MXene based non-noble metal catalyst for overall water splitting in alkaline conditions

MXene,the two-dimensional transition metal carbide or nitride material,was first discovered in 2011.They possess superior characteristics such as stability,electric conductivity,and electrochemical properties,that make them attract the attention of the energy engineering field.Overall water splitting which generates hydrogen and oxygen,not only serves as a clean energy supply technology but also demonstrates the capacity for redistribution and integration of renewable energy.MXene based non-noble metal has demonstrated significant potential in terms of cost-effectiveness.Therefore,the current focus is implementing targeted regulation at the micro level to render it effective comparable to the precious metals.In this context,the mechanisms of the hydrogen evolution reaction(HER) and the oxygen evolution reaction(OER) under the influence of MXene can be elucidated in terms of electron and ion transfer processes,hydrogen coverage,and regulation of terminal groups.Certainly,the composition,structure,synthesis,and stability strategies of MXene are the subjects of comprehensive investigation from both theoretical calculations using density functional theory(DFT) and experimental perspectives.In addition,this review provides a comprehensive summary of MXene based non-noble metal and various modification methods.These methods encompass doping,vacancy engineering,hybrid structures,heterojunction formation,multi-scale engineering,surface engineering,and phase engineering.The review also presents suggestions for designing high-performance MXene based on non-noble metals.It offers guidance on employing construction strategies for electrocatalysts.By leveraging the unique properties and tunability of MXene and implementing these modification methods,researchers can enhance the catalytic activity,stability,selectivity,and efficiency of MXene based non-noble metal catalysts.

Methanol Tolerant Non-noble Metal Co-C-N Catalyst for Oxygen Reduction Reaction Using Urea as Nitrogen Source

A non-noble metal oxygen reduction reaction （ORR） catalyst labeled as Co-C-N（800） was synthesized by heat-treating a mixture of urea, cobalt chloride and acetylene black for 2 h at 800 ℃ in an inert nitrogen atmosphere. X-ray diffraction pattern indicates that a metallic β-Co is generated after the heat-treating process. The results from cyclic voltammograms show that the obtained Co-C-N（800） catalyst has good ORR catalytic activity in 0.5 mol/L H2SO4 solution. The catalyst is also good at methanol tolerance and stability in the acidic solution.

Recent Advances on MOF Derivatives for Non-Noble Metal Oxygen Electrocatalysts in Zinc-Air Batteries

Oxygen electrocatalysts are of great importance for the air electrode in zinc-air batteries(ZABs).Owing to the high specific surface area,controllable pore size and unsaturated metal active sites,metal-organic frameworks(MOFs)derivatives have been widely studied as oxygen electrocatalysts in ZABs.To date,many strategies have been developed to generate efficient oxygen electrocatalysts from MOFs for improving the performance of ZABs.In this review,the latest progress of the MOF-derived non-noble metal-oxygen electrocatalysts in ZABs is reviewed.The performance of these MOF-derived catalysts toward oxygen reduction,and oxygen evolution reactions is discussed based on the categories of metal-free carbon materials,single-atom catalysts,metal cluster/carbon composites and metal compound/carbon composites.Moreover,we provide a comprehensive overview on the design strategies of various MOF-derived non-noble metal-oxygen electrocatalysts and their structure-performance relationship.Finally,the challenges and perspectives are provided for further advancing the MOF-derived oxygen electrocatalysts in ZABs.

Decorating non-noble metal plasmonic Al on a TiO2/Cu2O photoanode to boost performance in photoelectrochemical water splitting

