铜基电催化剂还原CO2

温室气体CO₂的大量排放给全球气候造成潜在威胁,电化学还原CO₂为有用的化工产品作为一种人为的碳循环的方式,拓展了新的利用CO₂的可能性,并且是一种很有前景的显著改善环境、促进可持续发展的方法。然而,在转化CO₂为有价值的产品过程中,最大的挑战是抑制析氢副反应的同时达不到高效率、高选择性。铜因其在电催化还原CO₂过程中优异的催化性能而得到广泛关注。本文重点介绍了近年来电催化还原CO₂的发展以及电化学转化CO₂的优缺点,介绍了CO₂RR的热力学与动力学研究并概述了Cu电极、Cu MOFs材料电极以及通过氧化、合金化、纳米化和表面修饰等方法修饰的铜电极的进展,但是电催化还原CO₂的反应机理尚不太确定。最后,讨论了未来铜基电极催化剂高效率地选择性转化CO₂会面临的挑战和可能研究的方向。     

表面修饰型铂基氧还原电催化剂研究进展

氧气还原反应是燃料电池中的重要电极反应,但其动力学过程非常迟缓,需高度依赖资源稀缺、价格高昂的贵金属Pt.加之Pt基催化剂还面临着实际工况下耐久性不足的问题,这些都严重阻碍了燃料电池的产业化进程.对Pt基纳米催化剂进行表面功能化修饰可有效优化和提升其氧还原活性和稳定性.本文综述了最近几年表面修饰型Pt基氧还原催化剂的最...     

三元合金氧还原电催化剂

质子交换膜燃料电池作为重要的电化学能源转换装置,在提高能量转换效率、减少环境污染等方面具有诱人的前景.然而,阴极氧还原过电位较大、活性较低、稳定性差,且铂基催化剂昂贵,使该燃料电池难以商业化.纳米结构电催化剂的发展有望解决此难题。对纳米合金电催化剂其组分和结构的设计是开发高活性、高稳定性和低成本的燃料电池电催化剂的重要因素.本文综述了近期由分子设计和热化学控制处理法制备的三元纳米合金电催化剂对燃料电池氧还原反应催化性能的最新进展.该方法可控制纳米合金的尺寸、组成以及二元和三元纳米催化剂的合金化程度.以高活性的三元纳米合金催化剂PtNiCo/C为例,综述了在设计燃料电池电催化剂时结构和组成的纳米级调优的重要性.PtNiCo/C电催化剂的质量比活性远高于其二元合金催化剂和Pt/C商业电催化剂.三元电催化剂的催化活性可通过控制其组成来调节.文章还讨论了三元纳米合金催化剂的结构及其协同效应对增强其电催化性能的影响.     

燃料电池非铂基氧还原电催化剂的最新研究进展

目前,燃料电池中广泛使用的Pt基阴极催化剂价格昂贵、资源缺乏,且易中毒,故急需开发廉价、耐用、高效和高耐醇的非铂基阴极氧还原催化剂. 本文阐述了国内外在非铂氧还原催化剂方面的研究,并着重介绍了作者课题组的最新研究进展. 主要集中在非贵金属（Fe）负载和杂原子（F）掺杂的非金属催化剂,力求原料廉价并可提高催化剂的催化活性、稳定性、抗毒化能力,实现较高的性价比. 同时通过理论计算解释了氟单掺杂和氮氟共掺杂高效性的根源,为设计高效催化剂提供了有力的理论支持.     

电催化氮还原催化剂的研究进展

氨气作为一种工业原料,具有良好的储氢性能,在工业,农业,药品生产等很多领域得到了广泛的应用.电化学氮还原以清洁能源氢作为原料,反应条件温和,近些年来受到了科学家们的广泛关注.对近些年来电化学氮还原(NRR)催化剂的发展与研究进行了综述,并对它们的合成方法,性能及稳定性进行了深入探讨.     

