Boosting the Peroxidase‐like Activity of Cobalt Ions by Amino Acid‐based Biological Species and Its Applications

Enzyme mimics have been widely used as alternatives to natural enzymes, owing to their high stability and low cost. However, the activity and atom economy of enzyme mimics still need to be improved. Herein, we report the boosting effects of amino acids, peptides and proteins on the peroxidase‐like activity of Co²⁺. Among 20 amino acids, tryptophan (Trp) enhanced the activity of Co²⁺ approximately 8 times and was identified as the best stimulator. The study revealed the synergy of amino acids‐based species and HCO₃^? for efficient catalysis. Co²⁺ is proposed to bind simultaneously to HCO₃^? and Trp, and to form a ternary catalyst which facilitates the generation of reactive oxygen species. Based on the selective boosting by Trp, a simple and low‐cost Co²⁺ sensor with high sensitivity was developed, which showed a linear range of 10–300 μM and a limit of detection of 0.4 μM for Co²⁺.     

Cobalt Carbonate as an Electrocatalyst for Water Oxidation

Co^II salts in the presence of HCO₃⁻/CO₃²⁻ in aqueous solutions act as electrocatalysts for water oxidation. It comprises of several key steps: (i) A relatively small wave at E_pa≈0.71 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) owing to the Co^III/II redox couple. (ii) A second wave is observed at E_pa≈1.10 V with a considerably larger current. In which the Co^III undergoes oxidation to form a Co^IV species. The large current is attributed to catalytic oxidation of HCO₃⁻/CO₃²⁻ to HCO₄⁻. (iii) A process with very large currents at >1.2 V owing to the formation of Co^V(CO₃)₃⁻, which oxidizes both water and HCO₃⁻/CO₃²⁻. These processes depend on [Co^II], [NaHCO₃], and pH. Chronoamperometry at 1.3 V gives a green deposit. It acts as a heterogeneous catalyst for water oxidation. DFT calculations point out that Coⁿ(CO₃)₃ⁿ⁻⁶, n=4, 5 are attainable at potentials similar to those experimentally observed.     

Structural and Electronic Influences on Rates of Tertpyridine−Amine CoIII−H Formation During Catalytic H2 Evolution in an Aqueous Environment

In this work, the differences in catalytic performance for a series of Co hydrogen evolution catalysts with different pentadentate polypyridyl ligands (L), have been rationalized by examining elementary steps of the catalytic cycle using a combination of electrochemical and transient pulse radiolysis (PR) studies in aqueous solution. Solvolysis of the [Co^II−Cl]⁺ species results in the formation of [Co^II(κ⁴-L)(OH₂)]²⁺. Further reduction produces [Co^I(κ⁴-L)(OH₂)]⁺, which undergoes a rate-limiting structural rearrangement to [Co^I(κ⁵-L)]⁺ before being protonated to form [Co^III−H]²⁺. The rate of [Co^III−H]²⁺ formation is similar for all complexes in the series. Using E_1/2 values of various Co species and pK_a values of [Co^III−H]²⁺ estimated from PR experiments, we found that while the protonation of [Co^III−H]²⁺ is unfavorable, [Co^II−H]⁺ reacts with protons to produce H₂. The catalytic activity for H₂ evolution tracks the hydricity of the [Co^II−H]⁺ intermediate.     

Highly dispersed Mn2O3−Co3O4 nanostructures on carbon matrix as heterogeneous Fenton-like catalyst