Designing low-cost and high-performance photoelectrodes with improved light harvesting and charge separation rates is significant in photoelectrochemical water splitting.Here,a novel TiO2/Cu2O/Al/Al2O3 photoelectrode is manufactured by depositing plasmonic nanoparticles of the non-noble metal Al on the surface of a TiO2/Cu2O core/shell heterojunction for the first time.The Al nanoparticles,which exhibit a surface plasmon resonance(SPR)effect and are substantially less expensive than noble metals such as Au and Ag,generate hot electron-hole pairs and amplify the electromagnetic field at the interface under illumination.The as-prepared TiO2/Cu2O/Al/Al2O3 photoelectrodes have an extended absorption range and enhanced carrier separation and transfer.Their photocurrent density of 4.52 mA·cm^-2 at 1.23 V vs.RHE represents an 1.84-fold improvement over that of TiO2/Cu2O.Specifically,the ultrathin Al2O3 passivation layer spontaneously generated on the surface of Al in air could act as a protective layer to significantly increase its stability.In this work,the synergistic effect of the heterojunctions and the SPR effect of the non-noble metal Al significantly improve the photoelectrode performance,providing a novel concept for the design of electrodes with good properties and high practicability.

A novel synthesis of highly active and highly stable non-noble-nickel-modified persulfated Al_(2)O_(3)@ZrO_(2) core-shell catalysts for n-pentane isomerization

The non-noble metal modified sulfated zirconia was found easy to deactivate.Herein,highly active and highly stable non-noble core-shell Ni-S_(2)O_(8)^(2−)/Al_(2)O_(3)@ZrO_(2) catalysts(Ni-SA@Z-x,x=Al content in wt%)have been successfully prepared and investigated for n-pentane isomerization.The results showed that the core-shell Ni-SA@Z-30 provided a sustained high isopentane yield(63.1%)with little or no deactivation within 5000 min at a mild reaction pressure of 2.0 MPa,which can be attributed to the following factors:(i)carbon deposition was greatly suppressed by the large pore size and huge pore volume;(ii)the loss of sulfur entities was suppressed because the small and highly dispersed tetragonal ZrO_(2) particles can bond with the S species strongly;(iii)strong Brønsted acidity can be maintained well after the isomerization.The pore structures and acid nature of the core-shell Ni-SA@Z-x are entirely different from those of the normal structure Ni-S_(2)O_(8)^(2−)/ZrO_(2)-Al_(2)O_(3),even though the Al content and the compositions of the individual components are the same.The Al_(2)O_(3)cores endow the catalysts with high internal surface area and high mechanical strength.Meanwhile,the ZrO_(2) shell,which consists of more and smaller tetragonal ZrO_(2) particles because of the large surface area of the Al_(2)O_(3)core,promotes the formation of more stable sulfur species and stronger binding sites.

Non-noble-metal electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction toward seawater splitting: A review

The direct electrolytic splitting of abundant seawater instead of scarce freshwater is an ideal strategy for producing clean and renewable hydrogen(H 2)fuels.The oxygen evolution reaction(OER)is a vital half-reaction that occurs during electrochemical seawater splitting.However,OER suffers from sluggish four-electron transfer kinetics and competitive chlorine evolution reactions in seawater.Noble metal-based catalysts such as IrO_(2) and RuO_(2) are considered to have state-of-the-art OER electrocatalytic activity,but the low reserves and high prices of these noble metals significantly limit their large-scale application.Recently,efforts have been made to explore efficient,robust,and anti-chlorine-corrosion non-noble-metal OER electrocatalysts for seawater splitting such as oxides,hydroxides,phosphides,nitrides,chalcogenides,alloys,and composites.An in-depth understanding of the fundamentals of seawater electrolysis and the design principle of electrode materials is important for promoting seawater-splitting technology.In this review,we first introduce fundamental reactions in seawater electrolytes.Subsequently,construction strategies for OER electrocatalysts for seawater splitting are introduced.Finally,present challenges and perspectives regarding non-noble-metal OER electrocatalysts for commercial H 2 production by seawater splitting are discussed.

