Weak specific adsorption of ions

It is shown that the weak specific adsorption of ions not involving the recharging of the electrode surface is characterized by the following unusual features: practical absence of any shift of p.z.c.; a very small discrepancy between the experimental differential capacity curves and similar curves calculated under the assumption that specific adsorption is absent (q₁ = 0); insensitivity of the total surface excess of cations to their distribution between the dense and diffuse layers; practical independence of q₁ of temperature and the bulk concentration of binary electrolyte; practical coincidence of c.t.p. calculated for different concentrations of surface-active supporting electrolyte assuming q₁ = 0. It is also shown on the basis of the experimental data for the system {mc CsCl + (1 ? m)c LiCl} that the main fraction of the effective charge, determined by the mixed electrolyte method of Hurwitz—Parsons, results from the true specific adsorption of Cs⁺ cations at the Hg/H₂O interface and only a small fraction of this charge (?20%) can be associated with different positions of the o.H.p. for Li⁺ and Cs⁺ ions.     

Quantum calculations on the adsorption of halide ions on the noble metals

The interaction of halide ions with the three noble metals has been investigated using the B3LYP density functional method and the cluster model approximation. The results of calculations for the M—X⁻ and M₁₂—X⁻ (M = Cu, Ag, Au; X = F, Cl, Br, I) systems are presented. At the (100) surface, modeled in the present work by the M₁₂ cluster, all halide ions have been found to adsorb preferentially at the hollow site, followed by the bridge and by the top positions. The adsorption energy has been found to decrease when going from fluoride to iodide in both atom—ion and cluster—ion cases. The opposite trend is observed for the estimates of the charge transfer from the ions to the surface. When different metals are compared, the M₁₂—X⁻ interaction energies decrease in the order Au > Ag > Cu, but for the smaller ions some deviations from this line do appear. The relative values of the calculated harmonic vibrational frequencies do agree with those found experimentally, but their magnitude is much smaller as a result of the effect of the lower surface coverage.     

Nanostructured heterogeneous catalysts for electrochemical reduction of CO2

Electrochemical reduction of CO₂ provides a sustainable solution to address the intermittent renewable electricity storage while recycling CO₂ to produce fuels and chemicals. Highly efficient catalytic materials and reaction systems are required to drive this process economically. This Review highlights the new trends in advancing the electrochemical reduction of CO₂ by developing and designing nanostructured heterogeneous catalysts. The activity, selectivity and reaction mechanism are significantly affected by the nano effects in nanostructured heterogeneous catalysts. In the future, energy efficiency and current density in electrochemical reduction of CO₂ need to be further improved to meet the requirements for practical applications.     

Copper-based metal-organic frameworks for electrochemical reduction of CO2

The electrochemical CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂ER) is an emerging process that involves utilizing CO₂ to produce valuable chemicals and fuels by consuming excess electricity from renewable sources. Recently, Cu and Cu-based nanoparticles, as earth-abundant and economical metal sources, have been attracting significant interest. The chemical and physical properties of Cu-based nanoparticles are modified by different strategies, and CO₂ can be converted into multicarbon products. Among various Cu-based nanoparticles, Cu-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are gaining increasing interest in the field of catalysis because of their textural, topological, and electrocatalytic properties. In this minireview, we summarized and highlighted the main achievements in the research on Cu-based MOFs and their advantages in the CO₂ER as electrocatalysts, supports, or precursors.     

Investigation of the specific adsorption of sulfate ions on powdered TiO2

The specific adsorption of radiolabeled sulfate ions from perchlorate supporting electrolyte onto TiO2 powder (anatase) has been investigated. The pH and concentration dependence of the adsorption was determined. Langmuir-like adsorption behavior similar to that on other oxides was found. From the pH dependence it follows that the protonation of the surface should precede the specific anion adsorption. The results obtained are compared with those reported for TiO2 bulk electrodes.     

Intermetallic CuAu nanoalloy for stable electrochemical CO2 reduction

Copper is one of the most efficient catalysts widely investigated in electrochemical CO₂ reduction, however, the further development of copper-based catalysts is constrained by severe stability problems. In this work, we developed a method for the synthesis of highly ordered CuAu intermetallic nanoalloys (o-CuAu) under mild conditions (< 250 °C), which can convert carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide with high selectivity and can operate stably for 160 h without current decay. The improved stability is believed to be due to the increased mixing enthalpy and stronger atomic interactions between Cu and Au atoms in the intermetallic nanoalloy. In addition, XPS results, Tafel slope and in situ IR spectroscopy demonstrate that high valence gold atoms on o-CuAu surface promote the reduction of CO₂. In contrast, the disordered CuAu nanoalloy (d-CuAu) underwent atomic rearrangement to form a Cu-rich structure on the surface, leading to reduced stability. These findings may provide insight into the rational design of stable CO₂RR electrocatalysts through proper structural engineering.     

