Revealing the Effect of Surface Composition on Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes Supported Pt-Fe Alloy Electrocatalysts for Methanol Oxidation Performance

The designs of efficient and inexpensive Pt-based catalysts for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) are essential to boost the commercialization of direct methanol fuel cells. Here, the highly catalytic performance PtFe alloys supported on multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) decorating nitrogen-doped carbon (NC) have been successfully prepared via co-engineering of the surface composition and electronic structure. The Pt₁Fe₃@NC/MWCNTs catalyst with moderate Fe³⁺ feeding content (0.86 mA/mg_Pt) exhibits 2.26-fold enhancement in MOR mass activity compared to pristine Pt/C catalyst (0.38 mA/mg_Pt). Furthermore, the CO oxidation initial potential of Pt₁Fe₃@NC/MWCNTs catalyst is lower relative to Pt/C catalyst (0.71 V and 0.80 V). Benefited from the optimal surface compositions, the anti-corrosion ability of MWCNT, strong electron interaction between PtFe alloys and MWCNTs and the N-doped carbon (NC) layer, the Pt₁Fe₃@NC/MWCNTs catalyst presents an improved MOR performance and anti-CO poisoning ability. This study would open up new perspective for designing efficient electrocatalysts for the DMFCs field.     

An Electrochemical Way to Generate Amphiphiles from Hydrazones for the Synthesis of 1,2,4-Triazole Scaffold Cyclic Compounds

An electro-oxidative cyclization pathway in which hydrazones are selected as starting materials to generate amphiphiles by reacting with benzylamines and benzamides was reported. This strategy successfully prepared a series of 1,2,4-triazoles in satisfactory yields. Moreover, the use of cheap stainless steel as the anode, the feasibility to conduct the transformation as a one-pot reaction and the proof that scaling-up these reactions is possible make this transformation attractive for potential application in industry.     

基于硅基硼掺金刚石电极的电化学-原位核磁共振波谱电解池的设计、制备与可行性研究

电化学与核磁共振波谱联用技术（EC-NMR）可以实时监测电化学反应过程,从分子水平阐释反应机理,是一种非常有前景的无损在线检测技术。本文首次报道以硅基硼掺金刚石（Si/BDD）作为工作电极的原位EC-NMR三电极单室电解池的设计和制作。研究表明,由于尺寸12.5 mm × 1.2 mm × 0.5 mm的Si/BDD电极在核磁检测区的体积较小且电极材料厚度较薄,因此该电极对射频场的阻碍较小,对磁场均匀性破坏也相应较小。运用自制的EC-NMR电解池并以经典的对苯二酚（QH ₂）电氧化生成对苯二醌（Q）作为模型体系,原位研究了该电化学反应的整个动态过程。在1.2 V恒电位下电解0.1 mol·L^-1 QH₂ 64分钟,监测到位于6.83 ppm处的Q特征峰逐渐生成,反应过程中核磁谱峰未发生裂分或明显的展宽。结果表明,应用本文所设计并制备的原位EC-NMR电解池,可有效对电化学反应物和产物进行定性、定量分析,将可在后续的电化学原位核磁波谱研究中发挥重要作用。     

