Monolayer 1T and 1T′ MoSO as Promising Electrocatalyst for Hydrogen Evolution based on First Principle Calculations

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) has been regarded as one of the most promising candidates for replacing Pt group noble metals as an efficient electrocatalyst to enhance the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in consideration of its relatively high earth abundance. Recent studies show that the catalytic efficiency of MoS₂ for HER can be promoted by the presence of 1T-phase MoS₂. It is hard to precisely control the formation of 1T-MoS₂, however, due to its metastability relative to 2H-MoS₂. Elevating the stability of 1T phase allotrope is therefore of great importance and could be realized by replacing divalent S with monovalent elements or groups according to crystal field theory, which has been demonstrated through our first-principles density functional theory (DFT) calculation results. Differential Gibbs free energy analysis for hydrogen adsorption (ΔG_H*) suggest that 1T and 1T′ MoSO (O doped MoS₂) might be taken as potential candidate catalysts for HER process with better performance than 1T and 1T′ MoS₂. We also propose a probable approach to synthesize 1T and 1T′ MoSO under oxidation circumstance environment of graphene oxide.     

过渡金属电催化剂在硅基光阳极分解水产氧中的作用

光电化学分解水可将太阳能转换为绿色的氢能,为目前的能源危机和环境问题提供了一种理想的解决方案.在分解水反应中,涉及四空穴过程的产氧半反应是制约性能的关键步骤,往往需要在半导体表面沉积电催化剂以加速产氧反应动力学.因此,全面理解电催化剂在光电化学分解水体系中的作用至关重要.在目前的产氧电催化剂中,过渡金属羟基氧化物电催化剂(MOOH,M=Fe,Co,Ni)因其环保、廉价、高效以及稳定的特性,已被广泛用于半导体光阳极分解水器件中.而且,MOOH可用简单的电沉积方法沉积在光电极表面,易于大面积制备.然而,电沉积法制备的MOOH具有复杂的结构,对其作用机制的全面理解更加困难.因此,本文以电沉积MOOH修饰的硅基光阳极(n⁺p-Si/SiO_x/Fe/FeOx/MOOH)作为模型,研究了不同电催化剂对硅光阳极光电化学产氧性能的影响.实验发现电催化剂的界面优化在电催化剂修饰的光电极中发挥着重要作用,这是因为优化的界面可以提升界面电荷传输,提供更多的催化反应活性位点以及更高的本征催化活性,从而更有利于光解水性能的提升.该项研究揭示了电催化剂在光解水器件中的作用,并为今后高效光解水器件的设计提供了一定指导.首先在多晶n⁺p-Si基底上热蒸镀了一层30 nm的金属Fe膜,并通过电化学活化将Fe膜表面转换为FeOx得到Fe/FeOx(记作aFe)界面层,然后利用电沉积方法制备MOOH表面修饰层,最终得到n⁺p-Si/SiO_x/aFe:MOOH光阳极.X射线光电子能谱、拉曼光谱以及扫描电子显微镜表面元素成像的表征结果均证实电极表面由于界面层金属Fe元素的掺杂而形成了Fe1-xNixOOH.在模拟太阳光下用于光解水产氧时,n⁺p-Si/SiO_x/aFe:NiOOH电极的起始电位为~1.01 VRHE(相对于可逆氢电极的电势),在1.23 VRHE下的光电流为38.82 mA cm^-2,显著优于n⁺p-Si/SiO_x/aFe、n⁺p-Si/SiO_x/aFe:FeOOH以及n⁺p-Si/SiO_x/aFe:CoOOH三个对比样品,且其稳定性达到75 h.另外,我们发现n⁺p-Si/SiO_x/aFe:MOOH电极的光电化学产氧性能均显著高于n⁺p-Si/SiO_x/aFe电极,且p++-Si/SiO_x/aFe:MOOH的电催化产氧性能也高于p++-Si/SiO_x/MOOH,不仅证明了aFe界面层对Si与MOOH层之间的界面接触作用的有效调控,而且表明双电催化剂体系(aFe:MOOH)的电催化产氧活性高于单电催化剂(MOOH).热力学分析表明,n⁺p-Si/SiO_x/aFe:MOOH光阳极的光电压大小与其光解水产氧性能并不一致,从而排除了热力学因素对性能的关键影响.进一步从塔菲尔斜率、电化学活性表面积和电化学阻抗谱对各电极的动力学进行了分析,证明了动力学因素在上述光阳极产氧性能中的主导作用.同时发现,由于aFe:NiOOH双电催化剂具有更高的本征电催化产氧性能,提供了更多的表面活性位点以及更有效地促进了光生载流子的传输,对动力学的提升效果更显著,从而使n⁺p-Si/SiO_x/aFe:NiOOH光阳极表现出最高的光解水产氧性能.     

