Engineering the grain boundary: a promising strategy to configure NiCoP4O12/NiCoP nanowire arrays for ultra-stable supercapacitor

NiCoP₄O₁₂/NiCoP nanorod-like arrays with tunable grain boundary density and pores were synthesized by the processes composed of hydrothermal and pyrolysis, in which, the electron structure of Ni and Co atoms characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was contemporaneous inverse manipulated. The optimized NiCoP₄O₁₂/NiCoP arrays have a high specific capacitance of 507.8 μAh∙cm^–2 at 1 mA∙cm^–2, and good rate ability of 64.7% retention at 30-folds increased current density. Importantly, an ultra-stable ability, 88.5% of retention after 10000 cycles, was achieved in an asymmetric cell assembled of the NiCoP₄O₁₂/NiCoP arrays with activated carbon. In addition, the energy and power densities of an asymmetric cell were higher than those of other work, demonstrating as-prepared NiCoP₄O₁₂/NiCoP arrays are promising electrodes for supercapacitors.     

NiCo2O4@quinone-rich N–C core–shell nanowires as composite electrode for electric double layer capacitor

The bind-free carbon cloth-supported electrodes hold the promises for high-performance electrochemical capacitors with high specific capacitance and good cyclic stability. Considering the close connection between their performance and the amount of carbon material loaded on the electrodes, in this work, NiCo₂O₄ nanowires were firstly grown on the substrate of active carbon cloth to provide the necessary surface area in the longitudinal direction. Then, the quinone-rich nitrogen-doped carbon shell structure was formed around NiCo₂O₄ nanowires, and the obtained composite was used as electrode for electric double layer capacitor. The results showed that the composite electrode displayed an area-specific capacitance of 1794 mF∙cm^–2 at the current density of 1 mA∙cm^–2. The assembled symmetric electric double layer capacitor achieved a high energy density of 6.55 mW∙h∙cm^–3 at a power density of 180 mW∙cm^–3. The assembled symmetric capacitor exhibited a capacitance retention of 88.96% after 10000 charge/discharge cycles at the current density of 20 mA∙cm^–2. These results indicated the potentials in the preparation of the carbon electrode materials with high energy density and good cycling stability.     

Fe2Mo3O8 nanoparticles self-assembling 3D mesoporous hollow spheres toward superior lithium storage properties

Unique self-assembled iron(II)molybdenum(IV)oxide(Fe₂Mo₃O₈)mesoporous hollow spheres have been facilely constructed via the bubble-template-assisted hydrothermal synthesis method combined with simple calcination.The compact assembly of small nanoparticles on the surface of the hollow spheres not only provides more active sites for the Fe₂Mo₃O₈,but also benefits the stability of the hollow structure,and thus improved the lithium storage properties of Fe2Mo3O8.The Fe₂Mo₃O₈ mesoporous hollow spheres exhibit high initial discharge and charge capacities of 1189 and 997 mA?h?g^?1 respectively,as well as good long-term cycling stability(866 mA?h?g^?1 over 70 cycles)when used as a lithium-ion battery anode.This feasible material synthesis strategy will inspire the variation of structural design in other ternary metal molybdates.     

Oxygen-deficient MoOx/Ni3S2 heterostructure grown on nickel foam as efficient and durable self-supported electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction

