Transition metal chalcogenides as emerging electrocatalysts for urea electrolysis

Urea electrolysis is an up-and-coming approach to realize sustainable energy-saving hydrogen fuel production and purification of urea-bearing wastes (e.g. urine, industrial wastewater). To attain a high urea electrolysis efficiency, high-performance electrocatalysts are highly required. Of late, transition metal (TM) chalcogenides-based materials are emerging as promising candidates for urea electrolysis. The catalytic performance of TM chalcogenides-based catalysts is optimized by tuning the internal/external characteristics, including nanostructure control, composition optimization, and heterostructuring. In this review, recent achievements in high-efficiency electrocatalysts based on TM chalcogenides for urea electrolysis are critically discussed. First, the electrochemistry of urea electrolysis is analyzed. Next, recent progress in TM chalcogenides-based electrocatalysts for urea electrolysis is detailed. The electrocatalyst design strategies are particularly elucidated, as well as the catalyst structure–performance correlation. Ultimately, perspectives on crucial scientific issues in this booming field are highlighted.     

Methanol oxidation in acidic and alkaline electrolytes using PtRuIn/C electrocatalysts prepared by borohydride reduction process

PtRuIn/C electrocatalysts( 20% metal loading by weight) were prepared by sodium borohydride reduction process using H_2PtCl6·6H_2O,RuCl_3·xH_2O and InCl_3·xH_2O as metal sources,borohydride as reducing agent and Carbon Vulcan XC72 as support. The synthetized PtRuIn/C electrocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction( XRD),energy dispersive analysis( EDX),transmission electron microscopy( TEM),cyclic voltammetry( CV),chronoamperommetry( CA) and polarization curves in alkaline and acidic electrolytes( single cell experiments). The XRD patterns showPtpeaks are attributed to the face-centered cubic( fcc) structure,and a shift of Pt( fcc) peaks indicates that Ru or In is incorporated into Ptlattice. TEMmicrographs showmetal nanoparticles with an average nanoparticle size between 2.7 and 3.5 nm. Methanol oxidation in acidic and alkaline electrolytes was investigated at room temperature,by CV and CA. PtRu/C( 50 ∶ 50) shows the highest activity among all electrocatalysts in study considering methanol oxidation for acidic and alkaline electrolyte. Polarization curves at 80 ℃ showPtRuIn/C( 50 ∶ 25 ∶ 25)with superior performance for methanol oxidation,when compared to Pt/C,PtIn/C and PtRu/C for both electrolytes. The best performance obtained by PtRuIn/C( 50 ∶ 25 ∶ 25) in real conditions could be associated with the increased kinetics reaction and/or with the occurrence simultaneously of the bifunctional mechanism and electronic effect resulting from the presence of Ptalloy.     

尿素醇解法制氨基甲酸甲酯体系的反相高效液相色谱分析

采用反相高效液相色谱法,在两根串联的C18柱上以甲醇-水为流动相,在8min内将尿素和氨基甲酸甲酯进行分离,在215nm波长下检测。在甲醇溶液中的质量浓度0~16%和0~50%范围内其峰面积和质量浓度呈良好的线性关系,线性回归方程分别为AUrea=148565x-39384,R2=0.9995;AMC=69055x-90493,R2=0.9985。     

Pt-ZnO/C复合材料的合成及对醇类催化活性的研究

采用溶胶-凝胶法制备了ZnO微米颗粒,电沉积Pt合成了Pt-ZnO/C复合材料。利用X射线衍射仪（XRD）和扫描电子显微镜（SEM）对产物的晶型和形貌进行了表征,并利用循环伏安法（CV）研究了所得复合材料对甲醇和乙醇的电催化活性。实验结果表明,该催化剂在ZnO的质量分数为50%时对甲醇和乙醇氧化的电催化活性最好。
     

Yolk-shell gold nanoparticles as model materials for support-effect studies in heterogeneous catalysis: Au, @C and Au, @ZrO2 for CO oxidation as an example