Structural,Magnetic and Catalytic Properties of a New Vacancy Ordered Perovskite Type Barium Cobaltate BaCoO2.67

A new vacancy ordered, anion deficient perovskite modification with composition of BaCoO_2.67 (Ba₃Co₃O₈□₁) has been prepared via a two-step heating process. Combined Rietveld analysis of neutron and X-ray powder diffraction data shows a novel ordering of oxygen vacancies not known before for barium cobaltates. A combination of neutron powder diffraction, magnetic measurements, and density functional theory (DFT) studies confirms G-type antiferromagnetic ordering. From impedance measurements, the electronic conductivity of the order of 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹ is determined. Remarkably, the bifunctional catalytic activity for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is found to be comparable to that of Ba_0.5Sr_0.5Co_0.8Fe_0.2O_3–y, confirming that charge-ordered anion deficient non-cubic perovskites can be highly efficient catalysts.     

脱水Ni-Fe类水滑石的制备及其作为环保型催化剂用于生物质糠醛的高选择性缩醛化反应

合成了含硝酸根离子的脱水Ni-Fe类水滑石（Ni-Fe HTLCs）并将其应用于室温下的糠醛缩醛化反应。脱水Ni-Fe HTLCs对糠醛缩醛化反应显示出高选择性并基本实现糠醛的完全转化。作为耐水的路易斯酸和脱水剂,脱水Ni-Fe HTLCs被证明是适用于糠醛缩醛化反应的高效双功能催化剂。通过研究发现,脱除Ni-Fe HTLCs中水分导致颗粒收缩并增强层板间硝酸根离子间的电荷互斥,Ni-Fe HTLCs中弱酸性位点在糠醛缩醛化中发挥重要作用,脱水可改变酸性位点结构并增强其活性。脱水Ni-Fe HTLCs可吸收缩醛化反应中产生的大部分水分,但吸水后Ni-Fe HTLCs的结构并不能完全恢复,这可能是由扩散进入HTLCs层板间的有机分子导致。     

Mixed‐Metal MIL‐100(Sc,M) (M=Al,Cr, Fe) for Lewis Acid Catalysis and Tandem CC Bond Formation and Alcohol Oxidation

The trivalent metal cations Al³⁺, Cr³⁺, and Fe³⁺ were each introduced, together with Sc³⁺, into MIL‐100(Sc,M) solid solutions (M=Al, Cr, Fe) by direct synthesis. The substitution has been confirmed by powder X‐ray diffraction (PXRD) and solid‐state NMR, UV/Vis, and X‐ray absorption (XAS) spectroscopy. Mixed Sc/Fe MIL‐100 samples were prepared in which part of the Fe is present as α‐Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles within the mesoporous cages of the MOF, as shown by XAS, TGA, and PXRD. The catalytic activity of the mixed‐metal catalysts in Lewis acid catalysed Friedel–Crafts additions increases with the amount of Sc present, with the attenuating effect of the second metal decreasing in the order Al>Fe>Cr. Mixed‐metal Sc,Fe materials give acceptable activity: 40 % Fe incorporation only results in a 20 % decrease in activity over the same reaction time and pure product can still be obtained and filtered off after extended reaction times. Supported α‐Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles were also active Lewis acid species, although less active than Sc³⁺ in trimer sites. The incorporation of Fe³⁺ into MIL‐100(Sc) imparts activity for oxidation catalysis and tandem catalytic processes (Lewis acid+oxidation) that make use of both catalytically active framework Sc³⁺ and Fe³⁺. A procedure for using these mixed‐metal heterogeneous catalysts has been developed for making ketones from (hetero)aromatics and a hemiacetal.     

Hydrogen‐Bonding in Aminocatalysis: From Proline and Beyond

This Concept article summarizes recent progress in the field of hydrogen‐bonding aminocatalysis using proline‐derived systems. The aminocatalysts available in the literature are categorized by the incorporated hydrogen‐bonding scaffold and its mode of recognition. Both mono‐ and double‐hydrogen‐bonding motifs are discussed and examples of their application in asymmetric synthesis are given.     