氧化铁对铂在碱性介质中催化氧化甲醇的促进作用

Pt催化剂是电催化领域用途最为广泛的贵金属催化剂.Pt资源稀缺,价格昂贵,同时它的物理化学特性又决定了其在多种催化反应中难以被替代.在质子交换膜燃料电池的小分子醇类电氧化过程中,难免存在Pt的毒化现象,其催化性能有待进一步提升.因此,围绕着Pt催化剂纳米结构的设计、抗毒性及反应机理的探索一直是电催化研究面临的重要课题.目前,已被广泛认可的提高Pt催化性能的方法之一是引入第二种金属,通过金属间协同效应(双功能机理)、张力效应或电子效应等对Pt的催化行为进行改性.对于由双/多金属组成的纳米结构催化剂,无论是协同效应还是电子效应,催化活性的提高都需要金属间有丰富的接触界面和恰当的邻近状态.通过调变两组元的种类、原子比和接触状态等可以实现对金属-金属界面的调控,进而调变催化剂性能.除金属助剂外,金属氧化物对Pt催化剂的助催化作用也引起广泛关注.由于金属氧化物与Pt之间的密切接触作用,氧化物的形貌特点对Pt的催化性能可产生重要影响.到目前为止,有关催化剂形貌效应的研究主要集中于贵金属纳米颗粒上(Pt,Au,Pd等),但关于金属氧化物载体/助剂的形貌对贵金属催化性能影响的研究尚不多.具有明确形貌的金属氧化物载体/助剂,暴露的晶面不同,表面原子的配位状态也不同,从而造成与之密切接触的Pt的性质发生改变.因此,金属氧化物的表面性质以及Pt-金属氧化物的界面性质将对电催化性能产生重要影响,深入阐释贵金属-金属氧化物的表/界面性质以及建立有效的构效关系,对设计和制备高效电催化剂具有一定的指导意义.为了提高Pt基催化剂活性、抗CO中毒能力以及稳定性,本文采用共沉淀法和水热法分别制备了纳米棒和六边形纳米片状的Fe2O3作为Pt催化剂的助剂,考察了助剂形貌对Pt催化剂在碱性介质中催化氧化甲醇的促进作用.通过X射线衍射、扫描电子显微镜、透射电子显微镜、X射线光电子能谱以及电化学技术对催化剂进行了表征.结果显示,Fe2O3的存在能显著提高Pt催化剂在碱性介质中对甲醇氧化的电催化性能,而且以Fe2O3纳米棒为助剂制备的Pt-Fe2O3/C-R催化剂催化活性以及稳定性比Fe2O3纳米片为助剂制备的Pt-Fe2O3/C-P催化剂更高.这种促进效应可能与助剂Fe2O3的形态有关.Pt-Fe2O3/C-R催化剂中Pt的质量比活性为5.32 A/mgPt,本征活性为162.7 A/m2Pt,分别是Pt-Fe2O3/C-P催化剂的1.67和2.04倍,是商业PtRu/C样品的4.19和6.16倍.协同效应和电子效应是Pt催化性能提升的主要原因.此外,Pt-Fe2O3/C-R样品中高价态Pt的含量较高,可能也是加速甲醇氧化反应动力学的原因之一.高价态的Pt可能会增强甲醇分子在Pt表面的吸附强度,促进Pt上甲醇氧化反应初始步.这些发现不仅可对甲醇电催化氧化机理有了更深的理解,而且对设计和制备高性能甲醇氧化电催化剂也具有一定的指导意义.     

磷钼酸作为低温碳燃料电池的碳间接电氧化介质

以磷钼酸作为低温下碳间接电氧化的介质构建新型碳燃料电池。通过线性电位扫描和计时电流法研究不同碳材料、不同反应条件、不同反应时间、不同磷钼酸浓度对碳间接电氧化性能的影响。采用循环伏安法研究碳在磷钼酸介质中的间接电氧化机理。研究结果表明,椰壳活性炭的间接电氧化活性要明显高于煤和煤质活性炭。以磷钼酸为介质时,采用光照与升温80oC避光的条件均可以提高碳间接电氧化性能,且提高程度接近。由循环伏安测试分析出磷钼酸中+6价Mo可将碳氧化,且被还原成+5价Mo,随后又在阳极上重新被电氧化回+6价Mo,通过该过程将从碳材料上获得的电子转移到阳极上,从而实现碳在低温条件下的间接电氧化过程。并且通过对光照条件的分析,证实光对磷钼酸催化碳电氧化反应有两方面的促进作用:一方面光的热效应使反应温度升高,从而提高反应速率;另一方面磷钼酸利用其特有结构吸收光能,提高磷钼酸与碳的反应速率,且后者促进作用更明显。以VO2+/VO2+为阴极构建的碳燃料电池全电池室温下功率是0.087m W?cm-2,验证了碳燃料电池在常温条件下运行的可行性。     

Blocking the defect sites on ultrathin Pt nanowires with Rh atoms to optimize the reaction path toward alcohol fuel oxidation

Anodic electrocatalyst plays the core role in direct alcohol fuel cells (DAFCs), while traditional Pt-catalysts suffer from limited catalytic activity, high over potential and severe CO poisoning. Herein, by selectively depositing Rh atoms on the defective-sites of Pt nanowires (NWs), we developed a new Pt@Rh NW electrocatalyst that exhibited enhanced electrocatalytic performance for both methanol oxidation (MOR) and ethanol oxidation (EOR). Both cyclic voltammetry (CV) and in-situ infrared spectroscopy revealed that the presence of Rh atoms suppressed the generation of poisonous intermediates and completely oxidized alcohols molecule into CO₂. Atomic resolusion spherical aberration corrected high-angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy (CS-HAADF-STEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) mapping analysis revealed that Rh atoms were primarily deposited on the defective sites of Pt NWs. Meanwhile, the presence of Rh atoms also modified the electronic state of Pt atoms and therefore lowered the onset potential for alcohols oxidation potential. This work gives the first clear clue on the role of the defective sites of Pt nanocatalyst poisoning, and propose that selectively blocking these sites with trace amount of Rh is an effective strategy in designing advantageous electrocatalysts.     

