Controllable synthesis of graphitic carbon nanostructures from ion-exchange resin-iron complex via solid-state pyrolysis process

Graphitic carbon nanocapsules, nanosheets and nanoplates were selectively obtained via a solid-state pyrolysis route from various ion-exchange resin-iron complexes.     

Solution-processable porous graphitic carbon from bottom-up synthesis and low-temperature graphitization

It is urgently desired yet challenging to synthesize porous graphitic carbon (PGC) in a bottom-up manner while circumventing the need for high-temperature pyrolysis. Here we present an effective and scalable strategy to synthesize PGC through acid-mediated aldol triple condensation followed by low-temperature graphitization. The deliberate structural design enables its graphitization in situ in solution and at low pyrolysis temperature. The resulting material features ultramicroporosity characterized by a sharp pore size distribution. In addition, the pristine homogeneous composition of the reaction mixture allows for solution-processability of the material for further characterization and applications. Thin films of this PGC exhibit several orders of magnitude higher electrical conductivity compared to analogous control materials that are carbonized at the same temperatures. The integration of low-temperature graphitization and solution-processability not only allows for an energy-efficient method for the production and fabrication of PGC, but also paves the way for its wider employment in applications such as electrocatalysis, sensing, and energy storage.

Porous graphitic carbon was synthesized through acid-mediated aldol triple condensation followed by low-temperature graphitization. The inherent thin film processability and the low temperature requirement of the synthesis enable various potential applications.     

石墨化氮化碳负载Cu纳米颗粒用作高效氧还原电催化剂

高活性低成本氧还原反应(ORR)电催化剂是燃料电池和金属/空气电池等可再生能源技术的关键组成部分.在离子液体[(C16mim)2CuCl4]和质子化的石墨化氮化碳(g-CN)的存在下,采用简易的水热反应制备了Cu/g-CN电催化剂用于ORR.与纯的g-CN相比,所制Cu/g-CN表现出高的ORR催化活性:起始电势正移99 mV,为2倍动力学电流密度.另外,Cu/g-CN还表现出比商用Pt/C(HiSPECTM 3000,20%)催化剂更好的稳定性和甲醇容忍性.因此,该催化剂作为廉价的高效ORR电催化剂有望应用于燃料电池中.     

Novel non-PEG derived polyethers as solid supports. 2. Solid-phase synthesis studies

Novel non-PEG derived polyether resins, coined SLURPS (Superior Liquid Uptake Resins for Polymer-supported Synthesis), were studied for their performance in solid-phase synthesis. Novel amino functional resins, SLURPS-NH2, were prepared with a loading of up to 8.5 mmol/g and employed successfully in the solid-phase synthesis of Leu-Enkephalin. The peptide was obtained with the same purity when compared to its synthesis with commercial standard poly(dimethyl acrylamide) resins. Furthermore we show loading and cleavage of aromatic carboxylic acids in excellent yield. The advantageous solvent compatibility of our support was demonstrated through the biphasic dihydroxylation of alkenes with OsO4 in t-BuOH/water mixtures producing bound 1,2-diols and synthesis and removal of a bound oxime using ethanol/water mixtures both in excellent yields. Reactions were easily monitored by gel-phase NMR and FTIR. These results show that SLURPS are very well suited for organic transformations using highly polar solvent mixtures and reagents and at much higher loading levels than standard amphiphilic resins of similar solvent compatibility.     

