Methane oxidative carbonylation catalyzed by rhodium chalcogen halides over carbon supports

Gas phase carbonylation of methane is studied in the presence of molecular oxygen over pure carbon carriers and carbon supported rhodium chalcogen halides. Activated carbons and fullerene blacks have been used as carbon supports. XPS and IR-spectroscopy data show the formation of rhodium chalcogen halides in solids prepared by different methods. We have found that the productivity of acetic acid by carbon supported rhodium chalcogen halides depends strongly on the carbon carrier and the method of the catalyst preparation. Namely, the catalyst with highest productivity for the acetic acid is prepared by synthesizing the rhodium chalcogen halide over the carbon support followed by thermal destruction. We have also found that rhodium chalcogen halides over activated carbons are more active compared with fullerene supported catalysts.

Enhancement of the formic acid electrooxidation activity of palladium using graphene/carbon black binary carbon supports

Combinations of graphene(Gr)and carbon black(C)were employed as binary carbon supports to fabricate Pd‐based electrocatalysts via one‐pot co‐reduction with Pd2+.The electrocatalytic performance of the resulting Pd/Gr‐C catalysts during the electrooxidation of formic acid was assessed.A Pd/Gr0.3C0.7(Gr oxide:C=3:7,based on the precursor mass ratio)electrocatalyst exhibited better catalytic performance than both Pd/C and Pd/Gr catalysts.The current density generated by the Pd/Gr0.3C0.7catalyst was as high as102.14mA mgPd?1,a value that is approximately3times that obtained from the Pd/C(34.40mA mgPd?1)and2.6times that of the Pd/Gr material(38.50mA mgPd?1).The anodic peak potential of the Pd/Gr0.3C0.7was120mV more negative than that of the Pd/C and70mV more negative than that of the Pd/Gr.Scanning electron microscopy images indicated that the spherical C particles accumulated on the wrinkled graphene surfaces to form C cluster/Gr hybrids having three‐dimensional nanostructures.X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy data confirmed the interaction between the Pd metal and the binary Gr‐C support.The Pd/Gr0.3C0.7also exhibited high stability,and so is a promising candidate for the fabrication of anodes for direct formic acid fuel cells.This work demonstrates a simple and cost‐effective method for improving the performance of Pd‐based electrocatalysts,which should have potential industrial applications.

Critical role of carbon support in metal nanoaggregate facilitating Fe-N-C catalyst for PEM fuel cell application

Metal nanoaggregates can simultaneously enhance the activity and stability of Fe-N-C catalysts in proton-exchange-membrane fuel cells(PEMFC).Previous studies on the relevant mechanism have focused on the direct interaction between FeN_(4)active sites and metal nanoaggregates.However,the role of carbon support that hosts metal nanoaggregates and active sites has been overlooked.Here,a Fe-N-C catalyst encapsulating inactive gold nanoparticles is prepared as a model catalyst to investigate the electronic tuning of Au nanoparticles(NPs)towards the carbon support.Au NPs donate electrons to carbon support,making it rich inπelectrons,which reduces the work function and regulates the electronic configuration of the FeN_(4)sites for an enhanced ORR activity.Meanwhile,the electron-rich carbon support can mitigate the electron depletion of FeN_(4)sites caused by carbon support oxidation,thereby preserving its high activity.The yield and accumulation of H_(2)O_(2)are thus alleviated,which delays the oxidation of the catalyst and benefits the stability.Due to the electron-rich carbon support,the composite catalyst achieves a top-level peak power density of 0.74 W/cm^(2) in a 1.5 bar H_(2)-air PEMFC,as well as the improved stability.This work elucidates the key role of carbon support in the performance enhancement of the FeN-C/metal nanoaggregate composite catalysts for fuel cell application.

Systematic variation of the sodium/sulfur promoter content on carbon-supported iron catalysts for the Fischer–Tropsch to olefins reaction

The Fischer–Tropsch to olefins（FTO） process is a method for the direct conversion of synthesis gas to lower C–Colefins. Carbon-supported iron carbide nanoparticles are attractive catalysts for this reaction.The catalytic activity can be improved and undesired formation of alkanes can be suppressed by the addition of sodium and sulfur as promoters but the influence of their content and ratio remains poorly understood and the promoted catalysts often suffer from rapid deactivation due to particle growth. A series of carbon black-supported iron catalysts with similar iron content and nominal sodium/sulfur loadings of 1–30/0.5–5 wt% with respect to iron are prepared and characterized under FTO conditions at 1and 10 bar syngas pressure to illuminate the influence of the promoter level on the catalytic properties.Iron particles and promoters undergo significant reorganization during FTO operation under industrially relevant conditions. Low sodium content（1–3 wt%） leads to a delay in iron carbide formation. Sodium contents of 15–30 wt% lead to rapid loss of catalytic activity due to the covering of the iron surface with promoters during particle growth under FTO operation. Higher activity and slower loss of activity are observed at low promoter contents（1–3 wt% sodium and 0.5–1 wt% sulfur） but a minimum amount of alkali is required to effectively suppress methane and C–Cparaffin formation. A reference catalyst support（carbide-derived carbon aerogel） shows that the optimum promoter level depends on iron particle size and support pore structure.

