Transition metal-nitrogen-carbon catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction in neutral electrolyte

Platinum group metal-free (PGM-free) catalysts based on M-N-C types of materials with M as Mn, Fe, Co and Ni and aminoantipyrine (AAPyr) as N-C precursors were synthesized using sacrificial support method. Catalysts kinetics of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) was studied using rotating ring disk electrode (RRDE) in neutral pH. Results showed that performances were distributed among the catalysts as: Fe-AAPyr > Co-AAPyr > Mn-AAPyr > Ni-AAPyr. Fe-AAPyr had the highest onset potential and half-wave potential. All the materials showed similar limiting current. Fe-AAPyr had an electron transfer involving 4e⁻ with peroxide formed lower than 5%. Considering H₂O₂ produced, it seems that Co-AAPyr, Mn-AAPyr and Ni-AAPyr follow a 2 × 2e⁻ mechanism with peroxide formed during the intermediate step. Durability test was done on Fe-AAPyr for 10,000 cycles. Decrease of activity was observed only after 10,000 cycles.     

聚苯胺衍生Fe-N-C催化剂在碱性电解质中对氧还原反应的催化性能

经过热解聚苯胺、碳和FeCl₃的混合物制备的Fe-N-C材料在酸性电解质中对氧还原反应表现出高的催化活性;由于材料中不存在任何贵金属, 因而被认为是一类新型非贵金属氧还原催化剂. 然而这类催化剂在碱性电解质中催化氧还原反应的性能如何尚不清楚. 本文使用旋转圆盘电极技术考察了制备的两个Fe-N-C催化剂在KOH水溶液中催化氧还原反应性能, 发现这两个催化剂表现出比无金属的N掺杂碳材料更高的活性. 与商业Pt/C催化剂相比, 它们催化氧还原反应的起始电势和半波电势分别仅低60和40 mV左右, 计时电流测试表明, 它们比Pt/C催化剂显示出更好的稳定性. 此外, 在这两个Fe-N-C催化剂上的氧还原反应主要遵循四电子途径. 本工作显示, Fe-N-C材料有望用于碱性燃料电池氧还原反应催化剂.     

酞菁铁中N4-Fe2+的氧化还原化学和氧还原性能

准确理解金属大环配合物(如N4-Fe2+)体系的氧化还原化学性能,对氧还原反应(ORR)电催化剂的基础研究和合理设计具有重要意义.本文采用微波法将三种不同酞菁铁类金属大环配合物吸附在碳纳米管上,分别记为(NH2)4FePc@CNTs,(t-Bu)4FePc@CNTs和FePc@CNTs,考察了取代基对Fe3+/Fe2+...     

Electrochemical redox reaction in a silica sol-gel glass with embedded organic electrolyte

The electrochemical redox reaction of ferrocene was studied in silica sol-gel glass with embedded organic electrolyte. This material has been prepared by mixing hydrolysed tetramethylorthosilicate sol with propylene carbonate LiClO₄ solution containing ferrocene and further gelation in a form of block or film. The electrochemical behaviour of encapsulated ferrocene was studied by cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry, differential pulse voltammetry and impedance spectroscopy on ultramicroelectrodes. The shape of the cyclic voltammograms corresponding to the electrooxidation of ferrocene in sol-gel block is similar to that obtained in liquid electrolyte and it does not depend on gel aging. The current substantially decreases during the first few days after gelation. Later it becomes weakly dependent on aging and the apparent diffusion coefficient of ferrocene in the gel block is about half of that in liquid electrolyte. The electrooxidation of ferrocene also occurs in film of the analogous sol-gel material cast on the surface of the electrode assembly.     

Effect of surface oxygen functionalities on capacitance of activated carbon in non-aqueous electrolyte

Electric double-layer capacitors (EDLCs) are composed of two activated carbon (AC) electrodes and an electrolyte/separator, in which the ACs contain numbers of surface oxygen functionalities (SOFs). In this work, the effect of SOFs on the EDLC’s capacitance in non-aqueous electrolytes is studied by using a 1.0 m (molality) LiPF₆ 3:7 (wt.) ethylene carbonate-ethyl methyl carbonate electrolyte and a commercial activated carbon. Results show that the SOFs on one hand contribute to Faradic pseudocapacitance, and on the other hand adversely reduce the EDLC’s performances, including the initial reversibility, coulombic efficiency, and capacitance retention. It is found that the AC behaves significantly different in the Li/AC half cells and in the AC/AC full cells and that the SOF’s pseudocapacitance increases with widening the EDLC’s operating voltage. The latter is attributed to the large-voltage hysteresis of the redox of SOFs. In this paper, the AC’s unique behaviors in Li salt electrolyte are presented, and a possible mechanism for the observed behaviors is proposed.     

