多金属氧酸盐材料在二氧化碳电催化还原领域中的研究进展

随着工业发展和全球人口的持续增长,人类对化石燃料的消耗日益增加,从而导致大气中二氧化碳含量的显著增加以及与之相伴的一系列环境问题.电化学还原二氧化碳制备高附加值的燃料和化学品具有稳定的效率和较高的经济可行性等特点,目前已成为一种有前景的策略来缓解当前全球面临的能源短缺和气候变暖问题.然而,电催化二氧化碳还原过程存在反应能垒高和复杂的多电子/质子耦合过程等不足,因此,合理有效的电催化剂设计成为该领域的关键问题.近年,理解和明确电化学二氧化碳还原反应过程的活性起源、选择性调控机制和催化反应机理已成为高效电催化剂设计过程中的重要指导原则.作为一类独特的纳米尺度的金属氧簇,多金属氧酸盐(多酸)已成为二氧化碳还原领域的热点材料.尤其是,多酸明确的结构、优越的电子/质子存储转移能力和二氧化碳吸附活化能力有助于探究二氧化碳还原反应过程中的活性起源和构效机制.因此,利用多酸阐明电化学二氧化碳还原反应中的这些关键问题对于开发高效、可实用化的电催化剂意义重大.本文综述了近年多酸在电催化二氧化碳还原反应中取得的进展,重点介绍了多酸阴离子均相分子催化剂、多酸基无机-有机杂化材料催化剂、多酸电解质溶液、多酸-纳米复合材料在电催化二氧化碳还原反应中的应用.利用密度泛函理论结合原位实验证据推测了可能的反应机理,探讨了多酸对电催化活性和产物选择性的影响,揭示了电子/质子存储-转移过程和多酸表面修饰工程在电催化二氧化碳还原过程中的重要作用.最后,本文还分析了多酸基材料存在的问题与面临的挑战,并对多酸基材料在二氧化碳还原领域的未来发展进行了展望,这对理解电催化二氧化碳还原反应中的关键步骤和开发新型高效的电催化二氧化碳还原电催化剂具有启发意义.     

A Non‐Enzymatic Hydrogen Peroxide Sensor Based on Gold Nanoparticles/Carbon Nanotube/Self‐Doped Polyaniline Hollow Spheres

In this study, a novel non‐enzymatic hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) sensor was fabricated based on gold nanoparticles/carbon nanotube/self‐doped polyaniline (AuNPs/CNTs/SPAN) hollow spheres modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE). SPAN was in‐site polymerized on the surface of SiO₂ template, then AuNPs and CNTs were decorated by electrostatic absorption via poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride). After the SiO₂ cores were removed, hollow AuNPs/CNTs/SPAN spheres were obtained and characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), field‐emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The electrochemical catalytic performance of the hollow AuNPs/CNTs/SPAN/GCE for H₂O₂ detection was evaluated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry. Using chronoamperometric method at a constant potential of ?0.1 V (vs. SCE), the H₂O₂ sensor displays two linear ranges: one from 5 µM to 0.225 mM with a sensitivity of 499.82 µA mM^?1 cm^?2; another from 0.225 mM to 8.825 mM with a sensitivity of 152.29 µA mM^?1 cm^?2. The detection limit was estimated as 0.4 µM (signal‐to‐noise ratio of 3). The hollow AuNPs/CNTs/SPAN/GCE also demonstrated excellent stability and selectivity against interferences from other electroactive species. The sensor was further applied to determine H₂O₂ in disinfectant real samples.     

