Enhanced activity for ethanol electrooxidation on Pt–MgO/C catalysts

MgO promoted Pt/C electrocatalysts were rapidly prepared by intermittent microwave heating method and characterized using different techniques. Electrooxidation of ethanol on MgO promoted Pt/C catalysts in alkaline media was studied. Such electrocatalysts are superior to pure Pt electrocatalysts. The influence of the amount of MgO in the catalysts on catalytic activity for ethanol oxidation was tested. The electrode with a weight ratio of Pt to MgO of 4:1 showed the highest electrocatalytic activity for ethanol oxidation. The presence of MgO in the electrocatalysts improved the kinetic processes, giving the exchange current density for ethanol oxidation of 1.8 × 10⁻⁵ A cm⁻² on Pt–MgO/C instead of 3.3 × 10⁻⁷ A cm⁻² on Pt/C.     

Cu-Co-Fe oxide catalysts supported on carbon nanotubes for the oxidation of CO

The catalytic activity and adsorption characteristics of the surface of catalysts in the form of carbon nanotubes produced on nickel and cobalt oxides with the Cu-Co-Fe oxide system as supported active phase were studied. At carbon nanotubes produced on nickel oxide with (10 + 10) wt.% of the catalytically active phase total conversion of CO to CO₂ is realized at 47 °C. This sample has high specific surface area and a large volume of mesopores. It was shown that the increase in catalytic activity correlates with the increase in the amount of the α₂ form of CO₂. __________ Translated from Teoreticheskaya i éksperimental’naya Khimiya, Vol. 42, No. 4, pp. 222–226, July–August, 2006.     

分级结构氮掺杂碳纳米笼担载的铂基高效甲醇氧化电催化剂

高性能低成本的担载型铂基催化剂是直接甲醇燃料电池(DMFC)实用化过程中的一大挑战.利用高比表面积、高稳定性、容易负载金属的载体实现 Pt颗粒的高度分散,既可提高催化剂的催化性能,又可提高 Pt的利用率以降低成本,是担载型 Pt基催化剂实用化的有效途径.碳材料是一种常用的催化剂载体,近年来我们课题组发展了一种高性能的碳纳米笼材料,并可通过异原子掺杂调变其表面性能,提高其活性和负载能力.我们采用原位氧化镁模板法制备氮掺杂碳纳米笼：以具有多级结构的碱式碳酸镁作为氧化镁模板的前体,吡啶为碳源和氮源,经高温热解沉积,在原位形成的氧化镁模板表面形成氮掺杂的石墨化碳纳米薄层;经稀盐酸浸泡并洗涤,获得高纯度的氮掺杂碳纳米笼.氮掺杂碳纳米笼具有分等级的微纳米结构、高导电性、高比表面积和可调变的孔结构,结合表面氮原子的锚钉作用,氮掺杂碳纳米笼有望成为电化学催化剂 Pt的优良载体.
　　在前期研究基础上,本文探索多级结构氮掺杂碳纳米笼(hNCNC)作为新型载体负载 Pt的能力,并评价所构建的负载型催化剂 Pt/hNCNC的电催化性能.通过简便的微波辅助多元醇还原法,将氯铂酸还原成 Pt纳米粒子负载于 hNCNC的表面.为了揭示氮掺杂的效应,我们对比研究了具有相似分级结构但无掺杂的碳纳米笼(hCNC)以及商业化活性炭(Val-can XC-72)作为载体的情况.经热重(TG)和 X射线光电子能谱(XPS)分析,三种催化剂 Pt/hNCNC、Pt/hCNC和 Pt/XC-72的负载量均接近理论负载量(23.1 wt%),都主要以金属态存在.然而,扫描电子显微镜(SEM)和透射电子显微镜(TEM)结果表明, Pt/hNCNC的 Pt分散状态优于 Pt/hCNC,更远优于 Pt/XC-72. Pt/hNCNC的平均 Pt粒径最小,仅约3.3 nm.这种良好的分散状态主要得益于氮原子掺杂,高负电性的氮原子改变了局域的表面极性,有利于 Pt颗粒的成核,也有利于固定 Pt颗粒.
　　由于 hNCNC对 Pt的优异分散能力, Pt/hNCNC表现出高的电化学活性面积.氢吸附和一氧化碳溶出伏安曲线表明, Pt/hNCNC的电化学活性面积高于 Pt/hCNC和 Pt/XC-72,这与显微观察和 X射线衍射(XRD)结果相吻合. Pt/hNCNC展现出优异的甲醇电催化氧化活性和高稳定性,其催化电流明显高于 Pt/hCNC和 Pt/XC-72,电流衰减亦慢于 Pt/hCNC和 Pt/XC-72. hNCNC的分级微纳米结构有利于孔内传质和电子输运,从而提高反应速度. hNCNC的氮掺杂有利于 Pt在载体表面的分散,增强了载体-金属相互作用,提高了电化学活性面积和催化活性.为了进一步考察 hNCNC对 Pt的负载能力,本文还考察了高负载量 Pt/hNCNC的性能.在负载量高达60 wt%时, Pt/hNCNC中的 Pt颗粒仍无明显聚集,其甲醇氧化电流增加了30%,可以有效提高 DMFC的输出电流密度.
　　综上可见, hNCNC可以有效分散并稳定 Pt颗粒,从而提高电化学活性面积和甲醇电催化氧化活性,优于未掺杂的碳纳米笼和传统碳材料,展示了 hNCNC高分散 Pt颗粒用作 DMFC的高效阳极催化剂的重要前景,也表明 hNCNC有望成为应用广泛的新型载体.     

