Manganese-Modulated Cobalt-Based Layered Double Hydroxide Grown on Nickel Foam with 1D–2D–3D Heterostructure for Highly Efficient Oxygen Evolution Reaction and Urea Oxidation Reaction

Hydrogen production by energy-efficient water electrolysis is a green avenue for the development of contemporary society. However, the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and the urea oxidation reaction (UOR) occurring at the anode are impeded by the sluggish reaction kinetics during the water-splitting process. Consequently, it is promising to develop bifunctional anodic electrocatalysts consisting of nonprecious metals. Herein, a bifunctional CoMn layered double hydroxide (LDH) was grown on nickel foam (NF) with a 1D–2D–3D hierarchical structure for efficient OER and UOR performance in alkaline solution. Owing to the significant synergistic effect of Mn doping and heterostructure engineering, the obtained Co₁Mn₁ LDH/NF exhibits satisfactory OER activity with a low potential of 1.515 V to attain 10 mA cm⁻². Besides, the potential of the Co₁Mn₁ LDH/NF catalyst for UOR at the same current density is only 1.326 V, which is much lower than those of its counterparts and most reported electrocatalysts. An urea electrolytic cell with a Co₁Mn₁ LDH/NF anode and a Pt–C/NF cathode was established, and a low cell voltage of 1.354 V at 10 mA cm⁻² was acquired. The optimized strategy may result in promising candidates for developing a new generation of bifunctional electrocatalysts for clean energy production.     

Study on Intercalative Nanohybrid of Cordycepin in Layered Double Hydroxide

A novel negatively charged biomolecule-cordycepin has been intercalated within the gallery spaces of [Mg-Al-NO3]. Results of TEM, PXRD and FF-IR spectroscopy confn-med that cordycepin could be intercalated into [Mg-Al-NO3] intedayers as the charge-compensating species.Initial studies suggest that the new bioinorganic nanocomposite may be used as a novel inorganic reservoir or carder of pharmaceutically active compounds.     

Pilaring of Zn_2Al Layered Double Hydroxide by Dawson Polyoxometalate Anions

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A Hydrogen-Deficient Nickel–Cobalt Double Hydroxide for Photocatalytic Overall Water Splitting

Developing highly efficient and low-cost photocatalysts for overall water splitting has long been a pursuit for converting solar power into clean hydrogen energy. Herein, we demonstrate that a nonstoichiometric nickel–cobalt double hydroxide can achieve overall water splitting by itself upon solar light irradiation, avoiding the consumption of noble-metal co-catalysts. We employed an intensive laser to ablate a NiCo alloy target immersed in alkaline solution, and produced so-called L-NiCo nanosheets with a nonstoichiometric composition and O²⁻/Co³⁺ ions exposed on the surface. The nonstoichiometric composition broadens the band gap, while O²⁻ and Co³⁺ ions boost hydrogen and oxygen evolution, respectively. As such, the photocatalyst achieves a H₂ evolution rate of 1.7 μmol h⁻¹ under AM 1.5G sunlight irradiation and an apparent quantum yield (AQE) of 1.38 % at 380 nm.     

Intercalation of Dyes Containing SO3H Groups into Zn–Al Layered Double Hydroxide

The intercalates of Naphthol Yellow S, Tropaeolin 000, and Tropaeolin 00 were prepared by heating [Zn_0.67Al_0.33(OH)₂](CO₃)_0.165 · 0.5H₂O with acidic forms of the dye solutions in an open reaction vessel. The intercalates were characterized by chemical and thermal analysis, X-ray powder diffraction and UV–VIS spectroscopy. A possible arrangement of the dye molecules in the intercalates was suggested on the basis of their chemical compositions and interlayer distances, by taking into account van der Waals dimensions of the guest molecules and by assuming that the structure of the host layers is not changed during the intercalation process.This revised version was published online in July 2005 with a corrected issue number.     