This work reports the synthesis of various carbon (Vulcan XC-72 R) supported metal oxide nanostructures, such as Mn₂O₃, Co₃O₄ and Mn₂O₃−Co₃O₄ as heterogeneous Fenton-like catalysts for the degradation of organic dye pollutants, namely Rhodamine B (RB) and Congo Red (CR) in wastewater. The activity results showed that the bimetallic Mn₂O₃−Co₃O₄/C catalyst exhibits much higher activity than the monometallic Mn₂O₃/C and Co₃O₄/C catalysts for the degradation of both RB and CR pollutants, due to the synergistic properties induced by the Mn−Co and/or Mn (Co)−support interactions. The degradation efficiency of RB and CR was considerably increased with an increase of reaction temperature from 25 to 45°C. Importantly, the bimetallic Mn₂O₃−Co₃O₄/C catalyst could maintain its catalytic activity up to five successive cycles, revealing its catalytic durability for wastewater purification. The structure–activity correlations demonstrated a probable mechanism for the degradation of organic dye pollutants in wastewater, involving •OH radical as well as Mn²⁺/Mn³⁺ or Co²⁺/Co³⁺ redox couple of the Mn₂O₃−Co₃O₄/C catalyst.     

Charge-Separated and Lewis Paired Metal–Organic Framework for Anion Exchange and CO2 Chemical Fixation

Charge-separated metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are a unique class of MOFs that can possess added properties originating from the exposed ionic species. A new charge-separated MOF, namely, UNM-6 synthesized from a tetrahedral borate ligand and Co²⁺ cation is reported herein. UNM-6 crystalizes into the highly symmetric P43n space group with fourfold interpenetration, despite the stoichiometric imbalance between the B and Co atoms, which also leads to loosely bound NO₃⁻ anions within the crystal structure. These NO₃⁻ ions can be quantitatively exchanged with various other anions, leading to Lewis acid (Co²⁺) and Lewis base (anions) pairs within the pores and potentially cooperative catalytic activities. For example, UNM-6-Br, the MOF after anion exchange with Br⁻ anions, displays high catalytic activity and stability in reactions of CO₂ chemical fixation into cyclic carbonates.     

Cooperative Catalysis of Polysulfides in Lithium-Sulfur Batteries through Adsorption Competition by Tuning Cationic Geometric Configuration of Dual-active Sites in Spinel Oxides

Fundamentally understanding the structure–property relationship is critical to design advanced electrocatalysts for lithium-sulfur (Li−S) batteries, which remains a formidable challenge. Herein, by manipulating the regulable cations in spinel oxides, their geometrical-site-dependent catalytic activity for sulfur redox is investigated. Experimental and theoretical analyses validate that the modulation essence of cooperative catalysis of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) is dominated by LiPSs adsorption competition between Co³⁺ tetrahedral (Td) and Mn³⁺ octahedral (Oh) sites on Mn³⁺_Oh−O−Co³⁺_Td backbones. Specifically, high-spin Co³⁺_Td with stronger Co−S covalency anchors LiPSs persistently, while electron delocalized Mn³⁺_Oh with adsorptive orbital (d_z²) functions better in catalyzing specialized LiPSs conversion. This work inaugurates a universal strategy for sculpting geometrical configuration to achieve charge, spin, and orbital topological regulation in electrocatalysts for Li−S batteries.     

Uncovering Dynamic Edge-Sites in Atomic Co−N−C Electrocatalyst for Selective Hydrogen Peroxide Production

Understanding the nature of single-atom catalytic sites and identifying their spectroscopic fingerprints are essential prerequisites for the rational design of target catalysts. Here, we apply correlated in situ X-ray absorption and infrared spectroscopy to probe the edge-site-specific chemistry of Co−N−C electrocatalyst during the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) operation. The unique edge-hosted architecture affords single-atom Co site remarkable structural flexibility with adapted dynamic oxo adsorption and valence state shuttling between Co^(2−δ)+ and Co²⁺, in contrast to the rigid in-plane embedded Co₁−N_x counterpart. Theoretical calculations demonstrate that the synergistic interplay of in situ reconstructed Co₁−N₂-oxo with peripheral oxygen groups gives a rise to the near-optimal adsorption of *OOH intermediate and substantially increases the activation barrier for its dissociation, accounting for a robust acidic ORR activity and 2e⁻ selectivity for H₂O₂ production.     

