In-Situ Electrodeposition of Rhodium nanoparticles Anchored on Reduced Graphene Oxide nanosheets as an Efficient Oxygen Reduction Electrocatalyst

A simple, versatile, and cost-effective one-pot electrochemical deposition is used to fabricate rhodium (Rh) nanoparticles decorated surface of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) functionalized glassy carbon electrode (GCE) for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline media. The chemical and physical structure of the sample is probed via transmission electron microscopy, rotating disk electrode (RDE), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, linear sweep voltammetry, and Raman spectroscopy. The synergistic effects between the unique properties of Rh nanoparticles and rGO creates such innovative hybrid that exhibits a catalytic activity comparable to that of the commercial platinum electrocatalyst (Pt/C). As a result, the as-electrodeposited Rh@rGO hybrid exhibits outstanding ORR activity in alkaline media, as evidenced by a larger diffusion-limited current, greater positive onset potential, much better stability and methanol tolerance than Pt/C under the same conditions.     

Electrospun Cu-Deposited Flexible Fibers as an Efficient Oxygen Evolution Reaction Electrocatalyst

Developing oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts with high activity, long-term durability, and at low cost remains a great challenge. Herein, we report the high activity of fibrous Cu-based catalysts. The synthesis process is simple and scalable. Electrospinning method was selected to synthesize fibrous polymer substrates (Poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene, PVdF-HFP), which are then covered by Cu via electroless deposition. Cu-deposited PVdF-HFP with different microstructures having smooth and roughened surfaces were also synthesized by drop-casting and impregnation method, respectively, to emphasize the importance of the microstructures on OER activity. The OER activity and durability were studied by linear sweep voltammetry, chronoamperometry, and Tafel slope analysis. The Cu/PVdF-HFP fibrous catalysts exhibit significantly improved OER activity and durability compared with Cu plate as well as Cu-deposited PVdF-HFP with different microstructures. The unique fibrous structure provides better mass transport, diffusion, and large active surface area. In addition to the advantages of the fibrous structure, attenuated total reflection infrared (ATR-IR) and ex situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that the improved specific activity for Cu/PVdF-HFP fiber can be attributed to the synergistic effect between Cu and Cu/PVdF-HFP (electron transfer from Cu to PVdF-HFP) at the Cu|PVdF-HFP interface, which results in optimized reaction energetics for the OER.     

Au Modified F-TiO2 for Efficient Photocatalytic Synthesis of Hydrogen Peroxide

In this work, Au-modified F-TiO₂ is developed as a simple and efficient photocatalyst for H₂O₂ production under ultraviolet light. The Au/F-TiO₂ photocatalyst avoids the necessity of adding fluoride into the reaction medium for enhancing H₂O₂ synthesis, as in a pure TiO₂ reaction system. The F⁻ modification inhibits the H₂O₂ decomposition through the formation of the ≡Ti–F complex. Au is an active cocatalyst for photocatalytic H₂O₂ production. We compared the activity of TiO₂ with F⁻ modification and without F⁻ modification in the presence of Au, and found that the H₂O₂ production rate over Au/F-TiO₂ reaches four times that of Au/TiO₂. In situ electron spin resonance studies have shown that H₂O₂ is produced by stepwise single-electron oxygen reduction on the Au/F-TiO₂ photocatalyst.     

二硫化钼析氢电催化剂

电解水与一次可再生能源耦合,可同时提供洁净制氢方式与先进的能源转化技术,有望在未来清洁能源经济中扮演重要角色,而实现这一美好愿景的关键在于研发高活性、低成本的析氢/析氧电催化材料。二硫化钼(MoS₂)是颇具代表性的非贵金属析氢电催化材料,纵观其研究历程,先导性理论预测与材料设计、先进制备与表征技术的应用均在改性研究中发挥了至关重要的作用,这也从一个侧面折射出当代电催化剂的研究模式与发展趋势。本文按照重要发现与进展的时间顺序,梳理了MoS₂析氢电催化剂的发展历程,重点论述了增多边缘活性位、提高导电性、构筑基面活性位等改性策略的实施方法、效果与机理,最后从全领域总结了MoS₂析氢电催化剂的研究启示并展望其未来发展趋势。     

