海泥细菌电池电催化降解效应——一种海底石油污染生态原位修复绿色新技术

海底石油污染可导致长期的生态灾难。一般海洋石油污染防治技术无法用于海底环境。文章描述了一种绿色的海底石油污染生态原位修复新技术,利用沉积层生物燃料电池电催化加速降解效应,即利用海底沉积层(海泥)中的多种细菌以石油污染物为营养物,代谢产生的电子被电池正极和负载消耗掉,反过来促进细菌加速降解污染物。该技术既可在海底加速石油污染物降解速率,又可原位产生电能驱动监测仪器工作,还可用于原位监测生态修复进展,故具有重要的应用前景。

聚吡咯膜电极对茜素红的电催化作用

用循环伏安法研究了电化学聚合的聚吡咯（ＰＰｙ）膜电极对茜素红电极反应的电催化活性。在聚吡咯膜电极上，茜素红的阳极氧化电流比在铂电极上增加数倍。相应的阴极过程也较铂电极显出一定的催化活性。茜素红在铂电极上和ＰＰｙ膜电极上都显示了吸附现象。在ＰＰｙ膜电极上用电位扫描法载入一定的铂微粒时，载铂微粒的ＰＰｙ膜电极上茜素红的电催化电流进一步增加．在较高的电位和扫描速率下更为明显；但载入的铂微粒过多时，则使电流峰变平坦。

Cation effects in electrocatalytic reduction reactions:Recent advances

Electrocatalytic reduction reactions,powered by clean energy sources such as solar energy and wind,offer a sustainable method for converting inexpensive feedstocks(e.g.,CO_(2),N_(2)/NO_(x),organics,and O_(2))into high-value-added chemicals or fuels.The design and modification of electrocatalysts have been widely implemented to improve their performance in these reactions.However,bottle-necks are encountered,making it challenging to further improve performance through catalyst development alone.Recently,cations in the electrolyte have emerged as critical factors for tuning both the activity and product selectivity of reduction reactions.This review summarizes recent advances in understanding the role of cation effects in electrocatalytic reduction reactions.First,we introduce the mechanisms underlying cation effects.We then provide a comprehensive overview of their application in electroreduction reactions.Characterization techniques and theoretical calcula-tion methods for studying cation effects are also discussed.Finally,we address remaining challeng-es and future perspectives in this field.We hope that this review offers fundamental insights and design guidance for utilizing cation effects,thereby advancing their development.

Synergistic effect of heterogeneous single atoms and clusters for improved catalytic performance

Electrocatalytic water splitting provides an efficient method for the production of hydrogen.In electrocatalytic water splitting,the oxygen evolution reaction(OER)involves a kinetically sluggish four-electron transfer process,which limits the efficiency of electrocatalytic water splitting.Therefore,it is urgent to develop highly active OER catalysts to accelerate reaction kinetics.Coupling single atoms and clusters in one system is an innovative approach for developing efficient catalysts that can synergistically optimize the adsorption and configuration of intermediates and improve catalytic activity.However,research in this area is still scarce.Herein,we constructed a heterogeneous single-atom cluster system by anchoring Ir single atoms and Co clusters on the surface of Ni(OH)_(2)nanosheets.Ir single atoms and Co clusters synergistically improved the catalytic activity toward the OER.Specifically,Co_(n)Ir_(1)/Ni(OH)_(2)required an overpotential of 255 mV at a current density of 10 mA·cm^(−2),which was 60 mV and 67 mV lower than those of Co_(n)/Ni(OH)_(2)and Ir1/Ni(OH)_(2),respectively.The turnover frequency of Co_(n)Ir_(1)/Ni(OH)_(2)was 0.49 s^(−1),which was 4.9 times greater than that of Co_(n)/Ni(OH)_(2)at an overpotential of 300 mV.

Enhancing selectivity in acidic CO_(2) electrolysis:Cation effects and catalyst innovation

The electrochemical reduction of CO_(2)(eCO_(2)R)under ambient conditions is crucial for reducing carbon emissions and achieving carbon neutrality.Despite progress with alkaline and neutral electrolytes,their efficiency is limited by(bi)carbonates formation.Acidic media have emerged as a solution,addressing the(bi)carbonates challenge but introducing the issue of the hydrogen evolu-tion reaction(HER),which reduces CO_(2) conversion efficiency in acidic environments.This review focuses on enhancing the selectivity of acidic CO_(2) electrolysis.It commences with an overview of the latest advancements in acidic CO_(2) electrolysis,focusing on product selectivity and electrocatalytic activity enhancements.It then delves into the critical factors shaping selectivity in acidic CO_(2) electrolysis,with a special emphasis on the influence of cations and catalyst design.Finally,the research challenges and personal perspectives of acidic CO_(2) electrolysis are suggested.

