In-situ construction of abundant active centers on hierarchically porous carbon electrode toward high-performance phosphate electrosorption: Synergistic effect of electric field and capture sites

Phosphate removal is crucial for eutrophication control and water quality improvement.Electro-assisted adsorption,an eco-friendly elec-trosorption process,exhibited a promising potential for wastewater treatment.However,there are few works focused on phosphate electro-sorption,and reported electrodes cannot attach satisfactory removal capacities and rates.Herein,electro-assisted adsorption of phosphate via in-situ construction of La active centers on hierarchically porous carbon(LaPC)has been originally demonstrated.The resulted LaPC composite not only possessed a hierarchically porous structure with uniformly dispersed La active sites,but also provided good conductivity for interfacial electron transfer.The LaPC electrode achieved an ultrahigh phosphate electrosorption capability of 462.01 mg g^(-1) at 1 V,outperforming most existing electrodes.The superior phosphate removal performance originates from abundant active centers formed by the coupling of electricfield and capture sites.Besides,the stability and selectivity toward phosphate capture were maintained well even under comprehensive conditions.Moreover,a series of kinetics and isotherms models were employed to validate the electrosorption process.This work demonstrates a deep understanding and promotes a new level of phosphate electrosorption.

Insights into ionic association boosting water oxidation activity and dynamic stability

There have been reports about Fe ions boosting oxygen evolution reaction(OER)activity of Ni-based catalysts in alkaline conditions,while the origin and reason for the enhancement remains elusive.Herein,we attempt to identify the activity improvement and discover that Ni sites act as a host to attract Fe(Ⅲ)to form Fe(Ni)(Ⅲ)binary centres,which serve as the dynamic sites to promote OER activity and stability by cyclical formation of intermediates(Fe(Ⅲ)→Fe(Ni)(Ⅲ)→Fe(Ni)-OH→Fe(Ni)-O→Fe(Ni)OOH→Fe(Ⅲ))at the electrode/electrolyte interface to emit O_(2).Additionally,some ions(Co(Ⅱ),Ni(Ⅱ),and Cr(Ⅲ))can also be the active sites to catalyze the OER process on a variety of electrodes.The Fe(Ⅲ)-catalyzed overall water-splitting electrolyzer comprising bare Ni foam as the anode and Pt/Ni-Mo as the cathode demonstrates robust stability for 1600 h at 1000 mA cm^(-2)@~1.75 V.The results provide insights into the ioncatalyzed effects boosting OER performance.

Investigation of the characteristics and deactivation of catalytic active center of Cr-Al_2O_3 catalysts for isobutane dehydrogenation

Deactivation mechanism of Cr-Al2O3catalyst and the interaction of Cr-A1 in the dehydrogenation of isobutane, as well as the nature of the catalytic active center, were studied using XRD, SEM, XPS, H2-TPR, isobutane-TPR and TPO techniques. The results revealed that the deactivation of Cr-Al2O3 catalyst was mainly caused by carbon deposition on its surface. The Cr3＋ ion could not be reduced by hydrogen but could be reduced to Cr2＋ by hydrocarbons and monoxide carbon. The active center for isobutane dehydrogenation could be Cr2＋/Cr3＋ produced from Cr6＋ by the on line reduction of hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide. The binding energy of Al3＋ was strongly affected by the state of chromium cations in the catalysts.

Active oxygen center in oxidative coupling of methane on La_(2)O_(3) catalyst

La_(2)O_(3) catalyzed oxidative coupling of methane(OCM) is a promising process that converts methane directly to valuable C_(2)(ethylene and ethane) products. Our online MS transient study results indicate that pristine surface without carbonate species demonstrates a higher selectivity to C_(2) products, and a lower light-off temperature as well. Further study is focused on carbonate-free La_(2)O_(3) catalyst surface for identification of active oxygen species associated with such products behavior. XPS reveals unique oxygen species with O 1 s binding energy of 531.5 e V correlated with OCM catalytic activity and carbonates removal. However, indicated thermal stability of this species is much higher than the surface peroxide or superoxide structures proposed by earlier computation models. Motivated by experimental results,DFT calculations reveal a new more stable peroxide structure, formed at the subsurface hexacoordinate lattice oxygen sites, with energy 2.18 e V lower than the previous models. The new model of subsurface peroxide provides a perspective for understanding of methyl radicals formation and C_(2) products selectivity in OCM over La_(2)O_(3) catalyst.