二苯氨基碳酰肼在多壁碳纳米管修饰电极上的电催化氧化及电化学动力学研究

肼及其衍生物被广泛应用于医药,农药,水处理,军事,航天,光稳定剂以及化工生产助剂等诸多领域。因此对肼及其衍生物的研究有着极其重要的意义。二苯氨基碳酰肼(二苯氨基脲,又名二苯卡巴肼,D iphenyl Carbazide,DPC)广泛用于重金属离子的检测分析[1-4]。但是,目前关于DPC的电化学     

Development of novel synthetic method of carbon nanotubes from electrospun polystyrene fibers by using microwave heating

We have developed a novel synthetic method that enables us to easily synthesize metal‐capsulated carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in a laboratory by using a combined technology of electrospinning‐metallization and microwave heating. These techniques greatly shorten the time for the synthesis of the CNTs in comparison with the conventional methods. TEM analysis confirmed a successful formation of the CNTs, and the resulting CNTs were multi‐walled and found to be about 25–100 nm in diameters. The products prepared by heating at 600 and 900°C exhibited less‐developed and strongly curved CNTs, whereas the products prepared by heating at 700 and 800°C relatively well‐developed long CNTs. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The origin of the high performance of tungsten carbides/carbon nanotubes supported Pt catalysts for methanol electrooxidation

The Pt supported on WC modified MWCNT catalysts (PtWC/MWCNT) were synthesized by the combination of organic colloidal and intermittent microwave heating (IMH) methods for the first. The results proved the better performance of the PtWC/MWCNT catalyst than that of Pt/C for methanol oxidation in terms of the onset potential and peak current density. The synergistic effect between Pt nanoparticles and WC and the structure effect of the MWCNTs could be the reasons to result in the high activity. The CO stripping test provided the evidence that the onset potential shift for methanol oxidation is consistent with the reduction in the overpotential for the CO oxidation on PtWC/MWCNT catalyst. Therefore, the mechanism of the high performance for methanol oxidation on PtWC/MWCNT catalyst is probably the easier oxidation of CO-like species which cause high overpotential for further oxidation of methanol.     

Facile synthesis of multifunctional multiwalled carbon nanotubes/Fe3O4 nanoparticles/polyaniline composite nanotubes

With an average diameter of 100-150 nm, composite nanotubes of polyaniline (PANI)/multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) containing Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by a two-step method. First, we synthesized monodispersed Fe₃O₄ NPs (d=17.6 nm, σ=1.92 nm) on the surface of MWNTs and then decorated the nanocomposites with a PANI layer via a self-assembly method. SEM and TEM images indicated that the obtained samples had the morphologies of nanotubes. The molecular structure and composition of MWNTs/Fe₃O₄ NPs/PANI nanotubes were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX), X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectra. UV-vis spectra confirmed the existence of PANI and its response to acid and alkali. As a multifunctional material, the conductivity and magnetic properties of MWNTs/Fe₃O₄ NPs/PANI composites nanotubes were also investigated.     

