Faceted Branched Nickel Nanoparticles with Tunable Branch Length for High‐Activity Electrocatalytic Oxidation of Biomass

Controlling the formation of nanosized branched nanoparticles with high uniformity is one of the major challenges in synthesizing nanocatalysts with improved activity and stability. Using a cubic‐core hexagonal‐branch mechanism to form highly monodisperse branched nanoparticles, we vary the length of the nickel branches. Lengthening the nickel branches, with their high coverage of active facets, is shown to improve activity for electrocatalytic oxidation of 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), as an example for biomass conversion.     

Three‐Dimensional Branched and Faceted Gold–Ruthenium Nanoparticles: Using Nanostructure to Improve Stability in Oxygen Evolution Electrocatalysis

Achieving stability with highly active Ru nanoparticles for electrocatalysis is a major challenge for the oxygen evolution reaction. As improved stability of Ru catalysts has been shown for bulk surfaces with low‐index facets, there is an opportunity to incorporate these stable facets into Ru nanoparticles. Now, a new solution synthesis is presented in which hexagonal close‐packed structured Ru is grown on Au to form nanoparticles with 3D branches. Exposing low‐index facets on these 3D branches creates stable reaction kinetics to achieve high activity and the highest stability observed for Ru nanoparticle oxygen evolution reaction catalysts. These design principles provide a synthetic strategy to achieve stable and active electrocatalysts.     

A highly stable and active mesoporous ruthenium catalyst for ammonia synthesis prepared by a RuCl3/SiO2-templated approach

Molecular nitrogen is relatively inert and the activation of its triple bond is full of challenges and of significance. Hence, searching for an efficiently heterogeneous catalyst with high stability and dispersion is one of the important targets of chemical technology. Here, we report a Ba-K/Ru-MC catalyst with Ru particle size of 1.5–2.5 nm semi-embedded in a mesoporous C matrix and with dual promoters of Ba and K that exhibits a higher activity than the supported Ba-Ru-K/MC catalyst, although both have similar metal particle sizes for ammonia synthesis. Further, the Ba-K/Ru-MC catalyst is more active than commercial fused Fe catalysts and supported Ru catalysts. Characterization techniques such as high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, N₂ physisorption, CO chemisorption, and temperature-programmed reduction suggest that the Ru nanoparticles have strong interactions with the C matrix in Ba-K/Ru-MC, which may facilitate electron transport better than supported nanoparticles.     

Facile one-step synthesis of Ru doped NiCoP nanoparticles as highly efficient electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction

Transition metal phosphides (TMPs) as ever-evolving electrocatalytic materials have attracted increasing attention in water splitting reactions owing to their cost-effective, highly active and stable catalytic properties. This work presents a facile synthetic route to NiCoP nanoparticles with Ru dopants which function as highly efficient electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline media. The Ru dopants induced a high content of Ni and Co vacancies in NiCoP nanoparticles, and the more defective Ru doped NiCoP phase than undoped NiCoP ones led to a greater number of catalytically active sites and improved electrical conductivity after undergoing electrochemical activation. The Ru doped NiCoP catalyst exhibited high OER catalytic performance in alkaline media with a low overpotential of 281 mV at 10 mA cm⁻² and a Tafel slope of 42.7 mV dec⁻¹.     

Facile Synthesis of Multi-Branched Gold Nanostructures through a TBAB-Assisted Route in Aqueous Solution and Their SERS Property

Facile synthesis of multi‐branched gold nanostructures by using the tetrabutyl ammonium bromide (TBAB) as a capping agent is described. The reaction is carried out in a one‐step process at mild temperature. Gold nanostructures with more than six sharp branches ranging from 70 to 130 nm in length are synthesized in high yield. It is proposed that the relative weak adsorption capacity of TBAB leads to the incompletely covered gold surface and the growth of nanoparticles occurs on the uncovered gold surface, and therefore short branches appear consequently. Then positively charged TBAB layers on the gold surfaces prevent the branches from aggregating with each other which stimulates the branch growth. The prepared branched gold nanoparticles show efficient surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) properties. Low temperature (4°C) is unfavorable to the formation of multi‐branched gold nanostructures, and only thin small irregular plate‐like nanoparticles are produced. The addition of SDS in TBAB aqueous solution results in forming SDS micelles at much lower concentration of SDS (0.4 mmol/L) as compared to that in pure water, and short branched gold nanoparticles are obtained in the SDS‐TBAB system.     