EFFECTS OF EXTERNAL DONOR ON ACTIVE CENTER DISTRIBUTION OF SUPPORTED ZIEGLER-NATTA CATALYST

The composition distribution (CD) and microisotacticity distribution (ID) of propene/1-hexene copolymer synthesized by MgCl2/DIBP/TiCl4 (DIBP: diisobutyl phthalate) were determined by fractionating the copolymers according to crystallinity and characterizing the fractions by (CNMR)-C-13. The effects of two alkoxysilane donors, triethoxyphenylsilane (PTES) and dimethoxydi-tert-butylsilane (TBMS), on CD and ID of the copolymers were compared. Three main parts in the CD diagram of each copolymer were distinguished, which were correlated to active center distribution (ACD) based on three groups of different active centers. By studying the changes in l-hexene content, microisotacticity and reactivity ratio product of three typical fractions, the effects of external donor on ACD were better elucidated. It was found that TBMS shows much stronger effects on ACD than PTES. In the former system, most fractions were produced on active centers with relatively lower r(1)r(2), higher reactivity to I-hexene, and higher stereospecificity as compared to the system without external donor. It is concluded that the observed very extensive changes in ACD are mainly resulted by the formation of new types of active centers, possibly by coordination of external donor to certain positions on the catalyst.

STUDY ON THE MECHANISM OF 1-OCTENE ZIEGLER-NATTA POLYMERIZATION BASED ON THE NUMBER OF ACTIVE CENTERS

The number of active centers (C_p)-t and k_p-t profiles of Solvay type TiCl_3 - AlR_3 (R=C_2H_5, i-C_4H_9) or Stauffer AA TiCl_3-Al (C_2H_5)_3 catalyzed 1-octene polymerization were determined by using an acetyl chloride quenching method as well as kinetic data. The results show that in the studied systems k_p decreases when C_p increases, indicating the presence of two or more types of different active centers. The C_(p^(-t)) plots of the Solvay TiCl_3-AlR_3 systems show the presence of both stable active centers and unstable centers which decay in the polymerization process. The phenomena are explained based on a model of active center plurality. The increases of C_p in the induction periods are also discussed.

DEPENDENCE OF THE DISTRIBUTION OF ACTIVE CENTERS ON MONOMER IN SUPPORTED ZIEGLER-NATTA CATALYSTS

Distribution of active centers(ACD)of ethylene or 1-hexene homopolymerization and ethylene-1-hexene copolymerization with a MgCl_2/TiCl_4 type Z-N catalyst were studied by deconvolution of the polymer molecular weight distribution into multiple Flory components.Each Flory component is thought to be formed by a certain type of active center. ACD of ethylene-1-hexene copolymer with very low 1-hexene incorporation was compared with that of ethylene homopolymer to see the effect of introducingα-olefin on ethyle...

Effects of Low Temperature Stress and INA Bacteriaon Chlorophyll a Fluorescence Induction Kineticsin Young Fruit of Two Apricot Cultivars

Effects of low temperature and INA bacteria on the change of chlorophyll a fluorescence in young fruit from two apricot cultivars were investigated. Low temperature decreased the potential activity (Fv/ Fo), conversion efficiency of primary light energy (Fv/Fm)of PS II and photochemical quenching (qP) in young fruit of two apricot cultivars. Low temperature enhanced non-photochemical quenching qN, decreasing the quantum yield of photosynthetic electron transfer. The presence of ice nucleating active (INA) bacteria intensified the effects of low temperature, raised the injury temperature threshold from - 4℃ to - 2 - - 3℃. INA bacteria can be a factor to induce frost susceptibility of apricot fruit. The amount of damaged PS I activity center was related to apricot fruit size and cultivar.

Efficient production of biodiesel from both esterification and transesterification over supported SO^(2-)_4–MoO_3–ZrO_2–Nd_2O_3/SiO_2 catalysts

SO2-4–Mo O3–Zr O2–Nd2O3/Si O2（SMZN/Si O2） catalysts for the production of biodiesel via both esterification and transesterification were prepared and characterized by N2adsorption-desorption isotherms,X-ray diffraction（XRD）,scanning electron microscopy（SEM）,thermogravimetry analysis（TGA）,ammonia adsorption Fourier transform infrared spectra（NH3-FTIR）,and ammonia adsorption temperature programmed desorption（NH3-TPD） to reveal the dependence of the stable catalytic activity on calcination time. The reason for catalyst deactivation was also studied. The calcination time remarkably affected the types of active centers on SMZN/Si O2-2,and 4 h was found to be the optimal calcination time. SO4 species bonded with small size Zr O2 were found to be the stable active centers,where the leaching of SO2-4and the deposition of coke were inhibited. The deposition of coke was easier on large size Zr O2 than on small size ones. Calcination in air flow could eliminate the deposited coke to recover the deactivated catalysts.

