Micromotor‐Based Biomimetic Carbon Dioxide Sequestration: Towards Mobile Microscrubbers

We describe a mobile CO₂ scrubbing platform that offers a greatly accelerated biomimetic sequestration based on a self‐propelled carbonic anhydrase (CA) functionalized micromotor. The CO₂ hydration capability of CA is coupled with the rapid movement of catalytic micromotors, and along with the corresponding fluid dynamics, results in a highly efficient mobile CO₂ scrubbing microsystem. The continuous movement of CA and enhanced mass transport of the CO₂ substrate lead to significant improvements in the sequestration efficiency and speed over stationary immobilized or free CA platforms. This system is a promising approach to rapid and enhanced CO₂ sequestration platforms for addressing growing concerns over the buildup of greenhouse gas.     

A Family of High‐Efficiency Hydrogen‐Generation Catalysts Based on Ammonium Species

Development of highly active, low cost, ecologically friendly, and durable homogenous catalysts for hydrogen generation from hydrolysis of borohydride is one of the most desirable pathways for future hydrogen utilization. The unexpected catalytic activities of inorganic ammonium species and the corresponding mechanisms underpinning them are studied. The catalytic activities of the ammonium species are higher than or comparable to those of mostly investigated noble‐metal/transition‐metal catalysts (such as Pd, Pt, Ni, and Co) but are considerably cheaper, more environmentally friendly, and more readily available. Quantum chemical calculations indicate that the unique ammonium‐induced reaction pathway involved with a barrierless elementary reaction at the reaction entrance and the formation of the highly active intermediate BH₃ are responsible for the unexpected catalytic activities and the significantly accelerated hydrogen generation.     

Cobalt Carbonate Hydroxide Nanowire Array on Ti Mesh: An Efficient and Robust 3D Catalyst for On‐Demand Hydrogen Generation from Alkaline NaBH4 Solution

In this work, for the first time, a cobalt carbonate hydroxide (Co(CO₃)_0.5(OH)?0.11 H₂O) nanowire array on Ti mesh (CHNA/Ti) was applied to drive the dehydrogenation of alkaline NaBH₄ solution for on‐demand hydrogen production. Compared with other nanostructured Co‐based catalyst systems, CHNA/Ti can be activated more quickly and separated easily from fuel solutions. This self‐supported cobalt salt nanowire array catalyst works as an efficient and robust 3D catalyst for the hydrolysis reaction of NaBH₄ with a hydrogen generation rate of 4000 mL min^?1 g_Co^?1 and a low apparent activation energy of 39.78 kJ mol^?1 and offers an attractive system for on‐demand hydrogen generation.     

硼氢化钠催化水解制氢*

硼氢化钠（NaBH₄）催化水解制氢是一项具备车载氢源应用前景的储氢/制氢一体化技术。本文介绍了该技术催化水解制氢的原理,综述了制氢催化剂、反应动力学、反应机理、反应装置的设计和反应副产物回收利用的最新研究进展,讨论了该技术研发中需解决的问题。水解制氢系统的实际应用需研发高效、耐久性负载型催化剂。制氢装置的设计应考虑反应热的综合利用、燃料电池产生的水循环利用及膜分离技术的应用。NaBH4的高效再生将降低其生产成本,实现NaBH4基水解制氢系统的商业化应用。     

Manganese‐Catalyzed β‐Methylation of Alcohols by Methanol

We report an earth‐abundant‐metal‐catalyzed double and single methylation of alcohols. A manganese catalyst, which operates at low catalyst loadings and short reaction times, mediates these reactions efficiently. A broad scope of primary and secondary alcohols, including purely aliphatic examples, and 1,2‐aminoalcohols can be methylated. Furthermore, alcohol methylation for the synthesis of pharmaceuticals has been demonstrated. The catalyst system tolerates many functional groups among them hydrogenation‐sensitive examples and upscaling is easily achieved. Mechanistic investigations are indicative of a borrowing hydrogen or hydrogen autotransfer mechanism involving a bimetallic K‐Mn catalyst. The catalyst accepts hydrogen as a proton and a hydride from alcohols efficiently and reacts with a chalcone via hydride transfer.     