Carbon Nanotube Supported Molybdenum Carbide as Robust Electrocatalyst for Efficient Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Molybdenum carbide is considered to be one of the most competitive catalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) regarding its high catalytic activity and superior corrosion resistance. But the low electrical conductivity and poor interfacial contact with the current collector greatly inhibit its practical application capability. Herein, carbon nanotube (CNT) supported molybdenum carbide was assembled via electrostatic adsorption combined with complex bonding. The N-doped molybdenum carbide nanocrystals were uniformly anchored on the surfaces of amino CNTs, which depressed the agglomeration of nanoparticles while strengthening the migration of electrons. The optimized catalyst (250-800-2h) showed exceptional electrocatalytic performance towards HER under both acidic and alkaline conditions. Especially in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ solution, the 250-800-2h catalyst exhibited a low overpotential of 136 mV at a current density of 10 mA/cm² (η₁₀) with the Tafel slope of 49.9 mV dec⁻¹, and the overpotential only increased 8 mV after 20,000 cycles of stability test. The active corrosive experiment revealed that more exposure to high-activity γ-Mo₂N promoted the specific mass activity of Mo, thus, maintaining the catalytic durability of the catalyst.     

Self-Assembled Two-Dimensional NiO/CeO2 Heterostructure Rich in Oxygen Vacancies as Efficient Bifunctional Electrocatalyst for Alkaline Hydrogen Evolution and Oxygen Evolution

The development of high-efficiency bifunctional electrocatalysts toward the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline surroundings is essential and challenging for the large-scale generation of clean hydrogen. Herein, a novel self-assembled two-dimensional (2 D) NiO/CeO₂ heterostructure (HS) consisting of NiO and CeO₂ nanocrystals is prepared through a facile two-step approach, and utilized as an enhanced bifunctional electrocatalyst for the HER and OER under alkaline conditions. It is concluded that this 2 D NiO/CeO₂ HS, rich in oxygen vacancies, demonstrates attractive electrocatalytic properties for both the HER and OER in 1 m KOH, including low onset overpotential (η₁), η₁₀ and Tafel slope, excellent durability, as well as large active surface area. Therefore, the self-assembled 2 D NiO/CeO₂ HS is believed to be an efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst toward the HER and OER.     

石墨烯量子点负载银纳米粒子制备及氧还原电催化活性

银基氧还原电催化剂具有较高的电催化活性且价格相对低廉,因而受到广泛关注. 本文采用简单、预先合成的石墨烯量子点作为载体和还原剂,制得了负载于石墨烯量子点、且无保护剂和表面活性剂的表面洁净银纳米粒子（Ag NPs/GQDs）. 电化学研究表明,Ag NPs/GQDs复合电催化剂的氧还原有较高的电催化活性,氧在碱性溶液中可经4电子途径还原为水. 与商业铂碳电极（Pt/C）相比,AgNPs/GQDs电极具有高催化电流密度、良好稳定性和极佳抗甲醇性能. 该银纳米粒子对开发高性能和低成本的非铂氧还原电催化剂有潜在的应用前景.     

Novel WS2/Fe0.95S1.05 Hierarchical Nanosphere as a Highly Efficient Electrocatalyst for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Fe_0.95S_1.05 with high reactivity and stability was incorporated into WS₂ nanosheets via a one-step solvothermal method for the first time. The resulted hybrid catalyst has much higher catalytic activity than WS₂ and Fe_0.95S_1.05 alone, and the optimal WS₂/Fe_0.95S_1.05 hybrid catalyst was found by adjusting the feed ratio. The addition of Fe_0.95S_1.05 was proven to be able to enhance the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity of WS₂, and vice versa. At the same time, it was found that the catalytic effect of the hybrid catalyst was the best when the feed ratio was W : Fe=2 : 1. In other words, we confirmed that there is a synergistic effect between W- and Fe-based sulfide hybrid catalysts, and validated that the reason for the improved HER performance is the strong interaction between the two in the middle sulfur. WS₂/Fe_0.95S_1.05-2 hybrid catalyst leads to enhanced HER activity, which shows a low overpotential of ∼0.172 V at 10 mA cm⁻², low Tafel slope of ∼53.47 mV/decade. This study supplies innovative synthesis of a highly active WS₂/Fe_0.95S_1.05 hybrid catalyst for HER.     