Highly reversible oxygen to superoxide redox reaction in a sodium-containing ionic liquid

Comprehensive studies regarding the impact of the electrolyte composition on the oxygen reduction mechanism are important to deliver highly efficient rechargeable sodium–air batteries. Thus, we report, for the first time, the oxygen reduction mechanisms and discharge products in a pyrrolidinium-based ionic liquid in the presence of different Na⁺ ion concentrations. Upon increasing the Na⁺ salt concentration, oxygen reduction becomes more efficient (e.g. 74%) and the onset potential of the reduction process shifts to a more positive value due to superior solvation of the superoxide anion by Na⁺. These observations should provide a platform of potential electrolytes for Na–air batteries.     

Ceria-promoted oxygen reduction reaction in Pd-based electrocatalysts

PdCo-ceria electrocatalyst is synthesized on carbon support in a size of a few nm by colloid method. Enhanced oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) kinetics of PdCo is observed in the presence of ceria similarly as confirmed for PtCo-ceria in a half cell experiment. In addition, there appears a positive shift of the ORR onset potential of PdCo-ceria compared to PdCo while PtCo-ceria shows no such an apparent shift of onset potential. These effects of ceria on the ORR onset potential and the ORR kinetics are more remarkable as temperature increases. To get the most of oxygen storage and supply capacity of ceria, a high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is fabricated using PdCo-ceria as a catalyst at the cathode. Ceria effects on the ORR of PdCo-ceria catalyst are realized in the form of higher OCV and lower Tafel slope compared to PdCo catalyst in the PEMFC single cell performance. Enhancements in both ORR kinetics and ORR onset potential are very attractive features of ceria as a co-catalyst in the development of a non-Pt ORR electrocatalyst.     

Simulating Nuclear subsystem rearrangement in the redox reaction between Fe2+ and Fe3+ ions

An approach that allows the numerical simulation of conformational rearrangements accompanying redox reactions in molecular systems is examined. The proposed method makes it possible on the basis of metadynamics to identify automatically the groups of atoms whose conformational motions give rise to changes in the redox properties of an investigated system. The method is used to simulate a classic model electron transfer reaction, i.e., the redox reaction between Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺ ions in a solution. The effective activation energy of the reaction is reproduced quantitatively, and the reaction coordinate is determined. It is shown that this approach is promising for use in studying conformational changes that are associated with electron transport processes in complex molecular systems.     

An electrolyte partially-wetted cathode improving oxygen diffusion in cathodes of non-aqueous Li–air batteries

An electrolyte partially-wetted cathode for Li–air batteries has been studied in this work. By evaporation of diethyl ether from the organic electrolyte, the cathode is partially filled with electrolyte. Compared to conventional flooded cathodes, a partially wetted cathode allows the gaseous oxygen to penetrate fast into the interior part of the porous cathode for the electrochemical reaction. The effective electrode area for oxygen reduction is increased which enhances the cathode kinetics. Using typical cathode materials, the partially wetted cathodes present a 60% higher discharge capacity at 0.1 mA cm^− 2 and one magnitude higher rate capability than the flooded cathode.     

Ruthenium-based electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction—a review

A major impediment to the commercialization of fuel cells is the low activity of electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction that involves multiple electron transfer steps. Platinum is considered the best cathode catalyst toward oxygen reduction to water; however, Pt remains an expensive metal of low abundance, and it is of great importance to find Pt-free metal alternatives. Among various Pt-free catalysts under development, ruthenium-based compounds show significant catalytic activity and selectivity for four-electron reduction of oxygen to water in acidic environments. This article provides a short review on the different classes of Ru-based catalysts focusing on the catalytically active reaction sites and the oxygen reduction mechanism in acidic media. After a brief discussion of the oxygen reduction kinetics on a pure Ru metal, the paper reviews the catalytic properties of the selected Ru compounds, including crystalline Chevrel-phase chalcogenides, nanostructured Ru and Ru–Se clusters, and Ru–N chelate compounds. This paper is dedicated to Professor Su-Il Pyun, who has pioneered advances in interfacial electrochemistry in the field of corrosion and materials science in South Korea, on the occasion of his 65th birthday.     

