PtNi Alloy Coated in Porous Nitrogen-Doped Carbon as Highly Efficient Catalysts for Hydrogen Evolution Reactions

The development of low platinum loading hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalysts with high activity and stability is of great significance to the practical application of hydrogen energy. This paper reports a simple method to synthesize a highly efficient HER catalyst through coating a highly dispersed PtNi alloy on porous nitrogen-doped carbon (MNC) derived from the zeolite imidazolate skeleton. The catalyst is characterized and analyzed by physical characterization methods, such as XRD, SEM, TEM, BET, XPS, and LSV, EIS, it, v-t, etc. The optimized sample exhibits an overpotential of only 26 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm⁻², outperforming commercial 20 wt% Pt/C (33 mV). The synthesized catalyst shows a relatively fast HER kinetics as evidenced by the small Tafel slope of 21.5 mV dec⁻¹ due to the small charge transfer resistance, the alloying effect between Pt and Ni, and the interaction between PtNi alloy and carrier.     

利用MOF-253衍生氮掺杂碳限域效应促进Pt纳米单晶电催化剂的氧析出反应

目前,为了有效解决电化学能量转化反应动力学过程缓慢和商业化应用等问题,需要大力提高催化剂的电催化活性和稳定性,并大幅降低贵金属催化剂的用量.通常,铂(Pt)基催化剂对燃料电池的氧还原反应(ORR)和水电解过程的氢析出反应(HER)表现出很高的活性.然而,对于高效的金属-空气电池和水电解装置,其中的氧析出反应(OER)则需要高活性的非Pt电催化剂来降低电化学过电位及提高其对高电位的耐受性.虽然相较于Pt催化剂,IrO2和RuO2等贵金属催化剂表现出了更高的OER活性,然而,它们的稳定性差,难以满足实际应用需求,严重阻碍了其在金属-空气电池和水电解中的应用.通常,Pt对OER的低效催化主要归因于在OER电催化过程中Pt与电解液直接接触,导致Pt表面快速被氧化,形成Pt氧化物(Pt^+4O2和Pt^+2O)层.形成的Pt氧化物对OER不起催化作用,从而降低了Pt的利用率和总的水电解效率.为了避免Pt表面的快速氧化,实现高的OER性能,我们将Pt金属纳米粒子有效地限域在超薄功能多孔碳层内.前期,已有大量的有关金属基ORR和HER催化剂研究证明,这种策略对于稳定金属纳米颗粒非常有效,可有效避免金属催化剂的快速氧化,而且还可抑制金属颗粒迁移和团聚;此外,还有利于增强催化剂的导电性和离子物种的扩散能力,从而提高催化剂的电催化性能.然而,要达到提高金属催化剂OER电催化性能的目的,还需要设计一种具有优良结构的功能化异质原子掺杂多孔碳基限域材料.金属有机框架(MOF),特别是MOF-253,由于具有较高的柔韧性、丰富的孔、可控的几何结构和高比表面积,被认为是制备功能多孔碳基限域材料的理想前驱体.为此,通过结合功能多孔碳基材料的限域作用及MOF-253和超细Pt纳米单晶的优势,本文合成了MOF-253衍生氮掺杂碳(N/C)限域的Pt纳米单晶(Pt@N/C)核壳型电催化剂.制备的Pt-N-C框架不仅具有超薄的氮掺杂活性多孔碳保护层壳体(平均厚度为0.51 nm),还有具高度分散和稳定化的Pt纳米单晶核体;值得指出的是,因受到碳层的限域作用,即使经900℃的高温处理,Pt纳米单晶仍保持了较小的晶体尺寸(平均粒径仅为6.7 nm);此外,该催化剂的Pt载量较低,仅为6.1wt%(Pt@N/C-10).将其作为OER电催化剂,表现出优异的OER性能:在10 mA cm^-2电流密度下,其过电位仅为298 mV,低于商业IrO2催化剂(353 mV);而且,经2000周加速电位扫描后,其电位仅降低19.4 mV,也低于IrO2(23.3 mV).本文很好地证明了通过构建空间限域结构可以有效解决Pt等金属催化剂因表面氧化而导致OER动力学活性和稳定性低的问题.     