Sorption of Pb(Ⅱ) on Mg-Fe Layered Double Hydroxide

Mg‐Fe layered double hydroxide (LDH) with a Mg/Fe molar ratio of 3:1 was synthesized by using a coprecipitation method and the sorption removal of Pb(II) by the LDH sample from Pb(NO₃)₂ solution was investigated. It was found that Mg‐Fe LDH showed a good sorption ability for Pb(II) from Pb(NO₃)₂ solution, indicating that the use of LDH as a promising inorganic sorbent for the removal of heavy metal ions is possible. The sorption kinetics and the sorption isotherm of Pb(II) on the LDH sample obeyed the pseudo‐second order kinetic model and Aranovich‐Donohue equation, respectively. The sorption mechanism of Pb(II) on the LDH may be attributed to the surface‐induced precipitation and the chemical binding adsorption, and the removal ability arising from the surface‐induced precipitation is much higher than that from the chemical binding adsorption.     

Sulfur-Modified Oxygen Vacancies in Iron–Cobalt Oxide Nanosheets: Enabling Extremely High Activity of the Oxygen Evolution Reaction to Achieve the Industrial Water Splitting Benchmark

The oxygen vacancies of defective iron–cobalt oxide (FeCoO_x-Vo) nanosheets are modified by the homogeneously distributed sulfur (S) atoms. S atoms can not only effectively stabilize oxygen vacancies (Vo), but also form the Co−S coordination with Co active site in the Vo, which can modulate the electronic structure of the active site, enabling FeCoO_x-Vo-S to exhibit much superior OER activity. FeCoO_x-Vo-S exhibits a mass activity of 2440.0 A g⁻¹ at 1.5 V vs. RHE in 1.0 m KOH, 25.4 times higher than that of RuO₂. The Tafel slope is as low as 21.0 mV dec⁻¹, indicative of its excellent charge transfer rate. When FeCoO_x-Vo-S (anode catalyst) is paired with the defective CoP₃/Ni₂P (cathode catalyst) for overall water splitting, current densities of as high as 249.0 mA cm⁻² and 406.0 mA cm⁻² at a cell voltage of 2.0 V and 2.3 V, respectively, can be achieved.     

Highly Dispersed TiO(6) Units in a Layered Double Hydroxide for Water Splitting

A family of photocatalysts for water splitting into hydrogen was prepared by distributing TiO(6) units in an MTi-layered double hydroxide matrix (M=Ni, Zn, Mg) that displays largely enhanced photocatalytic activity with an H(2) -production rate of 31.4?μmol?h(-1) as well as excellent recyclable performance. High-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) mapping and XPS measurement reveal that a high dispersion of TiO(6) octahedra in the layered doubled hydroxide (LDH) matrix was obtained by the formation of an M(2+) -O-Ti network, rather different from the aggregation state of TiO(6) in the inorganic layered material K(2) Ti(4) O(9) . Both transient absorption and photoluminescence spectra demonstrate that the electron-hole recombination process was significantly depressed in the Ti-containing LDH materials relative to bulk Ti oxide, which is attributed to the abundant surface defects that serve as trapping sites for photogenerated electrons verified by positron annihilation and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) techniques. In addition, a theoretical study on the basis of DFT calculations demonstrates that the electronic structure of the TiO(6) units was modified by the adjacent MO(6) octahedron by means of covalent interactions, with a much decreased bandgap of 2.1?eV, which accounts for its superior water-splitting behavior. Therefore, the dispersion strategy for TiO(6) units within a 2D inorganic matrix can be extended to fabricate other oxide or hydroxide catalysts with greatly enhanced performance in photocatalysis and energy conversion.     