醇在载钯碳化钨/碳纳米管催化剂上的氧化

用交替微波法制备了碳化钨与多壁碳纳米管复合材料(WC/MWCNT),以该材料为载体制备了Pd基催化剂(Pd-WC/MWCNT),并将催化剂用于醇的催化氧化反应.结果表明,Pd-WC/MWCNT催化剂对乙醇的催化氧化活性是Pd/C催化剂的5倍.交换电流密度测量和反应活化能计算表明,Pd-WC/WIWCNT催化剂对乙醇催化氧化的交换电流密度比Pd/C大两个数量级,反应活化能低一倍以上.Pd-WC/MWCNT催化剂催化氧化乙醇性能的大幅度提高是碳化钨与Pd颗粒的协同效应和碳纳米管的结构效应共同作用的结果.     

Electrocatalysis of oxygen reduction and hydrogen oxidation in platinum dispersed on tungsten carbide in acid medium

Tungsten carbide dispersed on a high surface area carbon (W₂C/C) prepared by a sonochemical method was used as the support of a Pt-based electrocatalyst (Pt-W₂C/C). The resulting materials were tested for two important reactions with practical interest in fuel cells, that is, the oxygen reduction and hydrogen oxidation reactions, in acid medium. The electrochemical techniques considered were cyclic voltammetry, linear sweep voltammetry, and steady-state polarization curves, obtained utilizing an ultrathin catalyst layer in a rotating ring–disk electrode. The results showed that the Pt-W₂C/C catalyst led to a remarkable enhancement of the oxygen reduction in acid medium, when compared to the standard Pt/C, both following a four-electron mechanism. The hydrogen oxidation reaction showed similar kinetics on Pt-W₂C/C and Pt/C following the direct discharge mechanism on both catalysts. The W₂C/C support presented remarkable activity for the hydrogen oxidation reaction, most probably after the Heyrovsky–Volmer mechanism at low overpotential and the direct discharge irreversible mechanism at high overpotentials. This paper is dedicated to Prof. Francisco Nart, in memoriam.     

苯甲酰肼在多壁碳纳米管修饰玻碳电极上的电催化氧化及其电化学动力学性质

研究了苯甲酰肼(BH)在MWCNT/GCE上的电化学行为。实验结果表明,BH在GCE上的直接电化学氧化十分迟缓,无氧化峰出现,但在MWCNT/GCE上BH在0.20 V处出现了一个不可逆氧化峰,且峰电流大幅度增大,表明MWCNT/GCE对BH电化学氧化具有良好的催化作用。同时用计时库仑法(Chro-nocoulometry,CC)和计时电流法(Chronoamperometry,CA)测定了电极过程动力学参数:扩散系数D=8.73×10-5cm2.s-1,电子转移系数α=0.85,电极反应速率常数kf=1.45×10-3s-1。稳态电流-时间实验结果表明,电流响应信号随其浓度成比例增长,响应时间小于6 s,最低响应浓度为1×10-6mol/L。该方法可用于BH电化学定量测定。     

A facile synthesis of palladium nanoparticles supported on functional carbon nanotubes and its novel catalysis for ethanol electrooxidation

In this study, a novel material, palladium nanoparticles-carboxylic functional carbon nanotubes (PdNPs-CFCNTs), based on PdNPs supported on CFCNTs was synthesized by a facile spontaneous redox method. The material reveals high electrochemical activity and excellent catalytic characteristic for alcohol electrooxidation on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) in an alkaline medium. The preparation mechanism was studied by the galvanic cell effect between PdCl₄²⁻ and functional defect sites on CFCNTs. Results from UV-visible absorption spectroscopy and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy revealed that the reduction of PdCl₄²⁻ to metallic Pd was successfully achieved. Morphologies of PdNPs supporting on CFCNTs (PdNPs-CFCNTs) were also characterized by transmission electron micrograph. PdNPs-CFCNTs with the best electrocatalytic characteristics were obtained under the condition as: the weight ratio of Pd to CFCNTs was kept at 2:1, the temperature was kept at 70 °C in the synthesis, and the scan rate of the applied potential was selected at 60 mV s⁻¹. The results indicate that PdNPs-CFCNTs could be a great potential material in direct ethanol fuel cells and ethanol sensors.     