Theoretical Screening of Transition Metal Doped Defective MoS2 as Efficient Electrocatalyst for CO Conversion to CH4

CO is a key intermediate during electrochemical CO₂ conversion. The deep reduction of CO to value-added chemical products is a crucial strategy for effective carbon utilization. Single transition metal atoms supported by two-dimensional material present a novel paragon for various catalytic reactions. Herein, we employ first principle theory to study a series of single 3d-transition metal atoms supported by monolayered MoS₂ with S vacancy as efficient electrocatalyst for CO electroreduction to CH₄. The screening result indicates that Cr doped defective MoS₂ (labeled as Cr/S_v-MoS₂) is beneficial to electroreduction of CO to CH₄, with even less negative limiting potential (−0.32 V) than Cu that has been widely studied as the most promising electrocatalyst in experiment. The outstanding activity is derived from the regulation of the d-band-center of doped Cr and Mo atoms exposed on the surface. This discovery provides a theoretical basis for the preparation of future electrocatalysts for CORR.     

Amorphous and Crystalline 2D Polymeric Carbon Nitride Nanosheets for Photocatalytic Hydrogen/Oxygen Evolution and Hydrogen Peroxide Production

Photocatalytic reactions, including hydrogen/oxygen generation, water splitting and hydrogen peroxide production, are regarded as a renewable and promising method to harvest and use solar energy. The key to achieving this goal is to explore efficient photocatalysts with high productivity. Recently, two‐dimensional (2D) polymeric carbon nitride nanosheets were reported as efficient photocatalysts toward various products because of their outstanding properties, such as high specific surface area, more reactive sites, the quantum effect in thickness and unique electronic properties. This minireview attempts to overview recent advances in the preparation, structure and properties of crystalline and amorphous carbon nitride nanosheets, and their applications in photocatalytic hydrogen/oxygen evolution, water splitting and hydrogen peroxide production. We also thoroughly discuss the effect of defects, dopants and composites on the photocatalytic efficiency of these carbon nitride nanosheets. Finally, we outlook the ongoing opportunities and future challenges for 2D carbon nitride nanosheets in the field of photocatalysis.     

Prussian Blue‐Derived Iron Phosphide Nanoparticles in a Porous Graphene Aerogel as Efficient Electrocatalyst for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Tailoring of new hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalyst with earth abundant elements is important for large scale water splitting and hydrogen production. In this work, we present a simple synthetic method for incorporating iron phosphide (FeP) particles into three‐dimensional (3D) porous graphene aerogel (GA) structure. The FeP formed in porous 3D GA (FeP/GA) is derived from electroactive Fe hexacyanoferrate (FeHCF). The advantage of incorporating FeP, in the porous 3D graphene network enables high accessibility for HER. As synthesized FeP/GA catalyst shows good electrocatalytic activity for HER in both acidic and alkaline solutions. The developed method can be useful for synthesizing metal hexacyanoferrate derived mono/bimetal phosphide catalyst in porous 3D graphene aerogels.     

Membranes with Fast and Selective Gas‐Transport Channels of Laminar Graphene Oxide for Efficient CO2 Capture

Graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets were engineered to be assembled into laminar structures having fast and selective transport channels for gas separation. With molecular‐sieving interlayer spaces and straight diffusion pathways, the GO laminates endowed as‐prepared membranes with excellent preferential CO₂ permeation performance (CO₂ permeability: 100 Barrer, CO₂/N₂ selectivity: 91) and extraordinary operational stability (>6000 min), which are attractive for implementation of practical CO₂ capture.     

Partially Pyrolyzed Binary Metal–Organic Framework Nanosheets for Efficient Electrochemical Hydrogen Peroxide Synthesis

Herein, we developed a partially controlled pyrolysis strategy to create evenly distributed NiO nanoparticles within NiFe‐MOF nanosheets (MOF NSs) for electrochemical synthesis of H₂O₂ by a two‐electron oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The elemental Ni can be partially transformed to NiO and uniformly distributed on the surface of the MOF NSs, which is crucial for the formation of the particular structure. The optimized MOF NSs‐300 exhibits the highest activity for ORR with near‐zero overpotential and excellent H₂O₂ selectivity (ca. 99 %) in 0.1 m KOH solution. A high‐yield H₂O₂ production rate of 6.5 mol g_cat^?1 h^?1 has also been achieved by MOF NSs‐300 in 0.1 m KOH and at 0.6 V (vs. RHE). In contrast to completely pyrolyzed products, the enhanced catalytic activities of partially pyrolyzed MOF NSs‐300 originates mainly from the retained MOF structure and the newly generated NiO nanoparticles, forming the coordinatively unsaturated Ni atoms and tuning the performance towards electrochemical H₂O₂ synthesis.     

