Heterogeneous electrocatalysis: a core field of interfacial science

Heterogeneous electrocatalysis involves chemical reactions occurring in an electrochemical cell at the surface of an electrode, that is, at the electrochemical interface. The reaction rates are set by electrode surface structure, electrode potential, and can be adjusted by other variables specific to the field of electrochemistry. In contrast to reactions occurring at the solid/gas interface, electron transfer usually takes place at the electrochemical interface, which may lead to new product formation (in catalytic electrosynthesis), or allows one to harvest electrons in fuel cells. In the Opinion, papers describing catalytic materials used in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell are highlighted, and those related to recently developed research methodology of heterogeneous electrocatalysis receive a particular emphasis. Conclusions are made as to the future development of the field.     

Catalysis in high-temperature fuel cells

Catalysis plays a critical role in solid oxide fuel cell systems. The electrochemical reactions within the cell--oxygen dissociation on the cathode and electrochemical fuel combustion on the anode--are catalytic reactions. The fuels used in high-temperature fuel cells, for example, natural gas, propane, or liquid hydrocarbons, need to be preprocessed to a form suitable for conversion on the anode-sulfur removal and pre-reforming. The unconverted fuel (economic fuel utilization around 85%) is commonly combusted using a catalytic burner. Ceramic Fuel Cells Ltd. has developed anodes that in addition to having electrochemical activity also are reactive for internal steam reforming of methane. This can simplify fuel preprocessing, but its main advantage is thermal management of the fuel cell stack by endothermic heat removal. Using this approach, the objective of fuel preprocessing is to produce a methane-rich fuel stream but with all higher hydrocarbons removed. Sulfur removal can be achieved by absorption or hydro-desulfurization (HDS). Depending on the system configuration, hydrogen is also required for start-up and shutdown. Reactor operating parameters are strongly tied to fuel cell operational regimes, thus often limiting optimization of the catalytic reactors. In this paper we discuss operation of an authothermal reforming reactor for hydrogen generation for HDS and start-up/shutdown, and development of a pre-reformer for converting propane to a methane-rich fuel stream.     

Noble metal-free hydrazine fuel cell catalysts: EPOC effect in competing chemical and electrochemical reaction pathways

We report the discovery of a highly active Ni-Co alloy electrocatalyst for the oxidation of hydrazine (N(2)H(4)) and provide evidence for competing electrochemical (faradaic) and chemical (nonfaradaic) reaction pathways. The electrochemical conversion of hydrazine on catalytic surfaces in fuel cells is of great scientific and technological interest, because it offers multiple redox states, complex reaction pathways, and significantly more favorable energy and power densities compared to hydrogen fuel. Structure-reactivity relations of a Ni(60)Co(40) alloy electrocatalyst are presented with a 6-fold increase in catalytic N(2)H(4) oxidation activity over today's benchmark catalysts. We further study the mechanistic pathways of the catalytic N(2)H(4) conversion as function of the applied electrode potential using differentially pumped electrochemical mass spectrometry (DEMS). At positive overpotentials, N(2)H(4) is electrooxidized into nitrogen consuming hydroxide ions, which is the fuel cell-relevant faradaic reaction pathway. In parallel, N(2)H(4) decomposes chemically into molecular nitrogen and hydrogen over a broad range of electrode potentials. The electroless chemical decomposition rate was controlled by the electrode potential, suggesting a rare example of a liquid-phase electrochemical promotion effect of a chemical catalytic reaction ("EPOC"). The coexisting electrocatalytic (faradaic) and heterogeneous catalytic (electroless, nonfaradaic) reaction pathways have important implications for the efficiency of hydrazine fuel cells.     

Investigation of the “permanent” electrochemical promotion of catalysis (P-EPOC) by electrochemical mass spectrometry (EMS) measurements

The phenomenon of electrochemical promotion of catalysis (EPOC) is most often fully reversible. Subsequent to long-lasting polarization, however, the new steady-state open-circuit catalytic activity after current interruption may remain significantly higher than that before polarization. This phenomenon has been reported as “permanent electrochemical promotion of catalysis” (P-EPOC). The catalytic oxidation of C₂H₄ was studied over a Pt/YSZ/Au electrochemical cell under excess O₂ at 375 °C, combining cyclic voltammetry and mass spectrometry. It has been found that after positive current interruption, the catalytic rate remains in a highly active P-EPOC steady-state, where it is almost double than the initial open-circuit rate. During this highly active steady-state, the application of a similar negative current for a similar time period has been found to result in the return of the catalytic rate to the initial open-circuit state. Similar reversibility of the rate has been observed after cyclic voltammetry experiments where after a complete potential oscillation the open-circuit rate is almost the same to that before polarization. These establish the reported mechanism for the origin of P-EPOC, on promoting species storage and concomitant migration to the metal/gas interface after positive current interruption, through the three phase boundaries.     