氮掺杂还原氧化石墨烯负载铂催化剂的制备及甲醇电氧化性能

采用高温热解聚苯胺修饰的氧化石墨烯(PANI-GO),得到了氮掺杂的还原氧化石墨烯碳材料(N-RGO),以其负载Pt制备了Pt/N-RGO纳米结构电催化剂.采用透射电镜(TEM)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、X射线衍射(XRD)谱及拉曼光谱等技术对N-RGO和Pt/N-RGO的形貌及结构进行了表征,用循环伏安、计时电流等电化学技术研究了Pt/N-RGO电极催化剂对CO溶出反应和甲醇电氧化反应的催化性能.结果表明:高温热解PANIGO可同时实现GO的还原及其氮掺杂的过程,氮掺杂引起还原氧化石墨烯碳材料表面缺陷结构和导电性的增加;与相应的未掺杂氮样品Pt/RGO相比较,Pt/N-RGO样品上Pt颗粒的分散更均匀,显示出更强的抗CO毒化能力和更高的甲醇电氧化催化活性及稳定性.     

Ultrafast Encapsulation of Metal Nanoclusters into MFI Zeolite in the Course of Its Crystallization: Catalytic Application for Propane Dehydrogenation

Encapsulating metal nanoclusters into zeolites combines the superior catalytic activity of the nanoclusters with high stability and unique shape selectivity of the crystalline microporous materials. The preparation of such bifunctional catalysts, however, is often restricted by the mismatching in time scale between the fast formation of nanoclusters and the slow crystallization of zeolites. We herein demonstrate a novel strategy to overcome the mismatching issue, in which the crystallization of zeolites is expedited so as to synchronize it with the rapid formation of nanoclusters. The concept was demonstrated by confining Pt and Sn nanoclusters into a ZSM-5 (MFI) zeolite in the course of its crystallization, leading to an ultrafast, in situ encapsulation within just 5 min. The Pt/Sn-ZSM-5 exhibited exceptional activity and selectivity with stability in the dehydrogenation of propane to propene. This method of ultrafast encapsulation opens up a new avenue for designing and synthesizing composite zeolitic materials with structural and compositional complexity.     

Composition-Tunable Antiperovskite CuxIn1−xNNi3 as Superior Electrocatalysts for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

A group of newly reported antiperovskite nitrides Cu_xIn_1−xNNi₃ (0≤x≤1) with tunable composition are employed as electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Cu_0.4In_0.6NNi₃ shows the highest intrinsic performance among all developed catalysts with an overpotential of merely 42 mV at 10 mA cm_geo⁻². Stability tests at a high current density of 100 mA cm_geo⁻² show its super-stable performance with only 7 mV increase in overpotential after more than 60 hours of measurement, surpassing commercial Pt/C (increase of 170 mV). By partial substitution, the derived antiperovskite nitride achieves a smaller kinetic barrier of water dissociation compared to the unsubstituted InNNi₃ and CuNNi₃, revealed by first-principle calculations. It is found that the partially substituted Cu_xIn_1−xNNi₃ possesses a thermal neutral and desirable Gibbs free energy of hydrogen for HER, ascribed to the tailoring of the energy of d-band center arose by the A-site (A=Cu or In) substitution and a resulting optimization of adsorbate interactions.     

One-step synthesis of monodispersed Pt nanoparticles anchored on 3D graphene foams and its application for electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Although platinum-based materials are regarded as the state-of-the-art electro-catalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction(HER),high cost and quantity scarcity hamper their scale-up utilization in industrial deployment.Herein,a one-step strategy was developed to synthesize multi-walled carbon nanotubes and reduced graphene oxide supported Pt nanoparticle hydrogel(PtNP/rGO-MWCNT),in which only ascorbic acid was used as the reductant for one-pot reduction of both GO and chloroplatinic acid.The hydrogel can be directly used as a flexible binder-free catalytic electrode to achieve high performance of HER.Compared to conventional strategies,the current strategy not only significantly reduces the Pt loading to 3.48 wt%,simplifies the synthesis process,but also eliminates the use of any polymer binders,thus decreasing the series resistance and improving catalytic activity.An overpotential of only 11 mV was achieved on as-prepared PtNP/rGO-MWCNT to drive a geometrical current density of 10 mA/cm2 in0.5 mol/L H2 SO4,with its catalytic activity being kept over 15 h.In acidic medium,the HER activity of the PtNP/rGO-MWCNT catalyst exceeds most of the reported Pt-based electro-catalysts and is 3-fold higher than that obtained on commercial Pt/C electrode.