High-yield synthesis of multi-branched gold nanoparticles and their surface-enhanced Raman scattering properties

Multi-branched gold nanoparticles were synthesized in high-yield through the reduction of HAuCl(4) by using hydrazine as a reducing agent. Practically 100% of the particles have numerous branches. The high reduction capability of hydrazine is found to be crucial for the formation of these branched gold nanoparticles. Their size can be controlled from 20 to 130 nm by varying the amounts of hydrazine. The prepared nanoparticles exhibit efficient surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) properties and the SERS activity of the particles depends on the aspect ratio of their branches, which are most likely related to a great increase in the localized electromagnetic field enhancement from their unique sharp surface features arising from the branches.     

Probing the active sites for CO dissociation on ruthenium nanoparticles

The active sites for CO dissociation were probed on mass-selected Ru nanoparticles on a HOPG support by temperature programmed desorption spectroscopy using isotopically labelled CO. Combined with transmission electron microscopy we gain insight on how the size and morphology of the nanoparticles affect the CO dissociation activity. The Ru nanoparticles were synthesized in a UHV chamber by gas-aggregation magnetron sputtering in the size range from 3 to 15 nm and the morphology was investigated in situ by scanning tunneling microscopy and ex situ by high resolution transmission electron microscopy. Surprisingly, it was found that larger particles were more active per surface area for CO dissociation. It is suggested that this is due to larger particles exposing a more rough surface than the smaller particles, giving rise to a higher relative amount of under-coordinated adsorption sites on the larger particles. The induced surface roughness is proposed to be a consequence of the growth processes in the gas-aggregation chamber.     

Ru/CNFs 催化剂催化氨分解制氢

 研究了鱼骨式碳纤维 (CNFs) 和管式碳纤维 (CNTs) 负载 Ru 催化剂的氨分解反应活性. 结果表明, Ru/CNFs 催化剂上氨分解活性高于 Ru/CNTs 催化剂. 通过改变 Ru 负载量或载体表面的含氧基团来调节 Ru 的粒径. Ru 的活性位随着 Ru 颗粒尺寸的增大而增加. CNFs 上的含氧基团对 Ru 颗粒的氨分解活性影响很大. 在相同粒径的 Ru 颗粒上, CNFs 表面的含氧基团增加了 Ru 的活性.     

Ru/CeO2催化剂催化苯乙烯氢甲氧基羰基化反应高选择性制备直链酯类化合物

酯类化合物在工业上具有广泛应用,例如可用于合成香水、调味剂(味精)、洗涤剂和表面活性剂等.其中,烯烃的氢烷氧基羰基化反应是一种合成酯类化合物的重要方法,其低消耗、100%的原子经济性和原料的易获得等优势使其在制备酯类化合物中成为一个有效且实际可行的方法.对于该反应,文献多采用Pd或Rh的络合均相催化剂,其中控制反应过程中直链酯类化合物(L)和支链酯类化合物(B)的选择性是一项颇具挑战性的课题.虽然目前可通过配体的设计和修饰来调节,但多集中在均相催化体系,因此在选择性调变方面的研究仍很欠缺.相对于均相催化,多相催化由于产物易分离和提纯、催化剂可循环使用等优势而逐渐引起了研究者的广泛关注.在多相催化体系中, Pd负载在强酸性树脂作为催化剂已被应用于苯乙烯氢甲氧基羰基化反应,但在该反应中支链酯类化合物为主要产物.因此,寻找一个可有效改善多相反应体系中选择性问题的方法是非常有意义的.在本研究工作中,我们分别以CeO2纳米颗粒(NP)、CeO2纳米棒(Rod)和CeO2纳米立方体为载体,利用浸渍法制备了Ru/CeO2、Ru/CeO2-rod和Ru/CeO2-cube三种催化剂,并进一步用于苯乙烯氢甲氧基羰基化反应.探究了CO压力、反应温度和反应时间对三种催化剂催化苯乙烯氢甲氧基羰基化反应的影响.结果表明, Ru/CeO2作为多相催化剂催化苯乙烯氢甲氧基羰基化反应时,苯乙烯选择性高于99%,直链酯选择性为83%,支链酯选择性为12%.机理研究表明,该反应为自由基机理.动力学分析表明,该反应的反应活化能为48.50 k Jmol^–1.结合三种催化剂的反应活性以及HRTEM结构表征结果可知,该反应中L/B比值与Ru的尺寸有较大关系.进一步的拉曼表征和NH3-TPD表征结果证明, Ru的尺寸与金属-载体之间的相互作用以及催化剂表面的氧空位浓度有直接关系.     

