Ruthenium Nanoparticles Supported on Carbon Nanotubes as Efficient Catalysts for Selective Conversion of Synthesis Gas to Diesel Fuel

Diesel do nicely : The title system is a highly selective Fischer–Tropsch catalyst for the production of C₁₀–C₂₀ hydrocarbons (diesel fuel). The C₁₀–C₂₀ selectivity strongly depends on the mean size of the Ru nanoparticles. Nanoparticles with a mean size around 7 nm exhibit the highest C₁₀–C₂₀ selectivity (ca. 65 %) and a relatively higher turnover frequency for CO conversion.

     

A Carbon Nanotube Confinement Strategy to Implement Homogeneous Asymmetric Catalysis in the Solid Phase

A readily recyclable asymmetric catalyst has been developed based on the self‐assembly of a homogeneous catalyst in a fibrous network of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs). Dimerization of an amide‐based chiral ligand with a suitable spacer allows for the efficient formation of a heterogeneous catalyst by self‐assembly on addition of Er(OiPr)₃. The self‐assembly proceeds in the MWNT fibrous network and small clusters of assembled catalyst are confined in the MWNTs, producing an easily handled solid‐phase catalyst. The resulting MWNT‐confined catalyst exhibits a good catalytic performance in a catalytic asymmetric Mannich‐type reaction, which can be conducted in a repeated batch system and in a continuous‐flow platform.     

Facile Fabrication of Platinum Nanoparticles Supported on Nitrogen-doped Carbon Nanotubes and Their Catalytic Activity

A facile impregnation method under mild condition is designed for synthesis of highly dispersed Pt nanoparticles with a narrow size of 4-7 nm on nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes （CNx）. CNx do not need any pre-surface modification due to the inherent chemical activity. The structure and nature of Pt/CNx were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy spectrum. All the experimental results revealed that the large amount of doped nitrogen atoms in CNx was virtually effective for capturing the Pt（IV） ions. The improved surface nitrogen functionalities and hydrophilicity contributed to the good dispersion and immobi- lization of Pt nanoparticles on the CNx surface. The Pt/CNx served as active and reusable catalysts in the hydrogenation of allyl alcohol. This could be attributed to high dispersion of Pt nanoparticles and stronger interaction between Pt and the supports, which prevented the Pt nanoparticles from aggregating into less active Pt black and from leaching as well.     

Probing the Electronic Effect of Carbon Nanotubes in Catalysis: NH3 Synthesis with Ru Nanoparticles

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been shown to modify some properties of nanomaterials and to modify chemical reactions confined inside their channels, which are formed by curved graphene layers. Here we studied ammonia synthesis over Ru as a probe reaction to understand the effect of the electron structure of CNTs on the confined metal particles and their catalytic activity. The catalyst with Ru nanoparticles dispersed almost exclusively on the exterior nanotube surface exhibits a higher activity than the CNT‐confined Ru, although both have a similar metal particle size. Characterization with TEM, N₂ physisorption, H₂ chemisorption, temperature‐programmed reduction, CO adsorption microcalorimetry, and first‐principles calculations suggests that the outside Ru exhibits a higher electron density than the inside Ru. As a result, the dissociative adsorption of N₂, which is an electrophilic process and the rate‐determining step of ammonia synthesis, is more facile over the outside Ru than that over the inside one.     

Helical Carbon Nanotubes: Intrinsic Peroxidase Catalytic Activity and Its Application for Biocatalysis and Biosensing

A combined hydrothermal/hydrogen reduction method has been developed for the mass production of helical carbon nanotubes (HCNTs) by the pyrolysis of acetylene at 475 °C in the presence of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles. The synthesized HCNTs have been characterized by high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction analysis, vibrating sample magnetometry, and contact‐angle measurements. The as‐prepared helical‐structured carbon nanotubes have a large specific surface area and high peroxidase‐like activity. Catalysis was found to follow Michaelis–Menten kinetics and the HCNTs showed strong affinity for both H₂O₂ and 3,3′,5,5′,‐tetramethylbenzidine (TMB). Based on the high activity, the HCNTs were firstly used to develop a biocatalyst and amperometric sensor. At pH 7.0, the constructed amperometric sensor showed a linear range for the detection of H₂O₂ from 0.5 to 115 μM with a correlation coefficient of 0.999 without the need for an electron‐transfer mediator. Because of their low cost and high stability, these novel metallic HCNTs represent a promising candidate as mimetic enzymes and may find a wide range of new applications, such as in biocatalysis, immunoassay, and environmental monitoring.     