Novel graphene materials for the oxygen reduction reaction

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MOF(Fe)的制备及其氧气还原催化性能

以硝酸铁为金属离子前驱体、均苯三甲酸为有机配体,采用水热法合成了金属有机骨架MOF（Fe）催化剂,应用X射线衍射、N₂吸附-脱附、透射电镜、红外光谱和热重等方法对催化剂的结构进行了表征,并采用循环伏安法测试了催化剂在碱性电解质中的氧气还原（ORR）催化性能,同时也采用旋转圆盘电极进一步研究了催化剂的ORR的动力学行为.?结果表明,所制MOF（Fe）具有很好的晶型结构、大比表面积、丰富的微孔以及较高的热稳定性. 且表现出很好的ORR催化活性. ORR的反应历程随电位的改变而改变：电位在-0.3到0.50 V范围内,ORR为2电子途径;随着电位从-0.50 V升至-0.95 V,ORR从2电子向4电子途径转变. 另外,该催化剂在碱性电解质中也表现出较好的氧气析出（OER）催化性能,这为制备用于ORR和OER的高效非贵金属催化剂提供了新的途径.     

From pseudocapacitive redox to intermediary adsorption in oxygen evolution reaction

The mechanism of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is somehow related to that of the pseudocapacitance of metal oxide electrocatalysts in potentials lower than the OER standard potential. Although pseudocapacitance of metal oxide electrocatalysts is usually studied in the investigations of OER, this dependence is not profoundly inspected. During the pseudocapacitive behavior, some high valence cations are formed over a broad range of potential in an underpotential region before the formal redox potential. This is due to the exceptional activities of some sites, which are capable of further oxidation at the OER potential to form active sites for the OER electrocatalysis. Therefore, a well-defined pseudocapacitance is somehow a requirement for the OER performance. Almost all OER electrocatalysts reported in the literature display considerable pseudocapacitive behavior at the lower potentials. The corresponding pseudocapacitance explains the difference between the OER activities of IrO₂ and RuO₂. Here, the focus is on noble metals as the well-defined OER electrocatalysts, but the reasoning can be extended to other metal oxides. The electrochemical behaviors including the pseudocapacitance of almost all inexpensive OER electrocatalysts such as cobalt oxide, nickel oxide, etc. are similar to that of IrO₂ as described here. Moreover, despite the high cost, noble metals still have the practical potentials for OER, subject to further enhancement in the OER efficiency or as additives in inexpensive electrocatalysts.     

Bio-inspired carbon electro-catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction

We report the synthesis, characterisation and catalytic performance of two nature-inspired biomassderived electro-catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction in fuel cells. The catalysts were prepared via pyrolysis of a real food waste(lobster shells) or by mimicking the composition of lobster shells using chitin and CaCO_3 particles followed by acid washing. The simplified model of artificial lobster was prepared for better reproducibility. The calcium carbonate in both samples acts as a pore agent, creating increased surface area and pore volume, though considerably higher in artificial lobster samples due to the better homogeneity of the components. Various characterisation techniques revealed the presence of a considerable amount of hydroxyapatite left in the real lobster samples after acid washing and a low content of carbon(23%), nitrogen and sulphur(1%), limiting the surface area to 23 m~2/g, and consequently resulting in rather poor catalytic activity. However, artificial lobster samples, with a surface area of ≈200 m~2/g and a nitrogen doping of 2%, showed a promising onset potential, very similar to a commercially available platinum catalyst, with better methanol tolerance, though with lower stability in long time testing over 10,000 s.     

第二配位层的氧化还原活性二茂铁促使铁卟啉在氧存在下发生质子还原

采用洁净、可持续的替代能源以解决化石燃料的过度消耗及因其燃烧而导致的日益加剧的全球变暖问题已经成为当务之急.其中,如何实现在大气含氧条件下的析氢反应成为需要攻克的重大挑战.氧还原在热力学上比质子还原更容易进行,并且氧气部分还原时通常产生活性氧物种,致使催化剂失活.因此,需要开发在氧气存在情况下能够有效还原质子的催化剂.本文设计了一种四苯基铁卟啉分子,该分子通过三氮唑将四个二茂铁连接在苯基邻位,并证明该催化剂能够在有氧气的情况下高效还原质子,产生氢气.作为铁卟啉类化合物催化质子还原的活性物种,Fe(0)发生质子还原比发生O2还原的动力学速率快得多,从而为氧气存在下的选择性质子还原奠定了基础.     

Recent advances in tuning redox properties of electron transfer centers in metalloenzymes catalyzing the oxygen reduction reaction and H2 oxidation important for fuel cell design

Current fuel cell catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and H₂ oxidation use precious metals and, for ORR, require high overpotentials. In contrast, metalloenzymes perform their respective reactions at low overpotentials using earth-abundant metals, making metalloenzymes ideal candidates for inspiring electrocatalytic design. Critical to the success of these enzymes are redox-active metal centers surrounding the active site of the enzyme. These electron transfer (ET) centers not only ensure fast ET to or away from the active site, but also tune the catalytic potential of the reaction as observed in multicopper oxidases as well as playing a role in dictating the catalytic bias of the reaction as realized in hydrogenases. This review summarizes recent advances in studying these ET centers in multicopper oxidases and heme-copper oxidases that perform ORR and in hydrogenases carrying out H₂ oxidation. Insights gained from understanding how the reduction potential of the ET centers affects reactivity at the active site in both the enzymes and their models are provided.     