过渡金属/氮掺杂石墨的制备及电催化氧还原

用简单的化学方法制备了过渡金属(TM)壳聚糖水杨醛席夫碱配合物,然后以此配合物为金属源和N源、以硝酸预处理石墨为载体,经热处理后制备了过渡金属/氮掺杂石墨催化剂TM-N-C-t(TM=Co,Ni,Cu;t=200,400,600,800,1 000℃).以此催化剂为修饰剂制备了玻碳修饰电极,并用循环伏安法(CV)和旋转圆盘电极(RDE)伏安法研究了催化剂TM-N-C-t的电化学行为和电催化氧还原(ORR)的催化性能,催化剂的组成和结构采用TG,FT-IR,XRD,XPS等技术进行了表征.研究结果表明,催化剂TM-N-C-t对ORR均显示不同程度的催化活性,其中以1 000℃热处理的钴基催化剂Co-N-C-1000的催化活性最好,其活性已接近相同条件下的商用催化剂JM 20%Pt/C,催化活性位主要为Co—N—C.根据扩散控制的不可逆反应的循环伏安行为,计算得到了TM-N-C-t催化剂电催化ORR的动力学参数,并以此提出了氧还原催化反应的机理,在活性最好的催化剂Co-N-C-1000修饰电极上,氧气以4e转移途径被还原为水.     

温度对乙醇电催化氧化的影响

升高温度可以提高反应速率和增加物质的输运,因此通过不同温度下反应机理的研究可以深入理解电催化过程,对催化剂的设计具有指导意义。本工作初步建立了变温原位红外测定方法。采用温控电极,用电势测温法进行温度的校准,实验得出控温仪器加热温度Th与电极表面温度TS的关系为T_S=0.57T_h+7.71 (30°C T_h≤50°C);T_S=0.62T_h+5.12 (50°C T_h≤80°C),误差分析最大温差为1°C。利用该方法我们研究了商业Pt/C催化剂在不同温度下乙醇的电氧化过程。从循环伏安图可以明显看到随着温度的升高整体氧化电流增大,起始电位、峰电位均负移,说明热活化使得氧化反应更容易进行;第一个峰电流与第二个峰电流的比值用于定性评估CO_2的选择性,对比25°C,商业Pt/C催化剂在65°C下第一峰提高30%,说明高温有利于C―C键的断裂。对比25°C的原位红外谱图,我们发现35°C及50°C下商业Pt/C催化剂上CO_2产物的起始电位负移200 m V,说明高温下,Pt/C催化剂能在更低的电位提供含氧物种;而CH_3CHO、CH_3COOH起始电位不随温度变化。用CO_2与CH_3COOH的积分面积比来评估CO_2选择性,发现高温低电位其选择性最高,说明高温低电位有利于乙醇完全氧化生成CO_2,而高温高电位下表面吸附含氧物种占据了活性位,阻碍C―C键断裂。     

钯铂核壳纳米催化剂颗粒中的原子扩散

铂原子单层的核壳结构催化剂因其高效的铂原子利用率和优异铂质量活性而广泛应用于燃料电池领域.在该系列材料中,钯@铂核壳催化剂具有更优于纯铂的氧还原(ORR)催化活性,因而拥有较好的应用前景.但由于钯原子在热力学上更倾向于富集到材料表面,钯@铂核壳催化剂的催化稳定性及原子扩散的途径需要更深入的研究.本文探究了热处理条件对钯@铂核壳结构稳定性的破坏,并确定了原子扩散对催化活性的影响.原位扫描透射电子显微镜-电子能量损失谱(STEM-EELS)证明了在250 oC的氩气氛围中,钯@铂纳米颗粒中原本清晰可见的1–2原子铂壳层已经消失,并伴随着颗粒表面钯铂合金化的形成.因钯金属可以吸收氢气而导致晶格间距的展宽,钯@铂核壳结构的破坏也可以通过氢气氛围中的原位X射线衍射谱中(111)衍射峰的展宽和位移进行判断.对钯@铂核壳纳米催化剂进行一系列温度的热处理结果显示,核壳结构的破坏在200 oC左右开始,并于200–300 oC之间急剧发生.一氧化碳电化学氧化脱附实验表明,热处理之后的核壳催化剂表面的一氧化碳氧化峰位置发生了明显的正移,也证明了热处理之后催化剂表面电子结构的变化.核壳结构改变对催化活性的影响也通过旋转圆盘电极进行了测量.相比于未经处理的样品, 200 oC处理之后的钯@铂核壳催化剂在0.9 V电位处的质量活性损失了约37%.进一步提高热处理温度至300 oC之后,钯@铂核壳催化剂的质量活性只有初始状态的44%.本文揭示核壳结构中因热处理而导致的原子扩散现象,并为燃料电池中核壳催化剂的应用及膜电极的制备工艺条件提供了参考.     