硼氢化钠水解制氢

质子交换膜燃料电池技术的迅速发展大大促进了对氢的廉价制取和高效储存的研究。作为一种安全、方便的新型制氢技术,硼氢化钠水解制氢成为当前燃料电池氢源研究中的热点课题之一。本文介绍了硼氢化钠制氢原理,综述了硼氢化钠水解催化剂和反应动力学研究进展,并对硼氢化钠制氢技术实用化前景进行了展望。     

A Noble‐Metal‐Free System for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production from Water

A series of heteroleptic copper(I) complexes with bidentate $\widehat{PP}$ and $\widehat{NN}$ chelate ligands was prepared and successfully applied as photosensitizers in the light‐driven production of hydrogen, by using [Fe₃(CO)₁₂] as a water‐reduction catalyst (WRC). These systems efficiently reduces protons from water/THF/triethylamine mixtures, in which the amine serves as a sacrificial electron donor (SR). Turnover numbers (for H) up to 1330 were obtained with these fully noble‐metal‐free systems. The new complexes were electrochemically and photophysically characterized. They exhibited a correlation between the lifetimes of the MLCT excited state and their efficiency as photosensitizers in proton‐reduction systems. Within these experiments, considerably long excited‐state lifetimes of up to 54 μs were observed. Quenching studies with the SR, in the presence and absence of the WRC, showed that intramolecular deactivation was more efficient in the former case, thus suggesting the predominance of an oxidative quenching pathway.     

High‐Nitrogen‐Based Pyrotechnics: Perchlorate‐Free Red‐ and Green‐Light Illuminants Based on 5‐Aminotetrazole

Prototype testing of perchlorate‐free hand‐held signal illuminants for the US Army’s M126 A1 red‐star and M195 green‐star parachute illuminants are described. Although previous perchlorate‐free variants for these items have been developed based on high‐nitrogen compounds that are not readily available, the new formulations consist of anhydrous 5‐aminotetrazole as the suitable perchlorate replacement. Compared to the perchlorate‐containing control, the disclosed illuminants exhibited excellent stabilities toward various ignition stimuli and had excellent pyrotechnic performance. The illuminants are important from both military and civil fireworks perspectives, as the perchlorate‐free nature of the illuminants adequately address environmental concerns associated with perchlorate‐containing red‐ and green‐light‐emitting illuminants.     

A Bio‐Inspired,Heavy‐Metal‐Free,Dual‐Electrolyte Liquid Battery towards Sustainable Energy Storage

Wide‐scale exploitation of renewable energy requires low‐cost efficient energy storage devices. The use of metal‐free, inexpensive redox‐active organic materials represents a promising direction for environmental‐friendly, cost‐effective sustainable energy storage. To this end, a liquid battery is designed using hydroquinone (H₂BQ) aqueous solution as catholyte and graphite in aprotic electrolyte as anode. The working potential can reach 3.4 V, with specific capacity of 395 mA h g^?1 and stable capacity retention about 99.7 % per cycle. Such high potential and capacity is achieved using only C, H and O atoms as building blocks for redox species, and the replacement of Li metal with graphite anode can circumvent potential safety issues. As H₂BQ can be extracted from biomass directly and its redox reaction mimics the bio‐electrochemical process of quinones in nature, using such a bio‐inspired organic compound in batteries enables access to greener and more sustainable energy‐storage technology.     

Micro/Nanomotors for Water Purification

Self-propelled micro/nanomotors are synthetic machines that can convert different sources of energy into motion; at the same time, they are able to serve innovative environmental applications, for example, water purification. The self-propelled micro and nanomachines can rapidly zoom through the solution, carrying catalytic surface or chemical to remove or degrade pollutants in a much faster fashion than that of static systems, which depend on diffusion and fluxes. This review highlights the recent progress of micro/nanomotors in water pollutant detection and pollutant removal applications.     

Low‐Temperature Synthesis of LiBH4 by Gas–Solid Reaction

Strikingly simple : The low‐temperature and solvent‐free synthesis of LiBH₄ from LiH in a borane atmosphere at ambient pressures is reported. The results indicate that the formation of B? H bonds is the limiting step for the formation of LiBH₄ from the elements. Therefore, the use of diborane as a starting reactant allows one to circumvent the reaction barrier for the B? B bond dissociation and explains the rather moderate synthesis conditions.

     

High‐Nitrogen‐Based Pyrotechnics: Development of Perchlorate‐Free Green‐Light Illuminants for Military and Civilian Applications

The development of perchlorate‐free hand‐held signal illuminants for the US Army’s M195 green star parachute is described. Compared with the perchlorate‐containing control, the optimized perchlorate‐free illuminants were less sensitive toward various ignition stimuli while offering comparable burn times and visible‐light outputs. The results were also important from the perspective of civilian fireworks because the development of perchlorate‐free illuminants remains an important objective of the commercial fireworks industry.     