Intercalation of PM-19 into and in vitro Release of Anti-tumor Drug from Layered Double Hydroxide

Recently, controlled release ot drugs and gene delivery technology have received considerable attention due to their numerous advantages including prolonged duration of action of an active agent, improved efficacy, reduced toxicity and convenience compared to the conventional dosage forms. In this field typical systems are polymer delivery systems depending on the hydrolysis-induced degradation,     

Enhanced Electrocatalytic Oxygen Evolution in Au–Fe Nanoalloys

Oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is the most critical step in water splitting, still limiting the development of efficient alkaline water electrolyzers. Here we investigate the OER activity of Au–Fe nanoalloys obtained by laser-ablation synthesis in solution. This method allows a high amount of iron (up to 11 at %) to be incorporated into the gold lattice, which is not possible in Au–Fe alloys synthesized by other routes, due to thermodynamic constraints. The Au_0.89Fe_0.11 nanoalloys exhibit strongly enhanced OER in comparison to the individual pure metal nanoparticles, lowering the onset of OER and increasing up to 20 times the current density in alkaline aqueous solutions. Such a remarkable electrocatalytic activity is associated to nanoalloying, as demonstrated by comparative examples with physical mixtures of gold and iron nanoparticles. These results open attractive scenarios to the use of kinetically stable nanoalloys for catalysis and energy conversion.     

Towards Long-Term Photostability of Nickel Hydroxide/BiVO4 Photoanodes for Oxygen Evolution Catalysts via In Situ Catalyst Tuning

Increasing long-term photostability of BiVO₄ photoelectrode is an important issue for solar water splitting. The NiOOH oxygen evolution catalyst (OEC) has fast water oxidation kinetics compared to the FeOOH OEC. However, it generally shows a lower photoresponse and poor stability because of the more substantial interface recombination at the NiOOH/BiVO₄ junction. Herein, we utilize a plasma etching approach to reduce both interface/surface recombination at NiOOH/BiVO₄ and NiOOH/electrolyte junctions. Further, adding Fe²⁺ into the borate buffer electrolyte alleviates the active but unstable character of etched-NiOOH/BiVO₄, leading to an outstanding oxygen evolution over 200 h. The improved charge transfer and photostability can be attributed to the active defects and a mixture of NiOOH/NiO/Ni in OEC induced by plasma etching. Metallic Ni acts as the ion source for the in situ generation of the NiFe OEC over long-term durability.     

Modulating Hydroxyl-Rich Interfaces on Nickel–Copper Double Hydroxide Nanotyres to Pre-activate Alkaline Ammonia Oxidation Reactivity

The surface hydroxyl groups of Ni_xCu_1−x(OH)₂ play a crucial role in governing their conversion efficiency into Ni_xCu_1−xO_x(OH)_2−x during the electro-chemical pre-activation process, thus affecting the integral ammonia oxidation reaction (AOR) reactivity. Herein, the rational design of hierarchical porous NiCu double hydroxide nanotyres (NiCu DHTs) was reported for the first time by considering hydroxyl-rich interfaces to promote pre-activation efficiency and intrinsic structural superiority (i.e., annulus, porosity) to accelerate AOR kinetics. A systematic investigation of the structure–function relationship was conducted by manipulating a series of NiCu DHs with tunable intercalations and morphologies. Remarkably, the NiCu DHTs exhibit superior AOR activity (onset potential of 1.31 V with 7.52 mA cm⁻² at 1.5 V) and high ammonia sensitivity (detection limit of 9 μm ), manifesting one of the best non-noble metal AOR electrocatalysts and electro-analytical electrodetectors. This work deepens the understanding of the crucial role of surface hydroxyl groups on determining the catalytic performance in alkaline medium.     

Molecular Inclusion Properties of Hydrophobic Organic Compounds by a Modified β-Cyclodextrin Intercalated within a Layered Double Hydroxide

A study was conducted to evaluate the inclusion properties of various nonionic hydrophobic organic compounds by a novel intercalate derived from magnesium-aluminum layered double hydroxide (Mg/Al LDH) and carboxymethyl--cyclodextrin with a degree of substitution of 3 [CMCD(3)]. The isotherm sorption results at 25 °C showed that the CMCD(3)-Mg/Al LDH intercalate could retain all the organic compounds (trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene, benzene, toluene, p-, o-, m-xylene, ethylbenzene, 1,2,3-trichlorobenzene, naphthalene) studied and its sorption affinity for organic compounds was positively related to their hydrophobicities. The host-guest interaction was attributed to a partition process of the organic compounds into cyclodextrin cavities as well as intermolecular pores. A stereoselective interaction might also be involved due to the intercalation of CMCD(3) within Mg/Al LDH interlayers.     

