In situ Hydrothermal Oxidation of Ternary FeCoNi Alloy Electrode for Overall Water Splitting

Exploring noble metal-free catalyst materials for high efficient electrochemical water splitting to produce hydrogen is strongly desired for renewable energy development.In this article,a novel bifunctional catalytic electrode of insitu-grown type for alkaline water splitting based on FeCoNi alloy substrate has been successfully prepared via a facile one-step hydrothermal oxidation route in an alkaline hydrogen peroxide medium.It shows that the matrix alloy with the atom ratio 4∶3∶3 of Fe∶Co∶Ni can obtain the best catalytic performance when hydrothermally treated at 180℃for 18 h in the solution containing 1.8 M hydrogen peroxide and 3.6 M sodium hydroxide.The as-prepared Fe_(0.4)Co_(0.3)Ni_(0.3)-1.8 electrode exhibits small overpotentials of only 184 and 175 mV at electrolysis current density of 10 mA cm^(-2)for alkaline OER and HER processes,respectively.The overall water splitting at electrolysis current density of 10 mA cm^(-2)can be stably delivered at a low cell voltage of 1.62 V.These characteristics including the large specific surface area,the high surface nickel content,the abundant catalyst species,the balanced distribution between bivalent and trivalent metal ions,and the strong binding of in-situ naturally growed catalytic layer to matrix are responsible for the prominent catalytic performance of the Fe_(0.4)Co_(0.3)Ni_(0.3)-1.8 electrode,which can act as a possible replacement for expensive noble metal-based materials.

Preparation of ZAO film by low-temperature hydrothermal approach and its electrical property

Al-doped ZnO (ZAO) films were successfully deposited on the surface of common glasses by using low-temperature hydrothermal approach. In the reaction solution, the molar ratio of Al3+ to Zn2+ was 1∶100, the annealing temperature and time were 200 ℃ and 2-6 h, respectively. The structure of the thin films was identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD), the surface morphology and thickness of the thin films were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the electrical performance of the thin films was measured by four-point probes. It was shown that the films with an average particle size of 27.53 nm had a preferential orientation along (002), Al3+ had replaced the position of Zn2+ in the lattice without forming the Al2O3 phase and its thickness was 20-25 μm. With the increased annealing time, the intensity of diffraction peaks was decreased, the film exhibited irregular surface morphology gradually, and the resistivity of ZAO films was increased. The lowest resistivity obtained in this study was 3.45×10-5Ω·cm.

Pd catalysts supported on rGO-TiO_2 composites for direct synthesis of H_2O_2: Modification of Pd^(2+)/Pd^0 ratio and hydrophilic property

The use of nanostructured composites as catalyst supports is a promising route to prepare catalysts with high selectivity and productivity. In this work, reduced graphene oxide-TiO_2(rGP-x) composites with a variation of reduced graphene oxide(rGO) content were synthesized by hydrothermal method. Pd/rGP-x catalysts were prepared in incipient-wetness impregnation method for the direct synthesis of H_2O_2 from H2 and O_2. The morphology and electronic properties of catalysts were investigated by XPS, TEM, and Raman spectroscopy.The ratio of Pd^(2+)/Pd^0 and the hydrophobicity of the catalysts were increased with the rising content of rGO. As the amount of rGO in the catalysts varied in the range of 0.025 wt%–2 wt%, the selectivity of H_2O_2 exhibited a tendency of increasing firstly and then decreasing from 0.1 wt% to 2 wt%. It indicates that good catalytic performance for H_2O_2 synthesis can be achieved only when appropriate amount of rGO is introduced. The H_2O_2 selectivity and productivity of Pd/r GP-0.025 both improved remarkably compared with Pd/P25. This enhancement originated from the combined effects of the proper ratio of Pd^(2+)/Pd^0 and hydrophobicity of the catalyst.

Template-free approach for hydrothermal fabrication of ZnO microspheres

Wurtzite ZnO microspheres, 5.5-11 μm in diameter and with smooth surfaces, were prepared in absolute ethanol via a simple template-free method in the presence of ethylenediamine. The products were characterized using X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. This simple method to fabricate ZnO microspheres shows high yield （〉90%） and good reproducibiliry. The formation process of ZnO microspheres was discussed. The as-obtained ZnO microspheres are expected to provide some immediate advantages for optical, microelectronic, and biological applications.

Synthesis of todorokite by refluxing process and its primary characteristics

Single phase and well-crystallined todorokite were synthesized by heating and refluxing process from birnessite as a precursor. The average chemical composition of the synthesized todorokites by refluxing for 8 h and for 24 h was Mg0.19MnO2.11(H2O)1.15 and in0.17-MnO2.10(H2O)0.88, respectively. The crystallinity of the todorokite increased and no other phase was produced with increasing refluxing period. The synthesized todorokites have the same morphologies and the similar structural characteristics with the natural todorokites and hydro-thermally synthesized samples. The chemical compositions of the synthetic tordorokites by refluxing process are close to those of todorokites synthesized by hydrothermal process, except a higher average oxidation state of Mn for the former.

Cobalt Doped Titanate Nanotubes：Synthesis and Properties

Cobalt oxide doped titanate nanotubes are synthesized with a simple hydrothermal treatment of mixed Co3O4 and TiO2 powders. The formed tubular nanostructure, chemical composition,and the elemental distribution are analyzed using TEM, BET, FTIR, XRD, and XPS. The electrocatalytic activity towards oxygen evolution reactions and photodegradation against Rhodamine B are investigated. It has been found out that the oxygen evolutions starts at 0.8 V and reaches 0.98 mA ·cm^-1 at 1.4 V vs. SCE. For photodegradation of Rhodamine B, the concentration decreased to 24% after 1 h irradiation using the sample with a mass percentage of 5% cobalt. The results demonstrate that the cobalt oxide doped titanate nanotubes are good candidates as electrocatalysts and photocatalytic materials.