High‐Efficiency Oxygen Reduction to Hydrogen Peroxide Catalyzed by Nickel Single‐Atom Catalysts with Tetradentate N2O2 Coordination in a Three‐Phase Flow Cell

Carbon‐supported Ni^II single‐atom catalysts with a tetradentate Ni‐N₂O₂ coordination formed by a Schiff base ligand‐mediated pyrolysis strategy are presented. A Ni^II complex of the Schiff base ligand (R,R)‐(?)‐N,N′‐bis(3,5‐di‐tert‐butylsalicylidene)‐1,2‐cyclohexanediamine was adsorbed onto a carbon black support, followed by pyrolysis of the modified carbon material at 300 °C in Ar. The Ni‐N₂O₂/C catalyst showed excellent performance for the electrocatalytic reduction of O₂ to H₂O₂ through a two‐electron transfer process in alkaline conditions, with a H₂O₂ selectivity of 96 %. At a current density of 70 mA cm^?2, a H₂O₂ production rate of 5.9 mol g_cat.^?1 h^?1 was achieved using a three‐phase flow cell, with good catalyst stability maintained over 8 h of testing. The Ni‐N₂O₂/C catalyst could electrocatalytically reduce O₂ in air to H₂O₂ at a high current density, still affording a high H₂O₂ selectivity (>90 %). A precise Ni‐N₂O₂ coordination was key to the performance.     

Single-atom Iron Catalyst with Biomimetic Active Center to Accelerate Proton Spillover for Medical-level Electrosynthesis of H2O2 Disinfectant

Electrosynthesis of H₂O₂ has great potential for directly converting O₂ into disinfectant, yet it is still a big challenge to develop effective electrocatalysts for medical-level H₂O₂ production. Herein, we report the design and fabrication of electrocatalysts with biomimetic active centers, consisting of single atomic iron asymmetrically coordinated with both nitrogen and sulfur, dispersed on hierarchically porous carbon (Fe_SA-NS/C). The newly-developed Fe_SA-NS/C catalyst exhibited a high catalytic activity and selectivity for oxygen reduction to produce H₂O₂ at a high current of 100 mA cm⁻² with a record high H₂O₂ selectivity of 90 %. An accumulated H₂O₂ concentration of 5.8 wt.% is obtained for the electrocatalysis process, which is sufficient for medical disinfection. Combined theoretical calculations and experimental characterizations verified the rationally-designed catalytic active center with the atomic Fe site stabilized by three-coordinated nitrogen atoms and one-sulfur atom (Fe-N₃S-C). It was further found that the replacement of one N atom with S atom in the classical Fe-N₄-C active center could induce an asymmetric charge distribution over N atoms surrounding the Fe reactive center to accelerate proton spillover for a rapid formation of the OOH* intermediate, thus speeding up the whole reaction kinetics of oxygen reduction for H₂O₂ electrosynthesis.     

High-Efficiency Oxygen Reduction to Hydrogen Peroxide Catalyzed by Nickel Single-Atom Catalysts with Tetradentate N2O2 Coordination in a Three-Phase Flow Cell

Carbon-supported Ni^II single-atom catalysts with a tetradentate Ni-N₂O₂ coordination formed by a Schiff base ligand-mediated pyrolysis strategy are presented. A Ni^II complex of the Schiff base ligand (R,R)-(−)-N,N′-bis(3,5-di-tert-butylsalicylidene)-1,2-cyclohexanediamine was adsorbed onto a carbon black support, followed by pyrolysis of the modified carbon material at 300 °C in Ar. The Ni-N₂O₂/C catalyst showed excellent performance for the electrocatalytic reduction of O₂ to H₂O₂ through a two-electron transfer process in alkaline conditions, with a H₂O₂ selectivity of 96 %. At a current density of 70 mA cm⁻², a H₂O₂ production rate of 5.9 mol g_cat.⁻¹ h⁻¹ was achieved using a three-phase flow cell, with good catalyst stability maintained over 8 h of testing. The Ni-N₂O₂/C catalyst could electrocatalytically reduce O₂ in air to H₂O₂ at a high current density, still affording a high H₂O₂ selectivity (>90 %). A precise Ni-N₂O₂ coordination was key to the performance.     