High-performance and ultra-durable electrocatalysts are vital for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) during water splitting. Herein, by one-pot solvothermal method, MoO_x/Ni₃S₂ spheres comprising Ni₃S₂ nanoparticles inside and oxygen-deficient amorphous MoO_x outside in situ grow on Ni foam (NF), to assembly the heterostructure composites of MoO_x/Ni₃S₂/NF. By adjusting volume ratio of the solvents of ethanol to water, the optimized MoO_x/Ni₃S₂/NF-11 exhibits the best HER performance, requiring an extremely low overpotential of 76 mV to achieve the current density of 10 mA∙cm^‒2 (η₁₀ = 76 mV) and an ultra-small Tafel slope of 46 mV∙dec^‒1 in 0.5 mol∙L^‒1 H₂SO₄. More importantly, the catalyst shows prominent high catalytic stability for HER (> 100 h). The acid-resistant MoO_x wraps the inside Ni₃S₂/NF to ensure the high stability of the catalyst under acidic conditions. Density functional theory calculations confirm that the existing oxygen vacancy and MoO_x/Ni₃S₂ heterostructure are both beneficial to the reduced Gibbs free energy of hydrogen adsorption (|∆G_H*|) over Mo sites, which act as main active sites. The heterostructure effectively decreases the formation energy of O vacancy, leading to surface reconstruction of the catalyst, further improving HER performance. The MoO_x/Ni₃S₂/NF is promising to serve as a highly effective and durable electrocatalyst toward HER.     

CdS nanoparticles decorated hexagonal Fe2O3 nanosheets with a Z-scheme photogenerated electron transfer path for improved visible-light photocatalytic hydrogen production

Photocatalytic water splitting for hydrogen production (H₂) is one of the main potential applications of photocatalytic technology, which can use solar energy as the energy required for chemical reactions to alleviate the energy crisis. In this work, zero-dimensional/two-dimensional (0D/2D) contact surface CdS/α-Fe₂O₃ (CF) heterojunction photocatalyst was synthesized via a simple solvothermal method. Photocatalytic hydrogen production experiments revealed that the CF-15 sample shows the optimal photocatalytic H₂ rate (1806 (μmol·h^-1·g^-1)) and apparent quantum efficiency (AQE = 13.7% at λ = 420 nm). The enhancement of photocatalytic performance is mainly attributed to the contact of 0D/2D interface and the synergistic effect of Z-scheme electron transfer mechanism. This work provides an effective way for modified composite semiconductor photocatalyst by constructing special interface heterojunction to achieve highly efficiently catalysis.     

Tuning porosity of coal-derived activated carbons for CO2 adsorption

A simple method was developed to tune the porosity of coal-derived activated carbons, which provided a model adsorbent system to investigate the volumetric CO₂ adsorption performance. Specifically, the method involved the variation of the activation temperature in a K₂CO₃ induced chemical activation process which could yield activated carbons with defined microporous (< 2 nm, including ultra-microporous < 1 nm) and meso-micro-porous structures. CO₂ adsorption isotherms revealed that the microporous activated carbon has the highest measured CO₂ adsorption capacity (6.0 mmol∙g^–1 at 0 °C and 4.1 mmol∙g^–1 at 25 °C), whilst ultra-microporous activated carbon with a high packing density exhibited the highest normalized capacity with respect to packing volume (1.8 mmol∙cm⁻³ at 0 °C and 1.3 mmol∙cm^–3 at 25 °C), which is significant. Both experimental correlation analysis and molecular dynamics simulation demonstrated that (i) volumetric CO₂ adsorption capacity is directly proportional to the ultra-micropore volume, and (ii) an increase in micropore sizes is beneficial to improve the volumetric capacity, but may lead a low CO₂ adsorption density and thus low pore space utilization efficiency. The adsorption experiments on the activated carbons established the criterion for designing CO₂ adsorbents with high volumetric adsorption capacity.     

Characterization and catalytic activity of soft-templated NiO-CeO2 mixed oxides for CO and CO2 co-methanation