The use of nanostructured yolk-shell materials offers a way to discriminate support and particle-size effects for mechanistic studies in heterogeneous catalysis. Herein, gold yolk-shell materials have been synthesized and used as model catalysts for the investigation of support effects in CO oxidation. Carbon has been selected as catalytically inert support to study the intrinsic activity of the gold nanoparticles, and for comparison, zirconia has been used as oxidic support. Au, @C materials have been synthesized through nanocasting using two different nonporous-core@mesoporous-shell exotemplates: Au@SiO(2)@ZrO(2) and Au@SiO(2)@m-SiO(2). The catalytic activity of Au, @C with a gold core of about 14 nm has been evaluated and compared with Au, @ZrO(2) of the same gold core size. The strong positive effect of metal oxide as support material on the activity of gold has been proved. Additionally, size effects were investigated using carbon as support to determine only the contribution of the nanoparticle size on the catalytic activity of gold. Therefore, Au, @C with a gold core of about 7 nm was studied showing a less pronounced positive effect on the activity than the metal oxide support effect.     

还原剂对Au-Pd/CeO2催化剂甲醇部分氧化性能的影响

以PVP为保护剂,乙醇(ER)、乙二醇(GR)和水合肼(HR)为还原剂制备了一系列Au-Pd/CeO2催化剂,考察了还原剂对甲醇部分氧化性能的影响,并运用XRD、TPD和TPR等手段对催化剂进行了表征。结果表明,Au-Pd/CeO2(ER)催化剂具有较大的比表面积,形成的AuxPdy量较多、粒径较小、分散度较高、活性组分与载体的相互作用较强,同时对甲醇的吸附量较大和吸附温度较低。因此,该催化剂具有较高的催化活性和氢气选择性以及较低的CO质量分数。     

Porous V2O5-SnO2/CNTs composites as high performance cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries

Vanadium pentoxide (V₂O₅) exhibits high theoretical capacities when used as a cathode in lithium ion batteries (LIBs), but its application is limited by its structural instability as well as its low lithium and electronic conductivities. A porous composite of V₂O₅-SnO₂/carbon nanotubes (CNTs) was prepared by a hydrothermal method and followed by thermal treatment. The small particles of V₂O₅, their porous structure and the coexistence of SnO₂ and CNTs can all facilitate the diffusion rates of the electrons and lithium ions. Electrochemical impedance spectra indicated higher ionic and electric conductivities, as compared to commercial V₂O₅. The V₂O₅-SnO₂/CNTs composite gave a reversible discharge capacity of 198 mAh·g^?1 at the voltage range of 2.05–4.0 V, measured at a current rate of 200 mA·g^?1, while that of the commercial V₂O₅ was only 88 mAh·g^?1, demonstrating that the porous V₂O₅-SnO₂/CNTs composite is a promising candidate for high-performance lithium secondary batteries.     

In-situ conversion of Ni_2P/rGO from heterogeneous self-assembled NiO/rGO precursor with boosted pseudocapacitive performance

Two-dimensional(2 D) heterostructural Ni_2 P/rGO is successfully fabricated by in-situ phosphating selfassembled NiO/rGO composites and shows the enhanced electrochemical performances.In this design,the rGO sheets effectively reduce the lattice strain created during the phase transformation from NiO to Ni_2 P,thereby maintaining ultrathin nanostructures of Ni2 P.The resulting Ni_2 P/rGO layered heterostructure gives the composite plenty of pores or channels,good electrical conductivity and well-exposed active sites.Density functional theory(DFT) calculation further demonstrates that the Fermi energy level and electron localize of near Ni atoms in Ni_2 P is higher than that of NiO,which endow Ni_2 P with faster and more reversible redox reactivity in dynamic.Benefiting from their structural and compositional merits,the as-synthesized Ni2 P/rGO exhibits high specific discharge capacity and excellent rate performance.Furthermore,a hybrid supercapacitor built with Ni_2 P/rGO and activated carbon shows a high specific energy of 38.6 Wh/kg at specific power of 375 W/kg.     