Dependence of electrochemical dissolution of aluminium on the ionic radii of halide ions

The UPD of silver on platinum was studied as a function of the initial oxidation state of the surface. Twin-electrode thin-layer and semi-infinite voltammetric measurements show a strong interaction between silver and oxygenated species. The suerimposed processes are described in terms of the mixed electrosorption valency. However, the irreversibility of both processes restricts exact thermodynamic analysis.     

多金属氧酸盐材料在二氧化碳电催化还原领域中的研究进展

随着工业发展和全球人口的持续增长,人类对化石燃料的消耗日益增加,从而导致大气中二氧化碳含量的显著增加以及与之相伴的一系列环境问题.电化学还原二氧化碳制备高附加值的燃料和化学品具有稳定的效率和较高的经济可行性等特点,目前已成为一种有前景的策略来缓解当前全球面临的能源短缺和气候变暖问题.然而,电催化二氧化碳还原过程存在反应...     

The importance of pH in controlling the selectivity of the electrochemical CO2 reduction

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Progress in the electrochemical reduction of CO2 on hierarchical dendritic metal electrodes

Electrochemical reduction of CO₂ (ERC) is a promising way to deal with CO₂ emissions in the atmosphere, recycle CO₂, and achieve a carbon-neutral economy. Electrodes made of hierarchical dendritic materials are investigated for the ERC owing to their structural advantages, including large surface areas, presence of facets with low-coordinated atoms, and needle-like tips. Selected examples are presented to illustrate the state-of-the-art investigation of these dendritic electrodes. The mechanisms and the function of the dendritic structure are discussed, combined with a comparison of performance results of ERC.     

The atomic-level regulation of single-atom site catalysts for the electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction

The electrochemical CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR) is viewed as a promising way to remove the greenhouse gas CO₂ from the atmosphere and convert it into useful industrial products such as methane, methanol, formate, ethanol, and so forth. Single-atom site catalysts (SACs) featuring maximum theoretical atom utilization and a unique electronic structure and coordination environment have emerged as promising candidates for use in the CO₂RR. The electronic properties and atomic structures of the central metal sites in SACs will be changed significantly once the types or coordination environments of the central metal sites are altered, which appears to provide new routes for engineering SACs for CO₂ electrocatalysis. Therefore, it is of great importance to discuss the structural regulation of SACs at the atomic level and their influence on CO₂RR activity and selectivity. Despite substantial efforts being made to fabricate various SACs, the principles of regulating the intrinsic electrocatalytic performances of the single-atom sites still needs to be sufficiently emphasized. In this perspective article, we present the latest progress relating to the synthesis and catalytic performance of SACs for the electrochemical CO₂RR. We summarize the atomic-level regulation of SACs for the electrochemical CO₂RR from five aspects: the regulation of the central metal atoms, the coordination environments, the interface of single metal complex sites, multi-atom active sites, and other ingenious strategies to improve the performance of SACs. We highlight synthesis strategies and structural design approaches for SACs with unique geometric structures and discuss how the structure affects the catalytic properties.

Electrochemical CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR) is a promising way to remove CO₂ and convert it into useful industrial products. Single-atom site catalysts provide opportunities to regulate the active sites of CO₂RR catalysts at the atomic level.     

The effect of surface ions on water adsorption to mica

We have measured the adsorption isotherms of water on a single surface of freshly cleaved mica with K+ on the surface, and on mica where the K+ has been exchanged for H+. Using a very sensitive interferometric technique, we have found a significant difference between the two isotherms at submonolayer coverage, for relative vapor pressures p/p0 < 0.5. The K+-mica isotherm shows a pronounced convexity, suggesting distinct adsorption sites, whereas the H+-mica isotherm is flatter. The two isotherms converge above monolayer coverage. The results give a graphic demonstration of the importance of nanoscale surface heterogeneities for vapor adsorption at submonolayer coverage.     

Surface cavity effect on C2H4 formation from electrochemical reduction of CO2 as studied using Cu2O cubes

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - Surface morphology of Cu-based catalysts is considered as an important factor affecting both activity and product selectivity of electrochemical reduction...     

