Highly Selective and Stable Reduction of CO2 to CO by a Graphitic Carbon Nitride/Carbon Nanotube Composite Electrocatalyst

A stable and selective electrocatalyst for CO₂ reduction was fabricated by covalently attaching graphitic carbon nitride onto multiwall carbon nanotubes (g‐C₃N₄/MWCNTs). The as‐prepared composite is able to reduce CO₂ exclusively to CO with a maximum Faraday efficiency of 60 %, and no decay in the catalytic activity was observed even after 50 h of reaction. The enhanced catalytic activity towards CO₂ reduction is attributed to the formation of active carbon–nitrogen bonds, high specific surface area, and improved material conductivity of the g‐C₃N₄/MWCNT composite.     

Synthesis and Catalytic Studies of Uniform Os &; Os–Pd Nanoparticles Supported on MWNTs

Os and Os–Pd nanoparticles supported on multi-walled carbon nanotubes were prepared by vacuum pyrolysis at 573 K using the [Os₃CO₁₀(NCMe)₂] and [Pd(acac)₂] as precursors. The nanoparticles prepared showed a narrow size distribution (Os: 1.8 nm; Os–Pd: 4.3 nm) and were decorated evenly on the surface of the nanotubes. By controlling the metal-to-nanotube ratio, Os nanotubes were prepared using the carbon nanotubes as a template. The catalysis of Os–Pd nanoparticles towards CVD carbon nanotube synthesis was studied. Dedicated to Professor Gunther Schmid on the occasion of his 70th birthday.     

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.     

Nickel catalysts supported on MgO with different specific surface area for carbon dioxide reforming of methane

In this paper, three kinds of MgO with different specific surface area were prepared, and their effects on the catalytic performance of nickel catalysts for the carbon dioxide reforming of methane were investigated. The results showed that MgO support with the higher specific surface area led to the higher dispersion of the active metal, which resulted in the higher initial activity. On the other hand, the specific surface area of MgO materials might not be the dominant factor for the basicity of support to chemisorb and activate CO₂, which was another important factor for the performance of catalysts. Herein, Ni/MgO(CA) catalyst with proper specific surface area and strong ability to activate CO₂ exhibited stable catalytic property and the carbon species deposited on the Ni/MgO(CA) catalyst after 10 h of reaction at 650 °C were mainly activated carbon species.     

Carbon Dioxide Destruction with Methane Reforming by a Novel Plasma-Catalytic Converter

A novel plasma-catalyst converter (NPCC) was engineered in applying the carbon capture utilization technology for the destruction of carbon dioxide (CO₂), which is a cause of global warming and is generated from the combustion of fossil fuels. The NPCC has an orifice-type baffle to improve an amount of gas feed with the higher CO₂ destruction for a stationary point sources application . To examine its ability for the CO₂ destruction, the performance analysis was conducted on the effects of methane additive, nozzle injection velocity, total gas feed, and catalyst type. The product gas from the NPCC was combustible components like CO, H₂, CH₄, THCs. The CO₂ destruction and the CH₄ conversion at a 1.29 CH₄/CO₂ ratio were 37 and 47 %, respectively, and the energy decomposition efficiency was 0.0036 L/min W. The nickel oxide catalyst among other catalysts showed the most effectiveness for the CO₂ destruction and CH₄ conversion at a lower temperature. The carbon-black produced without the catalytic bed has carbon nanoparticles with diverse shapes, such as spherical carbon particles and carbon nanotubes; and its high conductivity and specific surface area were suitable for special electronic materials, fuel cells, and nanocomponents.     

Electrocatalytic reduction of NAD+ at glassy carbon electrode modified with single-walled carbon nanotubes and Ru(III) complexes

