Integration of morphology and electronic structure modulation on cobalt phosphide nanosheets to boost photocatalytic hydrogen evolution from ammonia borane hydrolysis

The controllable and safe hydrogen storage technologies are widely recognized as the main bottleneck for the accomplishment of sustainable hydrogen energy.Ammonia borane(AB)has regarded as a competitive candidate for chemical hydrogen storage.However,developing efficient yet high-performance catalysts towards hydrogen evolution from AB hydrolysis remains an enormous challenge.Herein,cobalt phosphide nanosheets are synthesized by a facile salt-assisted along with low-temperature phosphidation strategy for simultaneously modulating its morphology and electronic structure,and function as hydrogen evolution photocatalysts.Impressively,the Co_(2)P nanosheets display extraordinary performance with a record high turnover frequency of 44.9 min^(-1),outperforming most of the noble-metal-free catalysts reported to date.This remarkable performance is attributed to its desired nanosheets structure,featuring with high specific surface area,abundant exposed active sites,and short charge diffusion paths.Our findings provide a novel strategy for regulating metal phosphides with desired phase structure and morphology for energy-related applications and beyond.

Extraction and recycling technologies of cobalt from primary and secondary resources:A comprehensive review

Cobalt has excellent electrochemical,magnetic,and heat properties.As a strategic resource,it has been applied in many hightech products.However,the recent rapid growth of the battery industry has substantially depleted cobalt resources,leading to a crisis of cobalt resource supply.The paper examines cobalt ore reserves and distribution,and the recent development and consumption of cobalt resources are summarized as well.In addition,the principles,advantages and disadvantages,and research status of various methods are discussed comprehensively.It can be concluded that the use of diverse sources(Cu-Co ores,Ni-Co ores,zinc plant residues,and waste cobalt products)for cobalt production should be enhanced to meet developmental requirements.Furthermore,in recovery technology,the pyro-hydrometallurgical process employs pyrometallurgy as the pretreatment to modify the phase structure of cobalt minerals,enhancing its recovery in the hydrometallurgical stage and facilitating high-purity cobalt production.Consequently,it represents a promising technology for future cobalt recovery.Lastly,based on the above conclusions,the prospects for cobalt are assessed regarding cobalt ore processing and sustainable cobalt recycling,for which further study should be conducted.

The component-activity interrelationship of cobalt-based bifunctional electrocatalysts for overall water splitting:Strategies and performance

Cobalt-based electrocatalysts take advantage of potentially harmonizable microstructure and flexible coupling effects compared to commercial noble metal-based catalytic materials.However,conventional water electrolysis systems based on cobalt-based monofunctional hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)or oxygen evolution reaction(OER)catalysts have certain shortcomings in terms of resource utilization and universality.In contrast,cobalt-based bifunctional catalysts(CBCs)have attracted much attention in recent years for overall water splitting systems because of their practicality and reduced preparation cost of electrolyzer.This review aims to address the latest development in CBCs for total hydrolysis.The main modification strategies of CBCs are systematically classified in water electrolysis to provide an overview of how to regulate their morphology and electronic configuration.Then,the catalytic performance of CBCs in total-hydrolysis is summarized according to the types of cobalt-based phosphides,sulfides and oxides,and the mechanism of strengthened electrocatalytic ability is emphasized through combining experiments and theoretical calculations.Future efforts are finally suggested to focus on exploring the dynamic conversion of reaction intermediates and building near-industrial CBCs,designing advanced CBC materials through micro-modulation,and addressing commercial applications.

Structural and magnetic properties of micropolycrystalline cobalt thin films fabricated by direct current magnetron sputtering

Pure cobalt(Co)thin films were fabricated by direct current magnetron sputtering,and the effects of sputtering power and pres-sure on the microstructure and electromagnetic properties of the films were investigated.As the sputtering power increases from 15 to 60 W,the Co thin films transition from an amorphous to a polycrystalline state,accompanied by an increase in the intercrystal pore width.Simultaneously,the resistivity decreases from 276 to 99μΩ·cm,coercivity increases from 162 to 293 Oe,and in-plane magnetic aniso-tropy disappears.As the sputtering pressure decreases from 1.6 to 0.2 Pa,grain size significantly increases,resistivity significantly de-creases,and the coercivity significantly increases(from 67 to 280 Oe),which can be attributed to the increase in defect width.Corres-pondingly,a quantitative model for the coercivity of Co thin films was formulated.The polycrystalline films sputtered under pressures of 0.2 and 0.4 Pa exhibit significant in-plane magnetic anisotropy,which is primarily attributable to increased microstress.