Ag-Ni alloy nanoparticles for electrocatalytic reduction of benzyl chloride

Ag-based nanocatalysts exhibit good catalytic activity for the electrochemical reduction of organic halides. Ag-Ni alloy nanoparticles（NPs） were facilely prepared by chemical reduction, and the as-prepared nanocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The electrocatalytic activity of Ag-Ni NPs for benzyl chloride reduction was studied in organic medium using cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The results show that the addition of Ni element can obviously decrease the size of Ag-Ni NPs, shift the reduction peak potential（φp） of benzyl chloride positively, and increase the catalytic activity of Ag-Ni NPs. However, when the Ni content reaches a certain value, the catalytic activity of Ag-Ni NPs decreases. Meanwhile, the synergistic catalytic effect of Ag-Ni NPs was also discussed.

Recent progress in electronic modulation of electrocatalysts for high-efficient polysulfide conversion of Li-S batteries

With the merits of high energy density,environmental friendliness,and cost effectiveness,lithium-sulfur(Li-S)batteries are considered as one of the most promising next-generation electrochemical storage systems.However,the notorious polysulfide shuttle effect,which results in low active material utilization and serious capacity fading,severely impedes the practical application of Li-S batteries.Utilizing various electrocatalysts to improve the polysulfide redox kinetics has recently emerged as a promising strategy to address the shuttle effect.Specially,the electronic structure of the electrocatalysts plays a decisive role in determining the catalytic activity to facilitate the polysulfide conversion.Therefore,reasonably modulating the electronic structure of electrocatalysts is of paramount significance for improving the electrochemical performance of Li-S batteries.Herein,a comprehensive overview of the fascinating strategies to tailor the electronic structure of electrocatalysts for Li-S batteries is presented,including but not limited to vacancy engineering,heteroatom doping,single atom doping,band regulation,alloying,and heterostructure engineering.The future perspectives and challenges are also proposed for designing high-efficient electrocatalysts to construct high-energy-density and long-lifetime Li-S batteries.

Synergistic effect of metallic nickel and cobalt oxides with nitrogen-doped carbon nanospheres for highly efficient oxygen evolution

The most energy-inefficient step in the oxygen evolution reaction(OER), which involves a complicated four-electron transfer process, limits the efficiency of the electrochemical water splitting. Here, well-defined Ni/Co3O4 nanoparticles coupled with N-doped carbon hybrids(Ni/Co3O4@NC) were synthesized via a facile impregnation-calcination method as efficient electrocatalysts for OER in alkaline media. Notably, the impregnation of the polymer with Ni and Co ions in the first step ensured the homogeneous distribution of metals, thus guaranteeing the subsequent in situ calcination reaction, which produced well-dispersed Ni and Co3O4 nanoparticles. Moreover, the N-doped carbon matrix formed at high temperatures could effectively prevent the aggregation and coalescence, and regulate the electronic configuration of active species. Benefiting from the synergistic effect between the Ni, Co3O4, and NC species, the obtained Ni/Co3O4@NC hybrids exhibited enhanced OER activities and remarkable stability in an alkaline solution with a smaller overpotential of 350 m V to afford 10 m A cm-2, lower Tafel slope of 52.27 m V dec-1, smaller charge-transfer resistance, and higher double-layer capacitance of 25.53 m F cm-2 compared to those of unary Co3O4@NC or Ni@NC metal hybrids. Therefore, this paper presents a facile strategy for designing other heteroatom-doped oxides coupled with ideal carbon materials as electrocatalysts for the OER.

