Steam reforming of acetic acid over Ni/biochar of low metal-loading:Involvement of biochar in tailoring reaction intermediates renders superior catalytic performance

Biochar is a reactive carrier as it may be partially gasified with steam in steam reforming,which could influence the formation of reaction intermediates and modify catalytic behaviors.Herein,the Ni/biochar as well as two comparative catalysts,Ni/Al_(2)O_(3) and Ni/SiO_(2),with low nickel loading(2%(mass))was conducted to probe involvement of the varied carriers in the steam reforming.The results indicated that the Ni/biochar performed excellent catalytic activity than Ni/SiO_(2) and Ni/Al_(2)O_(3),as the biochar carrier facilitated quick conversion of the -OH from dissociation of steam to gasify the oxygen-rich carbonaceous intermediates like C=O and C-O-C,resulting in low coverage while high exposure of nickel species for maintaining the superior catalytic performance.In converse,strong adsorption of aliphatic intermediates over Ni/Al_(2)O_(3) and Ni/SiO_(2) induced serious coking with polymeric coke as the main type(21.5%and 32.1%,respectively),which was significantly higher than that over Ni/biochar(3.9%).The coke over Ni/biochar was mainly aromatic or catalytic type with nanotube morphology and high crystallinity.The high resistivity of Ni/biochar towards coking was due to the balance between formation of coke and gasification of coke and partially biochar with steam,which created developed mesopores in spent Ni/biochar while the coke blocked pores in Ni/Al_(2)O_(3) and Ni/SiO_(2) catalysts.

In-situ monitoring of dynamic behavior of catalyst materials and reaction intermediates in semiconductor catalytic processes

Semiconductor photocatalysis, as a key part of solar energy utilization, has far-reaching implications for industrial, agricultural, and commercial development. Lack of understanding of the catalyst evolution and the reaction mechanism is a critical obstacle for designing efficient and stable photocatalysts. This review summarizes the recent progress of in-situ exploring the dynamic behavior of catalyst materials and reaction intermediates. Semiconductor photocatalytic processes and two major classes of in-situ techniques that include microscopic imaging and spectroscopic characterization are presented. Finally, problems and challenges in in-situ characterization are proposed, geared toward developing more advanced in-situ techniques and monitoring more accurate and realistic reaction processes, to guide designing advanced photocatalysts.

Stabilization and detection of labile reaction intermediates in supramolecular containers

Detection and observation of reactive intermediates is an essential step in investigation of reaction pathways.However,most reactive intermediates are unstable and present at low concentrations;their short lifetimes make them difficult to detect and characterize.Supramolecular containers offer opportunities for the stabilization and characterization of those labile species,through isolation from the media and protection inside the cavity of the host.In this review,we summarize the examples of labile reaction intermediates that are stabilized and characterized with the help of supramolecular containers.The container compounds include carcerands,deep cavitands and amide naphthotubes.We focus on unstable guest species-cyclobutadiene,benzocyclopropenone,o-benzyne,1,2,4,6-cycloheptatetraene,anti-Bredt's olefin,fluorophenoxycarbene,O-acylisoamide,and hemiaminalthat act as intermediates in certain organic reactions.

Mg-Al-hydrotalcite with alkaline sites protects Ni/KIT-6 from formation of amorphous coke in glycerol steam reforming via tailoring reaction intermediates