An Efficient RuTe2/Graphene Catalyst for Electrochemical Hydrogen Evolution Reaction in Acid Electrolyte

Developing efficient powder catalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in the acidic electrolyte is significant for hydrogen generation in the proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolysis technique. Herein, we demonstrated an efficient catalyst for HER in the acid media based on the graphene supported ruthenium telluride nanoparticles (RuTe₂/Gr). The catalysts were easily fabricated by a facile microwave irradiation/thermal annealing approach, and orthorhombic RuTe₂ crystals were found anchored over the graphene surface. The defective structure was demonstrated in the aberration‐corrected transmission electron microscopy images for RuTe₂ crystals and graphene support. This catalyst required an overpotential of 72 mV to drive 10 mA cm^?2 for HER when loading on the inert glass carbon electrode; Excellent catalytic stability in acidic media was also observed to offer 10 mA cm^?2 for 10 hours. The Volmer‐Tafel mechanism was indicated on RuTe₂/Gr catalyst by Tafel slope of 33 mV dec^?1, similar to that of Pt/C catalysts. The high catalytic performance of RuTe₂/Gr could be attributed to its high dispersion on the graphene surface, high electrical conductivity and low charge transfer resistance. This powder catalyst has potential application in the PEM water electrolysis technique because of its low cost and high stability.     

An Efficient Strategy for Boosting Photogenerated Charge Separation by Using Porphyrins as Interfacial Charge Mediators

Surface recombination at the photoanode/electrolyte junction seriously impedes photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance. Through coating of photoanodes with oxygen evolution catalysts, the photocurrent can be enhanced; however, current systems for water splitting still suffer from high recombination. We describe herein a novel charge transfer system designed with BiVO₄ as a prototype. In this system, porphyrins act as an interfacial‐charge‐transfer mediator, like a volleyball setter, to efficiently suppress surface recombination through higher hole‐transfer kinetics rather than as a traditional photosensitizer. Furthermore, we found that the introduction of a “setter” can ensure a long lifetime of charge carriers at the photoanode/electrolyte interface. This simple interface charge‐modulation system exhibits increased photocurrent density from 0.68 to 4.75 mA cm^?2 and provides a promising design strategy for efficient photogenerated charge separation to improve PEC performance.     

Role of rare earth cations in Y zeolite for hydrocarbon cracking

Reaction kinetics data were collected for isobutane conversion over a series of ultra stable Y (USY) zeolite catalysts with and without rare earth cations and subjected to various extents of dealumination by steaming. We conducted these reaction studies at low temperatures (523-573 K) using isobutane feed streams containing known levels of isobutylene (100-400 ppm) so that the kinetics were controlled by bimolecular hydride transfer and oligomerization/beta-scission processes with little or no participation of monomolecular initiation reactions. These experimental conditions led to stable catalyst performance with the main products of isobutane conversion being propane, n-butane, and isopentane, with smaller amounts of propylene, trans-2-butene, and cis-2-butene. The rates of formation of these products per Br?nsted acid site (as counted by pyridine adsorption) depended exponentially on Br?nsted acid site density, regardless of whether the catalyst contained rare earth cations. Kinetic modeling showed an exponential dependence of hydride transfer and oligomerization/ beta-scission reaction rates on Br?nsted acid site density which translated into composite activation energies for these reactions having a linear relationship with site density. Based on results in the literature from theoretical calculations, we suggest that increasing Br?nsted acid site density in zeolite Y leads to larger zeolite elasticity, increased stabilization of cationic transition states, and lower composite activation barriers for hydride transfer and beta-scission steps. The role of rare earth cations, therefore, is to ensure the retention of high Br?nsted acid site density under hydrothermal conditions, such as in fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) regenerators, where steam would dealuminate the Y zeolite framework and reduce this site density. It is for this reason that hydride transfer reaction rates are high in the presence of rare earth cations and lead to higher yields of less olefinic gasoline during FCC.     