Direct oxidation of methane at low temperature using Pt/C,Pd/C,Pt/C-ATO and Pd/C-ATO electrocatalysts prepared by sodium borohydride reduction process

The main objective of this paper was to characterize the voltammetric profiles of the Pt/C,Pt/C-ATO,Pd/C and Pd/CATO electrocatalysts and study their catalytic activities for methane oxidation in an acidic electrolyte at 25 ℃ and in a direct methane proton exchange membrane fuel cell at 80 ℃. The electrocatalysts prepared also were characterized by X-ray diffraction( XRD) and transmission electron microscopy( TEM). The diffractograms of the Pt/C and Pt/C-ATO electrocatalysts show four peaks associated with Pt face-centered cubic( fcc) structure,and the diffractograms of Pd/C and Pd/C-ATO show four peaks associated with Pd face-centered cubic( fcc) structure. For Pt/C-ATO and Pd/C-ATO,characteristic peaks of cassiterite( SnO_2) phase are observed,which are associated with Sb-doped SnO_2( ATO) used as supports for electrocatalysts. Cyclic voltammograms( CV) of all electrocatalysts after adsorption of methane show that there is a current increase during the anodic scan. However,this effect is more pronounced for Pt/C-ATO and Pd/C-ATO. This process is related to the oxidation of the adsorbed species through the bifunctional mechanism,where ATO provides oxygenated species for the oxidation of CO or HCO intermediates adsorbed in Pt or Pd sites. From in situ ATR-FTIR( Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transform Infrared) experiments for all electrocatalysts prepared the formation of HCO or CO intermediates are observed,which indicates the production of carbon dioxide. Polarization curves at 80 ℃in a direct methane fuel cell( DMEFC) show that Pd/C and Pt/C electroacatalysts have superior performance to Pd/C-ATO and Pt/C-ATO in methane oxidation.     

Recent resurgence toward the oxidation of heteroatoms using dimethyldioxirane as an exquisite oxidant

This review covers the literature from 2005 to till date. Oxidation chemistry is a dynamic field of organic synthesis as it keeps evolving with the passage of time. There is a recent surge in that area to switch over from inorganic oxidants to organic oxidants. The oxidation of heteroatom is an intriguing task for the synthetic chemists, as it requires mild oxidant with no harmful side products. Dimethyldioxirane serves as a super-effective oxidant as it shows high functional group tolerance and possess acetone as byproducts which is also eco-friendly. This review summarizes the heteroatom oxidation of sulfur, nitrogen, iodine, selenium, phosphorous, and platinum atoms using DMDO as an oxidant.     

Cu/Cu2O nanostructures derived from copper oxalate as high performance electrocatalyst for glucose oxidation

Porous nanomaterials are classified as a kind of materials with great potential for development in the field of electrocatalysis, but there is still room for further improvement as catalysts. We develop a three-dimensional (3D) porous structure of Cu/Cu₂O as an electrocatalyst for the glucose oxidation reaction (GOR) using the method of calcining the precursor CuC₂O₄·2H₂O in N_2. The obtained porous Cu/Cu₂O nanostructure can provide more opportunities for effective reactions between particles, which can explain their efficient electrocatalytic performance. Additionally, the as-synthesized Cu/Cu₂O nanostructure exhibits outstanding electrocatalytic performance for the glucose, including good stability, excellent sensitivity and remarkable selectivity.     

Anodic oxidation of formic acid on PdAuIr /C-Sb_2O_5·SnO_2 electrocatalysts prepared by borohydride reduction