燃料电池电极表界面催化氧还原反应的STM研究进展

催化氧还原反应的电催化剂是燃料电池的一个重要组成部分. 从分子尺度研究催化氧还原反应中所涉及的表界面反应机理,不仅有利于深入理解催化机理,更有利于指导人们合理地设计新型的电催化剂. 本文结合近年来国内外的研究工作,概述了通过扫描隧道显微镜研究燃料电池内部催化氧还原反应过程中所涉及的表面形貌变化、单分子结构变化、中间体的观测以及反应产物调控等方面最新进展,并展望了该研究领域的发展趋势.     

基于功能性纳米材料的新型电化学界面的构筑以及相关应用(英文)

由于独特的光、电、磁以及催化性质,功能性纳米材料的研究已经渗透到各个学科并在不同领域展示出潜在的应用前景,尤其是利用纳米材料构建功能性电极界面、研究其电化学行为并发展新颖的电化学纳米器件引起了了人们的广泛关注. 本篇综述中,主要介绍作者研究小组在以功能性纳米材料构建新颖的电化学界面的最新进展,集中关注其在电化学传感器、燃料电池以及光谱电化学中的应用. 这些纳米材料的应用极大地增强了电子转移、提高了电化学传感器的灵敏度以及燃料电池的催化效率. 作者也通过合成一些光谱匹配的荧光以及电致变色纳米材料构建新颖的荧光光谱电化学器件,同时在材料的合成组装、多重刺激响应体系以及多功能化进行探索. 最后,作者对这类基于纳米材料的电化学器件的发展和应用予以展望.     

Structure and reactivity of the polarised liquid–liquid interface: what we know and what we do not

Charge transfer phenomena at the interface between two immiscible electrolyte solutions (ITIES) are electrochemical reactions taking place in soft media. Owing to their liquid nature, the ITIES shows a large panel of electrochemical reactions including electron transfer reactions, ion transfer reactions, coupled electron–ion transfer reactions or biomimetic redox reactions. Nevertheless, the mechanisms by which these reactions proceed are yet to be fully understood. The goal of this short review is to summarise the work accomplished over the past decades towards the elucidation of the structure and reactivity at the ITIES, highlighting the main questions still to be answered.     

石墨烯基催化剂的设计合成与电催化应用

为了解决能源匮乏和环境污染的问题,研究人员正致力于寻找清洁可持续的新能源。 其中,氧气还原、氧气析出、析氢反应等是紧密联系新型清洁能源获取和存贮的重要电化学反应。 为了提高其能量转化效率,电催化剂(如碳载铂Pt/C)被广泛地用于降低其反应活化能、提高能量转化效率。 近年来,石墨烯作为一种具有高比表面积和优异导电性的二维碳材料受到了广泛关注。 通过表面杂原子掺杂、缺陷调控和引入催化活性组分等方式,获得了催化性能与贵金属催化剂相媲美,且低价格和高稳定性的非贵金属石墨烯基催化材料。 针对氧气还原、氧气析出和析氢反应在燃料电池、金属-空气电池和电催化水分解中的应用,本文概括综述了通过表/界面结构性质调控提高石墨烯电催化性能和稳定性,获得具有双功能或复合催化性能的石墨烯基催化剂的最新研究进展。 最后总结和展望了亟待解决的问题及未来的发展趋势。     

Carbon Monoxide Oxidation on Pt Single Crystal Electrodes: Understanding the Catalysis for Low Temperature Fuel Cells