Unstable Ni leaching in MOF-derived PtNi-C catalyst with improved performance for alcohols fuel electro-oxidation

Significance of unstable species leaching was for the first time demonstrated on MOF-derived catalysts by taking PtNi-C as an example, that was instructive for the relevant catalyst fabrication and performance study. PtNi-C catalyst was synthesized by combining Pt nanoparticles with Ni-BTC after annealing in the tube furnace and the unstable Ni species can be easily leached out in nitric acid, and the stable PtNi nanoparticles trapped in the graphite carbon layer were obtained. The greatly improved catalytic ability for alcohol fuels oxidation was verified by comparing the fresh and acid leached catalysts in terms of the high peak current density, specific and mass activity and rapid charge transfer kinetics and high catalytic stability. The current work guides the importance of unstable assistant promoter removal for the MOF derived catalysts.     

银纳米粒子沉积含有氧空位的钒酸铋能够提高其近红外光催化性能（英文）

钒酸铋因其独有的廉价、低毒性、热稳定性和高氧化性能等特性而备受瞩目,是利用太阳能降解污染物、水分解等应用方面最优选择的半导体纳米材料之一.选择表面粗糙多孔尺寸均匀的橄榄状钒酸铋有助于吸附更多的电子受体参与到半导体表面的氧化还原反应当中,从而提高其光催化活性.另外,太阳能谱中紫外光占不到5%,可见光占45%,与传统的半导体TiO_2材料相比,钒酸铋禁带宽度在2.4 eV左右,能较好地吸收太阳光能实现光能转化.但是太阳光中近一半的光能属于近红外,不能被传统的纯相钒酸铋所利用.为了更好地利用太阳能,可将氧空位缺陷引入到钒酸铋晶体中,以实现近红外光能的转化利用.氧空位缺陷在半导体材料中不仅能够吸收近红外光,在低于导带的位置形成电子传输的桥梁,而且能够吸附更多的氧分子转化成活性物种.另一方面,氧空位缺陷态的引入使半导体钒酸铋材料暴露更多的活性位点,参与到溶液的氧化还原反应中.由于钒酸铋光激发的载流子浓度有限,并且光生电子-空穴容易复合,本文采用银纳米粒子负载在钒酸铋表面,利用其等离子共振效应产生的热电子与氧空位缺陷的协同作用,能够提高其载流子传输速率,抑制光生电子-空穴复合,达到更优的光能到化学能转化的目的.基于此,本文采用电子自旋共振光谱(ESR),X射线光电子能谱(XPS)和紫外可见光谱(UV-Vis)等手段研究了氧空位缺陷引入到钒酸铋以及Ag纳米粒子担载于橄榄状半导体材料上对光催化降解罗丹明B染料中太阳能驱动活性的影响.ESR结果证明,在测试过程中橄榄状钒酸铋材料吸收了更多的电子,表明存在很多氧空位缺陷.XPS结果表明出现高浓度的吸收氧峰意味着钒酸铋材料上存在大量氧空位缺陷;银纳米粒子成功负载在具有氧空位缺陷的钒酸铋材料上.UV-Vis结果表明该材料光吸收范围扩展到近红外光范围,其禁带宽度比传统纯相钒酸铋减小,Ag-BiVO_4-OV样品的导价带位置发生明显变化.因此,由于氧空位和银纳米粒子存在于橄榄状钒酸铋主体中,其光催化降解罗丹明B的效率远远高于纯相钒酸铋样品.