Why heterogeneous single-atom catalysts preferentially produce CO in the electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction

Formate and CO are competing products in the two-electron CO₂ reduction reaction (2e CO₂RR), and they are produced via *OCHO and *COOH intermediates, respectively. However, the factors governing CO/formate selectivity remain elusive, especially for metal–carbon–nitrogen (M–N–C) single-atom catalysts (SACs), most of which produce CO as their main product. Herein, we show computationally that the selectivity of M–N–C SACs is intrinsically associated with the CO₂ adsorption mode by using bismuth (Bi) nanosheets and the Bi–N–C SAC as model catalysts. According to our results, the Bi–N–C SAC exhibits a strong thermodynamic preference toward *OCHO, but under working potentials, CO₂ is preferentially chemisorbed first due to a charge accumulation effect, and subsequent protonation of chemisorbed CO₂ to *COOH is kinetically much more favorable than formation of *OCHO. Consequently, the Bi–N–C SAC preferentially produces CO rather than formate. In contrast, the physisorption preference of CO₂ on Bi nanosheets contributes to high formate selectivity. Remarkably, this CO₂ adsorption-based mechanism also applies to other typical M–N–C SACs. This work not only resolves a long-standing puzzle in M–N–C SACs, but also presents simple, solid criteria (i.e., CO₂ adsorption modes) for indicating CO/formate selectivity, which help strategic development of high-performance CO₂RR catalysts.

This report discloses a nontrivial role of the CO₂ adsorption mode in governing the CO/formate selectivity of single-atom catalysts towards two-electron CO₂ reduction.     

Recent advances in carbon-based materials for electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction

The increase of atmospheric CO₂ concentration has caused many environmental issues. Electrochemical CO₂ reduction reaction（CO₂RR） has been considered as a promising strategy to mitigate these challenges. The electrocatalysts with a low overpotential, high Faradaic efficiency, and excellent selectivity are of great significance for the CO₂RR. Carbon-based materials including metal-free carbon catalysts and metal-based carbon catalysts have shown great p...     

On the catalytic effect of thiolactams on the electrochemical reduction of Zn(II) ions

Summary The electroeduction of Zn(II) ions in 1M NaClO₄ in the presence of thiolactams has been studied by means of the faradaic impedance method in wide frequency ranges. The standard rate constants are found to be a linear function of the surface excesses of thiolactams. Catalytic activity of thiolactams increases in the following order: thiopyrrolidone, thiopiperidinone, thiocaprolactam; the enthalpies of activation decrease in this order. The differences in the catalytic activity of thiolactams result mainly from the double layer effect.

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Zum katalytischen Effekt von Thiolactamen auf die elektrochemische Reduktion von Zn(II)-Ionen

Zusammenfassung Die Elektroeduktion von Zn(II)-Ionen in 1M NaClO₄ in Gegenwart von Thiolactamen wurde mittels derFaradayschen Impedanzmethode über große Frequenzbereiche untersucht. Die Standardgeschwindigkeitskonstanten sind eine lineare Funktion der Überschußoberfläche der Thiolactame. Deren katalytische Aktivität steigt in der Reihenfolge Thiopyrrolidon — Thiopiperidinon — Thiocaprolactam; die Aktivierungsenthalpien sinken in der angegebenen Reihenfolge. Die Unterschiede in der katalytischen Aktivität der Thiolactame sind hauptsächlich auf den Doppelschichteffekt zurückzuführen.

     

Comparative study of the gas-phase bond strengths of CO2 and N2O with the halide ions

Thermodynamic data, ΔH _{n-1, n} ^o and ΔS _{n-1, n} ^o, for clustering reactions of halide ions X^?(X = F, Cl, Br, and I) with N₂Owere measured with a pulsed electron beam high-pressure mass spectrometer. In contrast to the fact that CO₂ forms a covalent bond with the fluoride ion to yield the fluoroformate ion, FCO₂ ^?, the interaction between F^? and N₂O is mainly electrostatic. It was found that the cluster ions F^? (N₂O)_n complete the first shell at n = 6, thus forming an octahedral structure. The difference between F—CO₂ ^? and F^? ... N₂O is discussed in terms of Coulombic, exchange, and charge-transfer interactions. The X^? (N₂O)₂ clusters (X = Cl, Br and I) are found to be of C_2h symmetry, while F^? (N₂O)₂ is of a twisted form and is slightly asymmetric due to a slight participation of covalency (charge transfer) in the core ion F^? ... N₂O.