铜基非贵金属氧还原电催化剂的研究进展

面对日益严重的全球能源危机,燃料电池作为一种清洁的能源转换装置在全世界范围内得到了广泛关注。燃料电池是一种能够使氢气、甲醇、甲酸和乙醇等小分子燃料和氧气发生氧化还原反应,并将其化学能转换为电能的新型装置。在燃料电池中,由于在阴极发生的氧气还原反应动力学速率缓慢而使得燃料电池的整体转换效率过低,目前商用的燃料电池一般采用贵金属铂作为催化剂来加速其反应。但由于铂的价格高昂且在反应过程中易被反应中间产物毒化而活性下降,使得燃料电池的整体成本过高,从而阻碍了燃料电池的实际商业化。为此,人们尝试利用非贵金属催化剂来替代铂基催化剂。找到一种廉价且高效的氧还原催化剂是目前燃料电池发展急需打破的瓶颈问题之一。近年来,人们发现铁、钴、锰等地表储量丰富的金属元素具有较高的氧还原催化活性。然而,作为一种最常见的金属元素,金属铜在氧还原催化剂方面研究较少。人们发现一些生物酶,如虫漆酶、细胞色素c氧化酶等能够高效地催化氧气还原,如虫漆酶在催化氧还原过程中仅表现出约20 mV的过电位,与金属铂(约200 mV)相比基本可忽略。通过研究这些活性生物酶,人们发现其活性中心均为含Cu的物质。进一步研究这些生物酶的活性位点,然后合成不同的铜基纳米材料去模拟酶的活性位点,以期望能够实现经济、高效催化氧还原反应。
　　本文总结了基于铜的纳米材料在催化氧还原方面的研究进展,首先介绍了一些氧还原实验测试中的基本概念,主要包括不同电解质条件下氧还原的反应机理以及常用的测试手段和性能评价指标。氧还原催化剂的性能应该综合活性、稳定性、抗毒化能力以及催化剂成本等多个方面来评价与比较。随后,我们概括性地介绍了铜基氧还原催化剂的发展现状。根据铜基催化剂的不同类型,我们主要分为三个部分进行介绍：(1)铜的复合物,这部分主要从模拟虫漆酶和模拟细胞色素c氧化酶两个方面分类介绍;(2)铜的化合物,这部分主要介绍了不同价态的铜的氧化物和铜的硫化物;(3)其它铜基催化剂,这部分主要介绍基于铜的尖晶石结构、有机框架材料及载体负载的铜纳米粒子作为氧还原催化剂,以及铜作为掺杂元素在提高锰的不同氧化物催化活性中的作用。最后,通过综合分析铜基氧还原催化剂的发展历程以及目前燃料电池的研究进展,我们对基于铜的氧还原催化剂的未来发展方向做了一些展望。继续研究、探索酶的氧还原活性位点以及机理依然是重中之重,只有完全理解了酶的催化机理,才能够很好的设计并合成材料来对其活性位点进行模拟,从而制备出高性能且低成本的铜基氧还原催化剂。希望本文能够使读者认识到燃料电池氧还原催化剂的发展现况,以及铜基氧还原催化剂目前存在的问题及其未来的发展方向。     

铂基氧还原电催化剂的结构演变

质子交换膜燃料电池的商业化有望在不久的将来实现更清洁的能源社会.然而,氧还原反应缓慢的反应动力学和苛刻的条件对质子交换膜燃料电池的寿命和成本产生了巨大的挑战.之前大多数铂基催化剂的设计都将重点更多地放在提高活性上.随着质子交换膜燃料电池的商业化,寿命问题也受到了更多的关注.对整个生命周期中结构演变进行深入地了解,有助于...     

碳载体预处理对CoTMPP/BP电催化剂氧还原性能的影响

采用微波加热合成法制备了CoTMPP/BP电化学氧还原催化剂。采用旋转圆盘电极(RDE)研究了BP2000碳载体经30% H₂O₂或6 mol·L^-1 HNO₃化学预处理后对催化剂氧还原催化活性的影响，并且在PEM燃料电池工作站上测试了不同CoTMPP/BP催化剂的燃料电池单电池性能。结果表明，碳载体经过化学预处理后催化剂性能有显著的提高，并且30% H₂O₂处理效果更好。采用IR、XRD和XPS进一步分析了载体化学预处理对催化剂活性影响的机理：IR结果表明预处理后载体表面羟基(-OH)等含氧基团增多；XRD分析表明900℃热处理后催化剂中有Co₃C(101)和金属态Co(111)结构出现；XPS分析表明碳载体预处理后N原子表面浓度以及组分N1和Co^Ⅲ相对比例升高，有利于Co-N4-C活性位的形成，然而组分N1，O1s Co^Ⅲ和Co^Ⅱ的结合能(BE)有所下降。     

杂原子掺碳材料氧还原催化剂研究进展

开发替代Pt类高活性、低成本的非贵金属燃料电池阴极氧还原催化剂是实现燃料电池商业化的必由之路. 研发催化活性高,稳定性好,价格便宜的非贵金属催化剂是当务之急. 碳纳米材料,尤其杂原子掺杂的碳纳米材料有其独特的结构和催化性能而备受瞩目. 本文结合作者课题组的研究工作,综述了近年杂原子掺杂碳纳米材料催化剂燃料电池阴极氧电催化还原方面的研究进展.     