Efficient Visible Light Hydrogen Evolution Catalyst Composed of Non-noble Metal Nitride (Ni_(3)N) Cocatalyst and Zn_(0.5)Cd_(0.5)S Solid Solution

In recent years,many effective photocatalysts have been developed to solve the problem of environmental pollution and clean energy shortage.In this paper,non-noble metal cocatalyst Ni_(3)N nanoparticles supported Zn_(0.5)Cd_(0.5)S(ZCS)nanorods(Ni_(3)N/ZCS)composites were successfully synthesized by ultrasonic method.The hydrogen production efficiencies of the photocatalysts were tested under visible light,which was found that when the loading of Ni_(3)N was 2%of the mass of ZCS,and the Ni_(3)N/ZCS composite had the best hydrogen evolution performance,which could reach 70.3 mmol·h^(-1)·g^(-1).In addition,the quantum efficiency under 420 nm monochromatic light irradiation was 27.2%.Through different characterization analyses,such as X-ray diffraction(XRD),scanning electron microscopy(SEM),and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra(DRS),a possible photocatalytic mechanism was proposed,providing some reference values for non-precious metals as cocatalysts.

Recent progress of precious-metal-free electrocatalysts for efficient water oxidation in acidic media

The realization of efficient oxygen evolution reaction(OER) is critical to the development of multiple sustainable energy conversion and storage technologies, especially hydrogen production via water electrolysis. To achieve the massive application of hydrogen energy and mass-scale hydrogen production from water splitting drives the pursuit of competent precious-metal-free electrocatalysts in acidic media, where the hydrogen evolution reaction(HER) is more facilitated. However, the development of high-efficient and acid-stable OER electrocatalysts, which are robust to function stably at high oxidation potentials in the acidic electrolyte, remains a great challenge. This article contributes a focused, perceptive review of the up-to-date approaches toward this emerging research field. The OER reaction mechanism and fundamental requirements for oxygen evolution electrocatalysts in acid are introduced. Then the progress and new discoveries of precious-metal-free active materials and design concepts with regard to the improvement of the intrinsic OER activity are discussed. Finally, the existing scientific challenges and the outlooks for future research directions to the fabrication of emerging, earth-abundant OER electrocatalysts in acid are pointed out.

Synthesis–structure correlations of manganese–cobalt mixed metal oxide nanoparticles

Mixed metal oxides in the nanoscale are of great interest for many aspects of energy related research topics as water splitting, fuel cells and battery technology. The development of scalable, cost-efficient and robust synthetic routes toward well-defined solid state structures is a major objective in this field.While monometallic oxides have been studied in much detail, reliable synthetic recipes targeting specific crystal structures of mixed metal oxide nanoparticles are largely missing. Yet, in order to meet the requirements for a broad range of technical implementation it is necessary to tailor the properties of mixed metal oxides to the particular purpose. Here, we present a study on the impact of the nature of the gas environment on the resulting crystal structure during a post-synthesis thermal heat treatment of manganese–cobalt oxide nanoparticles. We monitor the evolution of the crystal phase structure as the gas atmosphere is altered from pure nitrogen to synthetic air and pure oxygen. The particle size and homogeneity of the resulting nanoparticles increase with oxygen content, while the crystal structure gradually changes from rocksalt-like to pure spinel. We find the composition of the particles to be independent of the gas atmosphere. The manganese–cobalt oxide nanoparticles exhibited promising electrocatalytic activity regarding oxygen evolution in alkaline electrolyte. These findings offer new synthesis pathways for the direct preparation of versatile utilizable mixed metal oxides.

Electrochemical removal of ammonium nitrogen in high efficiency and N_(2) selectivity using non-noble single-atomic iron catalyst

Ammonia nitrogen (NH_(4)^(+)-N) is a ubiquitous environmental pollutant,especially in offshore aquaculture systems.Electrochemical oxidation is very promising to remove NH_(4)^(+)-N,but suffers from the use of precious metals anodes.In this work,a robust and cheap electrocatalyst,iron single-atoms distributed in nitrogen-doped carbon (Fe-SAs/N-C),was developed for electrochemical removal of NH_(4)^(+)-N from in wastewater containing chloride.The FeSAs/N-C catalyst exhibited superior activity than that of iron nanoparticles loaded carbon(Fe-NPs/N-C),unmodified carbon and conventional Ti/IrO_(2)-TiO_(2)-RuO_(2)electrodes.And high removal efficiency (>99%) could be achieved as well as high N_(2)selectivity (99.5%) at low current density.Further experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations demonstrated the indispensable role of single-atom iron in the promoted generation of chloride derived species for efficient removal of NH_(4)^(+)-N.This study provides promising inexpensive catalysts for NH_(4)^(+)-N removal in aquaculture wastewater.