由此可见氧空位缺陷和银纳米粒子的引入使得半导体光催化材料光学性能正效应增加.Supporting Information for Ag nanoparticles deposited on oxygen-vacancy-containing BiV O4 for enhanced near-infrared photocatalytic activity Chunjing Shi,Xiaoli Dong*,Xiuying Wang,Hongchao Ma,Xiufang Zhang School of Light Industry and Chemical Engineering,Dalian Polytechnic University,Dalian 116034,Liaoning,China*Corresponding author.E-mail:dongxl@dlpu.edu.cn On the other hand,the nitrogen sorption isotherm of the reactions,but also can provide more surface active sites for as-prepared samples possesses an obvious condensation step oxygen activation and reduction,and thereby positively around P/P0=0.5-0.9,which is typical hysteresis loops of facilitating the reaction process and endowing the catalyst with mesoporous materials(Fig.S1).It is indicated that the robust redox kinetics.as-prepared Ag-BiV O4-OV possesses the mesoporous structure To further prove remarkable photocatalytic activities of the(Fig.S2).In addition,the Ag-BiV O4-OV exhibits ultra-large as-prepared samples,the photocatalytic activities of the typical surface area(34.8 m3/g),which is more than 2 times larger samples based on previous report was listed(Table S1).This than that of pure BiV O4(Fig.S1).The novel mesoporous statistics indicated that the as-prepared Ag-BiV O4-OV reveals structure and larger surface area not only can promote the more excellent photocatalytic performance.diffusion of active species and accelerate subsequent surface50Ag-Bi VO-OV41)-g3m40(c d Bi VO4be30ords a20me u olV1000.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0Relative pressure(P/P)0Fig.S1.N2-sorption isotherm of pure BiV O4 and Ag-BiV O4-OV.Ag-Bi VO4-OV Bi VO41)-mn1-g3m(c D d V/d0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80Pore size(nm)Fig.S2.Pore size distributions of pure BiV O4 and Ag-BiV O4-OV.Table S1Summary for the photocatalytic activities of the typical samples.Sample Amount Amount of dye Light source Time Degradation rate Reference Ag-BiV O4-OV 20 mg 50 mL RhB(10 mg/L)simulated sunlight 100 min 99%this work mono-dispersed m-BiV O4 0.1 g 50 mL RhB(15μmol/L)visible light 10 h 99%[1]BiV O4–Ag/Co3O4 100 mg 50 mL RhB(10 mg/L)simulated sunlight 120 min 97%[2]the BiV O-4 80 mg 80 mL RhB(1×105 mol/L)visible light 6 h 97%[3]Dy-BiV O4 50 mg 50 mL(10 mg/L)visible light 10 h 66.9%[4]m-BiV O4 0.2 g 100 mL of RhB(0.01 mmol/L)visible light 150 min 98%[5]BiV O4/CeO 2 50 mg 50 mL RhB(2×10-5 mol/L)visible light 210 min 90%[6]     