Hydrogen generation from NaBH_(4) for portable proton exchange membrane fuel cell

Sodium borohydride(NaBH_(4)) is considered as the most potential hydrogen storage material for portable proton exchange membrane fuel cells(PEMFC)because of its high theoretical hydrogen capacity.However,the slow and poor kinetic stability of hydrogen generation from NaBH_(4) hydrolysis limits its application.There are two main factors influencing the kinetics stability of hydrogen generation from NaBH_(4).One factor is that the alkaline byproducts(NaBO_(2)) of the hydrolysis reaction can increase the pH of the solution,thus inhibiting the reaction process.It mainly happens in the NaBH_(4) solution hydrolysis system.Another factor is that the monotonous increase in reaction temperature leads to uncontrollable and unpredictable hydrolysis rates in the solid NaBH_(4) hydrolysis system.This is due to the excess heat generated from this exothermic reaction in the initial reaction of NaBH_(4) hydrolysis.In this perspective,we summarize the latest research progress in hydrogen generation from NaBH_(4) and emphasize the design principles of catalysts for hydrogen generation from NaBH_(4) solution and solid state NaBH_(4).The importance of carbon as catalyst support material for NaBH_(4) hydrolysis is also highlighted.

Carbon-Supported Silver Catalysts for CO Selective Oxidation in Excess Hydrogen

Carbon materials were used as supports for Ag catalysts that are prepared using the conventional wet impregnation method, and their catalytic properties for CO selective oxidation in excess hydrogen at temperatures below 483 K were tested. A variety of techniques, e.g. N2 adsorption, XPS, TPD, UV-Vis DRS, TEM and SEM, were used to determine the influence of physical and chemical properties of the carbon on the properties of Ag catalyst. It was found that defects on the carbon surface served as nucleation sites for silver ions, while functional groups on carbon surface induced their reduction to the metallic form. The formation of silver particles on carbon was governed by homogeneous and/or heterogeneous nucleation during the impregnation and subsequent activation processes. The best catalytic performance was obtained with a Ag/carbon black catalyst with a uniform size distribution of silver nanoparticles （about 12 nm）, moderate BET surface area （with a mesoporous structure）, and a limited amount of carbon-oxygen groups. The research indicates that carbon materials are potentially good supports for silver catalysts for preferential oxidation of CO in excess hydrogen.

Prediction of Henry Constants and Adsorption Mechanism of Volatile Organic Compounds on Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes by Using Support Vector Regression

Support vector regression （SVR） combined with particle swarm optimization for its parameter optimization is employed to establish a model for predicting the Henry constants of multi-walled carbon nanotubes （MWNTs） for adsorption of volatile organic compounds （VOCs）. The prediction performance of SVR is compared with those of the model of theoretical linear salvation energy relationship （TLSER）. By using leave-one-out cross validation of SVR test Henry constants for adsorption of 35 VOCs on MWNTs, the root mean square error is 0.080, the mean absolute percentage error is only 1.19~, and the correlation coefficient （R2） is as high as 0.997. Compared with the results of the TLSER model, it is shown that the estimated errors by SVR are ali smaller than those achieved by TLSER. It reveals that the generalization ability of SVR is superior to that of the TLSER model Meanwhile, multifactor analysis is adopted for investigation of the influences of each molecular structure descriptor on the Henry constants. According to the TLSER model, the adsorption mechanism of adsorption of carbon nanotubes of VOCs is mainly a result of van der Waals and interactions of hydrogen bonds. These can provide the theoretical support for the application of carbon nanotube adsorption of VOCs and can make up for the lack of experimental data.

THE HYDROXYLATON OF INACTIVE HYDROCARBONS WITH ACTIVE CARBON SUPPORTED METALLOPORPHYRINS

A supported Mn-porphyrin catalyst was prepared by adsorption of Mn-porphyrin on active carbon, and found to be efficient for the hydroxylation of hexane with hydrogen peroxide.