Synergetic extraction of Co3+

The extraction of Co³⁺ from 0.1M aqueous acetate medium buffered to pH 5.3 by thenoyltrifluoroacetone (HTTA) in benzene and by 8-quinolinol (HQ) also in benzene at various temperatures has been studied. The species formed were Co(OH)₂ (TTA)·(HTTA)₂ and Co(Q₃)·2HQ, respectively. 1,10-phenanthroline (Phen) as a base was also mixed with HTTA to form the species Co(OH)₂(TTA)·(HTTA). Phen and Co(OH)₂ (TTA)(HTTA)·2Phen. No synergism was observed upon the addition of Phen to HQ.     

In situ growth of Co3O4 nano-dodecahedeons on In2O3 hexagonal prisms for toluene catalytic combustion

In this paper, in situ growth of Co₃O₄ nano-dodecahedra on In₂O₃ hexagonal prisms were synthesized via pyrolysis of ZIF-67/MIL-68. Interestingly, the amount of Co₃O₄ dodecahedra on In₂O₃ hexagonal prisms was regularly regulated and controlled. In detail, four Co₃O₄/In₂O₃ catalysts with various Co/In molar ratio were prepared, including Co₄In₁ (Co/In molar ratio was 4:1), Co₂In₁ (Co/In molar ratio was 2:1), Co₁In₁ (Co/In molar ratio was 1:1), Co_0.5In₁ (Co/In molar ratio was 0.5:1). The catalytic performance of Co₃O₄/In₂O₃ catalysts was systematically investigated for toluene combustion. It could be noted that the Co₂In₁ sample exhibited the superior catalytic performance, and the temperatures for 90% toluene conversion (T₉₀) was 182 °C. Furthermore, the toluene conversion of Co₂In₁ sample had no significant decrease at 178 °C for 15 h, indicating that it presented superior stability for toluene oxidation reaction. Through various characterizations, it was verified that the Co/In molar ratio of Co₃O₄/In₂O₃ catalyst could obviously alter the surface atomic ratio of Co³⁺/(Co³⁺ + Co²⁺), BET surface area, the number of surface adsorbed oxygen, the interaction between In₂O₃ and Co₃O₄ of CoInO_x catalysts and so on. The lots of surface adsorbed oxygen, strong interaction between In₂O₃ and Co₃O₄ would promote the catalytic oxidation of toluene. Especially, we discovered that the catalytic activity of Co₃O₄/In₂O₃ was obviously improved with the increase of Co³⁺/(Co³⁺ + Co²⁺) surface atomic ratio.     

A Highly Sensitive and Selective Non-enzymatic Hydrogen Peroxide Sensor Based on Nanostructured Co3O4 Thin Films Using the Sol-gel Method

In this work we report an easy and efficient way to fabricate nanostructured cobalt oxide (Co₃O₄) thin films as a non-enzymatic sensor for H₂O₂ detection. Co₃O₄ thin films were grown on ITO glass substrates via the sol-gel method and characterized with several techniques including X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and optical absorbance. The Co₃O₄ thin films’ performance regarding hydrogen peroxide detection was studied in a 0.1 M NaOH solution using two techniques, cyclic voltammetry (CV) and amperometry. The films exhibited a high sensitivity of 1450 μA.mM⁻¹.cm⁻², a wide linear range from 0.05 μM to 1.1 mM, and a very low detection limit of 18 nM. Likewise, the Co₃O₄ thin films produced showed an exceptional stability and a high selectivity.     

High Valence State Sites as Favorable Reductive Centers for High-Current-Density Water Splitting

Electrochemical water splitting is a promising approach for producing sustainable and clean hydrogen. Typically, high valence state sites are favorable for oxidation evolution reaction (OER), while low valence states can facilitate hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). However, here we proposed a high valence state of Co³⁺ in Ni_9.5Co_0.5−S−FeO_x hybrid as the favorable center for efficient and stable HER, while structural analogues with low chemical states showed much worse performance. As a result, the Ni_9.5Co_0.5−S−FeO_x catalyst could drive alkaline HER with an ultra-low overpotential of 22 mV for 10 mA cm⁻², and 175 mV for 1000 mA cm⁻² at the industrial temperature of 60 °C, with an excellent stability over 300 h. Moreover, this material could work for both OER and HER, with a low cell voltage being 1.730 V to achieve 1000 mA cm⁻² for overall water splitting at 60 °C. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) clearly identified the high valence Co³⁺ sites, while in situ XAS during HER and theoretical calculations revealed the favorable electron capture at Co³⁺ and suitable H adsorption/desorption energy around Co³⁺, which could accelerate the HER. The understanding of high valence states to drive reductive reactions may pave the way for the rational design of energy-related catalysts.     