Ultra-thin Co−Fe Layered Double Hydroxide Hollow Nanocubes for Efficient Electrocatalytic Water Oxidation

Hierarchical hollow nanocubes based on ultra-thin CoFe-layered double hydroxide (CoFe−LDH) nanosheets have been prepared. The obtained CoFe−LDH hollow nanocubes could effectively catalyze water oxidation at a low overpotential of 270 mV @ 10 mA cm⁻², low Tafel slope of 58.3 mV dec⁻¹ and show a long-term stability in alkali.     

Voltammetric Study and Detection of Methane on Nickel Hydroxide–Modified Nickel Electrode

Abstract

The nickel hydroxide–modified nickel (NMN) electrode was prepared by cyclic voltammetry. The modified electrode exhibited better catalytic effect toward electrochemical oxidation of methane in 1.0 mol · L^?1 NaOH solution. The catalytic activation of nickel hydroxide on the nickel electrode surface was investigated in different supporting electrolyte solutions by the cyclic voltammetry method in detail, and the related electrochemical oxidation of methane at the NMN electrode was first proposed by amperometric i‐t curve method under the experiment conditions. The results indicated that in the 1.0 mol · L^?1 NaOH solution, the anodic peak current increased with the increased concentration of methane.     

3D Nitrogen-Doped Graphene Encapsulated Metallic Nickel–Iron Alloy Nanoparticles for Efficient Bifunctional Oxygen Electrocatalysis

It is extremely desirable to explore high-efficient, affordable and robust oxygen electrocatalysts toward rechargeable Zn–air batteries (ZABs). A 3D porous nitrogen-doped graphene encapsulated metallic Ni₃Fe alloy nanoparticles aerogel (Ni₃Fe-GA₁) was constructed through a facile hydrothermal assembly and calcination process. Benefiting from 3D porous configuration with great accessibility, high electrical conductivity, abundant active sites, optimal nitrogen content and strong electronic interactions at the Ni₃Fe/N-doped graphene heterointerface, the obtained aerogel showed outstanding catalytic performance toward the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Specifically, it exhibited an overpotential of 239 mV to attain 10 mA cm⁻² for OER, simultaneously providing a positive onset potential of 0.93 V within a half-wave potential of 0.8 V for ORR. Accordingly, when employed in the aqueous ZABs, Ni₃Fe-GA₁ achieved higher power density and superior reversibility than Pt/C−IrO₂ catalyst, making it a potential candidate for rechargeable ZABs.     

Preparation and Characterization of Carbonate-type Mg–Al Layered Double Hydroxides by Ion Exchange Resins

Russian Journal of Physical Chemistry A - Carbonate-type Mg–Al layered double hydroxides were successfully prepared using ion exchange resins. Based on XRD patterns, 8 h and 40°C were...     

Oxygen reduction reaction on carbon supported Palladium–Nickel alloys in alkaline media

Carbon supported Palladium–Nickel alloys with various compositions (Pd–Ni/C) were synthesized by chemical reduction of the co-precipitated Pd and Ni hydroxides on carbon. The structure of these alloys was characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The catalytic activity of Pd–Ni/C for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline media was studied using a glassy carbon rotating disk electrode (RDE). Pd/C showed ORR activity close to that of Pt/C. The activities of Pd–Ni (3:1)/C and Pd–Ni (1:1)/C were found unchanged compared with that of Pd/C. Ni/C showed about 175 mV lower onset potential than Pt/C, and the activity of Pd–Ni (1:3)/C was observed to be between that of Pd/C and Ni/C.     

Triflic Salt–Catalyzed Coupling: Iron Triflate–Catalyzed Homocoupling of Aryl Bromides in the Presence of Metallic Magnesium

In the presence of metallic magnesium, the homocoupling reaction of aryl bromides catalyzed by iron triflate was carried out readily in one pot. The catalyst was used successfully in this coupling reaction without preparation of Grignard reagent in advance. Meanwhile, the catalyst was recovered easily and reused smoothly with only a little loss of its activity.