Alkaline oxygen evolution: exploring synergy between fcc and hcp cobalt nanoparticles entrapped in N-doped graphene

Herein, we report a Mott-Schottky catalyst by entrapping cobalt nanoparticles inside the N-doped graphene shell (Co@NC). The Co@NC delivered excellent oxygen evolution activity with an overpotential of merely 248 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm^–2 with promising long-term stability. The importance of Co encapsulated in NC has further been demonstrated by synthesizing Co nanoparticles without NC shell. The synergy between the hexagonal close-packed (hcp) and face-centered cubic (fcc) Co plays a major role to improve the OER activity, whereas the NC shell optimizes the electronic structure, improves the electron conductivity, and offers a large number of active sites in Co@NC. The density functional theory calculations have revealed that the hcp Co has a dominant role in the surface reaction of electrocatalytic oxygen evolution, whereas the fcc phase induces the built-in electric field at the interfaces with N-doped graphene to accelerate the H⁺ ion transport.     

Simultaneous photocatalytic oxidation and adsorption for efficient As(III) removal by magnetic BiOI/γ-Fe2O3 core–shell nanoparticles

Addressing arsenite pollution in groundwater has drawn great attention. It is attractive to pre-oxidize highly mobile As(III) to relatively low-toxic As(V) with a subsequent adsorption separation process. Herein, BiOI anchoring on γ-Fe₂O₃ is performed to synthesize BiOI/γ-Fe₂O₃ core–shell nanoparticles for efficient removal of As(III) via a simultaneous photocatalytic oxidization–adsorption process. The physical and chemical structures of BiOI/γ-Fe₂O₃ are investigated by transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction measurements. The photoluminescence and electron spin resonance (ESR) characterization were employed to ascertain the possible reaction mechanism of visible-light-driven photocatalytic oxidation of As(III). Such BiOI/γ-Fe₂O₃ delivers a superior As(III) removal capability under visible light irradiation with an arsenic removal efficiency of 99.8% within 180 min, higher than those of BiOCl/γ-Fe₂O₃ (81.7%) and BiOBr/γ-Fe₂O₃ (98.9%). The optimal BiOI/γ-Fe₂O₃ (molar ratio of 2:1) is obtained by rationally adjusting the molar ratio of BiOI to γ-Fe₂O₃. The as-synthesized BiOI/γ-Fe₂O₃ performs well in a wide pH range of 2–8. Only coexisting PO₄^3? anions have a significant effect on the As(III) removal. The free radical trapping experiment and ESR results demonstrate that the ?O₂^? and h⁺ are the main active substances for the photocatalytic oxidation of As(III) on BiOI/γ-Fe₂O₃. This work not only gives a novel magnetic core–shell nanoparticle photocatalyst for efficient photocatalytic oxidation and adsorption of As(III) but also offers a new strategy to rationally design BiOX for its related practical applications.     

In-situ electrochemical study of chalcopyrite pressure oxidation leaching from 110 °C to 150 °C under saturated vapor pressure

Pressure oxidation leaching behavior of chalcopyrite in sulfuric acid solution from 110 °C to 150 °C were investigated by in-situ electrochemical methods. Leaching experiments under saturated vapor pressure conditions were used to simulate the anoxic environment that may be encountered in industrial applications. Scanning electron microscope and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to characterize the morphology and the chemical status of chalcopyrite surface. Results show that the copper extraction was increased with the increase of leaching temperature. Under the optimal leaching conditions under saturated vapor pressure, the copper and iron extraction are 8.3% and 29.8%, respectively. When the temperature increased from 110 °C to 150 °C, the self-corrosion potential and electrochemical reaction resistance firstly increased and then decreased. In contrast, the resistance of the passive film was always increased with the increase of temperature. The electrochemical study results indicated that the increase in temperature affected the oxidation of chalcopyrite by altering the kinetics of the cathodic reaction and the anodic passivation. Both the self-corrosion current density (i_corr) and rate constant were affected by the reduction of Fe(III). The XPS results show that elemental sulfur and H₃O(Fe₃(SO₄)₂(OH)₆) were the main leaching solid products. The formation of H₃O(Fe₃(SO₄)₂(OH)₆) not only caused a decrease in cathodic reaction kinetics, but also increased the resistance of mass transfer process. Due to the faster release of iron, copper-rich sulphides were formed, which mixed with the elemental sulfur and/or H₃O(Fe₃(SO₄)₂(OH)₆) led to coverage of the chalcopyrite surface.     