Nanosized NiO,CeO₂ and NiO-CeO₂ mixed oxides with different Ni/Ce molar ratios were prepared by the soft template method.All the samples were characterized by different techniques as to their chemical composition,structure,morphology and texture.On the catalysts submitted to the same reduction pretreatment adopted for the activity tests the surface basic properties and specific metal surface area were also determined.NiO and CeO₂ nanocrystals of about 4 nm in size were obtained,regardless of the Ni/Ce molar ratio.The Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results proved the formation of defective sites at the NiO-CeO₂ interface,where Ni species are in strong interaction with the support.The microcalorimetric and Fourier transform infrared analyses of the reduced samples highlighted that,unlike metallic nickel,CeO₂ is able to effectively adsorb CO₂,forming carbonates and hydrogen carbonates.After reduction in H2 at 400°C for 1 h,the catalytic performance was studied in the CO and CO₂ co-methanation reaction.Catalytic tests were performed at atmospheric pressure and 300°C,using CO/CO₂/H₂ molar compositions of 1/1/7 or 1/1/5,and space velocities equal to 72000 or 450000 cm³?h^-1?gcat^-1.Whereas CO was almost completely hydrogenated in any investigated experimental conditions,CO₂ conversion was strongly affected by both the CO/CO₂/H₂ ratio and the space velocity.The faster and definitely preferred CO hydrogenation was explained in the light of the different mechanisms of CO and CO₂ methanation.On a selected sample,the influence of the reaction temperature and of a higher number of space velocity values,as well as the stability,were also studied.Provided that the Ni content is optimized,the NiCe system investigated was very promising,being highly active for the CO_x co-methanation reaction in a wide range of operating conditions and stable(up to 50 h)also when submitted to thermal stress.     

加热时间对Co_3O_4颗粒光催化性能的影响

以Co(NO_3)_2·6H_2O和CO(NH_2)_2为原料,十六烷基三甲基溴化铵为活性剂,采用水热-热分解法在不同加热时间(2 h、3 h、4 h、5 h)条件下制备纯相尖晶石结构的Co_3O_4颗粒。利用X射线衍射和电子扫描电镜研究Co_3O_4颗粒的结构和形貌,并以甲基橙为模拟废水,研究加热时间对Co_3O_4颗粒光催化性能的影响。结果表明,加热时间对Co_3O_4颗粒形貌影响很大,并直接影响其光催化性能。加热时间5 h制备的Co_3O_4结构疏松多孔,光催化性能最好,光照20 min,甲基橙降解率达95%。     

Pd/Fe3O4 supported on bio-waste derived cellulosic-carbon as a nanocatalyst for C–C coupling and electrocatalytic application

The current work describes the synthesis of a new bio-waste derived cellulosic-carbon supported-palladium nanoparticles enriched magnetic nanocatalyst (Pd/Fe₃O₄@C) using a simple multi-step process under aerobic conditions. Under mild reaction conditions, the Pd/Fe₃O₄@C magnetic nanocatalyst demonstrated excellent catalytic activity in the Hiyama cross-coupling reaction for a variety of substrates. Also, the Pd/Fe₃O₄@C magnetic nanocatalyst exhibited excellent catalytic activity up to five recycles without significant catalytic activity loss in the Hiyama cross-coupling reaction. Also, we explored the use of Pd/Fe₃O₄@C magnetic nanocatalyst as an electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction. Interestingly, the Pd/Fe₃O₄@C magnetic nanocatalyst exhibited better electrochemical activity compared to bare carbon and magnetite (Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles) with an overpotential of 293 mV at a current density of 10 mA·cm^–2.     

Efficient degradation of orange II by ZnMn2O4 in a novel photo-chemical catalysis system

A ZnMn₂O₄ catalyst has been synthesized via a sucrose-aided combustion method and characterized by various analytical techniques. It is composed of numerous nanoparticles (15–110 nm) assembled into a porous structure with a specific surface area (SSA) of 19.1 m²·g^–1. Its catalytic activity has been investigated for the degradation of orange II dye using three different systems, i.e., the photocatalysis system with visible light, the chemocatalysis system with bisulfite, and the photo-chemical catalysis system with both visible light and bisulfite. The last system exhibits the maximum degradation efficiency of 90%, much higher than the photocatalysis system (15%) and the chemocatalysis system (67%). The recycling experiments indicate that the ZnMn₂O₄ catalyst has high stability and reusability and is thus a green and eximious catalyst. Furthermore, the potential degradation mechanisms applicable to the three systems are discussed with relevant theoretical analysis and scavenging experiments for radicals. The active species such as Mn(III), O₂^•−, h⁺, e_aq^–, SO₄^•− and HO^• are proposed to be responsible for the excellent degradation results in the photo-chemical catalysis system with the ZnMn₂O₄ catalyst.     

