Application of biosynthesized palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs) on Rosa canina fruit extract‐modified graphene oxide as heterogeneous nanocatalyst for cyanation of aryl halides

A green palladium (Pd)‐based catalyst supported on Rosa canina fruit extract‐modified graphene oxide [Pd nanoparticles (NPs)/reduced graphene oxide (RGO)‐Rosa canina] hybrid materials has been used as a recoverable and heterogeneous nanocatalyst for cyanating aryl halides using K₄[Fe (CN)₆] as the resource of cyanide. The nitriles were achieved in good to high yield, and the catalyst can be recovered and reused for up to seven cycles with no remarkable decrease in its catalytic activity.     

Fabrication of magnetically separable palladium–graphene nanocomposite with unique catalytic property of hydrogenation

One step solvothermal route has been developed to prepare a well dispersed magnetically separable palladium–graphene nanocomposite, which can act as a unique catalyst against hydrogenation due to the uniform decoration of palladium nanoparticles throughout the surface of the magnetite–graphene nanocomposite and hence can be reused for several times. In addition to catalytic activity, palladium nanoparticles also facilitate the formation and homogeneous distribution of magnetite (Fe₃O₄) nanoparticles onto the graphene surfaces or else an agglomerated product has been obtained after the solvothermal reduction of graphene oxide in presence of Fe³⁺ alone.     

Recent progress in catalytic NO decomposition

Recent progress in catalytic direct NO decomposition is overviewed, focusing on metal oxide-based catalysts. Since the discovery of the Cu-ZSM-5 catalyst in the early 1990s, various kinds of catalytic materials such as perovskites, C-type cubic rare earth oxides, and alkaline earth based oxides have been reported to effectively catalyze direct NO decomposition. Although the activities of conventional catalysts are poor in the presence of coexisting O₂ and CO₂, some of the catalysts reviewed in this article possess significant tolerance toward these coexisting gases. The active sites for direct NO decomposition are different depending on the types of metal oxide-based catalysts. In the case of perovskite type oxides, oxide anion vacancies act as catalytically active sites on which NO molecules are adsorbed. C-type cubic rare earth oxides contain oxide anion vacancies with large cavity space, enabling easy access of NO molecules and their subsequent adsorption. Surface basic sites on alkaline earth based oxides participate in NO decomposition as active sites on which NO molecules are adsorbed as NO₂⁻ species. The reaction mechanisms of direct NO decomposition are also discussed.     

部分还原氧化石墨烯/二氧化钛复合材料的水热合成及其光催化活性

采用水热法以Hummers氧化法制备的氧化石墨和钛酸四丁酯为原料制备了部分还原的氧化石墨烯/二氧化钛(RGO/TiO₂)复合光催化剂, 并研究了该复合材料在可见光以及紫外光下对亚甲基蓝的光催化降解活性.结果表明, 通过改变反应温度和氧化石墨加入量可以调控TiO₂的晶相组成及其在复合材料中的分散性; 在水热反应过程中氧化石墨烯发生了部分还原; 所制备的RGO/TiO₂复合材料的可见光和紫外光催化活性均高于纯TiO₂; 部分还原的氧化石墨烯在复合材料中担当载体和电子受体, 同时可以使TiO₂的初始吸收边向可见光区域红移, 增强了TiO₂在可见光区域的吸收, 能有效提高对目标污染物的吸附性和光催化降解活性.     

Tuning product selectivity in CO2 hydrogenation over metal-based catalysts

Conversion of CO₂ into chemicals is a promising strategy for CO₂ utilization, but its intricate transformation pathways and insufficient product selectivity still pose challenges. Exploiting new catalysts for tuning product selectivity in CO₂ hydrogenation is important to improve the viability of this technology, where reverse water-gas shift (RWGS) and methanation as competitive reactions play key roles in controlling product selectivity in CO₂ hydrogenation. So far, a series of metal-based catalysts with adjustable strong metal–support interactions, metal surface structure, and local environment of active sites have been developed, significantly tuning the product selectivity in CO₂ hydrogenation. Herein, we describe the recent advances in the fundamental understanding of the two reactions in CO₂ hydrogenation, in terms of emerging new catalysts which regulate the catalytic structure and switch reaction pathways, where the strong metal–support interactions, metal surface structure, and local environment of the active sites are particularly discussed. They are expected to enable efficient catalyst design for minimizing the deep hydrogenation and controlling the reaction towards the RWGS reaction. Finally, the potential utilization of these strategies for improving the performance of industrial catalysts is examined.

