CeO2担载Cu纳米粒子电催化CO2还原产乙烯：CeO2不同暴露晶面对催化性能的影响

Fossil fuels are expected to be the major source of energy for the next few decades. However, combustion of nonrenewable resources leads to the release of large quantities of CO₂, the primary greenhouse gas. Notably, the concentration of CO₂ in the atmosphere is increasing annually at an astounding rate. Electrochemical CO₂ reduction (ECR) to value-added fuels and chemicals using electricity from intermittent renewable energy sources is a carbon-neutral method to alleviate anthropogenic CO₂ emissions. Despite the steady progress in the selective generation of C₁ products (CO and formic acid), the production of multi-carbon species still suffers from low selectivity and efficiency. As an ECR product, ethylene (C₂H₄) has a higher energy density than do C₁ species and is an important industrial feedstock in high demand. However, the conversion of CO₂ to C₂H₄ is plagued by low productivity and large overpotential, in addition to the severe competing hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) during the ECR. To address these issues, the design and development of advanced electrocatalysts are critical. Here, we demonstrate fine-tuning of ECR to C₂H₄ by taking advantage of the prominent interaction of Cu with shape-controlled CeO₂ nanocrystals, that is, cubes, rods, and octahedra predominantly covered with (100), (110), and (111) surfaces, respectively. We found that the selectivity and activity of the ECR depended strongly on the exposed crystal facets of CeO₂. The overall ECR Faradaic efficiency (FE) over Cu/CeO₂(110) (FE ≈ 56.7%) surpassed that of both Cu/CeO₂(100) (FE ≈ 51.5%) and Cu/CeO₂(111) (FE ≈ 48.4%) in 0.1 mol·L^-1 KHCO₃ solutions with an H-type cell. This was in stark contrast to the exclusive occurrence of the HER over pure carbon paper, CeO₂(100), CeO₂(110), and CeO₂(111). In particular, the FE toward C₂H₄ formation and the partial current density increased in the sequence Cu/CeO₂(111) < Cu/CeO₂(100) < Cu/CeO₂(110) within applied bias potentials from -1.00 to -1.15 V (vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode), reaching 39.1% over Cu/CeO₂(110) at a mild overpotential (1.13 V). The corresponding values for Cu/CeO₂(100) and Cu/CeO₂(111) were FE_C2H4 ≈ 31.8% and FE_C2H4 ≈ 29.6%, respectively. The C₂H₄ selectivity was comparable to that of many reported Cu-based electrocatalysts at similar overpotentials. Furthermore, the FE for C₂H₄ remained stable even after 6 h of continuous electrolysis. The superior ECR activity of Cu/CeO₂(110) to yield C₂H₄ was attributed to the metastable (110) surface, which not only promoted the effective adsorption of CO₂ but also remarkably stabilized Cu⁺, thereby boosting the ECR to produce C₂H₄. This work offers an alternative strategy to enhance the ECR efficiency by crystal facet engineering.     

Vanadium-Substituted Dawson-Type Polyoxometalate–TiO2 Nanowire Composite Film as Advanced Cathode Material for Bifunctional Electrochromic Energy-Storage Devices

Polyoxometalates (POMs) demonstrate potential for application in the development of integrated smart energy devices based on bifunctional electrochromic (EC) optical modulation and electrochemical energy storage. Herein, a nanocomposite thin film composed of a vanadium-substituted Dawson-type POM, i.e., K₇[P₂W₁₇VO₆₂]·18H₂O, and TiO₂ nanowires were constructed via the combination of hydrothermal and layer-by-layer self-assembly methods. Through scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy characterisations, it was found that the TiO₂ nanowire substrate acts as a skeleton to adsorb POM nanoparticles, thereby avoiding the aggregation or stacking of POM particles. The unique three-dimensional core−shell structures of these nanocomposites with high specific surface areas increases the number of active sites during the reaction process and shortens the ion diffusion pathway, thereby improving the electrochemical activities and electrical conductivities. Compared with pure POM thin films, the composite films showed improved EC properties with a significant optical contrast (38.32% at 580 nm), a short response time (1.65 and 1.64 s for colouring and bleaching, respectively), an excellent colouration efficiency (116.5 cm² C⁻¹), and satisfactory energy-storage properties (volumetric capacitance = 297.1 F cm⁻³ at 0.2 mA cm⁻²). Finally, a solid-state electrochromic energy-storage (EES) device was fabricated using the composite film as the cathode. After charging, the constructed device was able to light up a single light-emitting diode for 20 s. These results highlight the promising features of POM-based EES devices and demonstrate their potential for use in a wide range of applications, such as smart windows, military camouflage, sensors, and intelligent systems.     