Interface engineering for enhancing electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction of CoS/CeO2 heterostructures

To realize renewable energy conversion,it is important to develop low-cost and high-efficiency electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction.In this communication,a novel bijunction CoS/CeO₂ electrocatalyst grown on carbon cloth is prepared by the interface engineering.The interface engineering of CoS and CeO₂ facilitates a rapid charge transfer from CeO₂ to CoS.Such an electrocatalyst exhibits outstanding electrocatalytic activity with a low overpotential of 311 mV at 10 mA·cm?2 and low Tafel slope of 76.2 mV·dec?1,and is superior to that of CoS(372 mV)and CeO₂(530 mV)counterparts.And it has long-term durability under alkaline media.     

Influence of operating parameters on photocatalytic degradation of phenol in UV/TiO2 process

The use of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) for improved photocatalytic degradation of phenol in aqueous suspension of commercial TiO₂ powders (Degussa P-25) was investigated. Photodegradation was compared using direct photolysis (UV alone), H₂O₂/UV, TiO₂/UV, and H₂O₂/TiO₂/UV processes in a batch reactor with high-pressure mercury lamp irradiation. The effects of operating parameters such as catalyst dosage, light intensity, pH of the solution, the initial phenol, and H₂O₂ concentrations on photodegradation process were examined. It was shown that photodegradation using H₂O₂/TiO₂/UV process was much more effective than using either H₂O₂/UV or TiO₂/UV process. The effect of the initial phenol concentration on TOC removal was also studied, demonstrating that more than 8 h was required to completely mineralize phenol into water and carbon dioxide. For all the four oxidation processes studied, photodegradation followed the first-order kinetics. The apparent rate constants with 400-W UV ranged from 5.0 × 10⁻⁴ min⁻¹ by direct photolysis to 1.4 × 10⁻² min⁻¹ using H₂O₂/TiO₂/UV process. The role of H₂O₂ on such enhanced photodegradation of phenol in aqueous solution was finally discussed.     

Ultrasound-assisted co-precipitation synthesis of mesoporous Co3O4–CeO2 composite oxides for highly selective catalytic oxidation of cyclohexane

The one-step highly selective oxidation of cyclohexane into cyclohexanone and cyclohexanol as the essential intermediates of nylon-6 and nylon-66 is considerably challenging. Therefore, an efficient and low-cost catalyst must be urgently developed to improve the efficiency of this process. In this study, a Co₃O₄–CeO₂ composite oxide catalyst was successfully prepared through ultrasound-assisted co-precipitation. This catalyst exhibited a higher selectivity to KA-oil, which was benefited from the synergistic effects between Co³⁺/Co²⁺ and Ce⁴⁺/Ce³⁺ redox pairs, than bulk CeO₂ and/or Co₃O₄. Under the optimum reaction conditions, 89.6% selectivity to KA-oil with a cyclohexane conversion of 5.8% was achieved over Co₃O₄–CeO₂. Its catalytic performance remained unchanged after five runs. Using the synergistic effects between the redox pairs of different transition metals, this study provides a feasible strategy to design high-performance catalysts for the selective oxidation of alkanes.     