Development,validation and application of an HPLC method for phenol electrooxidation products in the presence of chloride

A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was developed and validated to determine phenol and potential intermediates from hydroxylation (hydroquinone, benzoquinone, catechol) and hypochlorination (2-chlorophenol, 3-chlorophenol, 4-chlorophenol, 2,4-dichlorophenol, 2,6-dichlorophenol, 2,3,6-trichlorophenol, 2,4,5-trichlorophenol, 2,4,6-trichlorophenol and pentachlorophenol) pathways during electrooxidation in the presence of chloride. A Hypersil ODS column (150 mm L × 4.6 mm I.D.) was used for the separation. The best separation was achieved when using a time variant gradient between a water mobile phase (with 0.1% formic acid adjusted to pH 3.0 with 0.1 mM sulfuric acid) and an organic phase (90:5:5 by volume mixture of acetonitrile:methanol:acetic acid). The flow rate was 0.8 mL min^?1 and UV absorbance was monitored at 270, 280, 290 and 300 nm, choosing the wavelength of strongest response for each compound. The intra- and inter-day accuracy and precision were tested using five replicates each day on three consecutive days.     

One step NaBH4 reduction of Pt-Ru-Ni catalysts on different types of carbon supports for direct ethanol fuel cells: Synthesis and characterization

The ternary catalyst Pt₇₅Ru₅Ni₂₀ was conducted on various types of carbon supports including functionalized Vulcan XC-72R (f-CB), functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (f-MWCNT), and mesoporous carbon (PC-Zn-succinic) by sodium borohydride chemical reduction method to improve the ethanol electrooxidation reaction (EOR) for direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC). It was found that the particle size of the metals on f-MWCNT was 5.20 nm with good particle dispersion. The alloy formation of ternary catalyst was confirmed by XRD and more clearly described by SEM element mapping, which was relevant to the efficiency of the catalysts. Moreover, the mechanism of ethanol electrooxidation reaction based on the surface reaction was more understanding. The activity and stability for ethanol electrooxidation reaction (EOR) were investigated using cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry, respectively. The highest activity and stability for EOR were observed from Pt₇₅Ru₅Ni₂₀/f-MWCNT due to a good metal-carbon interaction. Ru and Ni presented in Pt-Ru-Ni alloy improved the activity and stability of ternary catalysts for EOR. Moreover, the reduction of Pt content in ternary catalyst led to the catalyst cost deduction in DEFC.     

Electrochemical Oxidation of Phenothiazine Derivatives at Glassy Carbon Electrodes and Their Differential Pulse and Square‐wave Voltammetric Determination in Pharmaceuticals

Abstract

Three 2,10‐disubstituted phenothiazines—chlorpromazine hydrochloride (CPM), thioridazine hydrochloride (TR) and propericiazine (PRC)—were electrochemically studied in various buffer systems at different pH values, using a glassy carbon electrode. The substances were electrochemically oxidized at potential range 0.55–0.75 V. The oxidation was reversible and exhibited diffusion‐controlled process. The mechanism of the oxidation process is discussed. According to the linear relation between peak current and concentration, differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and square wave voltammetry (SWV) methods for quantitative determination of chlorpromazine and propericiazine in 0.1 M HClO₄, and thioridazine in pH 2 phosphate buffer, was applied. Both the repeatability and reproducibility of the methods were also determined for all studied substances. The developed procedures were successfully applied to the determination of chlorpromazine and thioridazine in pharmaceutical dosage forms.     

Well‐Dispersed Pt Cubes on Porous Cu Foam: High‐Performance Catalysts for the Electrochemical Oxidation of Glucose in Neutral Media

The investigation of highly efficient catalysts for the electrochemical oxidation of glucose is the most critical challenge to commercialize nonenzymatic glucose sensors, which display a few attractive superiorities including the sufficient stability of their properties and the desired reproducibility of results over enzyme electrodes. Herein we propose a new and very promising catalyst: Pt cubes well‐dispersed on the porous Cu foam, for the the electrochemical oxidation reaction of glucose in neutral media. The catalyst is fabricated in situ on a homemade screen‐printed carbon electrode (SPCE) substrate through initially synthesizing the three‐dimensional (3D) porous Cu foam using a hydrogen evolution assisted electrodeposition strategy, followed by electrochemically reducing the platinic precursor simply and conveniently. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) proofs demonstrate that Pt cubes, with an average size (the distance of opposite faces) of 185.1 nm, highly dispersed on the macro/nanopore integrated Cu foam support can be reproducibly obtained. The results of electrochemical tests indicate that the cubic Pt‐based catalyst exhibits significant enhancement on the catalytic activity towards the electrooxidation of glucose in the presence of chloride ions, providing a specific activity 6.7 times and a mass activity 5.3 times those of commercial Pt/C catalysts at ?0.4 V (vs. Ag/AgCl). In addition, the proposed catalyst shows excellent stability of performance, with only a 2.8 % loss of electrocatalytic activity after 100 repetitive measurements.