Dual-site collaboration boosts electrochemical nitrogen reduction on Ru-S-C single-atom catalyst

Electrocatalytic reduction of nitrogen into ammonia(NH_(3))is a highly attractive but challenging route for NH_(3)production.We propose to realize a synergetic work of multi reaction sites to overcome the limitation of sustainable NH_(3)production.Herein,using ruthenium-sulfur-carbon(Ru-S-C)catalyst as a prototype,we show that the Ru/S dual-site cooperates to catalyse eletrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction(eNRR)at ambient conditions.With the combination of theoretical calculations,in situ Raman spectroscopy,and experimental observation,we demonstrate that such Ru/S dual-site cooperation greatly facilitates the activation and first protonation of N_(2)in the rate-determining step of eNRR.As a result,Ru-S-C catalyst exhibits significantly enhanced eNRR performance compared with the routine Ru-N-C catalyst via a single-site catalytic mechanism.We anticipate that our specifically designed dual-site collaborative catalytic mechanism will open up a new way to offers new opportunities for advancing sustainable NH_(3)production.

Synergistic effect of cobalt and copper on a nickel-based modified graphite electrode during methanol electro-oxidation in NaOH solution

The electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol was studied over Ni, Co and Cu binary or ternary alloys on graphite electrodes in a NaOH solution （0.1 mol/L）. The catalysts were prepared by cycling the graphite electrode in solutions containing Ni, Cu and Co ions at cathodic potentials. The synergistic effects and catalytic activity of the modified electrodes were investigated by cyclic voltammetry （CV）, chronoamperometry CCA） and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy （EIS）. It was found that, in the presence of methanol, the modified Ni-based ternary alloy electrode （G/NiCuCo） exhibited a significantly higher response for methanol oxidation compared to the other samples. The anodic peak currents showed a linear dependency on the square root of the scan rate, which is a characteristic of a diffusion controlled process. During CA studies, the reaction exhibited Cottrellin behavior and the diffusion coefficient of methanol was determined to be 6.25× 10-6 cm2/s and the catalytic rate constant, K, for methanol oxidation was found to be 40×107 cm3/Cmol.s）. EIS was used to investigate the catalytic oxidation of methanol on the surface of the modified electrode.

The possible implications of magnetic field effect on understanding the reactant of water splitting

Electrochemical water splitting consists of two elementary reactions i.e.,hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)and oxygen evolution reaction(OER).Developing robust HER and OER technologies necessitates a molecular picture of reaction mechanism,yet the reactants for water splitting reactions are unfortunately not fully understood.Here we utilize magnetic field to understand proton transport in HER,and hydroxide ion transport in OER,to discuss the possible implications on understanding the reactants for HER and OER.Magnetic field is a known tool for changing the movement of charged species like ions,e.g.the magnetic‐field‐improved Cu^(2+)transportation near the electrode in Cu electrodeposition.However,applying a magnetic field does not affect the HER or OER rate across various pH,which challenges the traditional opinion that charged species(i.e.proton and hydroxide ion)act as the reactant.This anomalous response of HER and OER to magnetic field,and the fact that the transport of proton and hydroxide ion follow Grotthuss mechanism,collectively indicate water may act as the universal reactant for HER and OER across various pH.With the aid of magnetic field,this work serves as an understanding of water might be the reactant in HER and OER,and possibly in other electrocatalysis reactions involving protonation and deprotonation step.A model that simply focuses on the charged species but overlooking the complexity of the whole electrolyte phase where water is the dominant species,may not reasonably reflect the electrochemistry of HER and OER in aqueous electrolyte.

Tuning the electronic structure of platinum nanocrystals towards high efficient ethanol oxidation

Direct ethanol fuel cell is a promising low temperature fuel cell,but its development is hindered by sluggish kinetics of anode catalysts for ethanol oxidation.Here a high efficient platinum/tin oxide/Graphene nanocomposite is synthesized through a facile and environmentally benign method.The structure and morphology are carefully characterized by X-ray diffraction and Transmission electron microscopy,showing a clear platinum/tin oxide heterostructure uniformly dispersed on graphene support.This catalyst demonstrates the highest activity among the reported catalysts and much higher durability towards ethanol oxidation compared to conventional platinum nanocatalysts.The ultrahigh activity originates from promoted removal of poisoning carbon monoxide immediate species on platinum due to a strong electronic donating effect from both tin oxide and graphene,which is fully supported by carbon monoxide stripping and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis.Our platinum/tin oxide/Graphene appears to be a promising candidate for ethanol oxidation electrocatalysts.

