‐4‐octene with high 1,5‐regioselectivity at −20 °C to give poly(1‐propylpentan‐1,5‐diyl).