Paper-derived cobalt and nitrogen co-doped carbon nanotube@porous carbon as a nonprecious metal electrocatalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction

The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is a vitally important process in fuel cells. The development of high-performance and low-cost ORR electrocatalysts with outstanding stability is essential for the commercialization of the electrochemical energy technology. Herein, we report a facile synthesis of cobalt (Co) and nitrogen (N) co-doped carbon nanotube@porous carbon (Co/N/CNT@PC-800) electrocatalyst through a one-step pyrolysis of waste paper, dicyandiamide, and cobalt(II) acetylacetonate. The surface of the hierarchical porous carbon supported a large number of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), which were derived from dicyandiamide through the catalysis of Co. The addition of Co resulted in the formation of a hierarchical micro/mesoporous structure, which was beneficial for the exposure of active sites and rapid transportation of ORR-relevant species (O₂, H⁺, OH^?, and H₂O). The doped N and Co formed more active sites to enhance the ORR activity of the electrocatalyst. The Co/N/CNT@PC-800 material exhibited optimal ORR performance with an onset potential of 0.005 V vs. Ag/AgCl and a half-wave potential of –0.173 V vs. Ag/AgCl. Meanwhile, the electrocatalyst showed an excellent methanol tolerance and a long-term operational durability than that of Pt/C, as well as a quasi-four-electron reaction pathway. The low-cost and simple synthesis approach makes the Co/N/CNT@PC-800 a prospective electrocatalyst for the ORR. Furthermore, this work provides an alternative approach for exploring the use of biomass-derived electrocatalysts for renewable energy applications.     

Hydrothermal synthesis and structure evolution of hierarchical cobalt sulfide nanostructures

Hierarchical and well-defined cobalt sulfide with flower-like, cube-like, ball-like, and surface hollowed-out nanostructures were successfully prepared by a facile one-pot hydrothermal synthesis approach, employing Co(NO(3))(2)·6H(2)O as a cobalt precursor and thiourea as a sulfur source. The morphologies of these structures can be easily controlled by simply adjusting the molar ratio of reactants and solvents, reaction time, reaction temperature, and ligand types. Thiourea plays two important roles in the growth process of CoS nanostructures. First, it is decomposed to produce S(2-) for the final formation of CoS. On the other hand, it serves as a structure-directing agent to control the crystalline growth of CoS. The electrochemical capacitance performances of the CoS nanostructures were studied, and the flower-like CoS nanostructures show the best charge-discharge performance among all CoS products with the highest specific capacitance values of 389 F g(-1) at current density of 5 mA cm(-2), and 277 F g(-1) at higher current density of 50 mA cm(-2).     

Mesoporous graphitic carbon nitride materials: synthesis and modifications

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄), as a kind of polymeric semiconductor that has unique electronic structure and excellent chemical stability, has attracted increasing attention of researchers. Moreover, the raw materials for the preparation of g-C₃N₄ are various and easily accessible. All of these have provided favorable advantages for the fast development of g-C₃N₄. Compared to bulk g-C₃N₄, mesoporous g-C₃N₄ has more prominent natures, such as high specific surface area, large pore volume, and the increased amount of surface active sites. Therefore, great efforts have been devoted to develop mesoporous g-C₃N₄ (MCN). Up to now, many methods have been explored for the synthesis of MCN, such as hard-template method, soft-template method, template-free method, sol–gel method, and so on. Among these methods, the hard template method is used most widely. In this paper, the recent research on the synthesis of MCN was reviewed. In addition, the modifications to the obtained MCN, which lead to performance enhancement of the MCN for better applications, were also summarized.     

Solid-phase synthesis and utilization of side-chain reactive unnatural amino acids

Alkylation of the benzophenone imine of glycine Wang resin with α,ω-dihaloalkanes yielded valuable reactive intermediates. These racemic ω-chloro or ω-bromo intermediates were converted to α-amino acids containing diverse side-chain functionalities (e.g. ω-chlorides, nitriles, and thioethers), proline and its ring homologs, and 1-aminocycloalkanecarboxylic acid derivatives.     

石墨相氮化碳的液相合成及光催化性能研究进展

石墨相氮化碳是类石墨层状聚合物材料,因其特殊的能带和电子结构,近年来成为功能材料研究领域的热点.液相合成法具有温和多变的特性,是石墨相氮化碳合成的重要途径.本文作者就现阶段液相介质合成氮化碳的主要方法进行了介绍,主要包括液相电沉积、脉冲激光烧蚀、溶剂热合成法等.介绍了不同液相介质和合成参数对制备氮化碳材料晶型、形貌等的影响.同时就溶剂热合成氮化碳在光催化领域的研究进展进行了总结.在未来的研究中,液相合成法将极大的丰富氮化碳材料结构优化的途径,有助于推动多功能聚合物材料的深入研究.     