利用原位红外光谱确证Ru/SBA-15的加氢活性位点

Ru/SBA-15催化剂具有高的氢气活化能力,因此被广泛应用在加氢和氢解反应中.一般认为Ru/SBA-15催化剂的高活性与金属Ru的高分散有关,然而有研究发现在氧化硅载体上还存在溢流的氢,这部分溢流氢也很可能参与加氢和氢解反应.这就产生了两个关键性的问题:(1)Ru/SBA-15的催化加氢活性中心是什么,是金属Ru还是载体SBA-15;(2)在金属Ru上解离的H是如何迁移到载体上的.因此,加氢活性位点及其形成机理的确认对理解Ru/SBA-15催化剂的高活性至关重要.原位红外光谱可从分子层面研究在工作状态的催化剂表面活性位点的状态,进而推测可能的反应机理.通过与催化剂Pd/SBA-15,Ru/Al2O3和SBA-15比较发现,在氢气氛围中Ru/SBA-15催化剂的原位红外谱图中存在一个独特的位于1996 cm?1的峰.由于在Pd/SBA-15,Ru/Al2O3和SBA-15上都不存在这个峰,因此该峰的形成是金属Ru和SBA-15相互作用的结果.此外,Si–O键在位于1866 cm?1的合频峰不随氢气氛围变化而变化,因此可排除这个峰属于Si–O键振动的倍频峰.为了排除该峰的产生是由于CO的吸附,我们采用脉冲引入CO的方法,发现在低的CO覆盖率下,红外谱图中位于2068 cm?1处出现了一个CO在Ruδ+上的线性吸附峰.随着CO覆盖率增加,该峰逐渐蓝移至2075 cm?1,同时位于2132 cm?1处的峰强度增强了,这两个峰都归属于Run+(CO)x物种的振动峰.这些CO的化学吸附强度都很高,即使在He气中吹扫1 h后仍然存在,而1996 cm?1峰的形成是可逆的.此外,低CO覆盖率下生成的吸附峰(2068 cm?1)的强度低于1996 cm?1峰的强度,因此可以排除1996 cm?1峰属于CO吸附峰的可能.既然1996 cm?1峰的形成是可逆的,将这个峰归属于载体上氢的可能性也可排除,因为形成载体上氢的过程是不可逆的.另外,形成1996 cm?1峰的速率还证明了这个峰不属于金属Ru上吸附的氢,因为金属Ru上氢的吸附是很快的.通过以上分析,我们推断1996 cm?1峰应该指认为在Ru和SBA-15界面处位点的红外峰.为了证明这一点,我们制备了不同Ru负载量的Ru/SBA-15催化剂,发现这个界面处位点峰的峰面积与金属Ru颗粒在载体上形成交界面的周长成正比,而峰达到稳态所需时间与Ru颗粒大小成反比.这说明H2在金属Ru上发生解离吸附后迁移到Ru和SBA-15界面处,形成了Ru–H–Si物种.当金属Ru的颗粒比较小时,与载体形成交界面的周长小,Ru–H–Si物种的数量少,体现在红外谱图上峰的峰面积小,但解离的氢迁移到该界面所需时间变短了.当金属Ru的颗粒比较大时,与载体形成交界面的周长大,Ru–H–Si物种的数量多,1996 cm?1峰的峰面积大,但解离氢的迁移慢了.此外,H-D交换实验还证明这个界面处的位点具有加氢活性.与文献报道的孤立Si–H物种的红外峰位置比较发现,Ru–H–Si物种具有明显的峰红移现象,说明该物种中的Si–H键活性很高,这可能是由于金属Ru将电子转移至Si–H键的结果.总之,以上结果清晰地表明这个1996 cm?1峰归属为结构是Ru–H–Si的活性位点.     