A Strongly Coupled Graphene and FeNi Double Hydroxide Hybrid as an Excellent Electrocatalyst for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Cost‐effective electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are critical to energy conversion and storage processes. A novel strategy is used to synthesize a non‐noble‐metal‐based electrocatalyst of the OER by finely combining layered FeNi double hydroxide that is catalytically active and electric conducting graphene sheets, taking advantage of the electrostatic attraction between the two positively charged nanosheets. The synergy between the catalytic activity of the double hydroxide and the enhanced electron transport arising from the graphene resulted in superior electrocatalytic properties of the FeNi‐GO hybrids for the OER with overpotentials as low as 0.21 V, which was further reduced to 0.195 V after the reduction treatment. Moreover, the turnover frequency at the overpotential of 0.3 V has reached 1 s^?1, which is much higher than those previously reported for non‐noble‐metal‐based electrocatalysts.     

电催化过氧化氢还原的纳米材料作为潜在的辐射防护剂

纳米材料由于独特的物理化学性质,在生物医学领域显示出许多潜在的应用前景,诸如医学成像、药物输运和生物传感等. 这篇综述总结了对过氧化氢和氧还原表现出好的电催化活性的一些纳米材料显示了辐射防护性能. 作者讨论了这些纳米材料的辐射防护性能来源于它们的类酶活性,因为它们的催化性质表现为和活性氧的快速反应,为清除体内的自由基提供了一条有效通道. 作者也提出了纳米材料的电催化活性和作为临床转化关键的辐射防护性能之间关系的见解. 最后,作者指出了这些纳米材料作为新的辐射防护剂用于辐射防护治疗辅助成份所面临的挑战和将来的研究方向.     

Indirect Electrooxidation of Organic Substrates by Hydrogen Peroxide Generated in an Oxygen Gas-Diffusion Electrode

Indirect electrooxidation of phenol, formaldehyde, and maleic acid in cells with and without a cation-exchange membrane, with a platinum anode and a gas-diffusion carbon black cathode, which generates hydrogen peroxide from molecular oxygen, proceeds with high efficiency and various oxidation depths, which depend on the intermediate nature: the process involving HO ₂ ^- occurs selectively and yields target products, while the formation of HO₂ ^· and HO^· leads to the destruction of organic compounds to CO₂ and H₂O.     

基于热解ZIF-8的氮掺杂碳电化学氧还原合成过氧化氢催化剂

氧气的两电子还原反应(2e-ORR)是绿色、安全的H₂O₂合成路线. 本工作以Zn²⁺和2-甲基咪唑合成的沸石型咪唑酸框架-8 (ZIF-8)为前驱体, 通过高温热解炭化, 利用ZIF-8中的锌在高温下的可挥发性, 制备了非金属氮掺杂石墨化多孔碳材料(p-ZIF), 系统考察了ZIF-8热解炭化温度(900、950和1000 ℃)对催化剂结构和2e-ORR催化性能的影响. p-ZIF不仅保留了ZIF-8规整的菱形十二面体形貌, 而且氮含量高, 拥有高的比表面积和多级孔结构. 在酸性条件下的2e-ORR反应中, 三个p-ZIF催化剂均显示了较低的过电位和较低的Tafel斜率, 而且稳定性良好. 其中在H₂O₂选择性最高的p-ZIF-950催化剂上, 过电位为86 mV, H₂O₂选择性最高可达89.2%. 在6 h恒电位反应中, p-ZIF-950催化剂能够以87 mmol•g_cat^-1•h^-1的恒定速率产生H₂O₂. 根据多种表征结果, 推测p-ZIF催化剂的孔径尺寸和石墨N含量是影响其2e-ORR催化性能的主要因素.     

炭载微过氧化物酶-11电极对O2和H2O2还原的电催化性能

氧还原;生物燃料电池;炭载微过氧化物酶-11电极对O2和H2O2还原的电催化性能