Cyclodextrin-supported Co(OH)2 Clusters as Electrocatalysts for Efficient and Selective H2O2 Synthesis

Co-based material catalysts have shown attractive application prospects in the 2 e⁻ oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). However, for the industrial synthesis of H₂O₂, there is still lack of Co-based catalysts with high production yield rate. Here, novel cyclodextrin-supported Co(OH)₂ cluster catalysts were prepared via a mild and facile method. The catalyst exhibited remarkable H₂O₂ selectivity (94.2 % ~ 98.2 %), good stability (99 % activity retention after 35 h), and ultra-high H₂O₂ production yield rate (5.58 mol g_catalyst⁻¹ h⁻¹ in the H-type electrolytic cell), demonstrating its promising industrial application potential. Density functional theory (DFT) reveals that the cyclodextrin-mediated Co(OH)₂ electronic structure optimizes the adsorption of OOH* intermediates and significantly enhances the activation energy barrier for dissociation, leading to the high reactivity and selectivity for the 2 e⁻ ORR. This work offers a valuable and practical strategy to design Co-based electrocatalysts for H₂O₂ production.     

Stationary points on the potential energy surface of O2−HF and O2−H2O

The determination of minima and saddle points on the potential energy surfaces of the hydrogen bonded species O₂^?HF and O₂^?H₂O is performed with unrestricted Hartree-Fock calculations. Geometries, electron density distributions, and relative energies for every stationary point are reported. Only one true minimum is found for O₂^?HF and for O₂^?H₂O, and this approximately corresponds to a structure where the partially positive hydrogen atom is located along one of the superoxide ion electron lone-pair directions. Calculated ΔH, ΔS, and ΔG values for the reaction between O₂^? and H₂O are in good agreement with experimental data.     

2,6‐Bis[bis(2‐pyridiniomethyl)aminomethyl]‐4‐tert‐butylphenol dichloride diperchlorate hydrate

The title compound, C₃₆H₄₄N₆O⁴⁺·2Cl^?·2ClO₄^?·0.132H₂O, is shown to be protonated at all the pyridine N atoms; the two chloride ions are hydrogen bonded to three pyridine N atoms and to the phenolic O atom of the same cation [Cl?N = 3.045 (2)–3.131 (2) Å and Cl?O = 2.938 (2) Å], and the remaining pyridine N atom is hydrogen bonded to the phenolic O atom [N?O = 2.861 (2) Å]. The mean value of the C—N—C angle of the protonated pyridine rings is 123.4 (1)°, which is significantly larger than that found for unprotonated pyridine rings.     

Manipulation of the PdAu‒PdAuOx interface on Pd-Au bimetallic catalysts for the direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide

Direct synthesis of H₂O₂ from H₂ and O₂ via heterogeneous catalysis is an environmentally friendly and atomically economic alternative to the traditional anthraquinone oxidation (AO) process. Optimizing the electronic and geometric structures of the active metals to break the current limitations of hydrogenation rate and H₂O₂ selectivity is a promising and challenging topic. In this study, a series of Pd-Au bimetallic catalysts supported on TiO₂ with a metal loading of 3.0 wt% and a constant Pd/Au molar ratio (Pd:Au = 2:1) were prepared. The catalysts were reduced in H₂ at different temperatures (473, 573 and 673 K), and their catalytic activity for the direct H₂O₂ synthesis were evaluated at 283 K and 0.1 MPa. H₂ reduced Pd-Au catalysts exhibited superior performance in direct H₂O₂ synthesis. The maximum H₂O₂ selectivity of 87.7% and H₂O₂ yield of 3116.4 mmol h⁻¹ g_Pd⁻¹ were achieved over the Pd_2.0Au_1.0-573 catalyst with a H₂ conversion of 12.8%. The tailored local chemical environment caused by H₂ reduction creates a balanced ratio of Pd⁰ and PdO_x sites, thus improving the selectivity towards H₂O₂. This work developed an effective strategy for fabrication of highly active and stable Pd-based H₂O₂ synthesis catalysts with high H₂O₂ yield.     

Coordination Tunes Selectivity: Two‐Electron Oxygen Reduction on High‐Loading Molybdenum Single‐Atom Catalysts

Single‐atom catalysts (SACs) have great potential in electrocatalysis. Their performance can be rationally optimized by tailoring the metal atoms, adjacent coordinative dopants, and metal loading. However, doing so is still a great challenge because of the limited synthesis approach and insufficient understanding of the structure–property relationships. Herein, we report a new kind of Mo SAC with a unique O,S coordination and a high metal loading over 10 wt %. The isolation and local environment was identified by high‐angle annular dark‐field scanning transmission electron microscopy and extended X‐ray absorption fine structure. The SACs catalyze the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) via a 2 e^? pathway with a high H₂O₂ selectivity of over 95 % in 0.10 m KOH. The critical role of the Mo single atoms and the coordination structure was revealed by both electrochemical tests and theoretical calculations.     