PdAuIr/C-Sb2O5·SnO2electrocatalysts with Pd∶Au∶Ir molar ratios of 90∶5∶5,70∶20∶10 and 50∶45∶5 were prepared by borohydride reduction method.These electrocatalysts were characterized by EDX,X-ray diffraction,transmission electron microscopy and the catalytic activity toward formic acid electro-oxidation in acid medium investigated by cyclic voltammetry(CV),chroamperometry(CA)and tests on direct formic acid fuel cell(DFAFC)at 100℃.X-ray diffractograms of PdAuIr/C-Sb2O5·SnO2electrocatalysts showed the presence of Pd fcc phase,Pd-Au fcc alloys,carbon and ATO phases,while Ir phases were not observed.TEM micrographs and histograms indicated that the nanoparticles were not well dispersed on the support and some agglomerates.The cyclic voltammetry and chroamperometry studies showed that PdAuIr/C-Sb2O5·SnO2(50∶45∶5)had superior performance toward formic acid electro-oxidation at 25℃compared to PdAuIr/C-Sb2O5·SnO2(70∶20∶10),PdAuIr/C-Sb2O5·SnO2(90∶5∶5)and Pd/C-Sb2O5·SnO2electrocatalysts.The experiments in a single DFAFC also showed that all PdAuIr/C-Sb2O5·SnO2electrocatalysts exhibited higher performance for formic acid oxidation in comparison with Pd/C-Sb2O5·SnO2electrocatalysts,however PdAuIr/C-Sb2O5·SnO2(90∶5∶5)had superior performance.These results indicated that the addition of Au and Ir to Pd favor the electro-oxidation of formic acid,which could be attributed to the bifunctional mechanism(the presence of ATO,Au and Ir oxides species)associated to the electronic effect(Pd-Au fcc alloys).     

V_2O_5/Ti-Ce-PILC在H_2S选择性催化氧化过程中的催化性能

合成了TiO_2-CeO_2柱撑黏土负载V_2O_5催化剂,通过XRD、氮气吸附脱附、TG、FT-IR、H_2-TPR、NH_3-TPD、XPS等方法对其物理化学性质进行了表征,研究了该催化剂在H2S选择性催化氧化反应中的活性。结果表明,负载5%V_2O_5的TiO_2-CeO_2柱撑黏土在180℃下催化效果最好,且尾气中不含SO_2。V_2O_5、TiO_2和CeO_2之间的相互作用提高了催化剂的活性,CeO_2提高了催化剂的热稳定性,同时提供大量晶格氧,加强了V_2O_5的氧化还原作用,降低了反应温度;TiO_2加强了VO_x和CeO_x的再氧化,降低了硫酸盐的覆盖率,从而降低了催化剂的失活速率。     

Porous V2O5 -SnO2 /CNTs composites as high performance cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries

Vanadium pentoxide (V2O5 ) exhibits high theoretical capacities when used as a cathode in lithium ion batteries (LIBs), but its application is limited by its structural instability as well as its low lithium and electronic conductivities. A porous composite of V2O5 -SnO2 /carbon nanotubes (CNTs) was prepared by a hydrothermal method and followed by thermal treatment. The small particles of V2O5 , their porous structure and the coexistence of SnO2 and CNTs can all facilitate the diffusion rates of the electrons and lithium ions. Electrochemical impedance spectra indicated higher ionic and electric conductivities, as compared to commercial V2O5 . The V2O5 -SnO2 /CNTs composite gave a reversible discharge capacity of 198 mAh g-1 at the voltage range of 2.05 4.0 V, measured at a current rate of 200 mA g-1 , while that of the commercial V2O5 was only 88 mAh g-1 , demonstrating that the porous V2O5 -SnO2 /CNTs composite is a promising candidate for high-performance lithium secondary batteries.     

CoOx-CeOx/ZrO2催化氧化NO性能及抗SO2毒化研究

采用浸渍法制备了一系列CoO_x-CeO_x/ZrO₂催化剂,探讨了催化剂载体、Co含量、Co/Ce配比等对Co基催化剂催化氧化NO活性的影响及其机理。ZrO₂负载的Co氧化物具有优良的低温NO催化氧化活性,铈的添加进一步提高了催化剂的低温活性。其促进机制主要是提高了催化剂吸附氧的能力及改善了Co在催化剂表面的分散。同时,掺杂铈使得催化剂抗SO₂能力有一定增强,呈现出选择性毒化机制。     

高结晶度镍铝水滑石的制备及其电化学行为研究

水滑石(Hydrotalcite,简称HT)是一类层状结构的阴离子粘土,它具有碱性特征、微孔结构、记忆效应及金属离子的同晶可取代性和层间阴离子的可交换性.此外,由于它具有材料廉价易得,独特的离子交换性能,很好的热和化学稳定性等特点,使其在电分析方面作为安培传感器~([1])、电位传感器~([2])、生物传感器~([3])以及作为超级电容器的电极活性材料~([4-6])刮都有潜在应用价值.     