Herein the general concepts of fuel cells are discussed, with special attention to low temperature fuel cells working in alkaline media. Alkaline low temperature fuel cells could well be one of the energy sources in the next future. This technology has the potential to provide power to portable devices, transportation and stationary sectors. With the aim to solve the principal catalytic problems at the anode of low temperature fuel cells, a fundamental study of the mechanism and kinetics of carbon monoxide as well as water dissociation on stepped platinum surfaces in alkaline medium is discussed and compared with those in acidic media. Furthermore, cations involved as promoters for catalytic surface reactions are also considered. Therefore, the aim of the present work is not only to provide the new fundamental advances in the electrocatalysis field, but also to understand the reactions occurring at fuel cell catalysts, which may help to improve the fabrication of novel electrodes in order to enhance the performance and to decrease the cost of low temperature fuel cells.     

Multicomponent nanocatalysts and fuel cells based on them

We consider the results of original research on design and study of multicomponent catalytic nanostructures for the major current-generating reactions in fuel cells. The activity and selectivity level of the synthesized catalysts (nanoalloys) determines the efficiency of conversion of chemical energy to electrical energy in the present stage of development of electrochemical power generation.     

Permanent electrochemical promotion of C3H8 oxidation over thin sputtered Pt films

The effect of “permanent electrochemical promotion of catalysis” (P-EPOC) was studied for the first time in the catalytic deep oxidation of C₃H₈ over a thin (～ 150 nm) sputtered Pt film on YSZ, under excess of oxygen at 350 °C. Short positive potential application (+ 1 V) resulted in a 5.6-fold increase of the catalytic rate, where C₃H₈ conversion reached 33%, while the apparent Faradaic efficiency was ～ 330. After positive current interruption the catalytic rate remained in a highly active steady-state, determined by the total charge of the anodic polarization step. Restoration of the catalytic activity to the initial value occurred only by a similar negative potential imposition. This new stable steady-state after current interruption can be interpreted by storage of a non-reactive oxygen species upon anodic polarization at the proximity of the Pt/YSZ interface and subsequent enhanced migration of spillover O^δ? species from the electrolyte support to the Pt/gas interface under open-circuit conditions.     

表面组装钴物种同时促进Cd0.9Zn0.1S光催化剂的界面电荷分离和表面反应

利用人工光合成将太阳能转化为化学燃料是太阳能利用的重要途径,具有广阔的应用前景,其中,太阳能光催化分解水制氢是最为关键的反应之一.但是,大多数半导体光催化材料面临着光生电荷分离困难和表面催化反应速率慢等挑战.本文以具有可见光响应的半导体光催化剂Cd0.9Zn0.1S(CZS)纳米棒为研究模型,利用水热法成功在其表面上均...     

Ab Initio Cyclic Voltammetry on Cu(111), Cu(100) and Cu(110) in Acidic,Neutral and Alkaline Solutions

Electrochemical reactions depend on the electrochemical interface between the electrode surfaces and the electrolytes. To control and advance electrochemical reactions there is a need to develop realistic simulation models of the electrochemical interface to understand the interface from an atomistic point-of-view. Here we present a method for obtaining thermodynamic realistic interface structures, a procedure we use to derive specific coverages and to obtain ab initio simulated cyclic voltammograms. As a case study, the method and procedure is applied in a matrix study of three Cu facets in three different electrolytes. The results have been validated by direct comparison to experimental cyclic voltammograms. The alkaline (NaOH) cyclic voltammograms are described by H* and OH*, while in neutral medium (KHCO₃) the CO species are dominating and in acidic (KCl) the Cl* species prevail. An almost one-to-one mapping is observed from simulation to experiments giving an atomistic understanding of the interface structure of the Cu facets. Atomistic understanding of the interface at relevant eletrolyte conditions will further allow realistic modelling of electrochemical reactions of importance for future eletrocatalytic studies.     

Accelerating Electrochemical Reactions in a Voltage-Controlled Interfacial Microreactor

Microdroplet chemistry is attracting increasing attention for accelerated reactions at the solution–air interface. We report herein a voltage-controlled interfacial microreactor that enables acceleration of electrochemical reactions which are not observed in bulk or conventional electrochemical cells. The microreactor is formed at the interface of the Taylor cone in an electrospray emitter with a large orifice, thus allowing continuous contact of the electrode and the reactants at/near the interface. As a proof-of-concept, electrooxidative C−H/N−H coupling and electrooxidation of benzyl alcohol were shown to be accelerated by more than an order of magnitude as compared to the corresponding bulk reactions. The new electrochemical microreactor has unique features that allow i) voltage-controlled acceleration of electrochemical reactions by voltage-dependent formation of the interfacial microreactor; ii) “reversible” electrochemical derivatization; and iii) in situ mechanistic study and capture of key radical intermediates when coupled with mass spectrometry.     