硫氧键合BiVO4光阳极与FeNi催化剂实现高效水氧化

光电催化分解水可以将充足的太阳能直接转化存储为绿色清洁的氢能,然而光阳极表面缓慢的析氧反应动力学严重限制了太阳能到氢能的转化效率。我们通过一种简单的S-O键合策略实现BiVO4光阳极与FeNi催化剂的界面耦合（S:BiVO4-FeNi）,其光电催化分解水的光电流达到6.43 mA/cm2（1.23 VRHE, AM 1.5G）。进一步研究结果表明：界面S-O键合能够有效实现BiVO4光阳极光生电荷分离并促进空穴向FeNi催化剂表面迁移。同时,S-O键合可以进一步调控FeNi催化剂表面的电荷分布,从而有效提高光电化学分解水析氧活性和稳定性。该工作为设计构建具有高效、稳定的太阳能光电催化分解水体系提供了一种新的研究策略。     

流化床反应器中不同Ni/Al2O3催化剂上CH4-CO2重整反应性能的比较研究

采用浸渍法、溶胶 凝胶过程与普通干燥、超临界干燥过程相结合的方法制备了三种20%的NiO-Al2O3体系催化剂，利用BET、XRD、H2 TPR、H2-TPD等方法对各催化剂样品物化性质进行了表征，并考察了催化剂在流化床反应器中CH4-CO2重整反应的催化性能。研究结果表明，经923K焙烧后气凝胶催化剂中镍与载体间作用力最强，主要为固定NiO和尖晶石NiAl2O4结构，而浸渍型催化剂和干凝胶催化剂中镍与载体间作用力较弱。三种催化剂中，气凝胶催化剂具有比表面积较大、堆密度较低、Ni还原度及分散度较高的特点。它在流化床反应器中所形成的聚团流态化状态具有较高的床层膨胀率，大量多孔疏松状的纳米颗粒聚团在床内的循环运动有效地提高了传质效率，能使得生成的沉积炭快速得到气化，从而抑制了催化剂失活；对于浸渍型催化剂和干凝胶催化剂，流化床反应器中床层膨胀率较低、颗粒循环量较少、传质效率较低，易于造成催化剂表面积炭失活。经用TG和XRD等方法对反应后催化剂分析表征，证明催化剂表面石墨碳的沉积是导致浸渍型催化剂和干凝胶催化剂失活的主要原因。     

Advances in understanding the role of surface hole formation in heterogeneous water oxidation

The electrochemical oxidation of water to molecular oxygen, that is, the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), is a key anodic reaction that supplies electrons and protons for many technologically interesting reduction processes, such as carbon dioxide reduction and nitrogen fixation. Because the OER is a slow reaction, it needs to be facilitated by (photo)electrocatalysts. To develop such catalysts, advances in the mechanistic understanding of the OER are critical. In this opinion, we focus on a key aspect of the OER, namely, how the accumulation of oxidative charge (‘holes’) on the surface of a catalyst triggers O ? O bond formation. We discuss recent advances in understanding the factors that drive surface hole formation at specific sites.     

MoB/g‐C3N4 Interface Materials as a Schottky Catalyst to Boost Hydrogen Evolution

Proton adsorption on metallic catalysts is a prerequisite for efficient hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). However, tuning proton adsorption without perturbing metallicity remains a challenge. A Schottky catalyst based on metal–semiconductor junction principles is presented. With metallic MoB, the introduction of n‐type semiconductive g‐C₃N₄ induces a vigorous charge transfer across the MoB/g‐C₃N₄ Schottky junction, and increases the local electron density in MoB surface, confirmed by multiple spectroscopic techniques. This Schottky catalyst exhibits a superior HER activity with a low Tafel slope of 46 mV dec^?1 and a high exchange current density of 17 μA cm^?2, which is far better than that of pristine MoB. First‐principle calculations reveal that the Schottky contact dramatically lowers the kinetic barriers of both proton adsorption and reduction coordinates, therefore benefiting surface hydrogen generation.     

Photoinduced water oxidation by a tetraruthenium polyoxometalate catalyst: ion-pairing and primary processes with Ru(bpy)3(2+) photosensitizer

The tetraruthenium polyoxometalate [Ru(4)(μ-O)(4)(μ-OH)(2)(H(2)O)(4)(γ-SiW(10)O(36))(2)](10-) (1) behaves as a very efficient water oxidation catalyst in photocatalytic cycles using Ru(bpy)(3)(2+) as sensitizer and persulfate as sacrificial oxidant. Two interrelated issues relevant to this behavior have been examined in detail: (i) the effects of ion pairing between the polyanionic catalyst and the cationic Ru(bpy)(3)(2+) sensitizer, and (ii) the kinetics of hole transfer from the oxidized sensitizer to the catalyst. Complementary charge interactions in aqueous solution leads to an efficient static quenching of the Ru(bpy)(3)(2+) excited state. The quenching takes place in ion-paired species with an average 1:Ru(bpy)(3)(2+) stoichiometry of 1:4. It occurs by very fast (ca. 2 ps) electron transfer from the excited photosensitizer to the catalyst followed by fast (15-150 ps) charge recombination (reversible oxidative quenching mechanism). This process competes appreciably with the primary photoreaction of the excited sensitizer with the sacrificial oxidant, even in high ionic strength media. The Ru(bpy)(3)(3+) generated by photoreaction of the excited sensitizer with the sacrificial oxidant undergoes primary bimolecular hole scavenging by 1 at a remarkably high rate (3.6 ± 0.1 × 10(9) M(-1) s(-1)), emphasizing the kinetic advantages of this molecular species over, e.g., colloidal oxide particles as water oxidation catalysts. The kinetics of the subsequent steps and final oxygen evolution process involved in the full photocatalytic cycle are not known in detail. An indirect indication that all these processes are relatively fast, however, is provided by the flash photolysis experiments, where a single molecule of 1 is shown to undergo, in 40 ms, ca. 45 turnovers in Ru(bpy)(3)(3+) reduction. With the assumption that one molecule of oxygen released after four hole-scavenging events, this translates into a very high average turnover frequency (280 s(-1)) for oxygen production.     