Facile synthesis of cobalt oxide/reduced graphene oxide composites for electrochemical capacitor and sensor applications

Reduced graphene oxide sheets decorated with cobalt oxide nanoparticles (Co₃O₄/rGO) were produced using a hydrothermal method without surfactants. Both the reduction of GO and the formation of Co₃O₄ nanoparticles occurred simultaneously under this condition. At the same current density of 0.5 A g⁻¹, the Co₃O₄/rGO nanocomposites exhibited much a higher specific capacitance (545 F g⁻¹) than that of bare Co₃O₄ (100 F g⁻¹). On the other hand, for the detection of H₂O₂, the peak current of Co₃O₄/rGO was 4 times higher than that of Co₃O₄. Moreover, the resulting composite displayed a low detection limit of 0.62 μM and a high sensitivity of 28,500 μA mM⁻¹cm⁻² for the H₂O₂ sensor. These results suggest that the Co₃O₄/rGO nanocomposite is a promising material for both supercapacitor and non-enzymatic H₂O₂ sensor applications.     

Cu_xCo_(1-x)/Al_2O_3/FeCrAl整体式催化剂上甲苯催化燃烧(英文)

以FeCrAl合金薄片为基底,Al2O3浆料为过渡胶体,不同摩尔比的Cu、Co为催化活性组分,制备了一系列CuxCo1-x/Al2O3/FeCrAl(x=0-1)新型整体式催化剂.采用X射线粉末衍射(XRD),扫描电子显微镜(SEM),X光电子能谱(XPS)和程序升温还原(TPR)等手段对催化剂的结构进行了表征.在微型固定床反应器上评价了催化剂的催化甲苯燃烧性能.研究结果表明:在所制备的整体式催化剂上,当Cu含量比较低时,形成了Cu-Co-O固溶体;当Cu含量比较高时,可以测得CuO的衍射峰.催化剂表面颗粒大小和形貌与Cu、Co摩尔比密切相关.在催化剂表面,Co以Co2+和Co3+价态存在,而Cu主要以Cu2+价态存在.催化剂中的Cu可以改善Co的氧化还原性,从而有利于催化剂活性的提高.在所制备的催化剂中,Cu0.5Co0.5/Al2O3/FeCrAl催化剂具有最好的活性,甲苯在374oC可以完全催化燃烧消除.     

碳纳米纤维负载Co3S4复合材料的合成及其在染料敏化太阳电池对电极的应用

采用水热法合成四硫化三钴（Co₃S₄）催化材料,并利用球磨和喷涂技术将其制备成对电极,结合新型无碘电解液Co²⁺/Co³⁺用于染料敏化太阳电池（dye-sensitized solar cells,简称DSCs）来研究其光电性能。测试结果显示,基于Co₃S₄对电极,DSCs的能量转化效率（power conversion efficiency,简称PCE）只有6.06%,远远低于Pt对电极（8.05%）。为了提高Co₃S₄的催化能力,采用静电纺丝技术制备碳纳米纤维（electrospun carbon nanofibers,简称ECs）,结合水热法制备出不同负载量的碳纳米纤维负载四硫化三钴（Co₃S₄/ECs）复合催化材料用于对电极,结果表明,Co₃S₄/ECs的PCE最高可达（8.22±0.08）%,优于Pt对电极。     

Overlooked Formation of Carbonate Radical Anions in the Oxidation of Iron(II) by Oxygen in the Presence of Bicarbonate