High-Voltage and Fast-Charging Lithium Cobalt Oxide Cathodes: From Key Challenges and Strategies to Future Perspectives

Lithium-ion batteries(LIBs)with the“double-high”characteristics of high energy density and high power density are in urgent demand for facilitating the development of advanced portable electronics.However,the lithium ion(Li+)-storage performance of the most commercialized lithium cobalt oxide(LiCoO_(2),LCO)cathodes is still far from satisfactory in terms of high-voltage and fast-charging capabilities for reaching the double-high target.Herein,we systematically summarize and discuss high-voltage and fast-charging LCO cathodes,covering in depth the key fundamental challenges,latest advancements in modification strategies,and future perspectives in this field.Comprehensive and elaborated discussions are first presented on key fundamental challenges related to structural degradation,interfacial instability,the inhomogeneity reactions,and sluggish interfacial kinetics.We provide an instructive summary of deep insights into promising modification strategies and underlying mechanisms,categorized into element doping(Li-site,cobalt-/oxygen-site,and multi-site doping)for improved Li+diffusivity and bulkstructure stability;surface coating(dielectrics,ionic/electronic conductors,and their combination)for surface stability and conductivity;nanosizing;combinations of these strategies;and other strategies(i.e.,optimization of the electrolyte,binder,tortuosity of electrodes,charging protocols,and prelithiation methods).Finally,forward-looking perspectives and promising directions are sketched out and insightfully elucidated,providing constructive suggestions and instructions for designing and realizing high-voltage and fast-charging LCO cathodes for next-generation double-high LIBs.

MOF-Derived Iron-Cobalt Phosphide Nanoframe as Bifunctional Electrocatalysts for Overall Water Splitting

Transition metal phosphides(TMPs)have emerged as an alternative to precious metals as efficient and low-cost catalysts for water electrolysis.Elemental doping and morphology control are effective approaches to further improve the performance of TMPs.Herein,Fe-doped CoP nanoframes(Fe-CoP NFs)with specific open cage configuration were designed and synthesized.The unique nano-framework structured Fe-CoP material shows overpotentials of only 255 and 122 mV at 10 mA cm^(−2)for oxygen evolution reaction(OER)and hydrogen evolution reaction(HER),respectively,overwhelming most transition metal phosphides.For overall water splitting,the cell voltage is 1.65 V for Fe-CoP NFs at a current density of 10 mA cm^(−2),much superior to what is observed for the classical nanocubic structures.Fe-CoP NFs show no activity degradation up to 100 h which contrasts sharply with the rapidly decaying performance of noble metal catalyst reference.The superior electrocatalytic performance of Fe-CoP NFs due to abundant accessible active sites,reduced kinetic energy barrier,and preferable*O-containing intermediate adsorption is demonstrated through experimental observations and theoretical calculations.Our findings could provide a potential method for the preparation of multifunctional material with hollow structures and offer more hopeful prospects for obtaining efficient earth-abundant catalysts for water splitting.

Modification,application and expansion of electrode materials based on cobalt telluride

Metal(Li,Na,K,Al)-ion batteries and lithium-sulfur and lithium-tellurium batteries are gaining recognition for their eco-friendly characteristics,substantial energy density,and sustainable attributes.However,the overall performance of rechargeable batteries heavily depends on their electrode materials.Transition metal tellurides have recently gained significant attention due to their high electrical conductivity and density.Cobalt telluride has received the most extensive research due to its catalytic activity,unique magnetic properties,and diverse composition and crystal structure.Nevertheless,its limited conductivity and significant volume variation contribute to electrode structural deterioration and rapid capacity decline.This review comprehensively summarizes recent advances in rational design and synthesis of modified cobalt telluride-based electrodes,encompassing defect engineering(Te vacancies,cation vacancies,heterointerfaces,and homogeneous interfaces)and composite engineering(derived carbon from precursors,carbon fibers,Mxene,graphene nanosheets,etc.).Particularly,the intricate evolution mechanisms of the conversion reaction process during cycling are elucidated.Furthermore,these modified strategies applied to other transitional metal tellurides,such as iron telluride,nickel telluride,zinc telluride,copper telluride,molybdenum telluride,etc.,are also thoroughly summarized.Additionally,their application extends to emerging aqueous zinc-ion batteries.Finally,potential challenges and prospects are discussed to further propel the development of transition metal tellurides electrode materials for next-generation rechargeable batteries.