In situ SERS and SHINERS study of electrochemical hydrogenation of p-ethynylaniline in nonaqueous solvents

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) studies of electrode/solution interfaces are important for understanding electrochemical processes. However, revealing the nature of reactions at well-defined single crystal electrode surfaces, which are SERS-inactive, remains challenging. In this work, shell-isolated nanoparticle-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SHINERS) was used for the first time to study electrochemical adsorption and hydrogenation reactions at single crystal surfaces in nonaqueous solvents. A roughened Au surface was also studied for comparison. The experimental results show that the hydrogenation of adsorbed p-ethynylaniline (PEAN) on roughened Au electrode surfaces occurred at very negative potentials in methanol because of the catalytic effect of surface plasmon resonance (SPR). However, because “hot electrons” were blocked by the silica shell of Au@SiO₂ nanoparticles and aprotic acetonitrile was an ineffective hydrogen source, surface reactions at Au(111) were inhibited in the systems studied. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed that the PEAN triple bond opened, allowing adsorption in a flat configuration on the Au(111) surface via two carbon atoms. This work provides an advanced understanding of electrochemical interfacial processes at single crystal surfaces in nonaqueous systems.     

Investigation of unsupported Pt–Ru catalysts for high temperature methanol electro-oxidation

Two unsupported Pt–Ru catalysts, varying in the nature and content of RuOx species, were investigated for methanol electro-oxidation in a solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell at high temperature. The catalyst containing a lower amount of ruthenium oxide showed higher catalytic activity and lower mass transport limitations. A physicochemical investigation was carried out to support the interpretation of electrochemical results. Pt–Ru alloy appears more active than Pt–RuOx in the chemisorption of labile-bonded oxygenated species, which promote the oxidation of the methanolic residues adsorbed on the catalyst surface.     

催化裂化生焦反应集总动力学模型的研究

催化裂化生焦反应集总动力学模型的研究任杰（抚顺石油学院石油化工系，抚顺１１３００１）关键词催化裂化，生焦，集总动力学，动力学模型在催化裂化反应过程中，催化剂因结焦而迅速失活．催化剂结焦量对催化剂再生和装置的热平衡影响很大，因此建立生焦动力学模型对指导...     

Nanoimpacts at Active and Partially Active Electrodes: Insights and Limitations

While the electrochemical nanoimpact technique has recently emerged as a method of studying single entities, it is limited by requirement of a catalytically active particle impacting an inert electrode. We show that an active particle-active electrode can provide mechanistic insight into electrochemical reactions. When an individual Pt electrocatalyst adsorbs to the surface of a partially active electrode, further reduction of electrode-produced species can proceed on the nanocatalyst. Current transients obtained during hydrogen evolution allow simultaneous measurement of the Pt catalyst over different length scales, size dependency suggests H atom intercalation as a catalytic deactivation mechanism. Although results show that outer-sphere redox probes are unproductive for particle characterization, the breadth of inner-sphere electrochemical reactions makes this a promising method for understanding the properties of catalytic nanomaterials, one at a time.     

GC of Catalytic Reactions Products Involved in the Promising Fuel Synthesis

Catalytic reactions involved in the synthesis of the promising kinds of novel fuel and products formed in these reactions were systematized according to the resulting fuel type. Generalization of the retention of the substances comprising these products is presented. Chromatograms exhibiting their separation on chromatographic materials with the surface of different chemical properties are summarized. We propose procedures for gas-chromatographic analysis of the catalytic reactions products formed in the synthesis of hydrogen, methanol, dimethyl ether and hydrocarbons as a new generation of fuel alternative to petroleum and coal. For partial oxidation of methane into synthesis gas, on-line determination of the components obtained in the reaction was carried out by gas chromatography and gas analyzer based on different physicochemical methods (IR spectroscopy and electrochemical methods). Similarity of the results obtained using these methods is demonstrated.