The interface properties between hydrated cement paste(hcp)and aggregates largely determine the various performances of concrete.In this work,molecular dynamics simulations were employed to explore the atomistic inter...The interface properties between hydrated cement paste(hcp)and aggregates largely determine the various performances of concrete.In this work,molecular dynamics simulations were employed to explore the atomistic interaction mechanisms between the commonly used aggregate phase calcite/silica and calcium silicate hydrates(C-S-H),as well as the effect of moisture.The results suggest that the C-S-H/calcite interface is relatively strong and stable under both dry and moist conditions,which is caused by the high-strength interfacial connections formed between calcium ions from calcite and high-polarity non-bridging oxygen atoms from the C-S-H surface.Silica can be also adsorbed on the dry C-S-H surface by the H-bonds;however,the presence of water molecules on the interface may substantially decrease the affinities.Furthermore,the dynamics interface separation tests of C-S-H/aggregates were also implemented by molecular dynamics.The shape of the calculated stress-separation distance curves obeys the quasi-static cohesive law obtained experimentally.The moisture conditions and strain rates were found to affect the separation process of C-S-H/silica.A wetter interface and smaller loading rate may lead to a lower adhesion strength.The mechanisms interpreted here may shed new lights on the understandings of hcp/aggregate interactions at a nano-length scale and creation of high performance cementitious materials.展开更多
Photocatalytic water oxidation based on semiconductors usually suffers from poor charge transfer from the bulk to the interface,which is necessary for oxygen generation.Here,we construct a hybrid artificial photosynth...Photocatalytic water oxidation based on semiconductors usually suffers from poor charge transfer from the bulk to the interface,which is necessary for oxygen generation.Here,we construct a hybrid artificial photosynthesis system for photocatalytic water oxidation.The system consists of BiVO4as the light harvester,a transitional metal complex(M(dca)2,M=Co,Ni,dca:dicyanamide)as the water oxidation catalyst,and S2O82?as a sacrificial electron acceptor.The system exhibits enhanced oxygen evolution activity when M(dca)2is introduced.The BiVO4/Co(dca)2and Bi‐VO4/Ni(dca)2systems exhibit excellent oxygen evolution rates of508.1and297.7μmol/(h·g)compared to the pure BiVO4which shows a photocatalytic oxygen evolution rate of252.2μmol/(h·g)during6h of photocatalytic reaction.Co(dca)2is found to be more effective than Ni(dca)2as a water oxidation catalyst.The enhanced photocatalytic performance is ascribed to the M(dca)2‐engineered BiVO4/electrolyte interface energetics,and to the M(dca)2‐catalyzed surface water oxidation.These two factors lead to a decrease in the energy barrier for hole transfer from the bulk to the surface of BiVO4,which promotes the water oxidation kinetics.展开更多
Solid-aqueous interfaces and phenomena occurring at those interfaces are ubiquitously found in a plethora of chemical systems.When it comes to heterogeneous catalysis,however,our understanding of chemical transformati...Solid-aqueous interfaces and phenomena occurring at those interfaces are ubiquitously found in a plethora of chemical systems.When it comes to heterogeneous catalysis,however,our understanding of chemical transformations at solid-aqueous interfaces is relatively limited and primitive.This review phenomenologically describes a selection of water-engendered effects on the catalytic behavior for several prototypical acid-base-catalyzed reactions over solid catalysts,and critically assesses the general and special roles of water molecules,structural moieties derived from water,and ionic species that are dissolved in it,with an aim to extract novel concepts and principles that underpin heterogeneous acid-base catalysis in the aqueous phase.For alcohol dehydration catalyzed by solid Bronsted acids,rate inhibition by water is most typically related to the decrease in the acid strength and/or the preferential solvation of adsorbed species over the transition state as water molecules progressively solvate the acid site and form extended networks wherein protons are mobilized.Water also inhibits dehydration kinetics over most Lewis acid-base catalysts by competitive adsorption,but a few scattered reports reveal substantial rate enhancements due to the conversion of Lewis acid sites to Brønsted acid sites with higher catalytic activities upon the introduction of water.For aldol condensation on catalysts exposing Lewis acid-base pairs,the addition of water is generally observed to enhance the rate when C–C coupling is rate-limiting,but may result in rate inhibition by site-blocking when the initial unimolecular deprotonation is rate-limiting.Water can also promote aldol condensation on Brønsted acidic catalysts by facilitating inter-site communication between acid sites through hydrogen-bonding interactions.For metallozeolite-catalyzed sugar isomerization in aqueous media,the nucleation and networking of intrapore waters regulated by hydrophilic entities causes characteristic enthalpy-entropy tradeoffs as these water moieties interact with kinetically relevant hydride transfer transition states.The discussed examples collectively highlight the utmost importance of hydrogen-bonding interactions and ionization of covalently bonded surface moieties as the main factors underlying the uniqueness of water-mediated interfacial acid-base chemistries and the associated solvation effects in the aqueous phase or in the presence of water.A perspective is also provided for future research in this vibrant field.展开更多