A series of metal oxide, phosphate, alloy, and carbide-based catalysts for selective CO₂ hydrogenation are summarized, showing their abilities to switch CO₂ methanation to RWGS.     

Mechanism of the Reverse Water–Gas Shift Reaction Catalyzed by Cu<Subscript>12</Subscript>TM Bimetallic Nanocluster: A Density Functional Theory Study

Density functional theory calculations were carried out to investigate Cu₁₂TM (TM = Co, Rh, Ir, Ni, Pd, Pt, Ag, Au) bimetallic metal catalysts for the mechanism of reverse water–gas shift (RWGS) reaction. The three possible reaction pathways relevant to the RWGS reaction are explored, including the CO₂ dissociation, carboxyl, and formate mechanisms. Our results indicate that the RWGS reaction prefers to follow the CO₂ dissociation mechanism on Cu₁₂TM surfaces. A detailed potential energy diagram of the kinetically favored mechanism is presented that shows that the RDS of reaction are the formation of H₂O and carboxyl (HOCO), formate (HCOO) dissociation, respectively. And, Cu₁₂TM (TM = Co, Pt) are lower than other catalysts from the energy barrier of elementary step. Moreover, the catalytic behavior of a Cu₁₂TM cluster is changed significantly due to the modifiers, via the electron transfer from TM to Cu-based cluster, and the activation barrier decreases with doped TM. The turnover frequency of the Cu₁₂Co is the highest value, which thus is more efficiency catalyst to RWGS reaction. To gain insights into the synergistic effect in catalytic activity of the Cu₁₂TM bimetallic cluster, a projected density of states analysis has been performed. Our works will be important for predicting the energetic trends and designing a better catalyst of RWGS reaction.     

MoS2/WS2‐Graphene Composites through Thermal Decomposition of Tetrathiomolybdate/Tetrathiotungstate for Proton/Oxygen Electroreduction

MoS₂ and WS₂ have been prepared on a conductive graphene support by thermal reduction of tetrathiotungstate/tetrathiomolybdate and graphite oxide. Whereas the catalytic properties towards hydrogen evolution are strongly influenced by the Magnéli phases formed as a byproduct during the synthesis, the catalytic activity towards oxygen reduction of these composite materials is not affected by this phenomenon and these materials exhibit high catalytic activity towards this industrially important reaction.     

CO2 Hydrogenation Catalyzed by Graphene-Based Materials

In the context of an increased interest in the abatement of CO₂ emissions generated by industrial activities, CO₂ hydrogenation processes show an important potential to be used for the production of valuable compounds (methane, methanol, formic acid, light olefins, aromatics, syngas and/or synthetic fuels), with important benefits for the decarbonization of the energy sector. However, in order to increase the efficiency of the CO₂ hydrogenation processes, the selection of active and selective catalysts is of utmost importance. In this context, the interest in graphene-based materials as catalysts for CO₂ hydrogenation has significantly increased in the last years. The aim of the present paper is to review and discuss the results published until now on graphene-based materials (graphene oxide, reduced graphene oxide, or N-dopped graphenes) used as metal-free catalysts or as catalytic support for the thermocatalytic hydrogenation of CO₂. The reactions discussed in this paper are CO₂ methanation, CO₂ hydrogenation to methanol, CO₂ transformation into formic acid, CO₂ hydrogenation to high hydrocarbons, and syngas production from CO₂. The discussions will focus on the effect of the support on the catalytic process, the involvement of the graphene-based support in the reaction mechanism, or the explanation of the graphene intervention in the hydrogenation process. Most of the papers emphasized the graphene’s role in dispersing and stabilizing the metal and/or oxide nanoparticles or in preventing the metal oxidation, but further investigations are needed to elucidate the actual role of graphenes and to propose reaction mechanisms.     