Effect of the graphitic degree of carbon supports on the catalytic performance of ammonia synthesis over Ba-Ru-K/HSGC catalyst

A series of high surface area graphitic carbon materials （HSGCs） were prepared by ball-milling method. Effect of the graphitic degree of HSGCs on the catalytic performance of Ba-Ru-K/HSGC-x （x is the ball-milling time in hour） catalysts was studied using ammonia synthesis as a probe reaction. The graphitic degree and pore structure of HSGC-x supports could be successfully tuned via the variation of ball-milling time. Ru nanoparticles of different Ba-Ru-K/HSGC-x catalysts are homogeneously distributed on the supports with the particle sizes ranging from 1.6 to 2.0 nm. The graphitic degree of the support is closely related to its facile electron transfer capability and so plays an important role in improving the intrinsic catalytic performance of Ba-Ru-K/HSGC-x catalyst.     

Modification of multi-walled carbon nanotubes by microwave digestion method as electrocatalyst supports for direct methanol fuel cell applications

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) which were directly synthesized on carbon cloth were modified by a microwave digestion method in 5 M HNO₃ for supporting Pt nanoparticles. The characterizations of modified CNTs were carried out by TEM, XPS, FTIR and Raman spectroscopy. The HRTEM image shows the caps of MWCNTs are opened after modifying by microwave digestion method. The open-end and undamaged MWCNTs can provide a larger surface area for supporting more catalysts. Furthermore, the methanol electrocatalytic oxidation of microwave digestion treated Pt/MWCNTs electrode shows higher current density than pristine and nitric acid-treated MWCNTs from cyclic voltammograms. This can be an effective and undamaged method for modifying CNTs.     

Preparation of new microgel polymers and their application as supports in organic synthesis

A series of soluble microgel polymers have been synthesized using solution-phase polymerization reactions. In a systematic manner, several variables such as monomer concentration, cross-linker content, reaction solvent and reaction time were examined, and this provided an optimal polymer with both solubility and precipitation characteristics suitable for synthetic applications. Thus, a chemically functionalized microgel polymer was synthesized, and the utility of this polymer in the synthesis of a small array of oxazole compounds has been demonstrated. The advantage of the microgel polymers produced was that they exhibited solution viscosities lower than those of conventional linear polymers even at higher concentrations, and this was found to be beneficial for their precipitation properties. Compounds prepared using the described microgel polymer supports were obtained in similar yields and purity when compared with insoluble resins, and more importantly, the soluble polymer bound intermediates could be analyzed at each step using standard NMR techniques.     

Flexible N,N,N-chelates as supports for iron and cobalt chloride complexes; synthesis, structures, DFT calculations and ethylene oligomerisation studies