Fe, V-co-doped C_(2)N for electrocatalytic N_(2)-to-NH_(3) conversion

Designing providential catalyst is the key to drive the electrochemical nitrogen reduction reactions(NRR),which is referring to multiple intermediates and products. By means of density functional theory(DFT)calculations, we studied heteronuclear bi-atom electrocatalyst(HBEC) for NRR. Our results revealed that compared to homonuclear bi-atom electrocatalyst(Fe_2@C_2N, V_2@C_2N), Fe, V-co-doped C_2N(Fe V@C_2N)had a smaller limiting potential of-0.17 V and could accelerate N_2-to-NH_3 conversion through the enzymatic pathway of NRR. Importantly, N–N bond length monotonically increases with increasing the Bader charges of adsorbed N_2 molecule but decreases with increasing the Bader charge difference of two adsorbed N atoms. Additionally, the Fe V@C_2N could suppress the production of H_2 by the preferential adsorption and reduction of N_2 molecule. Thus, the as-designed HBEC may have the outstanding electrochemical NRR performance. This work opens a new perspective for NRR by HBECs under mild conditions.

Valence State of Active Copper in CuO_x/CeO_2 Catalysts for CO Oxidation

CuOx/CeO2 catalysts were prepared by adsorption-impregnation method, CO conversion was tested over the catalysts pretreated under different conditions for preferential CO oxidation in H2, and the catalysts were characterized with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and temperature programmed reduction. Experimental results show that there are two kinds of copper, which are Cu^＋ and Cu^2＋ in calcined CuOx/CeO2, Among them, the Cu^＋ is the key active component for CO oxidation. The main reason is as follows： CO is activated by copper for CO oxidation over CuOx/CeO2, while CO can not be activated by Cu^2＋. Only when Cu^2＋ is reduced to Cu ^＋ or Cu^0, the copper may be active for CO oxidation, moreover, the experimental results show that the reduction of Cu^2＋ does not lead to an increase of catalytic activity. So the active species is Cu^＋ in CuOx/CeO2 catalysts.

Boost oxygen reduction reaction performance by tuning the active sites in Fe-N-P-C catalysts

Cost-effective atomically dispersed Fe-N-P-C complex catalysts are promising to catalyze the oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)and replace Pt catalysts in fuel cells and metal-air batteries.However,it remains a challenge to increase the number of atomically dispersed active sites on these catalysts.Here we report a highly efficient impregnation-pyrolysis method to prepare effective ORR electrocatalysts with large amount of atomically dispersed Fe active sites from biomass.Two types of active catalyst centers were identified,namely atomically dispersed Fe sites and Fe_(x)P particles.The ORR rate of the atomically dispersed Fe sites is three orders of magnitude higher than it of Fe_(x)P particles.A linear correlation between the amount of the atomically dispersed Fe and the ORR activity was obtained,revealing the major contribution of the atomically dispersed Fe to the ORR activity.The number of atomically dispersed Fe increases as the Fe loading increased and reaching the maximum at 1.86 wt%Fe,resulting in the maximum ORR rate.Optimized Fe-N-P-C complex catalyst was used as the cathode catalyst in a homemade Zn-air battery and good performance of an energy density of 771 Wh kgZn^(-1),a power density of 92.9 m W cm^(-2) at 137 m A cm^(-2) and an excellent durability were exhibited.