During steam reforming,the performance of a catalyst and amount/property of coke are closely related to reaction intermediates reaching surface of a catalyst.Herein,modification of reaction intermediates by placing Mg-Al-hydrotalcite above Ni/KIT-6 catalyst in steam reforming of glycerol was conducted at 300 to 600°C.The results revealed that the catalytic activity of Ni/KIT-6 in the lower bed was enhanced with either Mg1-Al5-hydrotalcite(containing more acidic sites)or Mg5-Al1-hydrotalcite(containing more alkaline sites)as upper-layer catalyst.The in situ infrared characterization of steam reforming demonstrated that Mg-Al-hydrotalcite catalyzed the deoxygenation of glycerol,facilitating the reforming of the partially deoxygenated intermediates over Ni/KIT-6.Mg-Al-hydrotalcite as protective catalyst,however,did not protect the Ni/KIT-6 from formation of more coke.Nonetheless,this did not lead to further deactivation of Ni/KIT-6 while Mg5-Al1-hydrotalcite even substantially enhanced the catalytic stability,even though the coke was much more significant than that in the use of single Ni/KIT-6(52.7%vs.28.6%).The reason beneath this was change of the property of coke from more aliphatic to more aromatic.Mg5-Al1-hydrotalcite catalyzed dehydration of glycerol,producing dominantly reaction intermediates bearing C=C,which formed the catalytic coke of with carbon nanotube as the main form with smooth outer walls as well as higher aromaticity,C/H ratio,crystallinity,crystal carbon size,thermal stability,and resistivity toward oxidation on Ni/KIT-6 in the lower bed.In comparison,the abundance of acidic sites on Mg1-Al5-hydrotalcite catalyzed the formation of more oxygen-containing species,leading to the formation of carbon nanotubes of rough surface on Ni/KIT-6.

Alumina-coated Ag nanocrystal monolayers as surfaceenhanced Raman spectroscopy platforms for the direct spectroscopic detection of water splitting reaction intermediates

A novel Ag-alumina hybrid surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy （SERS） platform has been designed for the spectroscopic detection of surface reactions in the steady state. Single crystalline and faceted silver （Ag） nanoparticles with strong light scattering were prepared in large quantity, which enables their reproducible self-assembly into large scale monolayers of Raman sensor arrays by the Langrnuir-Blodgett technique. The close packed sensor film contains high density of sub-nm gaps between sharp edges of Ag nanoparticles, which created large local electromagnetic fields that serve as ＂hot spots＂ for SERS enhancement. The SERS substrate was then coated with a thin layer of alumina by atomic layer deposition to prevent charge transfer between Ag and the reaction system. The photocatalytic water splitting reaction on a monolayer of anatase TiO2 nanoplates decorated with Pt co-catalyst nanoparticles was employed as a model reaction system. Reaction intermediates of water photooxidation were observed at the TiO2/solution interface under UV irradiation. The surface-enhanced Raman vibrations corresponding to peroxo, hydroperoxo and hydroxo surface intermediate species were observed on the TiO2 surface, suggesting that the photo-oxidation of water on these anatase TiO2 nanosheets may be initiated by a nucleophilic attack mechanism.

Tuning the intermediate reaction barriers by a CuPd catalyst to improve the selectivity of CO_(2) electroreduction to C_(2) products

Electrochemical CO2 reduction is a promising strategy for the utilization of CO2 and intermittent excess electricity.Cu is the only single metal catalyst that can electrochemically convert CO2 into multicarbon products.However,Cu exhibits an unfavorable activity and selectivity for the generation of C2 products because of the insufficient amount of CO*provided for the C‐C coupling.Based on the strong CO2 adsorption and ultrafast reaction kinetics of CO*formation on Pd,an intimate CuPd(100)interface was designed to lower the intermediate reaction barriers and improve the efficiency of C2 product formation.Density functional theory(DFT)calculations showed that the CuPd(100)interface enhanced the CO2 adsorption and decreased the CO2*hydrogenation energy barrier,which was beneficial for the C‐C coupling.The potential‐determining step(PDS)barrier of CO2 to C2 products on the CuPd(100)interface was 0.61 eV,which was lower than that on Cu(100)(0.72 eV).Encouraged by the DFT calculation results,the CuPd(100)interface catalyst was prepared by a facile chemical solution method and characterized by transmission electron microscopy.CO2 temperature‐programmed desorption and gas sensor experiments further confirmed the enhancement of the CO2 adsorption and CO2*hydrogenation ability of the CuPd(100)interface catalyst.Specifically,the obtained CuPd(100)interface catalyst exhibited a C2 Faradaic efficiency of 50.3%±1.2%at‒1.4 VRHE in 0.1 M KHCO3,which was 2.1 times higher than that of the Cu catalyst(23.6%±1.5%).This study provides the basis for the rational design of Cu‐based electrocatalysts for the generation of multicarbon products by fine‐tuning the intermediate reaction barriers.