Electrochemical Conversion of CO2 to Syngas with Controllable CO/H2 Ratios over Co and Ni Single‐Atom Catalysts

The electrochemical CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR) to yield synthesis gas (syngas, CO and H₂) has been considered as a promising method to realize the net reduction in CO₂ emission. However, it is challenging to balance the CO₂RR activity and the CO/H₂ ratio. To address this issue, nitrogen‐doped carbon supported single‐atom catalysts are designed as electrocatalysts to produce syngas from CO₂RR. While Co and Ni single‐atom catalysts are selective in producing H₂ and CO, respectively, electrocatalysts containing both Co and Ni show a high syngas evolution (total current >74 mA cm^?2) with CO/H₂ ratios (0.23–2.26) that are suitable for typical downstream thermochemical reactions. Density functional theory calculations provide insights into the key intermediates on Co and Ni single‐atom configurations for the H₂ and CO evolution. The results present a useful case on how non‐precious transition metal species can maintain high CO₂RR activity with tunable CO/H₂ ratios.     

Water-soluble polymer anchored peroxotitanates as environmentally clean and recyclable catalysts for mild and selective oxidation of sulfides with H2O2 in water

Anchoring of peroxotitanium (pTi) species to linear water-soluble acrylic acid based polymers, poly(sodium acrylate) (PA) and poly(sodium methacrylate) (PMA) led to the successful synthesis of a pair of new, water-tolerant and recyclable catalysts of the type [Ti₂(O₂)₂O₂(OH)₂]^4-—L (L = PA or PMA), highly effective in chemoselective sulfoxidation of organic sulfides with 30% H₂O₂ in aqueous medium at ambient temperature. The catalytic protocol is high yielding (TOF up to 11,280 h^?1), operationally simple as well as environmentally clean and safe, being free from halide, or any other toxic auxiliaries. The catalysts are sufficiently stable to afford easy recyclability for at least 10 consecutive reaction cycles of sulfoxidation with consistent activity selectivity profile. Oxidation of dibenzothiophene (DBT) to respective high purity sulfoxide or sulfone could also be accomplished using the same catalysts by variation of reaction conditions.     

Cross‐Linked Polyphosphazene Hollow Nanosphere‐Derived N/P‐Doped Porous Carbon with Single Nonprecious Metal Atoms for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Heteroatom‐doped polymers or carbon nanospheres have attracted broad research interest. However, rational synthesis of these nanospheres with controllable properties is still a great challenge. Herein, we develop a template‐free approach to construct cross‐linked polyphosphazene nanospheres with tunable hollow structures. As comonomers, hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene provides N and P atoms, tannic acid can coordinate with metal ions, and the replaceable third comonomer can endow the materials with various properties. After carbonization, N/P‐doped mesoporous carbon nanospheres were obtained with small particle size (≈50 nm) and high surface area (411.60 m² g^?1). Structural characterization confirmed uniform dispersion of the single atom transition metal sites (i.e., Co‐N₂P₂) with N and P dual coordination. Electrochemical measurements and theoretical simulations revealed the oxygen reduction reaction performance. This work provides a solution for fabricating diverse heteroatom‐containing polymer nanospheres and their derived single metal atom doped carbon catalysts.     

Piperazine‐1,4‐diium–2,4‐dinitrophenolate–water (1/2/2)

In the title 1/2/2 adduct, C₄H₁₂N₂²⁺·2C₆H₃N₂O₅^?·2H₂O, the dication lies on a crystallographic inversion centre and the asymmetric unit also has one anion and one water mol­ecule in general positions. The 2,4‐di­nitro­phenolate anions and the water mol­ecules are linked by two O—H?O and two C—H?O hydrogen bonds to form molecular ribbons, which extend along the b direction. The piperazine dication acts as a donor for bifurcated N—H?O hydrogen bonds with the phenolate O atom and with the O atom of the o‐nitro group. Six symmetry‐related molecular ribbons are linked to a piperazine dication by N—H?O and C—H?O hydrogen bonds.     