Simultaneous propane dehydrogenation andco2hydrogenation overCrOx/SiO2catalyst

Summary Single reverse water-gas shift (RWGS) and dehydrogenation of propane with CO₂(DH-CO₂) reactions in the presence and absence of the CrO_x/SiO₂ catalyst have been studied between 673 and 873 K. It was found that the CrO_x/SiO₂ catalyst is active both in the dehydrogenation of propane and in the RWGS reactions. The obtained results suggest that the dehydrogenation of propane to propene in the presence of CO₂on CrO_x/SiO₂can be facilitated by the RWGS reaction.</o:p>     

Preparing graphene oxide–copper composite material from spent lithium ion batteries and catalytic performance analysis

The wide use of lithium ion batteries (LIBs) has created much waste, which has become a global issue. It is vital to recycle waste LIBs considering their environmental risks and resource characteristics. Anode graphite from spent LIBs still possess a complete layer structure and contain some oxygen-containing groups between layers, which can be reused to prepare high value-added products. Given the intrinsic defect structure of anode graphite, copper foils in LIB anode electrodes, and excellent properties of graphene, graphene oxide–copper composite material was prepared in this work. Anode graphite was firstly purified to remove organic impurities by calcination and remove lithium. Purified graphite was used to prepare graphene oxide–copper composite material after oxidation to graphite oxide, ultrasonic exfoliation to graphene oxide (GO), and Cu²⁺ adsorption. Compared with natural graphite, preparing graphite oxide using anode graphite consumed 40% less concentrated H₂SO₄ and 28.6% less KMnO₄. Cu²⁺ was well adsorbed by 1.0 mg L^?1 stable GO suspension at pH 5.3 for 120 min. Graphene oxide–copper composite material could be successfully obtained after 6 h absorption, 3 h bonding between GO and Cu²⁺ with 3/100 of GO/CuSO₄ mass ratio. Compared to CuO, graphene oxide–copper composite material had better catalytic photodegradation performance on methylene blue, and the electric field further improved the photodegradation efficiency of the composite material.     

Evaluation of novel ZnO–Ag cathode for CO2 electroreduction in solid oxide electrolyser

CO₂ and steam/CO₂ electroreduction to CO and methane in solid oxide electrolytic cells (SOEC) has gained major attention in the past few years. This work evaluates, for the very first time, the performance of two different ZnO–Ag cathodes: one where ZnO nanopowder was mixed with Ag powder for preparing the cathode ink (ZnO_mix–Ag cathode) and the other one where Ag cathode was infiltrated with a zinc nitrate solution (ZnO_inf –Ag cathode). ZnO_mix–Ag cathode had a better distribution of ZnO particles throughout the cathode, resulting in almost double CO generation while electrolysing both dry CO₂ and H₂/CO₂ (4:1 v/v). A maximum overall CO₂ conversion of 48% (in H₂/CO₂) at 1.7 V and 700 °C clearly indicated that as low as 5 wt% zinc loading is capable of CO₂ electroreduction. It was further revealed that for ZnO_inf –Ag cathode, most of CO generation took place through RWGS reaction, but for ZnO_mix–Ag cathode, it was the synergistic effect of both RWGS reaction and CO₂ electrolysis. Although ZnO_inf –Ag cathode produced trace amount of methane at higher voltages, with ZnO_mix–Ag cathode, there was absolutely no methane. This seems to be due to strong electronic interaction between Zn and Ag that might have suppressed the catalytic activity of the cathode towards methanation.

     

Metal-free Catalyst B2S Sheet for Effective CO2 Electrochemical Reduction to CH3OH

Considering the problems of high costs, low catalytic activity and selectivity in the metal-based catalysts for CO₂ electroreduction, we apply boron-containing metal-free B₂S sheet as an alternative to the traditional metal-based catalysts. Reaction energy calculations identify the preferred “Formate” pathway for CO₂ conversion to CH₃OH on B₂S, in which the thermodynamic energy barrier obtained by using the Computational Hydrogen Electrode model is 0.57 eV, and the kinetic energy barrier obtained by searching the transition states is 1.18 eV. Another possible reaction pathway, “RWGS+CO-hydro”, is suppressed and the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) side reaction is nonspontaneous. Compared to Cu(211) with the highest catalytic activity among all transition metals, B₂S sheet exhibits a better catalytic activity with a lower overpotential for CO₂ reduction and a better selectivity that suppresses the non-target reaction.     