Facet dependence of electrocatalytic furfural hydrogenation on palladium nanocrystals

Electrocatalytic hydrogenation(ECH)offers a sustainable route for the conversion of biomass-derived feedstocks under ambient conditions;however,an atomic-level understanding of the catalytic mechanism based on heterogeneous electrodes is lacking.To gain insights into the relation between electrocatalysis and the catalyst surface configuration,herein,the facet dependence of the ECH of furfural(FAL)is investigated on models of nanostructured Pd cubes,rhombic dodecahedrons,and octahedrons,which are predominantly enclosed by{100},{110},and{111}facets,respectively.The facet-dependent specific activity to afford furfuryl alcohol(FOL)follows the order of{111}>{100}>{110}.Experimental and theoretical kinetic analyses confirmed the occurrence of a competitive adsorption Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanism on Pd,in which the ECH activity can be correlated with the difference between the binding energies of chemisorbed H(^(*)H)and FAL(^(*)FAL)based on density functional theoretical(DFT)calculations.Among the three facets,Pd{111}exhibiting the strongest^(*)H but the weakest^(*)FAL showed the copresence of the^(*)H and^(*)FAL intermediates on the Pd surface for subsequent hydrogenation,experimentally confirming its high ECH activity and Faradaic efficiency.The free energies determined using DFT calculations indicated that^(*)H addition to the carbonyl of FAL on Pd{111}was thermodynamically preferred over desorption to gaseous H2,contributing to efficient ECH to afford FOL at the expense of H2 evolution.The obtained insights into the facet-dependent ECH underline that surface bindings assist ECH or H2 evolution considering their competitiveness.These findings are expected to deepen the fundamental understanding of electrochemical refinery and broaden the scope of electrocatalyst exploration.

Cobalt/iron bimetal-organic frameworks as efficient electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction

The development of high efficiency and stable electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution is critical for energy storage and conversion systems. Herein, a series of Co/Fe bimetal-organic frameworks (MOFs) were fabricated using a facile ultrasonic method at room temperature, as electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline solution. The Co2Fe-MOF exhibited an overpotential of 280 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm^-2, a low Tafel slope of 44.7 mV dec^-1, and long-term stability over 12000 s in 1 mol L^-1 KOH. This impressive performance was attributed to the high charge transfer rate, large specific surface area, and synergistic effects of the cobalt and iron centers.

Understanding surface charge effects in electrocatalysis.Part 2:Hydrogen peroxide reactions at platinum

Electrocatalytic activity is influenced by the surface charge on the solid catalyst.Conventionally,our attention has been focused on how the surface charge shapes the electric potential and concentration of ionic reactant(s)in the local reaction zone.Taking H_(2)O_(2)redox reactions at Pt(111)as a model system,we reveal a peculiar surface charge effect using ab initio molecular dynamics simulations of electrified Pt(111)-water interfaces.In this scenario,the negative surface charge on Pt(111)repels the O-O bond of the reactant(H_(2)O_(2))farther away from the electrode surface.This leads to a higher activation barrier for breaking the O-O bond.Incorporating this microscopic mechanism into a microkinetic-double-layer model,we are able to semi-quantitatively interpret the pH-dependent activity of H_(2)O_(2)redox reactions at Pt(111),especially the anomalously suppressed activity of H_(2)O_(2)reduction with decreasing electrode potential.The relevance of the present surface charge effect is also examined in wider scenarios with different electrolyte cations,solution pHs,crystal facets of the catalyst,and model parameters.In contrast with previous mechanisms focusing on how surface charge influences the local reaction condition at a fixed reaction plane,the present work gives an example in which the location of the reaction plane is adjusted by the surface charge.

Alkali metal cation effects on electrocatalytic CO_(2)reduction with iron porphyrins

The electrocatalytic CO_(2)reduction reaction(CO_(2)RR)has attracted increasing attention in recentyears.Practical electrocatalysis of CO_(2)RR must be carried out in aqueous solutions containing electrolytesof alkali metal cations such as sodium and potassium.Although considerable efforts havebeen made to design efficient electrocatalysts for CO_(2)RR and to investigate the structure–activityrelationships using molecular model complexes,only a few studies have been investigated the effectof alkali metal cations on electrocatalytic CO_(2)RR.In this study,we report the effect of alkali metalcations(Na^(+)and K^(+))on electrocatalytic CO_(2)RR with Fe porphyrins.By running CO_(2)RR electrocatalysisin dimethylformamide(DMF),we found that the addition of Na^(+)or K^(+)considerably improves thecatalytic activity of Fe chloride tetrakis(3,4,5‐trimethoxyphenyl)porphyrin(FeP).Based on thisresult,we synthesized an Fe porphyrin^(N)18C6‐FeP bearing a tethered 1‐aza‐18‐crown‐6‐ether(^(N)18C6)group at the second coordination sphere of the Fe site.We showed that with the tethered^(N)18C6 to bind Na^(+)or K^(+),^(N)18C6‐FeP is more active than FeP for electrocatalytic CO_(2)RR.This workdemonstrates the positive effect of alkali metal cations to improve CO_(2)RR electrocatalysis,which isvaluable for the rational design of new efficient catalysts.