Recent advances in carbonized non-noble metal–organic frameworks for electrochemical catalyst of oxygen reduction reaction

The non-noble metal oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) catalysts prepared by carbonization of metal–organic framework(MOF) have attracted more and more attentions in the fields of fuel cells and metal-air batteries due to their unique intrinsic advantages such as high catalytic activity, low price, simple synthesis and good adaptability. Different from the study of traditional high active noble metal catalysts, this review systematically summarizes recent developments on non-noble metal(Fe,Co, Cu, Ni, Mn and Mo) ORR catalysts prepared by various MOFs carbonization in different metal centers. The effects of synthesis strategies and pyrolysis conditions on the catalyst properties are discussed. Meanwhile, the key parameters of catalytic performances(including active sites, dispersed state and specific surface area) are discussed and the prospect is presented. It is expected that this review will provide effective guidance for future studies on carbonized non-noble MOFs for ORR electrochemical catalyst.

A review of non-noble metal-based electrocatalysts for CO_(2)electroreduction

The excessive emission of CO_(2) has caused many environmental issues and is severely threatening the eco-system.CO_(2) electroreduction reaction(CO_(2) RR) that driven by sustainable power is an ideal route for realizing the net reduction of CO_(2) and carbon recycle.Developing efficient electrocatalysts with low cost and high performance is critical for the wide applications of CO_(2) RR electrolysis.Among the various explored CO_(2) RR catalysts,non-noble metal(NNM)-based nanomaterials have drawn increasing attentions due to the remarkable performance and low cost.In this mini-review,the recent advances of NNM-based CO_(2) RR catalysts are summarized,and the catalysts are classified based on their corresponding reduction products.The preparation strategies for engineering the electrocatalysts are introduced,and the relevant CO_(2) RR mechanisms are discussed in detail.Finally,the current challenges in CO_(2) RR research are presented,and some perspectives are proposed for the future development of CO_(2) RR technology.This mini-review introduces the recent advances and frontiers of NNM-based CO_(2) RR catalysts,which should shed light on the further exploration of efficient CO_(2) RR electrocatalysts.

Non-noble metal-based bifunctional electrocatalysts for hydrogen production

Hydrogen is a promising candidate for clean and sustainable energy resources to substitute fossil fuels to mitigate global environmental issues.Electrochemical hydrogen production has been regarded as a viable and promising strategy.The overall water splitting is currently the predominant electrochemical hydrogen production method,which could be driven by renewable energy to achieve sustainable production.However,the current challenges are the intrinsically sluggish and energy-intensive oxygen evolution reduction(OER)at the anode and the expensive noble metal-based catalysts for overall water splitting,which limit the practical applications.Extensive efforts have been made to develop bifunctional non-noble metal-based electrocatalysts to boost hydrogen production efficiency and lower the cost.Meanwhile,alternative oxidation reactions with faster kinetics and less energy requirement than OER are being explored as the anodic reaction to couple with the hydrogen evolution reaction for energy-saving hydrogen production.In this review,the non-noble metal-based bifunctional electrocatalysts for overall water splitting,as well as other novel energy-saving hydrogen productions have been introduced and summarized.Current challenges and outlooks are commented on at the end of the article.