包覆型非贵金属氧还原催化剂的研究进展

燃料电池中广泛使用的铂基催化剂价格昂贵、储量低、容易失活,因此亟待开发廉价、高效非铂催化剂. 过渡金属(Fe、Co、Ni等)/杂原子共掺杂催化剂、杂原子掺杂（N、P、S、F等）碳材料以及碳材料包覆过渡金属复合物是目前发现的几类性能优异的非贵金属氧还原催化剂. 其中碳材料包覆过渡金属催化剂作为一类新型的高性能催化剂,对其研究还有待深入. 本文主要阐述了国内外在包覆型非贵金属氧还原催化剂方面的研究进展,从合成,性能,机理等方面对该类催化剂进行了总结,力求助益于该类催化剂的发展.     

Highly efficient electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction

Highly efficient and chemically compatible LnxSr1-xCoO3-delta (Ln = La, Sm, Gd, ...)/Co3O4 electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction are presented and the very low cathode polarization resistances and excellent performances implied their promising application for developing intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), as well as potential application for oxygen separation membranes.     

Pd-Fe nanoparticles as electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction

We have synthesized new electrocatalysts for the O2 reduction reaction that does not contain Pt. They consist of carbon-supported Pd-Fe alloys and have very high oxygen reduction. The nanoparticles with a Pd:Fe molar ratio of 3:1 (Pd3Fe/C) show a higher mass activity than that of commercial Pt/C. The surface-specific activity of the Pd-Fe alloys is related to the Pd-Pd bond distance: the shorter the bond distance, the higher the activity. This new class of electrocatalysts promises to alleviate some major problems of existing fuel cell technology by simultaneously decreasing materials cost and enhancing performance.     

Metal corroles as electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction

The rotating ring disk electrode method has been used to study O2 electroreduction with metal corroles. Catalysis begins at potentials that are 0.5-0.7 V more positive than the expected potential of the M(III/II) couple based on studies in non-aqueous solutions. The path of O2 reduction depends on the nature of the metal ion. Cobalt corroles promote O2 reduction to H2O2. Iron corroles catalyse O2 reduction via parallel two- and four-electron pathways, with a predominate four-electron reaction. The rate constants for the individual O2 reduction paths are given at pH 7. Mechanisms are proposed on the basis of pH dependence, inhibition studies, and Tafel slopes. An imidazole-tailed iron corrole catalyses H2O2 disproportionation analogous to catalase.     

Rational design of platinum-group-metal-free electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction

Platinum-group-metal (PGM)-free materials have been promised as potential replacement for Pt as the cathodic catalyst in proton exchange membrane fuel cells. Critical design criteria of the PGM-free catalyst reside on the high active site density to compensate its generally lower turn-over frequency and improved mass-charge transfers during the electrocatalysis. This short review summarizes the research activities in recent years from our team at Argonne National Laboratory in preparing highly active oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts using rationally designed porous organic precursors, as reported in the First Telluride Science Research Center (TSRC) Workshop on PGM-free Electrocatalysis in 2019. More recent studies by others are also discussed.     

Niobium oxide-supported platinum ultra-low amount electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction

We demonstrate a new approach to synthesizing high-activity electrocatalysts for the O(2) reduction reaction with ultra low Pt content. The synthesis involves placing a small amount of Pt, the equivalent of a monolayer, on carbon-supported niobium oxide nanoparticles (NbO(2) or Nb(2)O(5)). Rotating disk electrode measurements show that the Pt/NbO(2)/C electrocatalyst has three times higher Pt mass activity for the O(2) reduction reaction than a commercial Pt/C electrocatalyst. The observed high activity of the Pt deposit is attributed to the reduced OH adsorption caused by lateral repulsion between PtOH and oxide surface species. The new electrocatalyst also exhibits improved stability against Pt dissolution under a potential cycling regime (30,000 cycles from 0.6 V to 1.1 V). These findings demonstrate that niobium-oxide (NbO(2)) nanoparticles can be adequate supports for Pt and facilitate further reducing the noble metal content in electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction.     