Heterogeneous Baeyer-Villiger oxidation of ketones with H2O2/nitrile, using Mg/Al hydrotalcite as catalyst

We synthesized a magnesium-aluminium hydrotalcite and used it as a catalyst in the Baeyer-Villiger (BV) oxidation of cyclohexanone with a mixture of 30% aqueous hydrogen peroxide and benzonitrile as oxidant. The hydrotalcite proved an excellent catalyst for the process. The influence of experimental variables was examined in depth in order to bring the working conditions as close as possible to those usable on an industrial scale. We optimized the cyclohexanone/hydrogen peroxide/benzonitrile proportion and used various nitriles, solvents and amounts of catalyst, benzonitrile and methanol proving the most effective nitrile and solvent, respectively, for the intended purpose. The reaction was found to occur to an acceptable extent with other carbonyl compounds as substrates; by exception, α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds provided poor results by effect of their undergoing competitive epoxidation of their double bonds.     

The catalytic oxidation of phenol with H2O2 by metalloporphyrins as peroxidase mimics

Summary Three metalloporphyrin complexes are used as peroxidase mimics in the oxidation of phenol by hydrogen peroxide.A kinetic model for the titled reaction is constructed.     

制备方法对Ni/CeO2-Al2O3催化剂甲烷部分氧化催化性能的影响

采用浸渍-沉淀法、水热合成法、共沉淀法和柠檬酸络合法制备了Ni/CeO₂-Al₂O₃催化剂,考察了制备方法对该催化剂的物理结构和甲烷部分氧化(POM)催化性能的影响。利用N₂物理吸附、X射线粉末衍射(XRD)、H₂-程序升温还原(H₂-TPR)、NH₃-程序升温脱附(NH₃-TPD)、热重(TG)分析等手段对反应前后催化剂的物理化学性质进行了表征。实验结果表明,浸渍-沉淀法制备催化剂的活性和产物H₂和CO的选择性最低。而柠檬酸络合法制备的Ni/CeO₂-Al₂O₃表现出最大的CH₄转化率和最高的CO、H₂选择性。BET和XRD表征结果表明,柠檬酸络合法制备的Ni/CeO₂-Al₂O₃的比表面积最大,且CeO₂晶粒粒径小、分散均匀;H₂-TPR测试表明,该催化剂负载的Ni物种和Ni与Al₂O₃相互作用产生的尖晶石NiAl₂O₄都较容易被还原成金属Ni,产生更多的活性中心;NH₃-TPD和TG分析表明,该催化剂具有较多酸性位点和表面积炭,但相比较于它的高反应活性,积炭速率较低、稳定性较高。     

Mn含量对CeO2-ZrO2-MnOx催化剂甲苯氧化净化性能的影响

采用氧化还原沉淀法制备了一系列CeO_2-ZrO_2-MnO_x催化剂(CZM_X,X为Mn在催化剂总金属中的摩尔含量),探讨了Mn含量对CZM_X催化甲苯燃烧性能的影响。结果表明,CZM_(0.6)催化剂具有最好的活性,在230℃下即可实现甲苯的完全转化。XRD表征结果发现,随着锰掺杂量的增加,CZM_X催化剂结晶度先降低后增加。H_2-TPR表征结果表明,随着Mn含量的增加,Ce-Zr-Mn之间的相互作用力先增强后减弱。CZM_(0.6)结晶度最差,金属之间相互作用力最强,表面氧物种更易溢出;同时,Raman和O_2-TPD表征结果也证明CZM_(0.6)催化剂上具有较高的表面氧空位浓度,有利于催化剂表面活性氧物种的迁移,促进了甲苯的氧化。此外,通过in-situ DRIFTS对中间产物进行观测,发现苯甲酸盐是CZM_(0.6)催化剂上甲苯氧化反应的重要中间体;在O_2参与下,苯甲酸盐可迅速转化为CO_2和H_2O。