Tunable Atomic-Scale Steps and Cavities Break Both Stability and Activity Limits of CoO_(x) Nanosheets to Catalyze Oxygen Evolution

A highly active interface can enhance the catalytic efficiency of catalysts toward the oxygen evolution reaction(OER).However,accurately tuning their atomic interface configurations of defects with sufficient activity and stability remains a grand challenge.Herein,we report on breaking the activity and stability limits of CoO_(x) nanosheets in the OER process by constructing copious high-energy atomic steps and cavities,in which S or Ce atoms simultaneously replace O or Co atoms from CoO_(x),thus achieving high-energy atomic interface Ce,O-Co_(3)S_(4) nanosheets.By combining in situ characterization and density functional theory calculations,it is shown that the unique orbital coupling between Ce-4f,O(S)-2p,and Co-3d causes it to be closer to the Fermi level,leading to faster charge transfer capability.More importantly,the novel structure breaks the stability limit of cobalt sulfide with planar defects,which gives high catalytic activity and stability in 0.1 M KOH solutions,better than commercial RuO_(2) and IrO_(2) noble metal catalysts.As expected,Ce,O-Co_(3)S_(4) possesses much better turnover frequency activity(0.064 s^(-1))at an overpotential of 300 mV,which is ~7 times larger than that of Ce-CoO_(x)(0.009 s^(-1)).Our work presents a new perspective of designing catalysts with atomically dispersed orbital electronic coupling defects toward efficient OER electrocatalysis.

Polymerization Kinetics of Propylene with the MgCl_(2)-Supported Ziegler-Natta Catalysts——Active Centers with Different Tacticity and Fragmentation of the Catalyst

The catalytic activity and stereospecificity of olefin polymerization by using heterogeneous TiCl_(4)/MgCl_(2) Ziegler-Natta(Z-N) catalysts are determined by the structure and nature of active centers, which are mysterious and fairly controversial. In this work, the propylene polymerization kinetics under different polymerization temperatures by using Z-N catalysts were investigated through monitoring the concentration of active centers [C*] with different tacticity. SEM was applied to characterize the catalyst morphologies and growing polypropylene(PP) particles. The lamellar thickness and crystallizability of PP obtained under different polymerization conditions were analyzed by DSC and SAXS. The PP fractions and active centers with different tacticity were obtained with solvent extraction fractionation method. The catalytic activity, active centers with different tacticity and propagation rate constant kp, fragmentation of the catalyst, crystalline structure of PP are correlated with temperature and time for propylene polymerizations. The polymerization temperature and time show complex influences on the propylene polymerization. The higher polymerization temperature(60 ℃) resulted higher activity, kp and lower [C*], and the isotactic active centers Ci* as the majority ones producing the highest isotactic polypropylene(iPP) components showed much higher kp when compared with the active centers with lower stereoselectivity. Appropriate polymerization time provided full fragmentation of the catalyst and minimum diffusion limitation. This work aims to elucidate the formation and evolution of active centers with different tacticity under different polymerization temperature and time and its relations with the fragmentation of the PP/catalyst particles, and provide the solutions to the improvement of catalyst activity and isotacticity of PP.

Rich B active centers in Penta-B_(2)C as high-performance photocatalyst for nitrogen reduction

The photocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction(NRR) has mild reaction conditions and only requires sunlight energy as a driving force to replace the traditional ammonia synthesis method. We herein investigate the catalytic activity and selectivity on Penta-B_(2)C for NRR by using density functional theory calculations. Penta-B_(2)C is a semiconductor with an indirect bandgap(2.328 e V) and is kinetically stable based on molecular dynamic simulations. The optical absorption spectrum of Penta-B;C is achieved in the ultraviolet and visible range. Effective light absorption is more conducive to generate photo-excited electrons and improving photocatalytic performances. Rich B atoms as activation sites in Penta-B_(2)C facilitate capturing N_(2). The activated N_(2)molecule prefers the side-on adsorption configuration on Penta-B_(2)C, which facilitates the subsequent reduction reaction. Among considered NRR mechanisms on Penta-B_(2)C, the best pathway prefers the enzymatic mechanism, only required a low onset potential of 0.23 V. The hydrogen evolution reaction is inhibited when the hydrogen adsorption concentration is increased or N_(2)molecules first occupy the adsorption sites. Our results indicate Penta-B_(2)C is a highly reactive and selective photocatalyst for NRR. Our work provides theoretical insights into the experiments and has guiding significance to synthesize efficient NRR photocatalysts.