基金Projects(6512009004A,51908119,U1706222)supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of ChinaProject(BK20190367)supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province,China。
文摘The interface properties between hydrated cement paste(hcp)and aggregates largely determine the various performances of concrete.In this work,molecular dynamics simulations were employed to explore the atomistic interaction mechanisms between the commonly used aggregate phase calcite/silica and calcium silicate hydrates(C-S-H),as well as the effect of moisture.The results suggest that the C-S-H/calcite interface is relatively strong and stable under both dry and moist conditions,which is caused by the high-strength interfacial connections formed between calcium ions from calcite and high-polarity non-bridging oxygen atoms from the C-S-H surface.Silica can be also adsorbed on the dry C-S-H surface by the H-bonds;however,the presence of water molecules on the interface may substantially decrease the affinities.Furthermore,the dynamics interface separation tests of C-S-H/aggregates were also implemented by molecular dynamics.The shape of the calculated stress-separation distance curves obeys the quasi-static cohesive law obtained experimentally.The moisture conditions and strain rates were found to affect the separation process of C-S-H/silica.A wetter interface and smaller loading rate may lead to a lower adhesion strength.The mechanisms interpreted here may shed new lights on the understandings of hcp/aggregate interactions at a nano-length scale and creation of high performance cementitious materials.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51672210, 51323011, 51236007)~~
文摘Photocatalytic water oxidation based on semiconductors usually suffers from poor charge transfer from the bulk to the interface,which is necessary for oxygen generation.Here,we construct a hybrid artificial photosynthesis system for photocatalytic water oxidation.The system consists of BiVO4as the light harvester,a transitional metal complex(M(dca)2,M=Co,Ni,dca:dicyanamide)as the water oxidation catalyst,and S2O82?as a sacrificial electron acceptor.The system exhibits enhanced oxygen evolution activity when M(dca)2is introduced.The BiVO4/Co(dca)2and Bi‐VO4/Ni(dca)2systems exhibit excellent oxygen evolution rates of508.1and297.7μmol/(h·g)compared to the pure BiVO4which shows a photocatalytic oxygen evolution rate of252.2μmol/(h·g)during6h of photocatalytic reaction.Co(dca)2is found to be more effective than Ni(dca)2as a water oxidation catalyst.The enhanced photocatalytic performance is ascribed to the M(dca)2‐engineered BiVO4/electrolyte interface energetics,and to the M(dca)2‐catalyzed surface water oxidation.These two factors lead to a decrease in the energy barrier for hole transfer from the bulk to the surface of BiVO4,which promotes the water oxidation kinetics.
文摘Solid-aqueous interfaces and phenomena occurring at those interfaces are ubiquitously found in a plethora of chemical systems.When it comes to heterogeneous catalysis,however,our understanding of chemical transformations at solid-aqueous interfaces is relatively limited and primitive.This review phenomenologically describes a selection of water-engendered effects on the catalytic behavior for several prototypical acid-base-catalyzed reactions over solid catalysts,and critically assesses the general and special roles of water molecules,structural moieties derived from water,and ionic species that are dissolved in it,with an aim to extract novel concepts and principles that underpin heterogeneous acid-base catalysis in the aqueous phase.For alcohol dehydration catalyzed by solid Bronsted acids,rate inhibition by water is most typically related to the decrease in the acid strength and/or the preferential solvation of adsorbed species over the transition state as water molecules progressively solvate the acid site and form extended networks wherein protons are mobilized.Water also inhibits dehydration kinetics over most Lewis acid-base catalysts by competitive adsorption,but a few scattered reports reveal substantial rate enhancements due to the conversion of Lewis acid sites to Brønsted acid sites with higher catalytic activities upon the introduction of water.For aldol condensation on catalysts exposing Lewis acid-base pairs,the addition of water is generally observed to enhance the rate when C–C coupling is rate-limiting,but may result in rate inhibition by site-blocking when the initial unimolecular deprotonation is rate-limiting.Water can also promote aldol condensation on Brønsted acidic catalysts by facilitating inter-site communication between acid sites through hydrogen-bonding interactions.For metallozeolite-catalyzed sugar isomerization in aqueous media,the nucleation and networking of intrapore waters regulated by hydrophilic entities causes characteristic enthalpy-entropy tradeoffs as these water moieties interact with kinetically relevant hydride transfer transition states.The discussed examples collectively highlight the utmost importance of hydrogen-bonding interactions and ionization of covalently bonded surface moieties as the main factors underlying the uniqueness of water-mediated interfacial acid-base chemistries and the associated solvation effects in the aqueous phase or in the presence of water.A perspective is also provided for future research in this vibrant field.