Assessing the dynamics of O_(2) desorption from cobalt phthalocyanine by in situ electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy

We report here the in situ electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy(ECSTM) study of cobalt phthalocyanine(CoPc)-catalyzed O_(2) evolution reaction(OER) and the dynamics of CoPc-O_(2) dissociation.The self-assembled CoPc monolayer is fabricated on Au(111) substrate and resolved by ECSTM in 0.1 M KOH electrolyte.The OH^(-)adsorption on CoPc prior to OER is observed in ECSTM images.During OER,the generated O_(2) adsorbed on Co Pc is observed in the CoPc monolayer.Potential step experiment is employed to monitor the desorption of OER-generated O_(2) from CoPc,which results in the decreasing surface coverage of CoPc-O_(2) with time.The rate constant of O_(2) desorption is evaluated through data fitting.The insights into the dynamics of Co-O_(2) dissociation at the molecular level via in situ imaging help understand the role of Co-O_(2) in oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) and OER.

Nano-Au-decorated hierarchical porous cobalt sulfide derived from ZIF-67 toward optimized oxygen evolution catalysis:Important roles of microstructures and electronic modulation

Enhancing both the number of active sites available and the intrinsic activity of Co-based electrocatalysts simultaneously is a desirable goal.Herein,a ZIF-67-derived hierarchical porous cobalt sulfide decorated by Au nanoparticles(NPs)(denoted as HP-Au@CoxSy@ZIF-67)hybrid is synthesized by low-temperature sulfuration treatment.The well-defined macroporous-mesoporous-microporous structure is obtained based on the combination of polystyrene spheres,as-formed CoxSy nanosheets,and ZIF-67 frameworks.This novel three-dimensional hierarchical structure significantly enlarges the three-phase interfaces,accelerating the mass transfer and exposing the active centers for oxygen evolution reaction.The electronic structure of Co is modulated by Au through charge transfer,and a series of experiments,together with theoretical analysis,is performed to ascertain the electronic modulation of Co by Au.Meanwhile,HP-Au@CoxSy@ZIF-67 catalysts with different amounts of Au were synthesized,wherein Au and NaBH4 reductant result in an interesting“competition effect”to regulate the relative ratio of Co^(2+)/Co^(3+),and moderate Au assists the electrochemical performance to reach the highest value.Consequently,the optimized HP-Au@CoxSy@ZIF-67 exhibits a low overpotential of 340 mV at 10 mA cm^(-2)and a Tafel slope of 42 mV dec-1 for OER in 0.1 M aqueous KOH,enabling efficient water splitting and Zn-air battery performance.The work here highlights the pivotal roles of both microstructural and electronic modulation in enhancing electrocatalytic activity and presents a feasible strategy for designing and optimizing advanced electrocatalysts.

Effective adsorptive denitrogenation from model fuels over yttrium ion-exchanged Y zeolite

The adsorption removal of indole and quinoline in octane with and without toluene over zeolites NaY and Yttrium Ion-exchanged Y(YY)using batch adsorption experiments was studied at 25℃and 0.1 MPa.YY was prepared by treating NaY with Y(NO3)3 solution twice via liquid ion-exchange method.NaY and YY were both characterized by XRD,SEM,N2 adsorption,XRF,NH3-TPD,and pyridine-FTIR techniques.Adsorption isotherms of indole,quinoline and toluene in octane were conducted at 25.0℃to explain the influence of toluene on nitrogen removal over NaY and YY.The partial destruct of the crystalline structure of NaY was observed after the introduction of yttrium ion,which led to an evident decline in BET surface area and pore volume of YY.Strong Br?nsted acidity and medium Lewis acidity were introduced by yttrium ion-exchange.Though the specific surface area and pore volume of YY were much lower than those of NaY,YY exhibited equivalent adsorption capacities for indole and quinoline as NaY in model fuels without toluene.In the presence of 20 vol%toluene,however,YY exhibited much higher adsorption capacities for indole and quinoline than NaY,especially in the case of quinoline.The improved toluene-tolerant of YY was ascribed to the strong acid–base interaction between YY and quinoline and the decreased adsorption strength between YY and toluene.