Ru(bpy)_3 掺杂的核壳型 Ag@SiO_2 荧光纳米粒子的制备及表征

利用反相微乳液法制备了一种三联吡啶钌掺杂的核壳型Ag@SiO2纳米粒子。利用透射电子显微镜、荧光光谱和紫外-可见光谱等对其进行表征,并对其光稳定性和表面氨基进行了测定,结果表明该纳米粒子单分散性良好,呈规则球状、粒径为(60±5)nm,由于银的金属增强荧光效应,相对没有银核的Ru(bpy)3掺杂的SiO2纳米粒子,其荧光强度增强了2倍,光稳定性也有所提高。     

Pt-Ru/C催化剂在甲醇电氧化过程中的组成和结构变化

本文研究了Pt-Ru/C催化剂在甲醇电催化氧化过程中组成和结构的变化。结果表明:在扫描初期,Pt-Ru催化剂的表面处于富Ru状态,Pt-Ru催化剂显示出良好的协同效应,峰电位较低,峰电流密度也较小。随着扫描圈数的增加(1~35圈),催化剂表面Ru原子逐渐溶解,Pt-Ru协同效应减弱,峰电位逐渐增大;同时,随着Ru的溶解,催化剂表面Pt原子含量的增加,催化剂对甲醇氧化的峰电流密度逐渐增大。继续增加扫描圈数(36~80圈),催化剂表面Ru原子含量趋于稳定,但Pt原子发生表面重组,粒子粒径增大,从而导致催化剂对甲醇电氧化性能下降。     

Synthesis of star-branched oligomers by reaction of oligobutadienyllithium with diesters and epoxidized soyabean oil

Anionic polymerization can produce branches with low molecular weight and narrow molecular weight distributions. Post polymerization linking involving the still active chain ends can then be done to produce branched oligomers with a predetermined number of arms. These species are then excellent model compounds for testing high molecular weight branches. Here we chose the reaction of oligobutadienyllithium with ethyl acetate, dimethyl adipatc, diethyl adipatc, dimethyl phthalatcand epoxidized soyabean oil. For the last linking agent, we compared the result obtained with a high molecular weight poly(styryl-b-butadienyl)lithium.     

Regulation of Strong Metal-Support Interaction by Alkaline Earth Metal Salts

Classical strong metal-support interaction (SMSI) is of significant importance to heterogeneous catalysis, where electronic promotion and encapsulation of noble metal by reducible support are two main intrinsic properties of SMSI. However, the excessive encapsulation will inevitably hamper the contact between active sites and reactant, leading to reduced activity in catalysis. Herein, alkaline earth metal salts are employed to depress the encapsulation of Ru nanoparticles in Ru/TiO₂ catalyst in the present study. Thermodynamic calculation, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and chemisorption results show that the alkaline earth metal salts could successfully prevent the migration of TiO_2-x overlayer to Ru nanoparticles in Ru/TiO₂ catalyst via in situ formation of titanates, resulting in high exposure of active metal. Meanwhile, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and hydrogen temperature-programmed reduction (H₂-TPR) results reveal that an even stronger electron donation from the reduced support to Ru nanoparticles is achieved. As a result, the alkaline earth metal salts-doped Ru/TiO₂ catalysts exhibit superior activity in catalytic hydrogenation of aromatics, which is in contrast to the pristine Ru/TiO₂ catalyst that shows negligible activity under the same conditions due to the excess encapsulation of Ru nanoparticles in Ru/TiO₂ catalyst.     

Synthesis of branched Au nanoparticles with tunable near-infrared LSPR using a zwitterionic surfactant

Asymmetric branched gold nanoparticles are obtained using for the first time in the seed-growth approach a zwitterionic surfactant, laurylsulfobetaine, whose concentration in the growth solution allows to control both the length to base-width ratio of the branches and the LSPR position, that can be tuned in the 700-1100 nm near infrared range.     

Catalytic properties of Ru nanoparticles embedded on ordered mesoporous carbon with different pore size in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis

A series of 3 wt% Ru embedded on ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) catalysts with different pore sizes were prepared by autoreduction between ruthenium precursors and carbon sources at 1123 K. Ru nanoparticles were embedded on the carbon walls of OMC. Characterization technologies including power X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen adsorption-desorption, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and hydrogen temperature-programmed reduction (H₂-TPR) were used to scrutinize the catalysts. The catalyst activity for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) was measured in a fixed bed reactor. It was revealed that 3 wt% Ru-OMC catalysts exhibited highly ordered mesoporous structure and large surface area. Compared with the catalysts with smaller pores, the catalysts with larger pores were inclined to form larger Ru particles. These 3 wt% Ru-OMC catalysts with different pore sizes were more stable than 3 wt% Ru/AC catalyst during the FTS reactions because Ru particles were embedded on the carbon walls, suppressing particles aggregation, movement and oxidation. The catalytic activity and C₅₊ selectivity were found to increase with the increasing pore size, however, CH₄ selectivity showed the opposite trend. These changes may be explained in terms of the special environment of the active Ru sites and the diffusion of products in the pores of the catalysts, suggesting that the activity and hydrocarbon selectivity are more dependent on the pore size of OMC than on the Ru particle size.     