CH4/CO2 reforming over La2NiO4 and 10%NiO/CeO2–La2O3 catalysts under the condition of supersonic jet expansion via cavity ring-down spectroscopic analysis

CH₄/CO₂ reforming over La₂NiO₄ and 10%NiO/CeO₂–La₂O₃ catalysts under the condition of supersonic jet expansion was studied via direct monitoring of the reactants and products using the sensitive technique of cavity ring-down spectroscopy. Vibration–rotational absorption lines of CH₄, H₂O, CO₂ and CO molecules were recorded in the near infrared spectral region. Our results indicated that La₂NiO₄ is superior to 10%NiO/CeO₂–La₂O₃ in performance. In addition, we observed enhanced reverse-water-gas-shift reaction at augmented reaction temperature. The formation of reaction intermediates was also investigated by means of time-of-flight mass spectrometry and there was the detection of CH_x⁺, OH⁺ and H⁺ species.     

Nickel(II) ion-intercalated MXene membranes for enhanced H2/CO2 separation

Hydrogen fuel has been embraced as a potential long-term solution to the growing demand for clean energy. A membrane-assisted separation is promising in producing high-purity H₂. Molecular sieving membranes (MSMs) are endowed with high gas selectivity and permeability because their well-defined micropores can facilitate molecular exclusion, diffusion, and adsorption. In this work, MXene nanosheets intercalated with Ni²⁺ were assembled to form an MSM supported on Al₂O₃ hollow fiber via a vacuum-assisted filtration and drying process. The prepared membranes showed excellent H₂/CO₂ mixture separation performance at room temperature. Separation factor reached 615 with a hydrogen permeance of 8.35 × 10⁻⁸ mol·m⁻²·s⁻¹·Pa⁻¹. Compared with the original Ti₃C₂T_x/Al₂O₃ hollow fiber membranes, the permeation of hydrogen through the Ni²⁺-Ti₃C₂T_x/Al₂O₃ membrane was considerably increased, stemming from the strong interaction between the negatively charged MXene nanosheets and Ni²⁺. The interlayer spacing of MSMs was tuned by Ni²⁺. During 200-hour testing, the resultant membrane maintained an excellent gas separation without any substantial performance decline. Our results indicate that the Ni²⁺ tailored Ti₃C₂T_x/Al₂O₃ hollow fiber membranes can inspire promising industrial applications.     

Novel hierarchical yolk-shell α-Ni(OH)2/Mn2O3 microspheres as high specific capacitance electrode materials for supercapacitors

For high performance supercapacitors, novel hierarchical yolk-shell a-Ni(OH)₂/Mn₂O₃ microspheres were controllably synthesized using a facile two-step method based on the solvothermal treatment. The unique a-Ni(OH)₂ based yolk-shell microstructures decorated with numerous interconnected nanosheets and the hetero-composition features can synergistically enhance reactive site exposure and electron conduction within the microspheres, facilitate charge transfer between electrolyte and electrode materials, and release structural stress during OH⁻ chemisorption/desorption. Moreover, the Mn₂O₃ sediments distributed over the a-Ni(OH)₂ microspheres can serve as an effective protective layer for electrochemical reactions. Consequently, when tested in 1 mol·L⁻¹ KOH aqueous electrolyte for supercapacitors, the yolk-shell a-Ni(OH)₂/Mn₂O₃ microspheres exhibited a considerably high specific capacitance of 2228.6 F·g⁻¹ at 1 A·g⁻¹ and an impressive capacitance retention of 77.7% after 3000 cycles at 10 A·g⁻¹. The proposed a-Ni(OH)₂/Mn₂O₃ microspheres with hetero-composition and unique hierarchical yolk-shell microstructures are highly promising to be used as electrode materials in supercapacitors and other energy storage devices.     