Dual Metal Active Sites in an Ir1/FeOx Single‐Atom Catalyst: A Redox Mechanism for the Water‐Gas Shift Reaction

Herein, we report a theoretical and experimental study of the water‐gas shift (WGS) reaction on Ir₁/FeO_x single‐atom catalysts. Water dissociates to OH* on the Ir₁ single atom and H* on the first‐neighbour O atom bonded with a Fe site. The adsorbed CO on Ir₁ reacts with another adjacent O atom to produce CO₂, yielding an oxygen vacancy (O_vac). Then, the formation of H₂ becomes feasible due to migration of H from adsorbed OH* toward Ir₁ and its subsequent reaction with another H*. The interaction of Ir₁ and the second‐neighbouring Fe species demonstrates a new WGS pathway featured by electron transfer at the active site from Fe³⁺?O???Ir²⁺?O_vac to Fe²⁺?O_vac???Ir³⁺?O with the involvement of O_vac. The redox mechanism for WGS reaction through a dual metal active site (DMAS) is different from the conventional associative mechanism with the formation of formate or carboxyl intermediates. The proposed new reaction mechanism is corroborated by the experimental results with Ir₁/FeO_x for sequential production of CO₂ and H₂.     

2‐Amino‐5‐chloro‐1,3‐benzoxazol‐3‐ium 2‐(3,4‐di­chloro­phenoxy)­acetate

The 1:1 organic salt of the title compound, C₇H₆ClN₂O⁺·C₈H₅Cl₂O₃^? or [(2‐ABOX)(3,4‐D)], comprises the two constituent mol­ecules associated by an R₂²(8) graph‐set interaction through the carboxyl­ate group of 3,4‐D across the protonated N/N sites of 2‐ABOX [N?O 2.546 (3) and 2.795 (3) Å]. Cation/anion pairs associate across an inversion centre forming discrete tetramers via an additional three‐centre hydrogen‐bonding association from the latter N amino proton to a phenoxy O atom [N?O 3.176 (3) Å] and a carboxyl­ate O atom [N?O 2.841 (3) Å]. This formation differs from the polymeric hydrogen‐bonded chains previously observed for adduct structures of 2‐ABOX with carboxyl­ic acids.     

Eosin Y‐Functionalized Conjugated Organic Polymers for Visible‐Light‐Driven CO2 Reduction with H2O to CO with High Efficiency

Visible‐light‐driven photoreduction of CO₂ to energy‐rich chemicals in the presence of H₂O without any sacrifice reagent is of significance, but challenging. Herein, Eosin Y‐functionalized porous polymers (PEosinY‐N, N=1–3), with high surface areas up to 610 m² g^?1, are reported. They exhibit high activity for the photocatalytic reduction of CO₂ to CO in the presence of gaseous H₂O, without any photosensitizer or sacrifice reagent, and under visible‐light irradiation. Especially, PEosinY‐1 derived from coupling of Eosin Y with 1,4‐diethynylbenzene shows the best performance for the CO₂ photoreduction, affording CO as the sole carbonaceous product with a production rate of 33 μmol g^?1 h^?1 and a selectivity of 92 %. This work provides new insight for designing and fabricating photocatalytically active polymers with high efficiency for solar‐energy conversion.     

Recent development in fluorescent probes based on attacking of double bond and masking of functional group

The works on the procedure of fluorescent sensors for the detection of biological analytes are extremely momentous.Among diverse analytical approaches,fluorescence is the most eye-catching due to its high sensitivity,selectivity,rapidity,robustness,ease of measurement and non-destructive approaches.Herein,we show different fluorescent probes synthesized for estimation and detection of biological analytes(H₂S,SO₃^2-/HSO₃^-,H₂O_2<...     

Promotional effect of nitrogen-doped and pore structure for the direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide from hydrogen and oxygen by Pd/C catalyst at ambient pressure

Nitrogen-doped porous carbon is potential support for directly synthesizing H₂O₂ from H₂ and O₂. Here, density functional theory (DFT) was used to study the effect of N-doped porous carbon on H₂O₂ directly synthesized. The theoretical calculation results showed that N-doped improved H₂O₂ productivity and H₂ conversion by increasing the dispersion of Pd nanoparticles and the Pd⁰/Pd²⁺ ratio. However, N-doped decreased H₂O₂ selectivity by reducing oxygen's dissociation energies. The experimental results showed that adjusting the pore structure of N-doped porous carbon could improve the adverse effects of N-doping for H₂O₂ selectivity. The H₂O₂ productivity and selectivity of Pd/C catalyst with a macropore-mesoporous-microporous hierarchical porous structure were up to 328.4 mol_H2O2·kg_cat^-1·h^?1 and 71.9 %, respectively, at ambient pressure. The macropore structure enhances the transfer and diffusion performance of the catalyst and effectively inhibits the effect of N-doping on OO bond dissociation, which improves H₂O₂ productivity and selectivity. This research provides a possible solution for designing a high-performance Pd/C catalyst to directly synthesize H₂O₂ from H₂ and O₂ at ambient pressure.     