Mixed-metal pt monolayer electrocatalysts for enhanced oxygen reduction kinetics

We have synthesized a new class of electrocatalysts for the O2 reduction reaction, consisting of a mixed monolayer of Pt and another late transition metal (Ir, Ru, Rh, Re, or Os) deposited on a Pd(111) single crystal or on carbon-supported Pd nanoparticles. Several of these mixed monolayer electrocatalysts exhibited very high activity and increased stability of Pt against oxidation, as well as a 20-fold increase in a Pt mass-specific activity, compared with state-of-the-art all-Pt electrocatalysts. Their superior activity and stability reflect a low OH coverage on Pt, caused by the lateral repulsion between the OH adsorbed on Pt and the OH or O adsorbed on neighboring, other than Pt, late transition metal atoms. The origin of this effect was identified through a combination of experimental and theoretical methods, employing electrochemical techniques, in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and periodic, self-consistent density functional theory calculations. This new class of electrocatalysts promises to alleviate some major problems of existing fuel cell technology by simultaneously decreasing materials cost and enhancing performance. Our studies suggest a new way of synthesizing improved ORR catalysts through the modification and control of the surface reactivity of Pt-based mixed monolayers supported on transition metals other than Pt. In addition to improving the ORR catalysts, co-depositing oxophilic metals may be a promising possibility for improving a variety of other catalysts.     

Palladium monolayer and palladium alloy electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction

We investigated the oxygen-reduction reaction (ORR) on Pd monolayers on various surfaces and on Pd alloys to obtain a substitute for Pt and to elucidate the origin of their activity. The activity of Pd monolayers supported on Ru(0001), Rh(111), Ir(111), Pt(111), and Au(111) increased in the following order: Pd/Ru(0001) < Pd/Ir(111) < Pd/Rh(111) < Pd/Au(111) < Pd/Pt(111). Their activity was correlated with their d-band centers, which were calculated using density functional theory (DFT). We found a volcano-type dependence of activity on the energy of the d-band center of Pd monolayers, with Pd/Pt(111) at the top of the curve. The activity of the non-Pt Pd2Co/C alloy electrocatalyst nanoparticles that we synthesized was comparable to that of commercial Pt-containing catalysts. The kinetics of the ORR on this electrocatalyst predominantly involves a four-electron step reduction with the first electron transfer being the rate-determining step. The downshift of the d-band center of the Pd "skin", which constitutes the alloy surface due to the strong surface segregation of Pd at elevated temperatures, determined its high ORR activity. Additionally, it showed very high methanol tolerance, retaining very high catalytic activity for the ORR at high concentrations of methanol. Provided its stability is satisfactory, this catalyst might possibly replace Pt in fuel-cell cathodes, especially those of direct methanol oxidation fuel cells (DMFCs).     

Recent advances in carbon-based electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction

Fuel cells are one of the most promising clean energy devices to substitute for fossil fuel in the future to alleviate energy crisis and environmental pollution.As the key reaction on the cathode in the fuel cells,oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) still requires efficient noble metal catalysts such as the comme rcial Pt/C to boost the reaction for its sluggish kinetics.Therefore,it is critical to design earth-abundant carbonbased catalysts with high efficiency and long-term stability to replace the...     

Ruthenium-based electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction—a review

A major impediment to the commercialization of fuel cells is the low activity of electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction that involves multiple electron transfer steps. Platinum is considered the best cathode catalyst toward oxygen reduction to water; however, Pt remains an expensive metal of low abundance, and it is of great importance to find Pt-free metal alternatives. Among various Pt-free catalysts under development, ruthenium-based compounds show significant catalytic activity and selectivity for four-electron reduction of oxygen to water in acidic environments. This article provides a short review on the different classes of Ru-based catalysts focusing on the catalytically active reaction sites and the oxygen reduction mechanism in acidic media. After a brief discussion of the oxygen reduction kinetics on a pure Ru metal, the paper reviews the catalytic properties of the selected Ru compounds, including crystalline Chevrel-phase chalcogenides, nanostructured Ru and Ru–Se clusters, and Ru–N chelate compounds. This paper is dedicated to Professor Su-Il Pyun, who has pioneered advances in interfacial electrochemistry in the field of corrosion and materials science in South Korea, on the occasion of his 65th birthday.     

Ceria-promoted oxygen reduction reaction in Pd-based electrocatalysts

PdCo-ceria electrocatalyst is synthesized on carbon support in a size of a few nm by colloid method. Enhanced oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) kinetics of PdCo is observed in the presence of ceria similarly as confirmed for PtCo-ceria in a half cell experiment. In addition, there appears a positive shift of the ORR onset potential of PdCo-ceria compared to PdCo while PtCo-ceria shows no such an apparent shift of onset potential. These effects of ceria on the ORR onset potential and the ORR kinetics are more remarkable as temperature increases. To get the most of oxygen storage and supply capacity of ceria, a high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is fabricated using PdCo-ceria as a catalyst at the cathode. Ceria effects on the ORR of PdCo-ceria catalyst are realized in the form of higher OCV and lower Tafel slope compared to PdCo catalyst in the PEMFC single cell performance. Enhancements in both ORR kinetics and ORR onset potential are very attractive features of ceria as a co-catalyst in the development of a non-Pt ORR electrocatalyst.