Design and synthesis of porous non-noble metal oxides for catalytic removal of VOCs

The design and synthesis of highly active non-noble metal oxide catalysts, such as transition- and rare-earth-metal oxides, have attracted significant attention because of their high efficiency and low cost and the resultant potential applications for the degradation of volatile organic compounds(VOCs). The structure-activity relationships have been well-studied and used to facilitate design of the structure and composition of highly active catalysts. Recently, non-noble metal oxides with porous structures have been used as catalysts for deep oxidation of VOCs, such as aromatic hydrocarbons, aliphatic compounds, aldehydes, and alcohols, with comparable activities to their noble metal counterparts. This review summarizes the growing literature regarding the use of porous metal oxides for the catalytic removal of VOCs, with emphasis on design of the composition and structure and typical synthetic technologies.

Comparative Studies of Non-noble Metal Modified Mesoporous M-Ni-CaO-ZrO2 （M=Fe, Co, Cu） Catalysts for Simulated Biogas Dry Reforming

The present work is aimed to improve the performance of Ni-based catalysts for biogas dry reforming by adding a second non-noble metal （Fe, Co, Cu） into a previously studied mesoporous Ni-CaO-ZrO2 nanocomposite. Biogas was simulated with equivalent methane and carbon dioxide for the dry reforming reaction. X-ray diffraction （XRD）, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）, N2 adsorption, temperature-programmed reduction （TPR）, thermogravi- metric analysis （TGA）, and transmission electron microscopy （TEM） measurements were taken to characterize the structural and textual properties of the bimetallic catalysts as well as the accumulated carbon deposition. The addition of Fe leads to a less ordering growth of mesopores of Fe-Ni-CaO-ZrO2 sample, and the existence of Cu results in a relatively larger portion of free NiO in Cu-Ni-CaO-ZrO2. Compared with Fe and Cu, the presence of Co could efficiently form a beneficial dual metal effect and enhance the strong metal support interaction between Ni and CaO-ZrO2, thus enhancing the activity and stability of the catalyst in biogas dry reforming reaction.

Non-noble metal single-atom catalysts with phosphotungstic acid(PTA)support:A theoretical study of ethylene epoxidation

Geometric and electronic structures of phosphotungstic acid(PTA)supported single transition metal atom(Fe,Co,Ni,Ru,Rh,Pd,Os,Ir and Pt)catalysts have been systematically investigated by using the first-principles theoretical methods.Possible reaction mechanism for ethylene epoxidation was explored.The most possible anchoring site for the single transition metal atom is the fourfold hollow site on PTA.As the non-noble metal Fe1-PTA system possesses considerable adsorption energies towards both O2 and C2H4,the strong bonding interaction between Fe1 and PTA cluster was analyzed.It is found that the electron transfers from Fe atom to PTA cluster and strong covalent metal-support interactions(CMSI)between the Fe 3 d orbitals and O 2 p orbitals of PTA lay the foundation of high stability.The proposed catalytic reaction mechanism for ethylene epoxidation on Fe1-PTA single-atom catalyst(SAC)includes three steps:the O2 adsorbs on Fe1-PTA via electron transfer;the first ethylene attacks the adsorbed O2 molecule on Fe1-PTA followed by the formation of C2H4O;finally,the O atom remained on Fe1-PTA reacts with a second ethylene to form the product and accomplish the catalytic cycle.The Fe1-PTA has high selectivity and catalytic activity for ethylene epoxidation via an Eley–Rideal mechanism with low energy barriers.A potentially competitive pathway for the formation of acetaldehyde is not kinetically favorable.These results provide insights for the development of highly efficient heterogeneous SACs for ethylene epoxidation with non-noble metals.

Metal–Organic Framework-Derived Hollow Nanocubes as Stable Noble Metal-Free Electrocatalyst for Water Splitting at High Current Density

