Enhanced selectivity of catalytic hydrogenation of halogenated nitroaromatics by interfacial effects

The highly selective catalytic hydrogenation of halogenated nitroaromatics was achieved by employing Pd‑based catalysts that were co‑modified with organic and inorganic ligands.It was demonstrated that the catalysts contained Pd species in mixed valence states,with high valence Pd at the metal‑support interface and zero valence Pd at the metal surface.While the strong coordination of triphenylphosphine(PPh3)to Pd0 on the Pd surface prevents the adsorption of halogenated nitroaromatics and thus dehalogenation,the coordination of sodium metavanadate(NaVO3)to high‑valence Pd sites at the interface helps to activate H2 in a heterolytic pathway for the selective hydrogenation of nitro‑groups.The excellent catalytic performance of the interfacial active sites enables the selective hydrogenation of a wide range of halogenated nitroaromatics.

Facile synthesis of size-tunable ZIF-8 nanocrystals using reverse micelles as nanoreactors

This paper describes a robust method for the synthesis of high-quality ZIF-8 nanocrystals using reverse micelles as discrete nanoscale reactors.The precise size control of ZIF-8 nanocrystals is conveniently achieved by tuning the concentration of precursors,reaction temperatures,the amount of water,and the structure of surfactants.The as-synthesized ZIF-8 nanocrystals are of narrow distribution and tunable size.A size-dependent catalytic activity for Knoevenagel condensation reaction is further demonstrated by using ZIF-8 nanocrystals with different sizes as the catalysts.This facile method opens up a new opportunity in the synthesis of various ZIFs nanocrystals.

Regulating the Deposition of Insoluble Sulfur Species for Room Temperature Sodium-Sulfur Batteries

Room temperature sodium-sulfur(RT-Na-S) batteries are regarded as promising candidates for next-generation high-energy-density batteries. However, in addition to the severe shuttle effect, the inhomogeneous deposition of the insoluble sulfur species generated during the discharge/charge processes also contributes to the rapid capacity fade of RT-Na-S batteries. In this work, the deposition behavior of the insoluble sulfur species in the traditional slurry-coated sulfur cathodes is investigated using microporous carbon spheres as model sulfur host materials. To achieve uniform deposition of insoluble sulfur species, a self-supporting sulfur cathode fabricated by assembling microporous carbon spheres is designed. With homogeneous sulfur distribution and favorable electron transport pathway, the self-supporting cathode delivers remarkably enhanced rate capability(509 mA·h/g at 2.5 C, 1 C=1675 mA/g), cycling stability(718 mA·h/g after 480 cycles at 0.5 C) and areal capacity(4.98 mA·h/cm2 at 0.1 C), highlighting the great potential of manipulating insoluble sulfur species to fabricate high-performance RT-Na-S batteries.