Improving the electrocatalytic performances of Pt-based catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction via strong interactions with single-CoN_(4)-rich carbon support

Developing platinum-group-metal(PGM)catalysts possessing strong metal-support interaction and controllable PGM size is urgent for the sluggish oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)in proton-exchange membrane fuel cells.Herein,we propose an in-situ self-assembled reduction strategy to successfully induce highly-dispersed sub-3nm platinum nanoparticles(Pt NPs)to attach on resin-derived atomic Co coordinated by N-doped carbon substrate(Pt/Co_(SA)-N-C)for ORR.To be specific,the interfacial electron interaction effect,along with a highly robust Co_(SA)-N-C support endow the as-fabricated Pt/Co_(SA)-N-C catalyst with significantly enhanced catalytic properties,i.e.,a mass activity(MA)of 0.719 A/mgPt at 0.9 ViR-free and a reduction of 24.2%in MA after a 20,000-cycles test.Density functional theory(DFT)calculations demonstrate that the enhanced electron interaction between Pt and Co_(SA)-N-C support decreases the dband center of Pt,which is in favor of lowering the desorption energy of ^(*)OH on Pt/Co_(SA)-N-C surface and accelerating the formation of H_(2)O,thus enhance the instinct activity of ORR.Furthermore,the higher binding energy between Pt and Co_(SA)-N-C compared to Pt and C indicates that the migration of Pt has been suppressed,which theoretically explains the improved durability of Pt/Co_(SA)-N-C.Our work offers an enlightenment on constructing composite Pt-based catalysts with multiple active sites.

Progress and Outlook of Carbon-supported Single-atom Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Single-atom catalysts (SACs) have garnered extensive attention in the field of catalysis due to their exceptional inherent reaction activity, optimal utilization of metal atoms, etc. Controlled synthesis plays a crucial role in elucidating the structure-activity relationship of SACs. This paper reviews various synthetic strategies for SACs, encompassing defect engineering, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) pyrolysis, and ion exchange. With specific examples, the significance of constructing catalysts at the atomic level is discussed, aiming to comprehensively understand the synthetic strategies of SACs. Finally, it addresses the challenges and prospects associated with controlled synthesis techniques for SACs as well as their future applications.

Shedding light on the reversible deactivation of carbon-supported single-atom catalysts in hydrogenation reaction

Carbon-supported single-atom catalysts were found to suffer reversible deactivation in catalytic hydrogenation,but the mechanism is still unclear.Herein,nitro compounds hydrogenation catalyzed by N-doped carbon-supported Co single atom(Co1/NC)was taken as a model to uncover the mechanism of the reversible deactivation phenomenon.Co1/NC exhibited moderate adsorption towards the substrate molecules(i.e.,nitro compounds or related intermediates),which could be strengthened by the confinement effect from the porous structure.Consequently,substrate molecules tend to accumulate within the pore channel,especially micropores that host Co1,making it difficult for the reactants to access the active sites and finally leading to their deactivation.The situation could be even worse when the substrate molecules possess a large size.Nevertheless,the catalytic activity of Co1/NC could be restored via a simple thermal treatment,which could remove the adsorbates within the pore channel,hence releasing active sites that were originally inaccessible to reactants.

Preparation of high active Pt/C cathode electrocatalyst for direct methanol fuel cell by citrate-stabilized method

Platinum nanoparticles supported on carbons（Pt/C,60%,mass fraction） electrocatalysts for direct methanol fuel cell（DMFC） were prepared by citrate-stabilized method with different reductants and carbon supports.The catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction（XRD）,transmission electron microscopy（TEM） and cyclic voltammetry（CV）.It is found that the size of Pt nanoparticles on carbon is controllable by citrate addition and reductant optimization,and the form of carbon support has a great influence on electrocatalytic activity of catalysts.The citrate-stabilized Pt nanoparticles supported on BP2000 carbon,which was reduced by formaldehyde,exhibit the best performance with about 2 nm in diameter and 66.46 m2/g（Pt） in electrocatalytic active surface（EAS） area.Test on single DMFC with 60%（mass fraction） Pt/BP2000 as cathode electrocatalyst showed maximum power density at 78.8 mW/cm2.

High activity of a Pt decorated Ni/C nanocatalyst for hydrogen oxidation

The Pt decorated Ni/C nanocatalysts were prepared for hydrogen oxidation reaction（HOR） in fuel cell.By regulating the contents of Pt and Ni in the catalyst,both the composition and the structure affected the electrochemical catalytic characteristics of the Pt-Ni/C catalysts.When the Pt mass content was 3.1% percent and that of Ni was 13.9% percent,the Pt-Ni/C-3 catalyst exhibited a larger electrochemically active surface area and a higher exchange current density toward HOR than those of pure supported platinum sample.Our study demonstrates a feasible approach for designing the more efficient catalysts with lower content of noble metal for HOR in fuel cell.