A simple procedure was developed to prepare a glassy carbon electrode modified with carbon nanotubes and Ruthenium (III) complexes. First, 25 μl of dimethyl sulfoxide–carbon nanotubes solutions (0.4 mg/ml) was cast on the surface of the glassy carbon electrode and dried in air to form a carbon nanotube film at the electrode surface. Then, the glassy carbon/carbon nanotube-modified electrode was immersed into a Ruthenium (III) complex solution (direct deposition) for a short period of time (10–20 s for multiwalled carbon nanotubes and 20–40 s for single-walled carbon nanotubes). The cyclic voltammograms of the modified electrode in aqueous solution shows a pair of well-defined, stable, and nearly reversible redox couple, Ru(III)/Ru(II), with surface-confined characteristics. The attractive mechanical and electrical characteristics of carbon nanostructures and unique properties and reactivity of Ru complexes are combined. The transfer coefficient (α), heterogeneous electron transfer rate constants (k _s), and surface concentrations (Γ) for the glassy carbon/single-walled carbon nanotubes/Ru(III) complex-, glassy carbon/multiwalled carbon nanotubes/Ru(III) complex-, and glassy carbon/Ru(III) complex-modified electrodes were calculated using the cyclic voltammetry technique. The modified electrodes showed excellent catalytic activity, fast response time, and high sensitivity toward the reduction of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide in phosphate buffer solutions at a pH range of 4–8. The catalytic cathodic current depends on the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide concentration. In the presence of alcohol dehydrogenase, the modified electrode exhibited a response to addition of acetaldehyde. Therefore, the main product of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide electroreduction at the Ru(III) complex/carbon nanotube-modified electrode was the enzymatically active NADH. The purposed sensor can be used for acetaldehyde determination.     

Development of nano IrO<Subscript>2</Subscript> composite-reinforced nickel–phosphorous electrodes for hydrogen evolution reaction

Electroless and electroplated nickel electrodes are extensively used for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). In the present work, TiO₂-supported IrO₂ mixed oxide composite was prepared and used to reinforce Ni–P electroless plates to be used as catalytic electrodes for HER. The electrodes exhibited high electrocatalytic activity when the electrodes were used for HER. All the parameters including particle size of the catalyst, surface roughness, and surface active sites were studied. The particle size of the IrO₂ catalyst in the mixed oxide was found to have high influence on the catalytic activity of the electrodes. Low overpotential as low as 70 mV at a current density of 200 mA cm⁻² was achieved with the mixed oxide-reinforced Ni–P electrodes.     

Preparation of glass carbon electrode modified with nanocrystalline nickel-decorated carbon nanotubes and electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol in alkaline solution

Nanocrystalline nickel with an average diameter of about 16 nm and a face-centered cubic (fcc) structure was uniformly attached to the surface of carbon nanotubes (CNT) by wet chemistry. The sample was characterized by X-ray powder diffraction and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A glass carbon electrode modified with nickel-modified multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs-Ni/GCE) was prepared. The electrochemical behavior of the MWCNTs-Ni/GCE and the electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol at the MWCNTs-Ni/GCE were investigated by cyclic voltammetry in 1.0 mol/L NaOH solution. The cyclic voltammograms showed that the electron transfer between β-Ni(OH)₂ and β-NiOOH is mainly a diffusion-controlled quasireversible process, and that the electrode has high catalytic activity for the electrooxidation of methanol in alkaline medium, revealing its potential application in alkaline rechargeable batteries and fuel cells. __________ Translated from Chinese Journal of Applied Chemistry, 2007, 24(5): 503–506 [译自: 应用化学]     

Structure and Catalytic Properties of Ceria-based Nickel Catalysts for CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Reforming of Methane