Heterogenized peroxopolyoxotungstate catalyst on the surface of clicked magnetite‐graphene oxide nanocomposite: Magnetically recoverable epoxidation catalyst

A new heterogeneous catalyst for the epoxidation of olefins was prepared by immobilization of peroxophosphotungstate anions on the surface of clicked magnetite‐graphene oxide as magnetically recoverable support. To prepare the heterogeneous catalyst, the clicked magnetite‐graphene oxide support was prepared by thiolene click reaction of thiol functionalized graphene oxide with vinyl modified magnetite nanoparticles. The tailored support was then modified with aminopropyl groups followed by electrostatic interaction with peroxophosphotungstate anions to achieve the desired heterogeneous catalyst. Characterization of the catalyst was performed by various physicochemical methods which confirmed the successful immobilization of peroxopolyoxotungstate species on the surface of clicked magnetite‐graphene oxide. Catalytic activity of the catalyst revealed its high catalytic activity and selectivity in the epoxidation of various olefins in the presence of H₂O₂ as green oxidant. This heterogeneous catalyst can be magnetically reused several times without significant loss of activity and selectivity.     

CO2 Laser-Induced Graphene with an Appropriate Oxygen Species as an Efficient Electrocatalyst for Hydrogen Peroxide Synthesis

Oxygen species functionalized graphene (O−G) is an effective electrocatalyst for electrochemically synthesizing hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) by a 2 e⁻ oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The type of oxygen species and degree of carbon crystallinity in O−G are two key factors for the high catalytic performance of the 2 e⁻ ORR. However, the general preparing method of O−G by the precursor of graphite has the disadvantages of consuming massive strong oxidant and washing water. Herein, the biomass-based graphene with tunable oxygen species is rapidly fabricated by a CO₂ laser. In a flow cell setup, the laser-induced graphene (LIG) with abundant active oxygen species and graphene structure shows high catalytic performance including high Faraday efficiency (over 78 %) and high mass activity (814 mmolg_catalyst⁻¹ h⁻¹), superior to most of the reported carbon-based electrocatalysts. Density function theory demonstrates the meta-C atoms at nearby C−O, O−C=O species are the key catalytic sites. Therefore, we develop one facile method to rapidly convert biomass to graphene electrocatalyst used for H₂O₂ synthesis.     

An Overview on the Dehydrogenation of Alkylbenzenes with Carbon Dioxide over Supported Vanadium–Antimony Oxide Catalysts

Utilization of carbon dioxide as a soft oxidant for the catalytic dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene (CO₂-EBDH) has been recently attempted to explore a new technology for producing styrene selectively. This article summarizes the results of our recent attempts to develop effective catalyst systems for the CO₂-EBDH on the basis of alumina-supported vanadium oxide catalysts. Its initial activity and on-stream stability were essentially improved by the introduction of antimony oxide as a promoter into the alumina-supported catalyst. Insertion of zirconium oxide into alumina support substantially increased the catalytic activity. Modification of alumina with magnesium oxide yielded an increase of catalyst stability of alumina-supported V–Sb oxide due to the coking suppression. Carbon dioxide has been confirmed to play a beneficial role of selective oxidant in improving the catalytic performance through the oxidative pathway, avoiding excessive reduction and maintaining desirable oxidation state of vanadium ion (V⁵⁺). The positive effect of carbon dioxide in dehydrogenation reactions of several alkylbenzenes such as 4-diethylbenzene, 4-ethyltoluene, and iso- and n-propylbenzenes was also observed. Along with the easier redox cycle between fully oxidized and partially reduced vanadium species, the optimal surface acidity of the catalyst is also responsible for achieving high activity and catalyst stability. It is highlighted that supra-equilibrium EBDH conversions were obtained over alumina-supported V–Sb oxide catalyst in CO₂-EBDH as compared with those in steam-EBDH in the absence of carbon dioxide.     