Carbon-based materials for electrochemical dechlorination

Electrochemical dechlorination reaction(EDR)is a promising,environmentally friendly,and economically profitable technology for treating chlorinated organic pollutants.For efficient environmental protection,electrocatalysts with high stability and low cost are of extremely significance to the development of EDR technology.Carbon-based materials have aroused broad interest as electrocatalysts for many electrochemical reactions due to their characteristics including large specific surface area,controllable structure,good conductivity,and chemical stability.For EDR,the carbon-based materials also show many unique superiorities,like strong adsorption capacity to chlorinated organic compounds(COCs),excellent catalytic activity and stability,and environmental compatibility.This review starts with a detailed summary on the mechanisms of electrochemical dechlorination(direct and indirect electron transfer pathway)and factors affecting the effectiveness of EDR.Then the paper comprehensively overviews the current progresses of carbon-based materials for EDR of COCs,following their two major application scenarios,i.e.,directly as electrocatalysts and as advanced supports for other catalysts.Moreover,the formation of different active sites in carbon-based electrocatalysts and their EDR activities are analyzed.Finally,the current challenges and perspectives in this field are discussed.This review will provide an in-depth understanding for the design of advanced carbon-based materials and promote the development of EDR technology.

Efficient activation of sulfite for reductive-oxidative degradation of chloramphenicol by carbon-supported cobalt ferrite catalysts

Activation of(bi)sulfite(S(IV))by metal oxides is strongly limited by low electrons utilization.In this study,two carbon-supported cobalt ferrites spinels(CoFe^(2)O_(4) QDs-GO and CoFe^(2)O_(4) MOFs-CNTs)have been successfully synthesized by one-step solvothermal method.It was found that both catalysts could efficiently activate S(IV),with rapid reductive dechlorination and then oxidative degradation of a recalcitrant antibiotic chloramphenicol(CAP).Characterizations revealed that CoFe^(2)O_(4) spinels were tightly coated on the carbon bases(GO and CNTs),with effectiveness of the internal transfer of electrons.O_(2)˙−was identified for the reductive dechlorination of CAP,with simultaneously detection of both•OH and SO_(4)^(˙−)responsible for further oxidative degradation.The sulfur oxygen radical conversion reactions and molecular oxygen activation would occur together upon the carbon-based spinels.Spatial-separated interfacial reductive-oxidation of CAP would occur with dechlorination of CAP by O_(2)^(˙−)on the carbon bases,and oxidative degradation of intermediates by SO_(4)^(˙−/•)OH upon the CoFe^(2)O_(4) catalysts.

Size control and electronic manipulation of Ru catalyst over B,N codoped carbon network for high-performance hydrogen evolution reaction

Exploring highly efficient Pt-free catalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)is of great importance for hydrogen(H2)production.Herein,a novel HER electrocatalyst having abundant ultra-small(2–3 nm)Ru electronically confined by a B,N codoped polar carbon surface(Ru/(B-N)-PC)was constructed.The Ru/(B-N)-PC catalyst exhibits a low overpotential of 15 mV at the current density of 10 mA·cm^(−2),a low Tafel slope of 22.6 mV·dec^(−1),superior durability,which outperforms the benchmark Pt/C catalyst.Both experimental characterizations and theory calculations suggest that an electron communication established between B,N co-doped carbon surface and ultra-small Ru nanoparticles with electrons transferred from N atoms to Ru and backtransferred from Ru to B atoms,which exerts a moderate electronic modification of Ru.This,in turn,affords a modest H adsorption energy and a lower H2O dissociation barrier,leading to the high-performance hydrogen evolution reaction.The work provides meaningful insight into the size control and electronic modulation of Ru catalyst for intrinsic HER activity improvement.