Carbon dioxide reforming (CDR) of methane to synthesis gas over supported nickel catalysts has been reviewed. The present review mainly focuses on the advantage of ceria based nickel catalysts for the CDR of methane. Nickel catalysts supported on ceria–zirconia showed the highest activity for CDR than nickel supported on other oxides such as zirconia, ceria and alumina. The addition of zirconia to ceria enhances the catalytic activity as well as the catalyst stability. The catalytic performance also depends on the crystal structure of Ni–Ce–ZrO₂. For example, nickel catalysts co-precipitated with Ce_0.8Zr_0.2O₂ having cubic phase gave synthesis gas with CH₄ conversion more than 97% at 800 °C and the activity was maintained for 100 h during the reaction. On the contrary, Ni–Ce–ZrO₂ having tetragonal phase (Ce_0.8Zr_0.2O₂) or mixed oxide phase (Ce_0.5Zr_0.5O₂) deactivated during the reaction due to carbon formation. The enhanced catalytic performance of co-precipitated catalyst is attributed to a combination effect of nano-crystalline nature of cubic Ce_0.8Zr_0.2O₂ support and the finely dispersed nano size NiO _x crystallites, resulting in the intimate contact between Ni and Ce_0.8Zr_0.2O₂ particles. The Ni/Ce–ZrO₂/θ–Al₂O₃ also exhibited high catalytic activity during CDR with a synthesis gas conversion more than 97% at 800 °C without significant deactivation for more than 40 h. The high stability of the catalyst is mainly ascribed to the beneficial pre-coating of Ce–ZrO₂ resulting in the existence of stable NiO _x species, a strong interaction between Ni and the support, and an abundance of mobile oxygen species in itself. TPR results further confirmed that NiO _x formation was more favorable than NiO or NiAl₂O₄ formation and further results suggested the existence of strong metal-support interaction (SMSI) between Ni and the support. Some of the important factors to optimize the CDR of methane such as reaction temperature, space velocity, feed CO₂/CH₄ ratio and H₂O and/or O₂ addition were also examined.     

Application of catalysts to coal gasification with carbon dioxide

The effects of the additives of iron, nickel, zinc, and their oxides on the process of coal gasification with carbon dioxide at temperatures of 550–800°C was studied. It was found that the additives used did not exhibit noticeable activity upon mixing with coal. Impregnation with nickel was found most efficient; it caused a notable increase in the rate of the process and a higher degree of CO₂ conversion, as compared with the thermodynamically equilibrium conversion for a given temperature. Thus, impregnation with 5% nickel made it possible to decrease the reaction temperature by 80°C with the retention of the yield of CO at about 100%. Kinetic models for describing noncatalytic and catalytic gasification reactions were considered and a mechanism of the process in the presence of nickel was proposed.     

Immobilization of flavine adenine dinucleotide onto nickel oxide nanostructures modified glassy carbon electrode: fabrication of highly sensitive persulfate sensor

A simple method was used to fabricate flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)/NiOx nanocomposite on the surface of glassy carbon (GC) electrode. Cyclic voltammetry technique was applied for deposition nickel oxide nanostructures onto GC surface. Owing to its high biocompatibility and large surface area of nickel oxide nanomaterials with immersing the GC/NiOx-modified electrode into FAD solution for a short period of time, 10–140 s, a stable thin layer of the FAD molecules immobilized onto electrode surface. The FAD/NiOx films exhibited a pair of well-defined, stable, and nearly reversible CV peaks at wide pH range (2–10). The formal potential of adsorbed FAD onto nickel oxide nanoparticles film, E ^o′ vs. Ag/AgCl reference electrode is −0.44 V in pH 7 buffer solutions was similar to dissolved FAD and changed linearly with a slope of 58.6 mV/pH in the pH range 2–10. The surface coverage and heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant (k _s ) of FAD immobilized on NiOx film glassy carbon electrode are 4.66 × 10⁻¹¹ mol cm⁻² and 63 ± 0.1 s⁻¹, indicating the high loading ability of the nickel oxide nanoparticles and great facilitation of the electron transfer between FAD and nickel oxide nanoparticles. FAD/NiOx nanocomposite-modified GC electrode shows excellent electrocatalytic activity toward S₂O₈²⁻ reduction at reduced overpotential. Furthermore, rotated modified electrode illustrates good analytical performance for amperometric detection of S₂O₈²⁻. Under optimized condition, the concentration calibration range, detection limit, and sensitivity were 3 μM–1.5 mM, 0.38 μM and 16.6 nA/μM, respectively.     

Selective and Efficient Reduction of Carbon Dioxide to Carbon Monoxide on Oxide‐Derived Nanostructured Silver Electrocatalysts

In this work, the selective electrocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide on oxide‐derived silver electrocatalysts is presented. By a simple synthesis technique, the overall high faradaic efficiency for CO production on the oxide‐derived Ag was shifted by more than 400 mV towards a lower overpotential compared to that of untreated Ag. Notably, the Ag resulting from Ag oxide is capable of electrochemically reducing CO₂ to CO with approximately 80 % catalytic selectivity at a moderate overpotential of 0.49 V, which is much higher than that (ca. 4 %) of untreated Ag under identical conditions. Electrokinetic studies show that the improved catalytic activity is ascribed to the enhanced stabilization of COOH^. intermediate. Furthermore, highly nanostructured Ag is likely able to create a high local pH near the catalyst surface, which may also facilitate the catalytic activity for the reduction of CO₂ with suppressed H₂ evolution.     