Copper Schiff base complex immobilized on magnetic graphene oxide: Efficient heterogeneous nanocatalyst for treating environmental pollutants and synthesis of chromenes

Herein, a new Cu(II) Schiff base complex was immobilized onto the magnetic graphene oxide surface through a stepwise procedure. The as-synthesized nanostructure (GO/Fe₃O₄/CuL) was characterized by various techniques including Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), Raman spectroscopies, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) and inductively coupled plasma (ICP) spectroscopies, N₂ adsorption–desorption analysis, vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The catalytic activity of the synthesized nanocatalyst was examined in 4-nitrophenol (4-NP), Congo red (CR), and methylene blue (MB) reduction using NaBH₄ in an aqueous solution at room temperature. The reaction progress was monitored by UV–Vis spectroscopy. Also, the synthesized nanostructure was evaluated as an efficient catalyst for the synthesis of 2-amino-4H-benzopyrans via three-component reactions of 1-naphthol, malononitrile, and various aldehydes in ethanol/water at 50°C. The use of green solvents, the short reaction time, the high product yield, and easy separation from the reaction environment are the main benefits of this catalytic system. By covalent grafting of the complex on the graphene oxide surface, its catalytic performance significantly increased compared with graphene oxide; this is probably related to the chemical change of the graphene oxide surface. The results show the high chemical stability and the improved reusability of the synthesized nanocatalyst (six times) without significant loss in the catalytic activity of GO/Fe₃O₄/CuL nanocomposite.     

Inherent Electrochemistry and Activation of Chemically Modified Graphenes for Electrochemical Applications

Graphene research is currently at the frontier of electrochemistry. Many different graphene‐based materials are employed by electrochemists as electrodes in sensing and in energy‐storage devices. Because the methods for their preparation are inherently different, graphene materials are expected to exhibit different electrochemical behaviors depending on the functionalities and density of defects present. Electrochemical treatment of these “chemically modified graphenes” (CMGs) represents an easy approach to alter surface functionalities and consequently tune the electrochemical performance. Herein, we report a preliminary electrochemical characterization of four common chemically modified graphenes, namely: graphene oxide, graphite oxide, chemically reduced graphene oxide, and thermally reduced graphene oxide. These CMGs were compared with graphite as a reference material. Cyclic voltammetry was used to ascertain the chemical functionalities present and to understand the potential ranges in which the materials were electroactive. Electrochemical treatment with either an oxidative or a reductive fixed potential were then carried out to activate these chemically modified graphenes. The effects of such electrochemical treatments on their electrocatalytic properties were then investigated by cyclic voltammetry in the presence of well‐known redox probes, such as [Fe(CN)₆]^4?/3?, Fe^3+/2+, [Ru(NH₃)₆]^2+/3+, and ascorbic acid. Thermally reduced graphene oxide exhibited the best electrochemical behavior amongst all of the CMGs, with the fastest rate of heterogeneous electron transfer (HET) and the lowest overpotentials. These findings will have far‐reaching consequences for the evaluation of different CMGs as electrode materials in electrochemical devices.     

A new strategy to design a graphene oxide supported palladium complex as a new heterogeneous nanocatalyst and application in carbon–carbon and carbon‐heteroatom cross‐coupling reactions

The palladium nanoparticles were successfully stabilized with an average diameter of 6–7 nm through the coordination of palladium and terpyridine‐based ligands grafted on graphene oxide surface. The graphene oxide supported palladium nanoparticles were thoroughly characterized and applied as an efficient heterogeneous catalyst in carbon–carbon (Suzuki‐Miyaura, Mizoroki‐Heck coupling reactions) and carbon–heteroatom (C‐N and C‐O) bond‐forming reactions. The catalyst was simply recycled from the reaction mixture and was reused consecutive four times with small drop in catalytic activity.     

Preparation and electrochemical performance for methanol oxidation of pt/graphene nanocomposites

The composites of graphene nanosheets decorated by Pt nano clusters have been prepared via reduction of graphite oxide and H₂PtCl₆ in one pot. Electrochemical experiments show that the composites have superior catalytic performance toward methanol oxidation indicating the graphene may have a splendid future as catalysts carrier in electrocatalysis and fuel cell.     

二苯基膦功能化氧化石墨烯配位固载钯催化Heck偶联反应

将二苯基膦通过共价键引入到氧化石墨烯(GO)中,利用二苯基膦对Pd的鳌合配位作用,合成了GO固载Pd催化剂(GO-P-Pd);通过红外光谱、X射线衍射和X射线光电子能谱等手段对催化剂进行了表征,并考察了其对Heck偶联反应的催化性能.结果表明,该催化剂表现出优异的催化性能,重复使用7次后催化活性无显著降低,并且对不同的反应底物有较好的普适性.