Remarkable rate acceleration of Pd(0)-catalyzed hydrogermylation of alkynes and dienes in water

[reaction: see text] Without the use of hydrophilic cosolvents or phase transfer catalysts, Pd(0)-catalyzed hydrogermylation of alkynes in water provides dienylgermanes efficiently with high stereo- and regioselectivity. The reaction in water proceeds much faster than the reaction under neat conditions. By using an aqueous system, hydrogermylation can be conducted at a low catalyst loading.     

Charge accumulation kinetics in multi-redox molecular catalysts immobilised on TiO2

Multi-redox catalysis requires the accumulation of more than one charge carrier and is crucial for solar energy conversion into fuels and valuable chemicals. In photo(electro)chemical systems, however, the necessary accumulation of multiple, long-lived charges is challenged by recombination with their counterparts. Herein, we investigate charge accumulation in two model multi-redox molecular catalysts for proton and CO₂ reduction attached onto mesoporous TiO₂ electrodes. Transient absorption spectroscopy and spectroelectrochemical techniques have been employed to study the kinetics of photoinduced electron transfer from the TiO₂ to the molecular catalysts in acetonitrile, with triethanolamine as the hole scavenger. At high light intensities, we detect charge accumulation in the millisecond timescale in the form of multi-reduced species. The redox potentials of the catalysts and the capacity of TiO₂ to accumulate electrons play an essential role in the charge accumulation process at the molecular catalyst. Recombination of reduced species with valence band holes in TiO₂ is observed to be faster than microseconds, while electron transfer from multi-reduced species to the conduction band or the electrolyte occurs in the millisecond timescale. Finally, under light irradiation, we show how charge accumulation on the catalyst is regulated as a function of the applied bias and the excitation light intensity.

Using transient spectroelectrochemical techniques, we investigate multiply reduced states of molecular catalysts on titania photoelectrodes as a function of the applied bias and the light intensity.     

Monitoring hole trapping in photoexcited TiO2(110) using a surface photoreaction

The hole-induced photodesorption of chemisorbed O2 from a TiO2(110) single crystal has been employed to monitor the kinetics of electron-hole pair (e-h) formation and hole trapping. Excitation is produced by 3.4 +/- 0.05 eV photons at 110 K. Two separate O2 desorption processes have been found which are characteristic of low photon fluxes and high photon fluxes. At a critical photon flux, Fhnu(crit), the slow O2 photodesorption process suddenly converts to a fast process, signaling the saturation of hole traps in the TiO2 crystal. Consequently, this allows photogenerated holes to more efficiently reach the surface, causing more rapid O2 photodesorption. The estimated bulk concentration of hole traps is approximately 2.5 x 10(18) cm(-3), involving a fraction of about 3 x 10(-5) of the atomic sites in the bulk. Both the slow and fast O2 photodesorption processes are described by a rate law that is proportional to Fhnu(1/2), indicating that the steady-state concentration of holes, [h], is governed by second-order e-h pair recombination kinetics. Effective use is made of a hole scavenger molecule, adsorbed methanol (CH3OH), to probe the role of added hole traps on the rate of the photodesorption of adsorbed O2 molecules and on the magnitude of Fhnu(crit).     