铂纳米颗粒修饰直立碳纳米管电极的葡萄糖生物传感器

基于Pt纳米颗粒修饰直立的碳纳米管电极制备了葡萄糖生物传感器.铂纳米颗粒是利用电位脉冲沉积法修饰到直立碳纳米管上的,可以增强电极对酶反应过程当中产生的过氧化氢的催化行为.用扫描电镜和透射电镜观察了直立碳纳米管在修饰Pt纳米颗粒前后的形态.该酶电极对葡萄糖的氧化表现出很好的响应,线性范围为1×10-5～7×10-3mol/L,响应时间小于5s,并且有很好的重现性.     

Functionalization of Carbon Nanotubes by an Ionic‐Liquid Polymer: Dispersion of Pt and PtRu Nanoparticles on Carbon Nanotubes and Their Electrocatalytic Oxidation of Methanol

Small beginnings : Metal nanoparticle/CNT nanohybrids are synthesized from carbon nanotubes (CNTs) functionalized with an ionic‐liquid polymer. The Pt and PtRu nanoparticles with narrow size distribution (average diameter: (1.3±0.4) nm for PtRu, (1.9±0.5) nm for Pt) are dispersed uniformly on the CNTs (see images) and show good performance in methanol electrooxidation.

     

Isoprene Polymerization on Iron Nanoparticles Confined in Carbon Nanotubes

The confinement of air‐protected metallic magnetic nanoparticles in the inner cavity of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) should offer an interesting perspective for biomedical applications or for controlling CNT alignment in composites. Because the direct confinement of polymer‐precoated nanoparticles in CNTs could be restricted by diffusion limitations, we developed a process based on: 1) the confinement of iron nanoparticles surface‐modified with an iron polymerization catalyst in the cavity of CNTs and 2) the polymerization of isoprene on the confined nanoparticles. The resulting material consists in CNT‐confined iron nanoparticles coated with a polyisoprene air barrier. This approach constitutes a proof of concept for the development of smart materials for use in medicine or composites.     

碳纳米材料及其在多相催化中的应用

碳纳米材料（包括零维、一维、二维碳纳米材料以及碳纳米孔材料）是一类新型的催化剂或催化剂载体材料,在氧化脱氢、选择加氢、合成氨、氨分解制氢以及燃料电池等多相催化领域具有广阔的应用前景。本文综述了近年来新型碳纳米材料在多相催化领域中的应用研究进展,介绍了这类催化材料的制备方法,重点阐述了碳载体的微/介观结构、掺杂、电子性质、表面性质、限域效应等对所担载的催化活性组分的分散,对反应物的扩散以及对催化反应的活性和选择性等方面的影响。     

Light-Assisted Ullmann Coupling of Phenols and Aryl Halides: The Synergetic Effect Between Plasmonic Copper Nanoparticles and Carbon Nanotubes from Various Sources

Utilizing light and plastic wastes as resources to turn the wasted phenols and hazardous aryl halides into value added chemicals seems to be an attractive idea for alleviating the energy crisis and environmental problems. In this work, plasmonic copper nanoparticles (Cu NPs) were loaded onto carbon nanotubes (CNTs) from various sources including commercial CNTs and those derived from plastic wastes. Under visible-light irradiation, the catalyst could efficiently convert phenols and aryl halides to diaryl ethers. Similar with commercial CNTs, excellent activity is also achieved when utilizing CNTs derived from different kinds of plastic wastes as support for the system. Further investigation shows that the visible-light irradiation and light-excited plasmonic Cu NPs are necessary to inhibit the phenol degradation on CNTs and in turn promote the cross-coupling of phenol and aryl halides. Compared with metal oxides and other carbon materials, the excellent capability of CNTs to absorb light, to convert light to heat, and to adsorb both two reactants simultaneously are critical to enhance the activity of Cu NPs, achieving high yields of diaryl ethers. This study could provide a novel strategy for catalyst design and generate a more economically sustainable process.     