The aryl-substituted N-picolylethylenediamine and diethylenetriamine ligands, (ArNHCH(2)CH(2))[(2-C(5)H(4)N)CH(2)]NH and (ArNHCH(2)CH(2))(2)NH (Ar = 2,6-Me(2)C(6)H(3), 2,4,6-Me(3)C(6)H(2)), have been prepared by employing palladium-catalysed N-C(aryl) coupling reactions of the corresponding primary amines with aryl bromide. Treatment of MCl(2) with (ArNHCH(2)CH(2))[(2-C(5)H(4)N)CH(2)]NH affords [[(ArNHCH(2)CH(2))((2-C(5)H(4)N)CH(2))NH]CoCl(2)](Ar = 2,6-Me(2)C(6)H(3) 1a; 2,4,6-Me(3)C(6)H(2)) 1b and [[(ArNHCH(2)CH(2))((2-C(5)H(4)N)CH(2))NH]FeCl(2)](n)(n= 1, Ar = 2,6-Me(2)C(6)H(3) 2a; n= 2, 2,4,6-Me(3)C(6)H(2) 2b) in high yield. The X-ray structures of 1a and 1b are isostructural and reveal the metal centres to adopt distorted trigonal bipyramidal geometries with the N,N,N-chelates adopting fac-structures. A facial coordination mode of the ligand is also observed in bimetallic 2b, however, in 2a the N,N,N-chelate adopts a mer-configuration with the metal centre adopting a geometry best described as square pyramidal. Solution studies indicate that mer-fac isomerisation is a facile process for these systems at room temperature. Quantum mechanical calculations (DFT) have been performed on 1a and 2a, in which the ligands employed are identical, and show the fac- to be marginally more stable than the mer-configuration for cobalt (1a) while for iron (2a) the converse is evident. Reaction of (ArNHCH(2)CH(2))(2)NH with CoCl(2) gave the five-coordinate complexes [[(ArNHCH(2)CH(2))(2)NH]CoCl(2)](Ar = 2,6-Me(2)C(6)H(3) 3a, 2,4,6-Me(3)C(6)H(2) 3b), in which the ligand adopts a mer-configuration; no reaction occurred with FeCl(2). All complexes 1-3 act as modest ethylene oligomerisation catalysts on activation with excess methylaluminoxane (MAO); the iron systems giving linear alpha-olefins while the cobalt systems give mixtures of linear and branched products.     

Ionothermal synthesis of crystalline, condensed, graphitic carbon nitride

Herein we report the synthesis of a crystalline graphitic carbon nitride, or g-C(3)N(4), obtained from the temperature-induced condensation of dicyandiamide (NH(2)C(=NH)NHCN) by using a salt melt of lithium chloride and potassium chloride as the solvent. The proposed crystal structure of this g-C(3)N(4) species is based on sheets of hexagonally arranged s-heptazine (C(6)N(7)) units that are held together by covalent bonds between C and N atoms which are stacked in a graphitic, staggered fashion, as corroborated by powder X-ray diffractometry and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy.     

Morphology-controllable synthesis of cobalt oxalates and their conversion to mesoporous Co3O4 nanostructures for application in supercapacitors

In this work, one-dimensional and layered parallel folding of cobalt oxalate nanostructures have been selectively prepared by a one-step, template-free, water-controlled precipitation approach by simply altering the solvents used at ambient temperature and pressure. Encouragingly, the feeding order of solutions played an extraordinary role in the synthesis of nanorods and nanowires. After calcination in air, the as-prepared cobalt oxalate nanostructures were converted to mesoporous Co(3)O(4) nanostructures while their original frame structures were well maintained. The phase composition, morphology, and structure of the as-obtained products were studied in detail. Electrochemical properties of the Co(3)O(4) electrodes were carried out using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and galvanostatic charge-discharge measurements by a three-electrode system. The electrochemical experiments revealed that the layered parallel folding structure of mesoporous Co(3)O(4) exhibited higher capacitance compared to that of the nanorods and nanowires. A maximum specific capacitance of 202.5 F g (-1) has been obtained in 2 M KOH aqueous electrolyte at a current density of 1 A g(-1) with a voltage window from 0 to 0.40 V. Furthermore, the specific capacitance decay after 1000 continuous charge-discharge cycles was negligible, revealing the excellent stability of the electrode. These characteristics indicate that the mesoporous Co(3)O(4) nanostructures are promising electrode materials for supercapacitors.     