Photocatalytic activity of Cu2O/TiO2, Bi2O3/TiO2 and ZnMn2O4/TiO2 heterojunctions

Cu₂O/TiO₂, Bi₂O₃/TiO₂ and ZnMn₂O₄/TiO₂ heterojunctions were studied for potential applications in water decontamination technology and their capacity to induce an oxidation process under VIS light. UV–vis spectroscopy analysis showed that the junctions-based Cu₂O, Bi₂O₃ and ZnMn₂O₄ are able to absorb a large part of visible light (respectively, up to 650, 460 and 1000 nm). This fact was confirmed in the case of Cu₂O/TiO₂ and Bi₂O₃/TiO₂ by photocatalytic experiments performed under visible light. A part of the charge recombination that can take place when both semiconductors are excited was observed when a photocatalytic experiment was performed under UV–vis illumination. Orange II, 4-hydroxybenzoic and benzamide were used as pollutants in the experiment. Photoactivity of the junctions was found to be strongly dependent on the substrate. The different phenomena that were observed in each case are discussed.     

AgBr/Zn3(OH)2V2O7·2H2O可见光催化降解亚甲基蓝溶液

采用水热和沉淀两步合成法制备AgBr/Zn₃(OH)₂V₂O₇·2H₂O催化剂,研究其在可见光下降解亚甲基蓝溶液的性能,并考察催化剂用量、亚甲基蓝溶液初始浓度、pH值以及盐浓度对光催化性能的影响,评价AgBr/Zn₃(OH)₂V₂O₇·2H₂O催化剂的重复使用性能。结果表明,在前驱液pH为10、120 ℃水热10 h、Ag与Br物质的量比为0.20条件下制备的复合催化剂在可见光下反应120 min后,1.0 g·L^-1的催化剂对10 mg·L^-1的亚甲基蓝溶液脱色率达到85.2%。NaCl对亚甲基蓝的降解起抑制作用,Na₂SO₄对亚甲基蓝的降解起促进作用。催化剂重复使用4次后,光照120 min后的亚甲基蓝溶液脱色率可达66.4%。催化剂对不同初始浓度亚甲基蓝溶液的光催化降解符合一级动力学模型。     

Photocatalytic degradation of aqueous organocholorine pesticide on the layered double hydroxide pillared by Paratungstate A ion, Mg12Al6(OH)36(W7O24)·4H2O

Layered double hydroxide pillared by Paratungstate A ion, Mg₁₂Al₆(OH)₃₆(W₇O₂₄)·4H₂O, was prepared via anion exchange reaction of the synthetic precursor, Mg₄Al₂(OH)₁₂TA·xH₂O (TA²⁻=terephthalate), and [W₇O₂₄]⁶⁻ ion. Some physico-chemical properties were measured and the preparation conditions were studied. Trace aqueous organocholorine pesticide, hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), was totally degraded and mineralized into CO₂ and HCl by irradiating a Mg₁₂Al₆(OH)₃₆(W₇O₂₄)·4H₂O suspension in the near UV area. Disappearance of trace HCH follows Langmuir–Hinshelwood first-order kinetics. The model and mechanism for the photocatalytic degradation of HCH on the Mg₁₂Al₆(OH)₃₆(W₇O₂₄)·4H₂O were proposed, indicating that the interlayer space is the reaction field, and that photogeneration of OH√ radicals are responsible for the degradation pathway.     

Porous structures constructed from [SiMo12O40] and [SiW12O40] Keggin units

Three compounds, K₂(H₂O)₄H₂SiMo₁₂O₄₀ · 7H₂O (1), K₂Na₂(H₂O)₄SiW₁₂O₄₀ · 4H₂O (2), and Na₄(H₂O)₈SiMo₁₂O₄₀ · 6H₂O (3) have been synthesized and structurally characterized by single-crystal X-ray analysis, IR, and thermogravimetry. Compounds 1 and 2 both show the high symmetry trigonal space group P3₂21 and a novel 3D network structure. The Keggin anions [SiM₁₂O₄₀]⁴⁻(M = Mo, W) are linked by potassium or sodium cations to generate hexagon-shaped channels along the c-axis, in which water molecules are accommodated. Compound 3 is tetragonal, space group P4/mnc constructed from [SiMo₁₂O₄₀]⁴⁻ anions and Na ions.