Study of the factors affecting the photoelectrode characteristics of a perylene/phthalocyanine bilayer working in the water phase

Some types of phthalocyanines (MPc (M = H(2), Cu, or Zn), a p-type semiconductor) were used in combination with 3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxyl-bisbenzimidazole (PTCBI, an n-type semiconductor), with which those photoelectrode characteristics in the water phase were investigated in terms of kinetics. Each film of the PTCBI/MPc bilayer functioned as a photoanode, where the photoinduced oxidation of thiol occurs at the MPc/water interface along with the hole conduction through the MPc layer. The holes originate on account of the photophysical events in the p/n interior, involving the charge separation of excitons at the p/n interface. The typical photoelectrochemical characteristic in the PTCBI/MPc photoanodes involved a transient photocurrent occurring in the initial stage under illumination (under potentiostatic conditions): thereafter, it attained a steady state. Moreover, both the initial spiky photocurrents and the steady-state photocurrents exhibited saturation at higher concentrations. An analysis with photoelectrode kinetics was performed by assuming an adsorption step prior to a rate-limiting charge transfer step, where equations were applied to photocurrents based on the Langmuir adsorption equilibrium. The kinetic analyses evidently showed that the photoanodic reactions are kinetically dominated by the charge transfer between MPc and thiol, where the overall kinetics for thiol oxidation decreases in the following order: H(2)Pc > ZnPc > CuPc; that is, it appeared that H(2)Pc acts as the more efficient photofunctional interface capable of oxidation in the water phase when PTCBI was concurrently employed as an electron conductor. Considering that the photocurrent generated is proportional to the surface concentration of thiol (Gamma) at the MPc as well as the intrinsic oxidation rate (cf., ZnPc > H(2)Pc approximately CuPc), the higher efficiency in the output at the H(2)Pc surface was attributed to an exceptionally high Gamma (i.e., from the kinetic analyses, the Gamma value at the H(2)Pc surface was also inferred to be 2-3 times higher than that at the other MPcs). Through the present kinetic analysis, it also revealed that the activity for thiol oxidation taking place at Pc ring is comparable to that at the conventional active catalysts (i.e., polycarboxyphthalocyaninato Co(ii) and Fe(iii)) where a central metal is an active site.     

Electrochemical performance of annealed cobalt-benzotriazole/CNTs catalysts towards the oxygen reduction reaction

One of the major limitations yet to the global implementation of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) is the cathode catalyst. The development of efficient platinum-free catalysts is the key issue to solve the problem of slow kinetics of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and high cost. We report a promising catalyst for ORR prepared through the annealing treatment under inert conditions of the cobalt-benzotriazole (Co-BTA) complex supported on carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The N-rich benzotriazole precursor was chosen based on its ability to complex Co(II) ions and generate under annealing highly reactive radicals able to tune the physicochemical properties of CNTs. X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to follow the surface structure changes and highlight the active electrocatalytic sites towards the ORR. To achieve further evaluation of the catalysts in acidic medium, voltamperometry, rotating disk electrode (RDE), rotating ring-disk electrode (RRDE) and half-cell measurements were performed. The resulting catalysts (Co/N/CNTs) all show catalytic activity towards the ORR, the most active one resulting from annealing at 700 °C. The overall electron transfer number for the catalyzed ORR was determined to be ～3.7 with no change upon the catalyst loading, suggesting that the ORR was dominated by a 4e(-) transfer process. The results indicate a promising alternative cathode catalyst for ORR in fuel cells, although its performance is still lower (overpotential around 110 mV evaluated by RDE and RRDE) than the reference Pt/C catalyst.     

Enantioselective hydrogenation of alkenes with iridium-PHOX catalysts: a kinetic study of anion effects