DETECTION OF INTERMEDIATES IN REACTION BETWEEN N , N'-DI (P-METHYL) PHENYL MONOTHIOXAMIDES AND 1, 3-DIAMINE TRIMETHYLENE USING RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY

Reman spectroscopy is used as a tool to monitor the reaction between N,N'-di(pmethyl)monothioxamides and 1,3-diamine trimethylene and to detect the reaction intermediate. By observing changes of 1024 cm^(-1) C=S band and appearance of a new bend at around 1720 cm^(-1), the reaction mechanism is discussed.

Amorphous Sn(HPO_(4))_(2)-derived phosphorus-modified Sn/SnO_(x) core/shell catalyst for efficient CO_(2) electroreduction to formate

Simultaneously achieving high activity,selectivity and stability for electrochemical CO_(2)reduction reaction(CO_(2)RR)remains great challenges.Herein,a phosphorus-modified Sn/Sn Oxcore/shell(P-Sn/SnO_x)catalyst,derived from in situ electrochemical reduction of an amorphous Sn(HPO_(4))_(2) pre-catalyst,exhibits high CO_(2)RR performance.The total Faradaic efficiency(FE)of C_(1) products is close to 100%in a broad potential range from-0.49 to-1.02 V vs.reversible hydrogen electrode,and a total current density of 315.0 m A cm^(-2)is achieved.Moreover,the P-Sn/SnO_(x) catalyst maintains a formate FE of~90%for 120 h.Density functional theory calculations suggest that the phosphorus-modified Sn/SnO_(x) core/shell structure effectively facilitates formate production by enhancing CO_(2)adsorption and improving free energy profile of formate formation.

Determining the nuclear temperature dependence on source neutron-proton asymmetry in heavy-ion reactions at intermediate energy

In this article,we investigate the dependence of nuclear temperature on emitting source neutron-proton(N/Z)asymmetry with light charged particles(LCPs)and intermediate mass fragments(IMFs)generated from intermediate-velocity sources in thirteen reaction systems with different N/Z asymmetries,^(64)Zn on^(112)Sn,and^(70)Zn,^(64)Ni on^(112,124)Sn,^(58,64)Ni,^(197)Au,and^(232)Th at 40 MeV/nucleon.The apparent temperature values of LCPs and IMFs from different systems are deduced from the measured yields using two helium-related and eight carbon-related double isotope ratio thermometers,respectively.Then,the sequential decay effect on the experimental apparent temperature deduction with the double isotope ratio thermometers is quantitatively corrected explicitly with the aid of the quantum statistical model.The present treatment is an improvement compared to our previous studies in which an indirect method was adopted to qualitatively consider the sequential decay effect.A negligible N/Z asymmetry dependence of the real temperature after the correction is quantitatively addressed in heavy-ion reactions at the present intermediate energy,where a change of o.1 units in source N/Z asymmetry corresponds to an absolute change in temperature of an order of 0.03 to 0.29 MeV on average for LCPs and IMFs.This conclusion is in close agreement with that inferred qualitatively via the indirect method in our previous studies.

Selective extraction and conversion of lignin in actual biomass to monophenols: A review

Our over dependency on the fossil resource for industrial chemicals and fuels faces great challenges. Recently, the production of monophenols from lignin in lignocellulosic biomass is regarded as a promising process for sustainable biofuels. This article discusses the conversion of lignin in actual biomass directly to monophenols. The two step way including extraction of lignin from biomass and further degradation of the lignin oligomers to monophenols is especially discussed. The obtained monophenols can also be converted to chemicals with low-oxygen content via hydrodeoxygenation process. For extraction of lignin, co-solvent system is the most adopted for hydrolysis or solvolysis of lignin assisted by acid or alkaline catalysts. The structure of the obtained oligomers derived from lignin is discussed in detail. For lignin depolymerization, hydrogenolysis is an efficient method with the use of gaseous hydrogen or alcohols as hydrogen source. At the meantime, depolymerization mechanism and the route for repolymerization of the reaction intermediates are presented here. In hydrodeoxygenation process, metal catalysts, especially noble metal catalysts are required. The precise effects of the reaction solvents and catalysts on extraction and degradation of lignin need to be further investigated, and this will benefit to design more efficient strategies for lignin utilization. © 2016 Science Press