Nickel- and copper-containing oxide films on titanium

We have studied the composition and structure of films 20–30 μm thick prepared by plasmaassisted electrochemical oxidation (PEO) and additionally modified by impregnation in aqueous solutions of nickel and copper nitrates and then annealed. The investigative tools used were powder X-ray diffraction, electron probe microanalysis (EPMA), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and atomic force microscopy. Unmodified film/titanium composites have a certain catalytic activity in CO oxidation to CO₂ at temperatures above 300°C; for modified layers, these temperatures are noticeably higher. Modification influences the surface structure, relief, and elemental composition. Relations between the composition and catalytic properties of the oxide layers are discussed.     

Catalytic properties of aluminum/nickel-, copper-containing oxide film compositions

The possibility of the single-step formation of nickel- and copper-containing thin-film oxide systems on aluminum by plasma electrolytic oxidation was demonstrated. The resulting structures were found to be active in the reaction of CO oxidation to CO₂ in the temperature region 300–500°C. However, the resulting structures exhibited stable catalytic activity only in the simultaneous presence of nickel and copper compounds. The films were studied using X-ray diffraction, X-ray spectroscopic analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and electron microscopy. The resulting films exhibited an essentially inhomogeneous composition through the thickness. Electrolyte elements such as nickel, copper, sodium, and phosphorus were concentrated at the surface. Nickel occurred as Ni²⁺, and copper occurred as Cu⁺ and Cu²⁺. The surface contained carbon in detectable amounts.     

Preparation,properties, and catalytic activity of platinum-modified plasma electrolytic oxide structures on aluminum

Catalytically active Pt-containing oxide composites on aluminum have been prepared by plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) and by additional modification of the resulting coating by impregnation with an aqueous solution of chloroplatinic acid followed by calcination. The oxide film/metal composites have been characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and electron microscopy. The modified films contain the γ-Al₂O₃ and Pt crystalline phases. Platinum in the surface and subsurface layers is in the Pt⁰ state. There are platinum-rich areas on the surface of the PEO films. A higher catalytic activity in CO oxidation into CO₂ is shown by the samples whose oxide film contains nickel and copper along with platinum.     

CH4 reforming with CO2 for syngas production over La2O3 promoted Ni catalysts supported on mesoporous nanostructured γ-Al2O3

Nanostructured γ-Al₂O₃ with high surface area and mesoporous structure was synthesized by sol-gel method and employed as catalyst support for nickel catalysts in methane reforming with carbon dioxide. The prepared samples were characterized by XRD, N₂ adsorption-desorption, TPR, TPO, TPH, NH₃-TPD and SEM techniques. The BET analysis showed a high surface area of 204 m²·g⁻¹ and a narrow pore-size distribution centered at a diameter of 5.5 nm for catalyst support. The BET results revealed that addition of lanthanum oxide to aluminum oxide decreased the specific surface area. In addition, TPR results showed that addition of lanthanum oxide increased the reducibility of nickel catalyst. The catalytic evaluation results showed an increase in methane conversion with increasing lanthanum oxide to 3 mol% and further increase in lanthanum content decreased the catalytic activity. TPO analysis revealed that the coke deposition decreased with increasing lanthanum oxide to 3 mol%. SEM and TPH analyses confirmed the formation of whisker type carbon over the spent catalysts. Addition of steam and O₂ to dry reforming feed increased the methane conversion and led to carbon free operation in combined processes.     