Topochemical synthesis of cobalt oxide-based porous nanostructures for high-performance lithium-ion batteries

Two kinds of topochemical conversion routes from cobalt hydroxide precursors to cobalt oxide-based porous nanostructures are presented: pyrolysis in air and hydrothermal treatment by the Kirkendall diffusion effect. These cobalt hydroxide precursors were synthesized by a simple hydrothermal approach with sodium acetate as mineralizer at 200 °C. Detailed proof indicates that the process of cobalt hydroxide precursor growth is dominated by a nucleation, dissolution, renucleation, growth, and exfoliation mechanism. By the topochemical conversion processes several Co(3)O(4) nanostructures, such as cobalt oxide-coated cobalt hydroxide carbonate nanowires, cobalt oxide nanotubes, hollow cobalt oxide spheres, and porous cobalt oxide nanowires, have been synthesized. The obtained Co(3)O(4) nanostructures have also been evaluated as the anode materials in lithium-ion batteries. It was found that the as-prepared Co(3)O(4) nanostructures exhibited high reversible capacity and good cycle performance due to their porous structure and small size.     

Photochemical synthesis of a water oxidation catalyst based on cobalt nanostructures

New cobalt-based nanocomposites have been prepared by photoreduction of Co(2+) salts to generate cobalt nanoparticles deposited on carbon-based materials such as nanocyrstalline diamond and carbon felt. Spontaneous air oxidation converts the metal to Co(2)O(3) which has been tested as a water oxidation catalyst. This work demonstrates that the cobalt oxide nanostructures can be deposited on various carbon surfaces and can catalyze the four-electron oxidation of water to oxygen under anodic bias.     

简便方法合成含铁石墨相氮化碳材料及其催化苯直接羟基化制苯酚（英文）

苯酚是一种重要的基本有机化工原料.全球近90%的苯酚都是经"三步异丙苯法"工艺合成而得,但是该工艺存在单程苯酚收率低(5%)、酸污染严重等不足.同时由于联产丙酮,苯酚的产量也受丙酮市场所制约.由苯经氧化或羟基化一步法合成苯酚是催化化学领域中一项极具挑战的课题.由于苯分子较难活化,而苯酚易于深度氧化,因此研发和设计具有高活性和高选择性的催化剂是该课题的研究核心.因具有诸多特殊的理化性质,石墨相氮化碳(g-C_3N_4)作为一种新型碳质材料近年来在光催化、热催化、燃料电池和气体吸附等领域展示出广阔的应用前景.g-C_3N_4的类石墨层基本单元为大π共轭的三均三嗪环,对苯分子具有良好的吸附和活化能力.目前,g-C_3N_4(尤其是具有高比表面的介孔材料)在苯Friedel-Crafts烷基化和酰基化反应、苯的CO2氧化等反应中均显示了良好的催化活性.尽管如此,由于缺乏合适的氧化活性中心,纯的g-C_3N_4对苯直接羟基化几乎无催化活性.本课题组曾将乙酰丙酮氧钒和氧化钒负载至介孔g-C_3N_4,发现该类催化剂在H2O2参与的苯直接羟基化反应中,苯转化率高达18%,而苯酚选择性大于95%.然而,此类介孔g-C_3N_4均采用硬模板法合成,制备周期长且需要HF溶液蚀刻氧化硅模板.另外,钒基组分在介孔g-C_3N_4表面也存在着部分溶脱现象.本文以FeCl_3和二氰二胺为前驱体,通过一步热解法直接合成了含铁的g-C_3N_4材料(Fe-g-C_3N_4).采用N2吸附-脱附、XRD、TG、FT-IR、UV-vis、XPS光谱和TEM对材料的理化性质进行表征.结果显示,Fe的原位引入能显著提高g-C_3N_4的比表面积和孔体积,且使其依然保持石墨相结构.同时,富N的g-C_3N_4材料能有效地锚定Fe离子,使其均匀地分散在载体表面.作为多相催化剂,Fe-g-C_3N_4在H_2O_2环境下对苯羟基化合成苯酚的反应表现出较高的催化活性.当反应温度为60°C,其苯酚收率最高可达17.5%,且回收使用多次催化剂活性表现稳定.与之前报道的含铁和负载氧化钒或乙酰丙酮氧钒的g-C_3N_4催化剂材料相比,Fe-g-C_3N_4催化剂制备工艺更加简便.