Alkaline water electrolysis is an environmentally friendly and promising approach to produce hydrogen.However,high cost,low efficiency,and poor stability are roadblocks to commercialization of electrocatalysts.This work aims to design and develop a highly efficient,durable,and cost-effective electrocatalyst toward water splitting through modifying metal–organic frameworks.The electrocatalytic performance and stability surpass those of noble metal benchmarks at high current density(1–10 A·cm^(−2)).Theoretical calculations and in situ Raman spectra reveal the electronic structure of the synthesized catalyst and the mechanism of the catalytic reaction process,which rationalizes that the high catalytic activity and stability at high current are attributed to the unique electronic structure of cobalt regulated by copper and the protection provided by carbon nanotubes formed in situ,respectively.In addition,this paper proposes that the desorption ability of the catalyst toward the products(H_(2)and O_(2)),rather than the adsorption ability toward the reactants(H^(+)or OH^(−)),is more important to the sustainable and stable electrochemical water splitting progress at high current density,which is a kinetic rather than thermodynamic dominating process.The findings provide alternative insights to design and employ high performance catalysts to fuel hydrogen production as a clean energy source to tackle the global energy crisis.

Monodispersed Pt nanoparticles on reduced graphene oxide by a non-noble metal sacrificial approach for hydrolytic dehydrogenation of ammonia borane

Downsizing noble metal nanoparticles,such as Pt,is an essential goal for many catalytic reactions.A non-noble metal sacrificial approach was used to immobilize monodispersed Pt nanoparticles （NPs） with a mean size of 1.2 nm on reduced graphene oxide （RGO）.ZnO co-precipitated with Pt NPs and subsequently sacrificed by acid etching impedes the diffusion of Pt atoms onto the primary Pt particles and also their aggregation during the reduction of precursors.The resulting ultrafine Pt nanoparticles exhibit high activity （a turnover frequency of 284 min-1 at 298 K） in the hydrolytic dehydrogenation of ammonia borane.The non-noble metal sacrificial approach is demonstrated as a general approach to synthesize well-dispersed noble metal NPs for catalysis.

Recent Progress in Carbon-based Materials of Non-Noble Metal Catalysts for ORR in Acidic Environment

Proton exchange membrane fuel cell(PEMFC)has important implications for the success of clean transportation in the future.One of the key factors affecting the cost and performance of PEMFC is the cathode electrocatalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)to overcome sluggish kinetics and instability in an acidic environment.As an essential component of the electrocatalyst,the support material largely determines the activity,mass transfer,charge transfer,and durability of the electrocatalyst.Thereby,the support material plays a critical role in the overall performance of the electrocatalyst.Carbonbased materials are widely used as electrocatalyst supports because of their high porosity,conductivity,chemical stability,and tunable morphology.Recently,some new carbon-based materials with excellent structure have been introduced,such as carbon nanotubes,carbon nanowires,graphene,metal-organic framework(MOF)-derived carbon,and biomass-derived carbon materials.Combined with a variety of strategies,such as controllable construction of porous structures and surface defects,proper doping heteroatoms,the ingenious design of model electrocatalysts,and predictive theoretical calculation,a new reliable path was provided for further improving the performance of electrocatalysts and exploring the catalytic mechanism.Based on the topic of carbon-based materials for ORR in acidic medium,this review summarizes the up-to-date progress and breakthroughs,highlights the factors affecting the catalytic activity and stability of ORR electrocatalysts in acids,and discusses their future application and development.

Recent progress of two-dimensional metal-base catalysts in urea oxidation reaction

Urea oxidation reaction(UOR)is an auxiliary water electrolysis hydrogen production technology developed in recent years to replace oxygen evolution reaction and reduce energy consumption,which can produce hydrogen more efficiently by low theoretical potential,reduce the average cost of electrochemical hydrogen production,and is a frontier research hotspot for renewable hydrogen energy.Two-dimensional(2D)nanomaterials as electrocatalysts have many favorable potential,such as it can effectively reduce the resistivity of materials and increase the specific surface area with certainty.This paper reviews the application of 2D materials in UOR in alkaline electrolytes.And a cross-sectional comparison of various material performance data including overpotential,Tafel slope,electrochemical active surface area(ECSA)and it stability test was conducted,which could illustrate the differences between materials composed of different elements.In addition,the main challenges hindering the progress of research on 2D materials in urea electrocatalysis processes and promising materials in this field in future are summarized and prospected.It is believed that this review will contribute to designing and analyzing highperformance 2D urea electrocatalysts for water splitting.