Iron(II), (Fe(H₂O)₆²⁺, (Fe^II) participates in many reactions of natural and biological importance. It is critically important to understand the rates and the mechanism of Fe^II oxidation by dissolved molecular oxygen, O₂, under environmental conditions containing bicarbonate (HCO₃⁻), which exists up to millimolar concentrations. In the absence and presence of HCO₃⁻, the formation of reactive oxygen species (O₂⋅⁻, H₂O₂, and HO⋅) in Fe^II oxidation by O₂ has been suggested. In contrast, our study demonstrates for the first time the rapid generation of carbonate radical anions (CO₃⋅⁻) in the oxidation of Fe^II by O₂ in the presence of bicarbonate, HCO₃⁻. The rate of the formation of CO₃⋅⁻ may be expressed as d[CO₃⋅⁻]/dt=[Fe^II[[O₂][HCO₃⁻]². The formation of reactive species was investigated using ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR) and gas chromatographic techniques. The study presented herein provides new insights into the reaction mechanism of Fe^II oxidation by O₂ in the presence of bicarbonate and highlights the importance of considering the formation of CO₃⋅⁻ in the geochemical cycling of iron and carbon.     

Effect of Calcination Temperature on Surface Oxygen Vacancies and Catalytic Performance Towards CO Oxidation of Co3O4 Nanoparticles Supported on SiO2

Co₃O₄/SiO₂ catalysts for CO oxidation were prepared by conventional incipient wetness impregnation followed by calcination at various temperatures. Their structures were char-acterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD), laser Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) and X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy. Both XRD and Raman spectroscopy only detect the ex-istence of Co₃O₄ crystallites in all catalysts. However, XPS results indicate that excess Co²⁺ ions are present on the surface of Co₃O₄ in Co₃O₄(200)/SiO₂ as compared with bulk Co₃O₄. Meanwhile, TPR results suggest the presence of surface oxygen vacancies on Co₃O₄ in Co₃O₄(200)/SiO₂, and XAFS results demonstrate that Co₃O₄ in Co₃O₄(200)/SiO₂ con-tains excess Co²⁺. Increasing calcination temperature results in oxidation of excess Co²⁺ and the decrease of the concentration of surface oxygen vacancies, consequently the for-mation of stoichiometric Co₃O₄ on supported catalysts. Among all Co₃O₄/SiO₂ catalysts,Co₃O₄(200)/SiO₂ exhibits the best catalytic performance towards CO oxidation, demon-strating that excess Co²⁺ and surface oxygen vacancies can enhance the catalytic activity of Co₃O₄ towards CO oxidation. These results nicely demonstrate the effect of calcination temperature on the structure and catalytic performance towards CO oxidation of silica-supported Co₃O₄ catalysts and highlight the important role of surface oxygen vacancies on Co₃O₄.     

Enhanced Supercapacitor Performance Using a Co3O4@Co3S4 Nanocomposite on Reduced Graphene Oxide/Ni Foam Electrodes

To avoid an enormous energy crisis in the not-too-distant future, it be emergent to establish high-performance energy storage devices such as supercapacitors. For this purpose, a three-dimensional (3D) heterostructure of Co₃O₄ and Co₃S₄ on nickel foam (NF) that is covered by reduced graphene oxide (rGO) has been prepared by following a facile multistep method. At first, rGO nanosheets are deposited on NF under mild hydrothermal conditions to increase the surface area. Subsequently, nanowalls of cobalt oxide are electro-deposited on rGO/Ni foam by applying cyclic-voltammetry (CV) under optimized conditions. Finally, for the synthesis of Co₃O₄@Co₃S₄ nanocomposite, the nanostructure of Co₃S₄ was fabricated from Co₃O₄ nanowalls on rGO/NF by following an ordinary hydrothermal process through the sulfurization for the electrochemical application. The samples are characterized by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The obtained sample delivers a high capacitance of 13.34 F cm⁻² (5651.24 F g⁻¹) at a current density of 6 mA cm⁻² compared to the Co₃O₄/rGO/NF electrode with a capacitance of 3.06 F cm⁻² (1230.77 F g⁻¹) at the same current density. The proposed electrode illustrates the superior electrochemical performance such as excellent specific energy density of 85.68 W h Kg⁻¹, specific power density of 6048.03 W kg⁻¹ and a superior cycling performance (86% after 1000 charge/discharge cycles at a scan rate of 5 mV s⁻¹). Finally, by using Co₃O₄ @Co₃S₄/rGO/NF and the activated carbon-based electrode as positive and negative electrodes, respectively, an asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) device was assembled. The fabricated ASC provides an appropriate specific capacitance of 79.15 mF cm⁻² at the applied current density of 1 mA cm⁻², and delivered an energy density of 0.143 Wh kg⁻¹ at the power density of 5.42 W kg⁻¹.     