Improved cellular response on multiwalled carbon nanotube-incorporated electrospun polyvinyl alcohol/chitosan nanofibrous scaffolds

We report the fabrication of multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)-incorporated electrospun polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/chitosan (CS) nanofibers with improved cellular response for potential tissue engineering applications. In this study, smooth and uniform PVA/CS and PVA/CS/MWCNTs nanofibers with water stability were formed by electrospinning, followed by crosslinking with glutaraldehyde vapor. The morphology, structure, and mechanical properties of the formed electrospun fibrous mats were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and mechanical testing, respectively. We showed that the incorporation of MWCNTs did not appreciably affect the morphology of the PVA/CS nanofibers; importantly the protein adsorption ability of the nanofibers was significantly improved. In vitro cell culture of mouse fibroblasts (L929) seeded onto the electrospun scaffolds showed that the incorporation of MWCNTs into the PVA/CS nanofibers significantly promoted cell proliferation. Results from this study hence suggest that MWCNT-incorporated PVA/CS nanofibrous scaffolds with small diameters (around 160 nm) and high porosity can mimic the natural extracellular matrix well, and potentially provide many possibilities for applications in the fields of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.     

Lactose oxidation over palladium catalysts supported on active carbons and on carbon nanofibres

Liquid-phase lactose oxidation was investigated over supported Pd/C and Pd-carbon nanofibre catalysts, which were characterized by several methods. A complex relationship between catalyst activity and catalyst acidity was established, i.e. optimum catalyst acidity resulted in the highest activity in lactose oxidation. In-situ catalyst potential measurements during lactose oxidation gave information about the extent of accumulation of oxygen on the metal surface. These results could be correlated with catalyst deactivation, which was extensive over the most acidic catalysts at low reaction temperatures. Selectivity for the desired product, lactobionic acid, was a maximum of approximately 83% at 93% conversion. The main side-product was lactulose formed via isomerisation of lactose. Lower selectivity toward lactobionic acid was obtained when the rate of oxidation of lactose was low.     

Multi-wall carbon nanotube supported tungsten hexacarbonyl: an efficient and reusable catalyst for epoxidation of alkenes with hydrogen peroxide

Highly efficient epoxidation of alkenes with H₂O₂ catalyzed by tungsten hexacarbonyl supported on multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) modified with 1,2-diaminobenzene is reported. The prepared catalyst, [W(CO)₆@DAB-MWCNT], was characterized by elemental analysis, scanning electron microscopy, FT-IR, and diffuse reflectance UV-Vis spectroscopic methods. The prepared catalyst was applied as an efficient catalyst for green epoxidation of alkenes with hydrogen peroxide in CH₃CN. This heterogeneous metal carbonyl catalyst showed high stability and reusability in epoxidation without loss of its catalytic activity.     

修饰的多壁碳纳米管糊电极用于生物与制药样品中苄丙酮香豆素电催化氧化和测定

采用一种简单灵敏的方法开发了在多壁碳纳米管修饰的ZnCrFeO4糊电极(MWCNTs/ZnCrFeO4/CPE)表面测定苄丙酮香豆素的新型传感器.运用循环伏安法、差示脉冲伏安法、计时电流法和电化学阻抗谱考察了该化学修饰电极上苄丙酮香豆素的电化学性能.结果表明,MWCNTs/ZnCrFeO4/CPE电极对苄丙酮香豆素氧化表现出较高的电催化活性,在pH=4时,产生峰值氧化电流约0.97 vs Ag/AgCl参比电极.当苄丙酮香豆素浓度在0.02-920.0 μmol/L范围内,该峰电流与其呈线性关系,检测极限(3σ)为0.003 μmol/L.另外,运用差示脉冲伏安法测定了MWCNTs/ZnCrFeO/CPE电极上苄丙酮香豆素的催化反应速率常数和扩散系数.     