Blood Proteins Strongly Reduce the Mobility of Artificial Self‐Propelled Micromotors

Autonomous self‐propelled catalytic microjets are envisaged as an important technology in biomedical applications, including drug delivery, micro/nanosurgery, and active dynamic bioassays. The direct in vivo application of these microjets, specifically in blood, is however impeded by insufficient knowledge on the in vivo viability of the technique. This study highlights the effect of blood proteins on the viability of the microjets. The presence of blood proteins, including serum albumin and γ‐globulins at physiological concentrations, has been found to dramatically reduce the viability of the microjets. The reduction of viability has been measured in terms of a lower number of active microjets and a decrease in the velocity of propulsion. It is clear from this study that in order for microjets to function in biomedical applications, different modes of propulsion besides platinum‐catalyzed oxygen bubble ejection must be employed. These findings have serious implications for the biomedical applications of catalytic microjets.     

Hydrogen‐Bonding‐Mediated Vesicular Assembly of Functionalized Naphthalene–Diimide‐Based Bolaamphiphile and Guest‐Induced Gelation in Water

This paper describes the spontaneous vesicular assembly of a naphthalene–diimide (NDI)‐based non‐ionic bolaamphiphile in aqueous medium by using the synergistic effects of π‐stacking and hydrogen bonding. Site isolation of the hydrogen‐bonding functionality (hydrazide), a strategy that has been adopted so elegantly in nature, has been executed in this system to protect these moieties from the bulk water so that the distinct role of hydrogen bonding in the self‐assembly of hydrazide‐functionalized NDI building blocks could be realized, even in aqueous solution. Furthermore, the electron‐deficient NDI‐based bolaamphiphile could engage in donor–acceptor (D–A) charge‐transfer (CT) interactions with a water‐insoluble electron‐rich pyrene donor by virtue of intercalation of the latter chromophore in between two NDI building blocks. Remarkably, even when pyrene was located between two NDI blocks, intermolecular hydrogen‐bonding networks between the NDI‐linked hydrazide groups could be retained. However, time‐dependent AFM studies revealed that the radius of curvature of the alternately stacked D–A assembly increased significantly, thereby leading to intervesicular fusion, which eventually resulted in rupturing of the membrane to form 1D fibers. Such 2D‐to‐1D morphological transition produced CT‐mediated hydrogels at relatively higher concentrations. Instead of pyrene, when a water‐soluble carboxylate‐functionalized pyrene derivative was used as the intercalator, non‐covalent tunable in‐situ surface‐functionalization could be achieved, as evidenced by the zeta‐potential measurements.     

Single‐Crystal Semiconductors with Narrow Band Gaps for Solar Water Splitting

Solar water splitting provides a clean and renewable approach to produce hydrogen energy. In recent years, single‐crystal semiconductors such as Si and InP with narrow band gaps have demonstrated excellent performance to drive the half reactions of water splitting through visible light due to their suitable band gaps and low bulk recombination. This Minireview describes recent research advances that successfully overcome the primary obstacles in using these semiconductors as photoelectrodes, including photocorrosion, sluggish reaction kinetics, low photovoltage, and unfavorable planar substrate surface. Surface modification strategies, such as surface protection, cocatalyst loading, surface energetics tuning, and surface texturization are highlighted as the solutions.     

A Convenient Hydrogenation Method for the Synthesis of Metallo‐mesoporphyrin IX Dimethyl Esters via Self‐catalyzed CoCl2‐NaBH4 Reagent System

A convenient protocol has been developed for the hydrogenation of metallo‐protoporphyrin IX dimethyl esters (MPPDMEs) to their mesoporphyrin analogues using CoCl₂‐NaBH₄ reagent system. Metallo‐porphyrin complexes were found to perform as self‐catalysts in this procedure. This method provides several advantages such as safe and simple procedure, short reaction time, high yields and low cost.     

Microbial Electricity Generation and Isolation of Exoelectrogenic Bacteria Based on Petroleum Hydrocarbon‐contaminated Soil

In this study, the petroleum hydrocarbon‐contaminated soil was used as both inoculation and carbon source simultaneously to enrich exoelectrogenic bacteria for using in microbial fuel cell system and it demonstrated working output power density at around 220 mW m^?2. The feasible electrochemical properties have displayed by means of cyclic voltammetry and dual‐chamber MFCs experiments. Moreover, two species of exoelectrogens were isolated belonging to Geobacter sp. and Ochrobactrum sp., respectively. This work evaluates the capability of naturally occurring petroleum‐degrading species to produce electric current in bioelectrochemical system. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time when ecological information on electroactive, petroleum‐degrading consortium is provided.     

A Self‐Sorting Scheme Based on Tetra‐Urea Calix[4]arenes

Size and shape do matter : When dimerized in nonpolar solvents, an equimolar mixture of eleven tetra‐urea calix[4]arenes with different wide‐rim substituents self‐sorts into only six out of 35 different homo‐ and heterodimers (see picture). Since the calixarene scaffold and the four urea units are the same in all cases, the self‐sorting process is driven only by the cooperative action of steric requirements and stoichiometry.