Bonding and Acidity of the Formal Hydride in the Prototypical Au9(PPh3)8H2+ Nanocluster

The role of hydrogen atoms as surface ligands on metal nanoclusters is of profound importance but remains difficult to directly study. While hydrogen atoms often appear to be incorporated formally as hydrides, evidence suggests that they donate electrons to the cluster's delocalized superatomic orbitals and may consequently behave as acidic protons that play key roles in synthetic or catalytic mechanisms. Here we directly test this assertion for the prototypical Au₉(PPh₃)₈H²⁺ nanocluster, formed by addition of a hydride to the well-characterized Au₉(PPh₃)₈³⁺. Using gas-phase infrared spectroscopy, we were able to unambiguously isolate Au₉(PPh₃)₈H²⁺ and Au₉(PPh₃)₈D²⁺, revealing an Au−H stretching mode at 1528 cm⁻¹ that shifts to 1038 cm⁻¹ upon deuteration. This shift is greater than the maximum expected for a typical harmonic potential, suggesting a potential governing cluster-H bonding that has some square-well character consistent with the hydrogen nucleus behaving as a metal atom in the cluster core. Complexing this cluster with very weak bases reveals a redshift of 37 cm⁻¹ in the Au−H vibration, consistent with those typically seen for moderately acidic groups in gas phase molecules and providing an estimate of the acidity of Au₉(PPh₃)₈H²⁺, at least with regard to its surface reactivity.     

Co2(CO)8-catalyzed carbonylation of acetals using N-silylamines

Formaldehyde dialkyl acetals and cyclic acetal, 1,3-dioxolane, are smoothly carbonylated using N-silylamines at 140–160 °C under 70–88 kg cm⁻² CO pressure in the presence of a catalytic amount of Co₂(CO)₈ to give the corresponding 2-alkoxyamides in moderate to good yields. In the carbonylation of formaldehyde dialkyl acetals using N-silylamines, addition of pyridine drastically enhances the catalytic activity.     

Enhanced photocatalytic degradation of sulfamethoxazole by stable hierarchical Fe2O3/Co3O4 heterojunction on nickel foam

A facile approach was successfully employed to prepare Fe₂O₃/Co₃O₄ nanosheet arrays on nickel foams (Fe₂O₃/Co₃O₄@NF), which owned such advantages as narrow band gap energies and high separation rate of photoexcited electron-hole pairs. The combination of Fe₂O₃ and Co₃O₄ dramatically enhanced the photocatalytic activity towards sulfamethoxazole (SMZ) degradation, with the highest catalytic efficiency of k = 0.0538 min⁻¹, which was much higher than that of Fe₂O₃@NF (0.0098 min⁻¹) and Co₃O₄@NF (0.0094 min⁻¹). The introduction of Ni foam could not only act as the support to anchor photocatalyst, but also work as the electron mediator to promote the transition of electron-hole pairs. Reactive species trapping experiments combined with electron paramagnetic resonance analysis confirmed ^•O₂⁻ was primarily responsible for SMZ degradation. Furthermore, Fe₂O₃/Co₃O₄@NF was effective and almost unaffected by inorganic cations and anions in aqueous solution. This study could provide a facile and promising path for the construction of self-supported metal oxide-based heterojunction with high efficiency and strong stability.