High‐Yield Electrosynthesis of Hydrogen Peroxide from Oxygen Reduction by Hierarchically Porous Carbon

H₂O₂ production by electroreduction of O₂ is an attractive alternative to the current anthraquinone process, which is highly desirable for chemical industries and environmental remediation. However, it remains a great challenge to develop cost‐effective electrocatalysts for H₂O₂ synthesis. Here, hierarchically porous carbon (HPC) was proposed for the electrosynthesis of H₂O₂ from O₂ reduction. It exhibited high activity for O₂ reduction and good H₂O₂ selectivity (95.0–70.2 %, most of them >90.0 % at pH 1–4 and >80.0 % at pH 7). High‐yield H₂O₂ generation has been achieved on HPC with H₂O₂ concentrations of 222.6–62.0 mmol L^?1 (2.5 h) and corresponding H₂O₂ production rates of 395.7–110.2 mmol h^?1 g^?1 at pH 1–7 and ?0.5 V. Moreover, HPC was energy‐efficient for H₂O₂ production with current efficiency of 81.8–70.8 %. The exceptional performance of HPC for electrosynthesis of H₂O₂ could be attributed to its high content of sp³‐C and defects, large surface area and fast mass transfer.     

Second-sphere effects on H2O2 activation by non-heme FeII complexes: role of a phenol group in the [H2O2]-dependent accumulation of FeIVO vs. FeIIIOOH

Redox metalloenzymes achieve very selective oxidation reactions under mild conditions using O₂ or H₂O₂ as oxidants and release harmless side-products like water. Their oxidation selectivity is intrinsically linked to the control of the oxidizing species generated during the catalytic cycle. To do so, a second coordination sphere is used in order to create a pull effect during the activation of O₂ or H₂O₂, thus ensuring a heterolytic O–O bond cleavage. Herein, we report the synthesis and study of a new non-heme Fe^II complex bearing a pentaazadentate first coordination sphere and a pendant phenol group. Its reaction with H₂O₂ generates the classical Fe^IIIOOH species at high H₂O₂ loading. But at low H₂O₂ concentrations, an Fe^IVO species is generated instead. The formation of the latter is directly related to the presence of the 2nd sphere phenol group. Kinetic, variable temperature and labelling studies support the involvement of the attached phenol as a second coordination sphere moiety (weak acid) during H₂O₂ activation. Our results suggest a direct Fe^II → Fe^IVO conversion directed by the 2nd sphere phenol via the protonation of the distal O atom of the Fe^II/H₂O₂ adduct leading to a heterolytic O–O bond cleavage.

A new Fe^II complex with a phenol group attached as a second coordination sphere moiety activates H₂O₂ to yield Fe^IVO following a mechanism reminiscent of peroxidase enzymes.     

Production of Hydrogen from Methane by a CO2 Emission-Suppressed Process: Methane Decomposition and Gasification of Carbon Nanofibers

Catalytic methane decomposition into hydrogen and carbon nanofibers and the oxidations of carbon nanofibers with CO₂, H₂O and O₂ were overviewed. Supported Ni catalysts (Ni/SiO₂, Ni/TiO₂ and Ni/carbon nanofiber) were effective for the methane decomposition. The activity and life of the supported Ni catalysts for methane decomposition strongly depended on the particle size of Ni metal on the catalysts. The modification of the catalysts with Pd enhanced the catalytic activity and life for methane decomposition. In particular, the supported Ni catalysts modified with Pd showed high turnover number of hydrogen formation at temperatures higher than 973 K with a high one-pass methane conversion (>70%). However, sooner or later, every catalyst completely lost their catalytic activities due to the carbon layer formation on active metal surfaces. In order to utilize a large quantity of the carbon nanofibers formed during methane decomposition as a chemical feedstock or a powdered fuel for heat generation, they were oxidized with CO₂, H₂O and O₂ into CO, synthesis gas and CO₂, respectively. In every case, the conversion of carbon was greater than 95%. These oxidations of carbon nanofibers recovered or enhanced the initial activities of the supported Ni catalysts for methane decomposition.