Synthesis,structure and electrocatalytic H2-evoluting activity of a dinickel model complex related to the active site of [NiFe]-hydrogenases

Structural and functional biomimicking of the active site of [NiFe]-hydrogenases can provide helpful hints for designing bioinspired catalysts to replace the expensive noble metal catalysts for H₂ generation and uptake. Treatment of dianion [Ni(phma)]²⁻ [H₄phma = N,N'-1,2-phenylenebis(2-mercaptoacetamide)] with [NiCl₂(dppp)] (dppp = bis(diphenylphosphino)propane) yielded a dinickel product [Ni(phma)(μ-S,S')Ni(dppp)] (1) as the model complex relevant to the active site of [NiFe]-H₂ases. The structure of complex 1 has been characterized by single-crystal X-ray analysis. From cyclic voltammetry and controlled potential electrolysis studies, complex 1 was found to be a moderate electrocatalyst for the H₂-evoluting reaction using ClCH₂COOH as the proton source.     

Recent Progress on 2D Transition Metal Compounds-based Electrocatalysts for Efficient Nitrogen Reduction

Ammonia is a commodity chemical with high added value. Electrochemical reduction of nitrogen has great promise for the sustainable synthesis of ammonia in recent years. Because of its rich resources and unique electronic structure and characteristics, 2D transition metal compounds have been used as electrocatalysts for electrochemical reduction of nitrogen for clean and sustainable production of ammonia. This review outlines the latest development in the use of 2D transition metal compounds as high-efficiency electrocatalysts for nitrogen reduction reaction(NRR). First, we introduce the N₂ reduction mechanism, and briefly summarize the performance indicators of the catalyst. Then, we focused on the functionalization of unique 2D materials to design high-performance 2D electrocatalysts in respect of simulation calculation and experimental development. Finally, the current challenges and future opportunities for NRR electrocatalysts are introduced.     

Recent Progress on Two-dimensional Electrocatalysis

Due to their unique electronic and structural properties triggered by high atomic utilization and easy surface modification, two-dimensional(2D) materials have prodigious potential in electrocatalysis for energy conversion technology in recent years. In this review, we discuss the recent progress on two-dimensional nanomaterials for electrocatalysis. Five categories including metals, transition metal compounds, non-metal, metal-organic framework and other emerging 2D nanomaterials are successively introduced. Finally, the challenges and future development directions of 2D materials for electrocatalysis are also prospected. We hope this review may be helpful for guiding the design and application of 2D nanomaterials in energy conversion technologies.     

Recent advances in surface x-ray diffraction and the potential for determining structure-sensitivity relations in single-crystal electrocatalysis

Determining how electrode structure governs the performance of an electrocatalyst requires techniques capable of probing structure at the atomic scale, often in situ and operando. In recent years, there have been numerous advances in the main experimental techniques for determining the structure of the electrochemical interface. In situ/operando synchrotron surface x-ray diffraction measurements are key to investigate the atomic structure of the electrode surfaces as well as understand the structure-reactivity relations in electrocatalysis. Here we discuss some recent improvements that have taken place in surface x-ray diffraction and how we expect them to lead to an enhanced understanding of electrocatalysis.     

Recent strategy(ies) for the electrocatalytic reduction of CO2: Ni single-atom catalysts for the selective electrochemical formation of CO in aqueous electrolytes

To decrease the global carbon footprint concerns and to diminish the energy crisis, electrocatalytic reduction of CO₂ which results in the formulation of value-added chemicals is a potential solution. In this review, single-atom catalysts (SACs) which are rapidly growing and being developed as the stimulating catalytic materials for electrocatalytic reduction of CO₂ with improved selectivity, efficiency, and stability are considered. Various factors which are responsible for the efficient CO₂ reduction are discussed. The pyrolytic approach for the preparation of Ni-based SACs and the maximum atom utilization efficiency for the desirable production of CO from CO₂ are highlighted.