In the asymmetric hydrogenation of unfunctionalized olefins with cationic iridium-PHOX catalysts, the reaction kinetics and, as a consequence, catalyst activity and productivity depend heavily on the counterion. A strong decrease in the reaction rate is observed in the series [Al[OC(CF3)3]4]- >BArF- >[B(C6F5)4]- >PF6- >BF4- >CF3SO3-. With the first two anions, high rates, turnover frequencies (TOF >5000 h(-1) at 4 degrees C), and turnover numbers (TONs) of 2000-5000 are routinely achieved. The hexafluorophosphate salt reacts with lower rates, although they are still respectable; however, this salt suffers from deactivation during the reaction and extreme water-sensitivity, especially at low catalyst loading. Triflate and tetrafluoroborate almost completely inhibit the catalyst. In contrast to the hexafluorophosphate salt, catalysts with [Al[OC(CF3)3]4]-, BArF-, and [B(C6F5)4]- as counterions do not lose activity during the reaction and remain active, even after all the substrate has been consumed. In addition they are much less sensitive to moisture and, in general, rigorous exclusion of water and oxygen is not necessary. A first-order rate dependence on the hydrogen pressure was determined for the BArF- and the PF6- salts. At low catalyst loading, the rate dependence on catalyst concentration was also first order. The rate dependence on the alkene concentration was strikingly different for the two salts. While the reaction rate observed for the BArF- salt slightly decreased with increasing alkene concentration (rate order -0.2), a rate order of approximately 1 was determined for the corresponding hexafluorophosphate at low alkene concentrations.     

Metal-Organic Framework Glass Catalysts from Melting Glass-Forming Cobalt-Based Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework for Boosting Photoelectrochemical Water Oxidation

Sluggish oxygen evolution kinetics and serious charge recombination restrict the development of photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. The advancement of novel metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) catalysts bears practical significance for improving PEC water splitting performance. Herein, a MOF glass catalyst through melting glass-forming cobalt-based zeolitic imidazolate framework (Co-a_gZIF-62) was introduced on various metal oxide (MO: Fe₂O₃, WO₃ and BiVO₄) semiconductor substrates coupled with NiO hole transport layer, constructing the integrated Co-a_gZIF-62/NiO/MO photoanodes. Owing to the excellent conductivity, stability and open active sites of MOF glass, Co-a_gZIF-62/NiO/MO photoanodes exhibit a significantly enhanced photoelectrochemical water oxidation activity and stability in comparison to pristine MO photoanodes. From experimental analyses and density functional theory calculations, Co-a_gZIF-62 can effectively promote charge transfer and separation, improve carrier mobility, accelerate the kinetics of oxygen evolution reaction (OER), and thus improve PEC performance. This MOF glass not only serves as an excellent OER cocatalyst on tunable photoelectrodes, but also enables promising opportunities for PEC devices for solar energy conversion.     

ORR催化剂Nim@Pt1Aun-m-1 (n = 19, 38, 55, 79; m = 1, 6, 13, 19)的密度泛函研究

燃料电池的阴极反应的反应动力学速率非常慢,限制了燃料电池技术的发展。因此,寻找低成本、高活性的氧还原催化剂具有重要的意义。多元金属核壳团簇表现出优良的氧还原活性。在本文中,以原子个数为19、38、55和79的八面体团簇作催化剂模型,采用密度泛函理论(GGA-PBE-PAW)方法,研究了一系列不同尺寸核壳Ni_m@M_n-m (n = 19, 38, 55, 79;m = 1, 6, 13, 19; M = Pt, Pd, Cu, Au, Ag)团簇催化剂的活性规律。优化*O、*OH和*OOH吸附中间体结构,计算了吸附自由能和反应吉布斯自由能,以超电势为催化活性的描述符,研究了单原子Pt嵌入Ni_m@Au_n-m团簇的活性规律。结果表明,Ni₆@Pt₁Au₃₁具有最好的ORR活性,并且Ni₁@Pt₁Au₁₇、Ni₆@Pt₁Au₃₁、Ni₁₃@Pt₁Au₄₁、Ni₁₉@Pt₁Au₅表现出比Pt₃₈团簇以及Pt(111)表面更高的催化活性。Bader电荷和态密度分析表面,核壳之间的电荷转移以及单原子Pt嵌入Ni_m@Au_n-m表面,改变了吸附位的电子性质,降低了*OH的吸附强度,提高了ORR活性。单原子Pt嵌入Ni_m@Au_n-m表面可能是一种合适的多元金属核壳ORR催化剂设计策略。