采用解离的氢原子作为还原剂制备高氧还原电催化性能的Pd核@Pt壳纳米结构

质子交换膜燃料电池(PEMFC)作为一种清洁、高效的能源转化装置,已经备受学术界与产业界的关注.然而,高活性、高稳定性与低成本的铂基阴极氧还原(ORR)电催化剂的缺乏,严重限制PEMFC的大规模商业化应用.为提高贵金属铂的电催化性能,核壳纳米结构的研究受到广范关注.然而,核壳纳米结构的制备过程通常需要采用有机前驱体、表面活性剂与较高的反应温度,导致大多核壳结构制备方法的大规模应用受到限制.我们在室温下无表面活性剂与高沸点溶剂的参与下,通过钯表面吸附的解离的氢原子来还原K2PtCl4,得到Pd核@Pt壳纳米结构.通过改变加入K2PtCl4的量,可以成功控制壳的厚度;通过透射电子显微镜(TEM)观察得知,我们制备了铂壳厚度分别为0.45,0.75,0.9 nm的核壳结构.Pd核@Pt壳纳米结构的良好的纳米晶体结构与外延生长模式,通过高分辨透射电子显微镜(HRTEM)与能量色散谱仪(EDS)得到证实.同时,所制备Pd核@Pt壳样品的核壳结构通过高角环形暗场-扫描透射-元素分布(HAADF-STEM-EDX)表征方法,得到证实.X射线粉末衍射(XRD)表征证实,样品Pd核@Pt壳并无单独的Pd或Pt衍射峰出现,而是表现出良好的同种晶相结构;相对于单质Pt,样品中Pd核的存在导致Pd核@Pt壳核壳结构表现出一定程度的晶格紧缩.X射线光电子能谱(XPS)表明,钯核的存在导致铂壳的电子结合能增大,并且当铂壳厚度增大到一定程度后,核壳结构引起的电子效应维持不变.通过XPS分峰拟合可知,Pd核@Pt壳结构中零价态的铂含量均在80%以上,并且零价态的铂含量随着铂壳层厚度的增大而增大.采用电感耦合等离子体(ICP)与XPS,发现铂的表面富集现象,并且铂表面富集现象随着铂壳层厚度的增大而增大.在半电池中,经过循环伏安扫描活化,Pd核@Pt壳表现出明显的铂的氢吸附与脱附特征峰,再次证明了铂壳层的成功包覆.Pd核@Pt壳纳米颗粒表现出优于Pt/C(JM)的面积比活性、质量比活性及电化学稳定性.核壳结构的良好的ORR电催化性能,来源于催化剂表面含氧物种吸附强度的减弱;上述现象归因于钯核与铂壳之间的电子效应与晶格应力效应.此处简易、清洁的核壳结构制备方法也可以用来在温和条件下制备Ni核@Pt壳等核壳结构.     

Ca2+ selectivity of the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase at the enzyme-water interface and in the Ca2+ entrance channel

The sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca(2+)-ATPase, a P-type transmembrane protein, can transport Ca(2+) from the cytoplasmic to the luminal side over other cations specifically. The proposed Ca(2+) entrance channel, composed of the main-chain carbonyl oxygen and side-chain carboxyl oxygen atoms of the amino acids, opens on the enzyme surface, just above the biphospholipid layer membrane-water interface, where Trp residues are frequently found. In this work, the physicochemical nature of Ca(2+) selectivity over Mg(2+) on the surface of the SR Ca(2+)-ATPase has been investigated using the density functional theory (DFT) method. The selection process can be regarded as the first step of the specificity of the enzyme to transport Ca(2+). Subsequently, the specificity of the entrance channel to conduct Ca(2+) over other cations has also been explored. As revealed by thermodynamic analyses, either the aromatic or the aliphatic amino acid residues distributed on the surface of Ca(2+)-ATPase have a bigger affinity to Mg(2+) than to Ca(2+), resulting in a concentration decrease of free Mg(2+) in the local region. Thus, Ca(2+) can transport into the Ca(2+)-entrance channel more easily. Whereafter, for a small quantity of Mg(2+) entering this channel accompanying the Ca(2+) current, the strong electrostatic interactions between Mg(2+) and the ligands will limit the activity of this metal ion, which facilitates the weakly bonded Ca(2+) passing through the channel at a relatively high rate, as suggested by the "sticky-pore" hypothesis. Furthermore, the corresponding theoretical investigations have demonstrated that the increase of the ligand electronegativity can enhance their discrimination between these two cations effectively.