Optimization of inoculum to substrate ratio for enhanced methane yield from leather fleshings in a batch study

One of the most significant issues of the last few decades has been tracing for renewable energy sources. Animal fleshing (ANFL) is the most common proteinaceous solid waste accured during the production of leather and it must be disposed of in an environmentally responsible manner. This paper is attempts to assess the biogas production from solid waste originating from the chrome based tannery. Anaerobic digestion of these wastes will be a viable option for waste stabilization and energy production in the form of biogas to be utilized in the industry. The bio-methane potential of the wastes were examined by mixing these wastes with various sources of inoculum and different inoculum to substrate (I/S) ratio considered. The batch experiments were carried out in 2.5 l glass reactors with a various source of inoculumviz., Cow Dung (CD), Elephant Dung (ED) and Bio-Digested Slurry (BDS) with varied inoculum to substrate (LFs) ratios for a retention time of 50 days with replications. The results obtained from the experiments showed that BDS:LF (25:75) had the highest gas production of 14505 ml (651.85 ml CH₄g^?1 VS) followed by CD:LF (50:50) produced 12072.5 ml (789.36 ml CH₄g^?1 VS) and ED:LF (75:25) produced 11252.5 ml (1492.08 ml CH₄g^?1 VS)with a methane content of 63.77, 61.92 and 62.72%, respectively.     

Solar-Driven Artificial Carbon Cycle

Constituting the artificial carbon cycle,for example,through recycling CO₂ and converting CH₄ to value-added fuels and chemicals with solar energy,offers a sustainable future for humankind to tackle the global environmental issues and energy crisis.However,significant bottlenecks remain in such photocatalytic conversion,mainly related to the reaction activity and product selectivity.Herein,we share our efforts and systematic research progress on addressing the double bottlenecks for achieving solar-driven artificial carbon cycle,with specifically focusing on the photocatalytic CO₂ and CH₄ conversion.We further elucidate the common fundamentals behind various designed photocatalytic materials systems.Toward future development,we highlight the opportunities and challenges in the research field.     

介孔钯-硼合金纳米颗粒的制备和甲醇氧化电催化性能北大核心CSCD

合金化可以调节贵金属纳米材料的物理化学性质,从而显著提升它们的电催化性能。尽管合金化在过去的20多年里已取得诸多成果,但是如何充分发挥纳米合金的组分优势仍需深入的探究。本研究通过一步溶液相合成法实现了类金属硼(B)合金化的钯基介孔纳米催化剂材料的合成,同时探究了B原子的组分优势和介孔形貌的结构优势在碱性介质中电化学甲醇氧化反应(MOR)的协同作用。最优PdCuB介孔纳米催化剂表现出优异的电化学MOR活性和稳定性。机理研究表明,优异的催化活性源于B原子在Pd基介孔纳米催化剂中的积极协同作用;该协同作用通过电子效应(改变Pd的表面电子结构从而减弱CO基中间体的吸附)和双功能效应(促进OH_(2)的吸附从而氧化CO基中间体)在动力学上加速了有毒CO基中间体的去除(提高甲醇氧化的决速步骤)。同时,B原子的间隙插入和介孔结构抑制了物理奥斯特瓦尔德(Ostwald)熟化过程,显著增加了催化剂的稳定性。     

Development of a Carbon Paste Electrode Modified with Reduced Graphene Oxide and an Imidazole Derivative for Simultaneous Determination of Biological Species of N‐acetyl‐L‐cysteine,Uric Acid and Dopamine

In this work, the modified carbon paste electrode (CPE) with an imidazole derivative 2‐(2,3 dihydroxy phenyl) 4‐methyl benzimidazole (DHPMB) and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) was used as an electrochemical sensor for electrocatalytic oxidation of N‐acetyl‐L‐cysteine (NAC). The electrocatalytic oxidation of N‐acetyl‐L‐cysteine on the modified electrode surface was then investigated, indicating a reduction in oxidative over voltage and an intensive increase in the current of analyte. The scan rate potential, the percentages of DHPMB and RGO, and the pH solution were optimized. Under the optimum conditions, some parameters such as the electron transfer coefficient (α) between electrode and modifier, and the electron transfer rate constant) k_s) in a 0.1 M phosphate buffer solution (pH=7.0) were obtained by cyclic voltammetry method. The diffusion coefficient of species (D) 3.96×10^?5 cm² s^?1 was calculated by chronoamperometeric technique and the Tafel plot was used to calculate α (0.46) for N‐ acetyl‐L‐cysteine. Also, by using differential pulse voltammetric (DPV) technique, two linear dynamic ranges of 2–18 µM and 18–1000 µM with the detection limit of 61.0 nM for N‐acetyl‐L‐cysteine (NAC) were achieved. In the co‐existence system of N‐acetyl‐L‐cysteine (NAC), uric acid (UA) and dopamine (DA), the linear response ranges for NAC, UA, and DA are 6.0–400.0 µM, 5.0–50.0 µM and 2.0–20.0 µM, respectively and the detection limits based on (C=3s_b/m) are 0.067 µM, 0.246 µM and 0.136 µM, respectively. The obtained results indicated that DHPMB/RGO/CPE is applicable to separate NAC, uric acid (UA) and dopamine (DA) oxidative peaks, simultaneously. For analytic performance, the mentioned modified electrode was used for determination of NAC in the drug samples with acceptable results, and the simultaneous determination of NAC, UA and DA oxidative peaks was investigated in the serum solutions, too.     