Cloning,expression and improvement of catalytic activity of alginate lyase by site-directed mutation

Alginate lyase mainly produces active alginate oligosaccharides(AOS)by degrading alginate viaβ-elimination process.In this study,the Pseudoalteromonas sp.Alg6B alginate lyase-encoding gene alg6B-7 from polysaccharide lyase(PL)-7 family was successfully cloned,sequenced,expressed in Escherichia coli.Based on rational design and amino acid sequence alignment of the alginate lyase from various sources,four positive mutants were obtained.The specific enzyme activities of four mutants I62A,A99K,V132S,and L157T were 38.84%,42.85%,75.8%and 51.83%higher than that of the wild enzyme,respectively.The K_(cat)/K_(m) values of the four mutants were both increased,and the catalytic efficiency of V132S was 1.92-fold higher than that of the wild enzyme,especially.The rational design that was employed in this study achieved the dramatic improvement of catalytic activity,which may provide the application potential in industrial production.

Two-dimensional covalent organic frameworks for electrocatalysis:Achievements,challenges,and opportunities

Covalent organic frameworks(COFs)represent an emerging class of crystalline porous polymers with high porosity,good stability,and adjustable structure,and their excellent characteristics lay a solid foundation for electrocatalysis.This review systematically introduces the design principles of the catalytic sites in two-dimensional(2D)COF-based electrocatalysts and analyzes the relationship between 2D COF structure and their electrocatalytic performances.In particular,the recent progress in the field of 2D COFs as electrocatalysts is comprehensively summarized.Finally,we discuss the current shortcomings and challenges on tailoring 2D COF for high-performance electrocatalysts in details,and look forward to promoting more researches on 2D COF-based electrocatalysts.

Nanozymes: created by learning from nature

Nanozymes,a type of nanomaterials with enzyme-like activity,have shown great potential to replace natural enzymes in many fields such as biochemical detection,environmental management and disease treatment.However,the catalytic efficiency and substrate specificity of nanozymes still need improvement.To further optimize the enzymatic properties of nanozymes,recent studies have introduced the structural characteristics of natural enzymes into the rational design of nanozymes,either by employing small molecules to mimic the cofactors of natural enzymes to boost nanozymes’catalytic potential,or by simulating the active center of natural enzymes to construct the nanostructure of nanozymes.This review introduces the commonly used bio-inspired strategies to create nanozymes,aiming at clarifying the current progress and bottlenecks.Advances and challenges focusing on the research of bio-inspired nanozymes are outlined to provide ideas for the de novo design of ideal nanozymes.

Development of Bi/Er co-doped optical fibers for ultra-broadband photonic applications

Targeting the huge unused bandwidth（BW）of modem telecommunication networks,Bi/Er co-doped silica optical fibers（BEDFs）have been proposed and developed for ultra-broadband,high-gain optical amplifiers covering the 1150-1700 nm wavelength range.Ultrabroadband luminescence has been demonstrated in both BEDFs and bismuth/erbium/ytterbium co-doped optical fibers（BEYDFs）fabricated with the modified chemical vapor deposition（MCVD）and in situ doping techniques.Several novel and sophisticated techniques have been developed for the fabrication and characterization of the new active fibers.For controlling the performance of the active fibers,post-treatment processes using high temperature,γ-radiation,and laser light have been introduced.Although many fundamental scientific and technological issues and challenges still remain,several photonic applications,such as fiber sensing,fiber gratings,fiber amplification,fiber lasers,etc.,have already been demonstrated.

COPOLYMERIZATION OF ETHYLENE AND 1-HEXENE WITH TiCl_4/MgCl_2 CATALYSTS MODIFIED BY 2,6-DIISOPROPYLPHENOL

A supported TiCl4/MgCl2 catalyst without internal electron donor （O-cat） was prepared firstly. Then it was modified by 2,6-diisopropylphenol to make a novel modified catalyst （M-cat）. These two catalysts were used to catalyze ethylene/l-hexene copolymerization and l-hexene homopolymerization. The influence of cocatalyst and hydrogen on the catalytic behavior of these two catalysts was investigated. In ethylene/l-hexene copolymerization, the introduction of 2,6- iPr2C6H3O- groups did not deactivate the supported TiCl4/MgCl2 catalyst. Although the 1-hexene incorporation in ethylene/1- hexene copolymer prepared by M-cat was lower than that prepared by O-cat, the composition distribution of the former was narrower than that of the latter. Methylaluminoxane （MAO） was a more effective activator for M-cat than triisobutyl- aluminium （TIBA）. MAO led to higher yield and more uniform chain structure. In 1-hexene homopolymerization, the presence of 2,6-ipr2C6H3O- groups lowered the propagation rate constants. Two types of active centers with a chemically bonded 2,6-iprzCaH3O- group were proposed to explain the observed phenomena in M-cat.