Constructing low-valent Ni nanoparticles for highly selective CO2 reduction

The electroreduction of CO₂（CO₂RR） into value-added chemicals is a sustainable strategy for mitigating global warming and managing the global carbon balance. However, developing an efficient and selective catalyst is still the central challenge. Here, we developed a simple two-step pyrolysis method to confine low-valent Ni-based nanoparticles within nitrogen-doped carbon（Ni-NC）. As a result, such Ni-based nanoparticles can effectively reduce CO₂ to CO, with a max...     

基于扩散强化的Pickering界面生物催化系统构建及CO2矿化过程研究

CO₂的有效利用有助于解决环境和生态问题.碳酸酐酶(CA)等酶分子可精准活化CO₂分子以降低反应能垒,为CO₂的高效和高选择性转化提供了一种有前景的途径.然而,酶离开生物体后易失活,且难以重复利用.目前,包埋型固定化酶是常用且有效的提高酶稳定性与回用率的方法之一,但载体的存在会造成反应物CO₂内扩散阻力增加,降低反应活性.此外,CO₂酶促转化是一个气-液-固三相反应过程,反应体系中CO₂的外扩散性能也需要加强.金属有机骨架(MOFs),特别是咪唑酯骨架(ZIFs),常被用作酶固定化的载体.ZIFs的拓扑结构可被设计成不同形貌,进而通过ZIFs的结构工程来加强分子向其中的内扩散.Pickering乳液是指以固体颗粒代替常规表面活性剂而稳定的乳液.当固体颗粒具有催化活性时,催化剂颗粒会扩大液-液-固或气-液-固三相接触面积,从而有效协调反应物在不同相中的扩散时间.如果酶被用作这些颗粒的活性中心,所制备的Pickering乳液也可能具备类似的特性,可加强底物分子向酶的外扩散.本文选择两种具有不同结构的ZIFs(ZIF-L和ZIF-8),原位包埋CA后形成CA@ZIFs颗粒以稳定Pickeirng乳液.ZIF-L和CA@ZIF-L颗粒显示出独特的二维层状堆叠结构.ZIF-8和CA@ZIF-8颗粒呈棱角清晰的十二面体结构.与CA@ZIF-8颗粒相比,CA@ZIF-L颗粒显示出更大的孔径和更宽的孔径分布,这有助于CO₂从CA@ZIF-L颗粒表面扩散至酶活性中心.利用酶活测试来研究内扩散是否通过结构工程得到了加强,发现CA@ZIF-L颗粒的活性比CA@ZIF-8颗粒高22.3%,推测这是由于CA@ZIF-L颗粒特殊的十字花状结构会缩短CO₂从颗粒表面扩散至酶活性中心的距离.同时,十字花状结构可暴露更多的酶活性位点(CA@ZIF-L颗粒的暴露面积是CA@ZIF-8颗粒的~8倍),从而提升了反应物浓度并显示出更高的催化活性.本文还设计了吸附实验来进一步验证上述假设,发现BSA@ZIF-L颗粒对香豆素的吸附率远高于BSA@ZIF-8颗粒,说明与ZIF-8相比,酶包埋于ZIF-L具有更强的捕获小分子的能力,表明CO₂分子向CA@ZIF-L的扩散速度更快,即CA@ZIF-L的十字花状结构可强化系统的内扩散过程.进一步比较了PIBS和游离多酶体系的催化活性,将CO₂通入每个系统,在反应前20 min,PIBS的pH值下降速度比游离体系快得多,说明PIBS通过在气相和液相间构建更大的界面,缩短了CO₂向CA的扩散距离,从而提高了催化效率,促进了CO₂转化.上述假设也通过扩散动力学的计算得到了验证.为进一步研究PIBS的CO₂矿化能力,本文开展了CaCO₃矿化反应,发现PIBS的CaCO₃产量远高于游离多酶体系,表明构建的PIBS在强化内外扩散方面具有显著优势.最后,评估了PIBS在工业应用中的性能,由CA@ZIF-L和CA@ZIF-8颗粒构建的PIBS显示出较好的可回收性,在第8个循环后,PIBS仍可保持8.9 mg/5 min的CaCO₃产量.综上,PIBS可为CO₂的酶促转化和框架提供一个新方法和新平台.     

Spatiotemporally-regulated multienzymatic polymerization endows hydrogel continuous gradient and spontaneous actuation

There are several natural materials which have evolved functional gradients,ingeniously attaining maximal efficacy from limited components.Herein,we utilized the spatiotemporal distribution of initiator acetylacetone to regulate the multienzyme polymerization and fabricate a chitosan-polymer hydrogel.The temporal priority order of acetylacetone was higher than phenolmodified chitosan by density functional theory calculation.The acetylacetone within the gelatin could gradually diffuse spatially into the chitosan hydrogel to fabricate the composite hydrogel with gradient network structure.The gradient hydrogel possessed a transferring topography from the two-dimensional pattern.A continuously decreased modulus along with acetylacetone diffusion was confirmed by atomic force microscope-based force mapping experiment.The water-retaining ability of various regions was confirmed by low-field nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR)and thermogravimetric analysis(TG)analysis,which led to the spontaneous actuation of gradient hydrogel with maximum 1821°/h curling speed and 227°curling angle.Consequently,the promising gradient hydrogels could be applied as intelligent actuators and flexible robots.     