Locating the cocktail and scaling-relation breaking effects of high-entropy alloy catalysts on the electrocatalytic volcano plot

High entropy alloys(HEAs)have been the star materials in electrocatalysis research in recent years.One of their key features is the greatly increased multiplicity of active sites compared to conventional catalytic materials.This increased multiplicity stimulates a cocktail effect and a scaling-relation breaking effect,and results in improved activity.However,the multiplicity of active sites in HEAs also poses new problems for mechanistic studies.One apparent problem is the inapplicability to HEA catalysts of the currently most popular mechanistic study method,which uses the electrocatalytic theoretical framework(ETF)based on the computational hydrogen electrode(CHE).The ETF uses a single adsorption energy to represent the catalyst,i.e.,a catalyst is represented by a'point'in the volcanic relationship.It naturally does not involve the multiplicity of active sites of a catalyst,and hence loses brevity in expressing the cocktail effect and scaling-relation breaking effect in HEA catalysis.This paper attempts to solve this inapplicability.Based on the fact that the adsorption energy distribution of HEAs is close to a normal distribution,the mean and variance of the adsorption energy distribution are introduced as descriptors of the ETF,replacing the original single adsorption energy.A quantitative relationship between the variance and the cocktail and scaling-relation braking effects is established.We believe the method described in this work will make the ETF more effective in mechanistic studies of HEA electrocatalysis.

Surface-enhanced vibrational spectroscopies in electrocatalysis:Fundamentals,challenges,and perspectives

Electrocatalysis offers a promising approach towards chemical synthesis driven by renewable energy.Molecular level understanding of the electrochemical interface remains challenging due to its compositional and structural complexity.In situ interfacial specific characterization techniques could help uncover structure-function relationships and reaction mechanism.To this end,electrochemical surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy(SERS)and surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy(SEIRAS)thrive as powerful techniques to provide fingerprint information of interfacial species at reaction conditions.In this review,we first introduce the fundamentals of SERS and SEIRAS,followed by discussion regarding the technical challenges and potential solutions.Finally,we highlight future directions for further development of surface-enhanced spectroscopic techniques for electrocatalytic studies.

Magnetic and Relativistic Effects in Uranium Catalysts and the Movement of Charged Particles under the Effect of Electric and Magnetic Fields

We first received and examined X-ray spectroscopy of uranium catalyst. We studied magnetic and relativistic effects in uranium catalysts, and the movement of charged particles under the effect of a uniform electric field and uniform magnetic field. We proposed the mechanism of the motion of charged particles under the influence of a uniform electric field and a uniform magnetic field.

Surface composition-tunable octahedral PtCu nanoalloys advance the electrocatalytic performance on methanol and ethanol oxidation

The synthesis of surface composition-tunable Pt-based octahedral nanoalloys is key to unravel the structureproperty relationship in fuel cells. Herein, we report a facile route to prepare composition-tunable Pt Cu octahedral nanoalloys by using halogen ions(Br-or/and I-) as composition modulators. Among these Pt Cu octahedral nanoalloys,Pt59 Cu41 octahedron exhibits the highest catalytic activity and durability in alkaline solution. The specific activity/mass activity of Pt59 Cu41 octahedron is 20.25 m A cm^-2/3.24 A mg^-1 Pt,which is 6.64/5.3 times higher than commercial Pt black in 0.5 mol L^-1 CH3 OH, respectively. In the case of using ethanol(0.5 mol L^-1) as fuel source, Pt59 Cu41 octahedron shows much better catalytic activity, that is 34.84 m A cm^-2/5.58 A mg^-1 Pt for specific activity/mass activity, which is 9.16/7.34 times higher than commercial Pt black, respectively. In situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy is employed to detect the intermediate species and products for methanol/ethanol oxidation reaction and a plausible mechanism is proposed to explain the improved activity and durability of Pt59 Cu41 octahedron toward methanol/ethanol oxidation in alkaline medium.