Quantitative Aspects of Electrochemical Detection of Amyloid‐β Aggregation

The tyrosine based electrochemical analysis of synthetic amyloid‐β (Aβ) peptide – an analog of natural peptide implicated in Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis – was applied for a quantitative estimation of peptide aggregation in vitro. The analysis was carried out by square wave voltammetry (SWV) on carbon screen printed electrodes (SPE). The electrooxidation peak current (I_p) for Aβ42 peptide in different aggregation states was directly compared with the size and structure of Aβ42 aggregates occurring in the analyzed sample. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and thioflavin T (ThT) based fluorescence assay were employed to estimate the size and structure of Aβ42 aggregates. The I_p was found to decrease in a linear fashion when the average diameter of aggregates and the relative ThT fluorescence in Aβ42 solutions exceeded 35 nm and 3, respectively, while being nearly constant below these values. It was suggested that the electrooxidation current is mostly generated by peptide monomers and that a depletion of the monomer pool due to inclusion of Aβ42 molecules in aggregates is responsible for the decrease of electrooxidation current. The direct electrochemistry is emerging as a method complementary to methods based on aggregates’ detection and commonly employed for monitoring Aβ aggregation. The work further enlarges the basis for application of the cost‐effective and rapid electrochemical techniques, such as SWV on carbon SPE, to in vitro studies of Aβ aggregation.     

Iron Oxide Supported on Al2O3 Catalyst for Methane Decomposition Reaction: Effect of MgO Additive and Calcination Temperature

Production of hydrogen is a challenging task and have significant impact in the recent scenario. The alumina supported iron oxide nanoparticle synthesized using non‐ionic surfactant Triton‐X was found very effective for steady production of hydrogen through methane decomposition reaction. The high surface area, easily reducible catalyst calcined at 500 °C and 800 °C temperature showed steady activity towards methane decomposition reaction. At a higher reaction temperature there was catalyst deactivation. The doping of MgO facilitated particle growth rendering the poor catalytic activity. The TPR study showed that reducibility of TPR was difficult in presence of MgO additive. The formation of Fe? Mg? Al solid solution confirmed by XRD study was found mainly responsible for the lower catalytic activity. The bamboo‐shaped carbon nanotube formed from 20 % Fe/Al₂O₃ catalyst which is mainly because of the poor wetting property of quasi‐liquid metal and carbon nanotube.     

Mass spectrometric monitoring of oxidation of aliphatic C6–C8 hydrocarbons and ethanol in low pressure oxygen and air plasmas

Experimental and theoretical studies on the oxidation of saturated hydrocarbons (n‐hexane, cyclohexane, n‐heptane, n‐octane and isooctane) and ethanol in 28 Torr O₂ or air plasma generated by a hollow cathode discharge ion source were made. Ions corresponding to [M + 15]⁺ and [M + 13]⁺ in addition to [M ? H]⁺ and [M ? 3H]⁺ were detected as major ions where M is the sample molecule. The ions [M + 15]⁺ and [M + 13]⁺ were assigned as oxidation products, [M ? H + O]⁺ and [M ? 3H + O]⁺, respectively. By the tandem mass spectrometry analysis of [M ? H + O]⁺ and [M ? 3H + O]⁺, H₂O, olefins (and/or cycloalkanes) and oxygen‐containing compounds were eliminated from these ions. Ozone as one of the terminal products in the O₂ plasma was postulated as the oxidizing reagent. As an example, the reactions of C₆H₁₄^+? with O₂ and of C₆H₁₃⁺ (CH₃CH₂CH⁺CH₂CH₂CH₃) with ozone were examined by density functional theory calculations. Nucleophilic interaction of ozone with C₆H₁₃⁺ leads to the formation of protonated ketone, CH₃CH₂C(=OH⁺)CH₂CH₂CH₃. In air plasma, [M ? H + O]⁺ became predominant over carbocations, [M ? H]⁺ and [M ? 3H]⁺. For ethanol, the protonated acetic acid CH₃C(OH)₂⁺ (m/z 61.03) was formed as the oxidation product. The peaks at m/z 75.04 and 75.08 are assigned as protonated ethyl formate and protonated diethyl ether, respectively, and that at m/z 89.06 as protonated ethyl acetate. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.