微波辐射合成钌／碳纳米复合材料及其在电化学超级电容器的应用

以RuCl_3的乙二醇溶液作为产驱体，利用微波辐射技术合成了Ru/C(19.1 wt%) 纳米复合材料。TEM观察表明这些纳米粒子具有均匀的尺寸，其平均粒径为3.2 nm ，并均匀地分散在纳米碳的表面。Ru/C纳米复合在电化学氧化后可以作为电化学超 级电容器的电极材料，循环伏安实验表明其比电容为144 F/g，而未负载纳米钌的 XC-72碳的比电容为31 F/g。     

Catalytic Oxidation of Veratryl Alcohol Derivatives Using RuCo/rGO Composites

Chemoselectively oxidizing C_α−OH to C=O has been considered as a key step for the oxidative depolymerization of lignin. In this work, we design and prepare a series of composites of RuCo alloy nanoparticles and reduced graphene oxide (RuCo/rGO) with different Ru to Co ratios and explore their catalytic activities in the oxidation of veratryl alcohol derivatives, which usually serve as the model compounds for studying lignin oxidation. It is illustrated that the Ru to Co ratio determines the morphology and average size of the RuCo alloy nanoparticles on rGO, and the overall catalytic activities of the composites. The RuCo alloy nanoparticles on rGO with Ru to Co ratios of 1 : 0 to 1.2 : 1 show a unique flower-shaped morphology that increases the exposure of the active sites and thus promotes their contact with the substrates. The RuCo/rGO composites exhibit high catalytic activities for the oxidation of C_α−OH to aldehydes at 100 °C for 2 h. Additionally, the Co component affords the RuCo/rGO composites with magnetic properties that make the separation and recovery of the catalyst simple. Given the high catalytic performances and easy recovery, the RuCo/rGO composites would be potentially useful for the depolymerization of lignin.     

Sonochemical intercalation of preformed gold nanoparticles into multilayered clays

Multilayered Na (+)-montmorillonite clays intercalated with Au nanoparticles were synthesized by direct ultrasonic impregnation of preformed gold colloid into the clay matrix. The sonicated composite product then consists of Au nanoparticles homogeneously dispersed in the clay. The resulting clay/nano-Au composite was calcined at 800 degrees C and characterized by BET surface area analysis, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared measurements. Nearly spherical-shaped gold nanoparticles, with a size of 6 +/- 0.5 nm, are located in the pores of clay calcined at 800 degrees C. Their nanocomposites are thermally stable as was shown by thermogravimetric analysis. No aggregation of the gold nanoparticles was observed during calcination. The proposed ultrasonic intercalation approach is an universal one and can be employed for synthesis of catalytically active metal-clay nanocomposites stable at high temperatures with high dispersability of the metal nanoparticles in the clay matrix.     

N-Heterocyclic Carbene (NHC)-Stabilized Ru0 Nanoparticles: In Situ Generation of an Efficient Transfer Hydrogenation Catalyst

Tethered and untethered ruthenium half-sandwich complexes were synthesized and characterized spectroscopically. X-ray crystallographic analysis of three untethered and two tethered Ru N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complexes were also carried out. These RuNHC complexes catalyze transfer hydrogenation of aromatic ketones in 2-propanol under reflux, optimally in the presence of (25 mol %) KOH. Under these conditions, the formation of 2–3 nm-sized Ru⁰ nanoparticles was detected by TEM measurements. A solid-state NMR investigation of the nanoparticles suggested that the NHC ligands were bound to the surface of the Ru nanoparticles (NPs). This base-promoted route to NHC-stabilized ruthenium nanoparticles directly from arene-tethered ruthenium–NHC complexes and from untethered ruthenium–NHC complexes is more convenient than previously known routes to NHC-stabilized Ru nanocatalysts. Similar catalytically active RuNPs were also generated from the reaction of a mixture of [RuCl₂(p-cymene)]₂ and the NHC precursor with KOH in isopropanol under reflux. The transfer hydrogenation catalyzed by these NHC-stabilized RuNPs possess a high turnover number. The catalytic efficiency was significantly reduced if nanoparticles were exposed to air or allowed to aggregate and precipitate by cooling the reaction mixtures during the reaction.