Remarkable carbon dioxide catalytic capture (CDCC) leading to solid-form carbon material via a new CVD integrated process (CVD-IP): An alternative route for CO2 sequestration

Through our newly-developed “chemical vapor deposition integrated process (CVD-IP)” using carbon dioxide (CO₂) as the raw material and only carbon source introduced, CO₂ could be catalytically activated and converted to a new solid-form product, i.e., carbon nanotubes (CO₂-derived) at a quite high yield (the single-pass carbon yield in the solid-form carbon-product produced from CO₂ catalytic capture and conversion was more than 30% at a single-pass carbon-base). For comparison, when only pure carbon dioxide was introduced using the conventional CVD method without integrated process, no solid-form carbon-material product could be formed. In the addition of saturated steam at room temperature in the feed for CVD, there were much more end-opening carbon nano-tubes produced, at a slightly higher carbon yield. These inspiring works opened a remarkable and alternative new approach for carbon dioxide catalytic capture to solid-form product, comparing with that of CO₂ sequestration (CCS) or CO₂ mineralization (solidification), etc. As a result, there was much less body volume and almost no greenhouse effect for this solid-form carbon-material than those of primitive carbon dioxide.     

Influence of the nickel content on the electrocatalytic activity of thin nanostructured Co–Te–Ni–O films

The influence of nickel addition in Co–Te–O catalytic films, obtained by vacuum co-evaporation of Co, Ni, and TeO₂ on electrocatalytic activity toward oxygen reactions in alkaline media has been investigated. Bifunctional gas-diffusion oxygen electrodes were prepared by direct deposition of catalyst films on gas-diffusion membranes consisting of hydrophobized carbon blacks. The method used allows the deposition of nanostructured films consisting of intertwined nanowires with high surface area. Thus, obtained electrodes with different atomic ratio R _(Co+Ni)/Te of the catalyst, fresh and thermally treated at 100 °C temperatures were electrochemically tested by means of cyclic voltammetry and steady-state voltammetry. It has been shown that the partial replacement of Co with about 30 at.% Ni leads to the increase in the film catalytic activity toward oxygen evolution reaction.     

Electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol and other short chain aliphatic alcohols at Ni(II)–quercetin complex modified multi-wall carbon nanotube paste electrode

A modified electrode Ni(II)–Qu–MWCNT-PE has been fabricated by electrodepositing nickel(II)–quercetin [Ni(II)–Qu] complex on the surface of multi-wall carbon nanotube paste electrode (MWCNT-PE) in alkaline solution. Ni(II)–Qu–MWCNT-PE exhibits the characteristic of improved reversibility and enhanced current responses of the Ni(III)/Ni(II) couple compared with Ni(II)–MWCNT-PE and Ni(II)–Qu-carbon paste electrode. It also shows electrocatalytic activity toward the oxidation of methanol and other short chain aliphatic alcohols, such as ethanol, 1-propanol, and 1-butanol. The catalytic peak current and peak potential decrease in exponential form with the increase of carbon number of the chains. Kinetic parameters such as the electron transfer coefficient, α, rate constant, k _s, of the electrode reaction, and the catalytic rate constant, k _cat, for oxidation of methanol are determined. The stability and reproducibility of the Ni(II)–Qu–MWCNT-PE are good for practical applications.     

助剂对NiMgAl催化剂的结构和甲烷二氧化碳重整反应性能的影响(英文)

向担载镍基催化剂NiMgAl中添加助剂(Co,Ir或Pt)制备了三种助剂促进型催化剂,通过氢气程序升温还原(H2-TPR),CO2/CH4程序升温表面反应(CO2/CH4-TPSR)和CO2程序升温脱附(CO2-TPD)等方法对催化剂进行表征.助剂对催化剂性能的影响通过甲烷干重整实验进行评价.添加少量的Pt或Ir助剂可以降低Ni活性组分的还原温度和提高反应性能.添加助剂的样品与原始NiMgAl催化剂相比能够降低反应的活化能,添加Co或Ir助剂的催化剂与NiMgAl催化剂相比活化能有了明显的降低.NiMgAl催化剂的活化能为51.8 kJ·mol-1,添加Pt助剂的NiPtMgAl催化剂活化能降至26.4 kJ·mol-1.NiMgAl催化剂中添加Pt助剂制备的催化剂具有较好的催化活性和较低的活化能.CH4-TPSR和CO2-TPSR结果表明添加Pt助剂可以在更低的温度下(与NiMgAl催化剂相比)提高CH4的活化能力,并在催化剂表面形成更多的碳物种.CO2-TPD结果显示,添加助剂的催化剂与NiMgAl样品相比在反应温度区间内增加了CO2的吸附/脱附量.