Carbon Microsphere-Supported Metallic Nickel Nanoparticles as Novel Heterogeneous Catalysts and Their Application for the Reduction of Nitrophenol

Nickel nanoparticles are gaining increasing attention in catalysis due to their versatile catalytic action. A novel, low-cost and facile method was developed in this work to synthesize carbon microsphere-supported metallic nickel nanoparticles (Ni-NP/C) for heterogeneous catalysis. The synthesis was based on carbonizing a polystyrene-based cation exchange resin loaded with nickel ions at temperatures between 500 and 1000 °C. The decomposition of the nickel-organic framework resulted in both Ni-NP and carbon microsphere formation. The phase composition, morphology and surface area of these Ni-NP/C microspheres were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and BET analysis. Elemental nickel was found to be the only metal containing phase; fcc-Ni coexisted with hcp-Ni at carbonization temperatures between 500 and 700 °C, and fcc-Ni was the only metallic phase at 800–1000 °C. Graphitization and carbon nanotube formation were observed at high temperatures. The catalytic activity of Ni-NP/C was tested in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol by sodium borohydride, and Ni-NP/C was proved to be an efficient catalyst in this reaction. The relatively easy and scalable synthetic method, as well as the easy separation and catalytic activity of Ni-NP/C, provide a viable alternative to existing nickel nanocatalysts in future applications.     

A Novel Strategy to Incorporate Carbon Nanotubes into Thermoplastic Matrices

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNT) are introduced into thermoplastic matrices (polycarbonate and polyamide) by melt blending using polyethylene (PE) based concentrates with high MWNT loadings (24–44 wt.‐%). MWNT surfaces were treated with a metallocene‐based complex to afford the in‐situ polymerization of ethylene directly from the surface. The resulting concentrates showed excellent MWNT pre‐dispersion. Due to the high interfacial energy between MWNT and PE, the nanotubes migrate into matrix polymers with lower interfacial energies, like polycarbonate and polyamide, and thereby remain in their excellent dispersion state. Thus, electrical percolation is achieved at lower MWNT contents as compared to direct incorporation. For polycarbonate it is shifted from 0.75 to 0.25 wt.‐%.

     

阿霉素在纳米钴/碳纳米管/ITO修饰电极上的电化学行为

以固定在氧化铟锡(ITO)电极上的多壁碳纳米管为基底吸附纳米钴,制备了复合纳米材料修饰的电极(Co/CNT/ITO)。采用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)和电子能谱(EDS)等对其进行了表征。用纳米钴/碳纳米管/ITO电极,研究了阿霉素(ADM)的电化学行为。实验表明,该体系具有吸附性的不可逆过程,峰电位为-0.65V(vs.Ag/AgCl),峰电流与ADM浓度在1.0×10-9～5.0×10-7mol/L范围内呈线性关系;检出限为1.0×10-9mol/L。本法灵敏、简便。     

基于单壁碳纳米管/Nafion/铜纳米粒子复合材料的多巴胺传感器的研制

通过电沉积金属铜于单壁碳纳米管( SWNTs)/Nafion 修饰的玻碳电极表面构建了一种经济且制备简单的多巴胺传感器。该纳米材料的形貌和成分用扫描电镜和能谱仪表征。不同扫速和pH条件下,以其修饰玻碳电极构建的电化学体系受吸附控制。多巴胺在该电极表面的反应机理为两电子双质子的过程,电荷转移系数α=0.6,电子转移数n=2.67,异相电子转移速率ks=1.38 s-1。在优化条件下,用微分脉冲伏安法检测多巴胺的线性方程为Ipa(μA)=-0.054c(μmol/L)-3.82(R2=0.9988),线性范围5~100μmol/L,检出限为0.014μmol/L(S/N=3)。此传感器制备简单、成本低、灵敏性高、稳定性好、重现性好,检测人尿液中多巴胺的回收率为96.5%~100.4%,相对标准偏差为1.2%~2.4%。