Intrinsic thermal stability and quenching recovery of thin-film superconductors with thermal boundary resistance

The stability behaviour of a thin-film superconductor under a localized release of thermal disturbance is investigated. Two-dimensional conjugate film/substrate conduction equation with anisotropic thermal conductivity of the film, and Joule heat are employed to investigate effects of substrate and thermal properties on the intrinsic stability and quenching recovery. To consider the thermal boundary resistance between film and substrate, an interfacial-layer model (ILM) with very low diffusivity and an acoustic mismatch model (AMM) are employed. Results show that the thermal boundary resistance influences strongly the intrinsic stability. Thermal boundary resistance increases intrinsic stability if the thermal conductivity of the substrate or the disturbance energy is large. Higher Biot numbers and thermal conductivity ratios of film to substrate in longitudinal direction influence stability favorably. We demonstrate also that operation of a film/substrate system, such as YBCO/MgO, is either intrinsically stable or irrecoverably unstable.The authors wish to express their sincere appreciation to Dr. R. C. Chen for his invaluable advice and suggestions during the course of this paper. This research was supported by the National Science Council of the R. O. C. through grant NSC 83-0401-E-009-006. The computations were performed on the IBM ES/9000 at the National Center For High-Performance Computing.     

ThH5: An Actinide-Containing Superhalogen Molecule

Thorium and its compounds have been widely investigated as important nuclear materials. Previous research focused on the potential use of thorium hydrides, such as ThH₂, ThH₄, and Th₄H₁₅, as nuclear fuels. Here, we report studies of the anion, ThH₅⁻, by anion photoelectron spectroscopy and computations. The resulting experimental and theoretical vertical detachment energies (VDE) for ThH₅⁻ are 4.09 eV and 4.11 eV, respectively. These values and the agreement between theory and experiment facilitated the characterization of the structure of the ThH₅⁻ anion and showed its neutral counterpart, ThH₅ to be a superhalogen. ThH₅⁻, which exhibits a C_4v structure with five Th−H single bonds, possesses the largest known H/M ratio among the actinide elements, M. The adaptive natural density partitioning (AdNDP) method was used to further analyze the chemical bonding of ThH₅⁻ and to confirm the existence of five Th−H single bonds in the ThH₅⁻ molecular anion.     

Study on glucose oxidase fermentation coupled with membrane dialysis

The repression of glucose oxidase (GOD) biosynthesis by catabolites during fermentation can be alleviated through membrane dialysis fermentation (MDF). The results show that the volumetric enzyme productivity of MDF was two times higher than that of the control (fermentation without dialysis), and its total enzyme activity was increased by 30–50%. The operation conditions of MDF, such as pore size of the membrane, initiating time for membrane dialysis, and volume of dialysate used, were optimized. The content of amino acids and organic acids in the fermentation broth and the dialysate in the reservoir were assessed by amino acid analyzer and ionic chromatography, respectively. The relationship among the contents of pyruvic acid, gluconic acid, and enzyme activity during fermentation was analyzed quantitatively. Furthermore, the effect of membrane dialysis technology applied to the low-yield strain was found to be more effective than that applied to the high-yield strain.     

Synthesis of racemic and enantiomerically pure 2′-thia-2′,3′-dideoxycytidine as potential anti-hepatitis B virus agents

A novel class of nucleosides with the C₁, atom bonded to three hetero atoms was synthesized. 2′-Thia-2′,3′-dideoxycytidine was the pilot compound of this series. (±)-β-2′-Thia-1′,3′-dideoxycytidine ( 6 ) and (±)-α-2′-thia-2′,3′-dideoxycytidine ( 7 ) were synthesized from (±)-3-mercapto-1,2-propanediol. The synthesis of the enantiomerically pure 2′-thia-2′,3′-dideoxycytidines (α-D-form, β-D-form, α-1-form and β-L-form) from optically pure (S)-(2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxalan-yl)methyl p-toluenesulfonate ( 8 ) and its (R)-isomer 18 was also described. The preliminary biological results showed that (+)-β-D-2′-thia-2′,3′-dideoxycytidine ( 26 ) was the most active against human hepatitis B virus with an ED₅₀ of 3 μM.     

CF2自由基A态伸缩振动频率的测定

Laser induced fluorescence excitation spectroscopy has been used to determine the previously ambiguous assignments of A-state stretching frequencies of CF2 radical under supersonic free jet conditions. The measured frequencies are v’1=1012.1±0.5cm-1, v’3=1180.2±0.5cm-1, which is in good agreement with Cameron's[6] calculation result. Furthermore, some transitions attributed to the (1,n-2,0)←(0,0,0), n≦6 progressions are first reported, and new parameters are derived from the spectra obtained.