Initiation Mechanism of Polymerization of Acryl－amide by Ceric Ion／2－Benzoyl Acetanilide System

he initiation mechanism of ceric ion/2-benzoyl acetanilide system was studiedby means of FT-IR, EPR and kinetic studies which revealed that 2-benzoyl ac-etanilide acts as a very active promotor to the polymerization initiated by ceric ion.The initiation mechanism was then proposed which involved the complex formationbetween a ceric ion and a l ,3-diketone group or a carbamate group, followed by,thedecomposition of the complex to generate C-centered secondary alkyl radical and N-centered anillido radical, both of which would initiate polymerization of vinylmonomer as the end groups of the polymers formed.

High-performance Bi_(2)S_(3)/ZnO photoanode enabled by interfacial engineering with oxyanion for efficient photoelectrochemical water oxidation

In the present contribution,we demonstrate that the sluggish kinetics of oxygen evolution reaction(OER)over the bismuth sulfide(Bi_(2)S_(3))photoanode,which severely restricts its photoelectrochemical activity,is markedly accelerated by employing a sulfatecontaining electrolyte.First-principle calculation points to the spontaneous adsorption of sulfate(SO_(4)^(2−))on Bi_(2)S_(3)and its capacity of stabilizing the OER intermediates through hydrogen bonding,which is further reinforced by increasing the local density of states near the Fermi level of Bi_(2)S_(3).Meanwhile,the electron transfer is also promoted to synergistically render the ratedetermining step(from O*to OOH*)of OER over Bi_(2)S_(3)kinetically facile.Last but not least,benefitting from such enhanced OER activity and efficient charge separation resulted from depositing Bi_(2)S_(3)on the zinc oxide nanorods(ZnO NRs),forming a core–shell heterojunction,its photocurrent density achieves 8.61 mA·cm^(−2)at 1.23 VRHE,far surpassing those reported for additional Bi_(2)S_(3)-based and several state-of-the-art photoanodes in the literature and further exceeding their theoretical limit.The great promise of the Bi_(2)S_(3)/ZnO NRs is in view of such outperformance,the superior Faradaic yield of oxygen of more than~80%and the outstanding half-cell applied bias photon-to-current efficiency of~1%well corroborated.

Intrinsic chemiluminescence production from the degradation of haloaromatic pollutants during environmentally-friendly advanced oxidation processes:Mechanism,structure-activity relationship and potential applications

The ubiquitous distribution of halogenated aromatic compounds（XAr） coupled with their carcinogenicity has raised public concerns on their potential risks to both human health and the ecosystem. Recently, advanced oxidation processes（AOPs） have been considered as an＂environmentally-friendly＂ technology for the remediation and destruction of such recalcitrant and highly toxic XAr. During our study on the mechanism of metal-independent production of hydroxyl radicals（UOH） by halogenated quinones and H_2O_2, we found, unexpectedly, that an unprecedented UOH-dependent two-step intrinsic chemiluminescene（CL） can be produced by H_2O_2 and tetrachloro-p-benzoquinone, the major carcinogenic metabolite of the widely used wood preservative pentachlorophenol. Further investigations showed that, in all UOH-generating systems, CL can also be produced not only by pentachlorophenol and all other halogenated phenols, but also by all XAr tested. A systematic structure–activity relationship study for all 19 chlorophenolic congeners showed that the CL increased with an increasing number of Cl-substitution in general. More importantly, a relatively good correlation was observed between the formation of quinoid/semiquinone radical intermediates and CL generation. Based on these results, we propose that UOH-dependent formation of quinoid intermediates and electronically excited carbonyl species is responsible for this unusual CL production; and a rapid, sensitive,simple, and effective CL method was developed not only to detect and quantify trace amount of XAr, but also to provide useful information for predicting the toxicity or monitoring real-time degradation kinetics of XAr. These findings may have broad chemical, environmental and biological implications for future studies on halogenated aromatic persistent organic pollutants.