Plasma-enabled synthesis of ordered PtFe alloy nanoparticles encapsulated with ultrathin N-doped carbon shells for efficient methanol electrooxidation

Methanol oxidation reaction(MOR),the key reaction for clean energy generation in fuel cells,is kinetically sluggish and short-lasting because of insufficient catalytic activity and stability of the common Pt-based electrocatalysts.Ordered Pt alloy structures which promise to surmount these issues,are challenging and impractical to fabricate using common high-temperature annealing.To address the urgent need for simple and rapid synthesis methods for such alloys,here we report the versatile plasma-assisted thermal annealing synthesis of a robust electrocatalyst with PtFe alloys supported on N-doped carbon nanotubes(denoted as PtFe@NCNT-P).Benefiting from the reactive plasma-specific effects,the PtFe@NCNT-P electrocatalyst features ultrafine PtFe alloy nanoparticles(mean size~2.88 nm,ordered degree~87.07%)and ultrathin N-doped carbon(NC)shells(0.3–0.7 nm),leading to the excellent catalytic activity and stability toward MOR.The catalyst shows the specific and mass activities of 3.99 mA/cm^(2)and 2,148.5 mA/mg,which are 7.82 and 7.41 times higher than those for commercial Pt/C(0.51 mA/cm^(2),290 mA/mg),and 2.18 and 2.59 times higher compared to the plasma-untreated PtFe@NCNT(1.83 mA/cm2,829.5 mA/mg),respectively.The PtFe@NCNT-P further exhibits extraordinary stability during the long-term chronoamperometry test and 1,000-cycle cyclic voltammetry scanning,much better compared to PtFe@NCNT samples even after the longer thermal annealing.These findings show great potential of the plasma-enabled synthesis of high-performance carbon-supported metallic electrocatalysts for the emerging clean energy technologies.

Pt–C interactions in carbon-supported Pt-based electrocatalysts

Carbon-supported Pt-based materials are highly promising electrocatalysts.The carbon support plays an important role in the Pt-based catalysts by remarkably influencing the growth,particle size,morphology,dispersion,electronic structure,physiochemical property and function of Pt.This review summarizes recent progress made in the development of carbon-supported Pt-based catalysts,with special emphasis being given to how activity and stability enhancements are related to Pt–C interactions in various carbon supports,including porous carbon,heteroatom doped carbon,carbon-based binary support,and their corresponding electrocatalytic applications.Finally,the current challenges and future prospects in the development of carbon-supported Pt-based catalysts are discussed.

Graphitized nanocarbon-supported metal catalysts:synthesis,properties,and applications in heterogeneous catalysis

Graphitized nanocarbon materials can be an ideal catalyst support for heterogeneous catalytic systems. Their unique physical and chemical properties, such as large surface area, high adsorption capacity, excellent thermal and mechanical stability, outstanding electronic properties, and tunable porosity, allow the anchoring and dispersion of the active metals. Therefore, currently they are used as the key support material in many catalytic processes. This review summarizes recent relevant applications in supported catalysts that use graphitized nanocarbon as supports for catalytic oxidation, hydrogenation, dehydrogenation, and C-C coupling reactions in liquid-phase and gas-solid phase-reaction systems. The latest developments in specific features derived from the morphology and characteristics of graphitized na- nocarbon-supported metal catalysts are highlighted, as well as the differences in the catalytic behavior of graphitized nano- carbon-supported metal catalysts versus other related cata- lysts. The scientific challenges and opportunities in this field are also discussed.

Controlled Synthesis of Carbon-Supported Pt-Based Electrocatalysts for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells are playing an increasing role in postpandemic economic recovery and climate action plans.However,their performance,cost,and durability are significantly related to Pt-based electrocatalysts,hampering their large-scale commercial application.Hence,considerable efforts have been devoted to improving the activity and durability of Pt-based electrocatalysts by controlled synthesis in recent years as an effective method for decreasing Pt use,and consequently,the cost.Therefore,this review article focuses on the synthesis processes of carbon-supported Pt-based electrocatalysts,which significantly affect the nanoparticle size,shape,and dispersion on supports and thus the activity and durability of the prepared electrocatalysts.The reviewed processes include(i)the functionalization of a commercial carbon support for enhanced catalyst-support interaction and additional catalytic effects,(ii)the methods for loading Pt-based electrocatalysts onto a carbon support that impact the manufacturing costs of electrocatalysts,(iii)the preparation of spheri-cal and nonspherical Pt-based electrocatalysts(polyhedrons,nanocages,nanoframes,one-and two-dimensional nanostruc-tures),and(iv)the postsynthesis treatments of supported electrocatalysts.The influences of the supports,key experimental parameters,and postsynthesis treatments on Pt-based electrocatalysts are scrutinized in detail.Future research directions are outlined,including(i)the full exploitation of the potential functionalization of commercial carbon supports,(ii)scaled-up one-pot synthesis of carbon-supported Pt-based electrocatalysts,and(iii)simplification of postsynthesis treatments.One-pot synthesis in aqueous instead of organic reaction systems and the minimal use of organic ligands are preferred to simplify the synthesis and postsynthesis treatment processes and to promote the mass production of commercial carbon-supported Pt-based electrocatalysts.