Synthesis and characterization of nickel catalysts supported on different carbon materials

Nickel catalysts supported on various carbon materials such as multiwall carbon nanotubes, shortened length carbon nanotubes, graphite and amorphous carbon were synthesized, characterized and tested in cyclohexene hydrogenation reaction. We have found that carbon nanotube supports are superior to graphite and amorphous carbon both in terms of catalytic activity and stability.     

Electropolymerized multiwalled carbon nanotubes/polypyrrole fiber for solid-phase microextraction and its applications in the determination of pyrethroids

A novel solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fiber coated with multiwalled carbon nanotubes/polypyrrole (MWCNTs/Ppy) was prepared with an electrochemical method and used for the extraction of pyrethroids in natural water samples. The results showed that the MWCNTs/Ppy coated fiber had high organic stability, and remarkable acid and alkali resistance. In addition, the MWCNTs/Ppy coated fiber was more effective and superior to commercial PDMS and PDMS/DVD fibers in extracting pyrethroids in natural water samples. Under optimized conditions, the calibration curves were found to be linear from 0.001 to 10 μg mL⁻¹ for five of the six pyrethroids studied, the exception being fenvalerate (which was from 0.005 to 10 μg mL⁻¹), and detection limits were within the range 0.12-0.43 ng mL⁻¹. The recoveries of the pyrethroids spiked in water samples at 10 ng mL⁻¹ ranged from 83 to 112%.     

A new hydrogen peroxide biosensor based on gold nanoelectrode ensembles/multiwalled carbon nanotubes/chitosan film-modified electrode

Gold nanoelectrode ensembles were produced by electrodeposition using multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) as template. A new third generation amperometric biosensor for hydrogen peroxide was developed based on adsorption of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) at the glassy carbon (GC) electrode modified with Au nanoelectrode ensembles/multiwalled carbon nanotubes/chitosan film. The resulting HRP biosensor offered an excellent detection for hydrogen peroxide at −0.11 V with a linear response range of 2.08 × 10⁻⁷ to 7.6 × 10⁻³ M with a correlation coefficient of 0.998, and response time <5 s. The detection limit was 1.02 × 10⁻⁷ M at 3σ. The biosensor displays rapid response, expanded linear response range, and excellent repeatability. The simple and fast fabrication of the sensor makes it superior to other techniques.     

苦参碱在多壁碳纳米管修饰玻碳电极上的电催化氧化及其电分析方法

研究了苦参碱(Matrine, MT) 在多壁碳纳米管修饰玻碳电极(MWCNT/GCE)上的电化学行为. 与GCE相比, MT在MWCNT/GCE上峰电位负移120 mV, 峰电流增大约2.5倍, 表明MWCNT/GCE对MT的电化学氧化具有良好的催化作用. 同时测定并计算了MT在MWCNT/GCE上的电极过程动力学参数: 电子转移系数α、电极反应速率常数ks、扩散系数D. 运用差分脉冲伏安法对苦参碱样品含量进行测定, 相对标准偏差为0.12%～2.9%, 加标回收率为98.4%～99.0%. 该方法可用于MT的电化学定量测定.     

Fe—Co双金属催化剂对纳米碳管规模化生产的影响

在C2H2和N2的氛围下,以Fe－Co双金属氧化物为催化剂,利用催化裂解法大量制备了多壁纳米碳管,实验结果表明,以Fe－Co双金属氧化物为催化剂制备纳米碳管的产量明显高于Fe或Co单独存在时所得的纳米碳管的产量,且Fe摩尔分数为0.2时效果最佳;同时发现,在制备的产品中存在很多螺旋形的纳米碳管,此方法工艺简单,有利于纳米碳管的规模化、大批量生产,为纳米碳管的深入研究及广泛应用打下了基础。