Tribological Properties of Magnesium Ion-exchanged α-Zirconium Phosphate as a Solid Lubricant Additive in Lithium Grease

Magnesium ion-exchanged a-zirconium phosphates(Mg-α-ZrP) with particle sizes of 600 and 80 nm were prepared through the sealed ion-exchange and one-step hydrothermal synthesis methods, respectively. It was found that larger particles of Mg-α-ZrP had a higher load-carrying capacity than that of smaller particles, whereas smaller Mg-α-ZrP particles had better anti-wear properties than that of larger Mg-α-ZrP particles under mild loads. The correlation between the particle size of the sample and the surface roughness of the friction pair thus seems to be a key factor influencing the performance.

Effect of Mg^(2+) content in ion-exchanged Shengli lignite on its equilibrium adsorption water content and its mechanism

Mg ion-exchanged samples were prepared with acid-washed Shengli lignite.The chemical composition of the ash of the raw sample was determined by X-ray fluorescence.The equilibrium adsorption water contents of samples were determined in a range of relative humidity.The ion-exchange process was characterized by FT-IR,ash content,and p H value.A possible mechanism is proposed for equilibrium adsorption water of ion-exchanged samples at different humidities.The extent of ion-exchange reaction between Mg2+and lignite is controlled by the concentration of Mg2+in Mg SO4solution.The effect of Mg2+on equilibrium adsorption water content varies with relative humidity and content of Mg2+.The factor that controls equilibrium adsorption water content at low relative humidity is water interactions with sorption sites,which are Mg2+–carboxyl group complex.At middle relative humidity capillary force between Mg2+–water clusters Mg+(H2O)nand capillary is more important.At high relative humidity,free water–free water interactions are more significant.

Deep removal of copper from cobalt sulfate electrolyte by ion-exchange

SP-C was applied for the removal of Cu^2＋ from simulated cobalt sulfate electrolyte containing Co2＋ 50 g/L and Cu2＋ 0.5-2.0 g/L. Experimental conditions included pH of 2-4, temperature of 20-60℃ and contact time of 10-40 min. The investigation demonstrated that SP-C had recommendable efficiency in adsorbing Cu2＋ from the electrolyte with 25- to 100-fold of Co2＋ The optimal adsorption conditions of SP-C were pH of 4, contact time of 30 min and ambient temperature. The study also showed that the loaded resin could be effectively eluted with 2.0 mol/L H2SO4 solution at a contact time of 40 min; the peak concentration of Cu2＋ in the eluate was about 35 g/L. The sorption characteristics of Cu2＋ by SP-C could be described by Langrnuir isotherm and the pseudo second-order kinetic equation. Infrared spectra showed that nitrogen atoms in the functional group coordinated with Cu2＋ to form coordination bands.

Solvent extraction and separation of cobalt from leachate of spent lithium-ion battery cathodes with N263 in nitrite media

To effectively separate and recover Co(Ⅱ) from the leachate of spent lithium-ion battery cathodes,we investigated solvent extraction with quaternary ammonium salt N263 in the sodium nitrite system.NO_(2)^(-)combines with Co(Ⅱ) to form an anion [Co(NO_(2))_(3)]^(-),and it is then extracted by N263.The extraction of Co(Ⅱ) is related to the concentration of NO_(2)^(-).The extraction efficiency of Co(Ⅱ) reaches the maximum of99.16%,while the extraction efficiencies of Ni(Ⅱ),Mn(Ⅱ),and Li(Ⅰ) are 9.27%-9.80% under the following conditions:30vol% of N263 and15vol% of iso-propyl alcohol in sulfonated kerosene,the volume ratio of the aqueous-to-organic phase is 2:1,the extraction time is 30 min,and1 M sodium nitrite in 0.1 MHNO_(3).The theoretical stages require for the Co(Ⅱ) extraction are performed in the McCabe–Thiele diagram,and the extraction efficiency of Co(Ⅱ) reaches more than 99.00% after three-stage counter-current extraction with Co(Ⅱ) concentration of 2544mg/L.When the HCl concentration is 1.5 M,the volume ratio of the aqueous-to-organic phase is 1:1,the back-extraction efficiency of Co(Ⅱ)achieves 91.41%.After five extraction and back-extraction cycles,the Co(Ⅱ) extraction efficiency can still reach 93.89%.The Co(Ⅱ) extraction efficiency in the actual leaching solution reaches 100%.

Effects of ion-exchange on the pervaporation performance and microstructure of NaY zeolite membrane

Pervaporation performance of NaY zeolite membranes is improved by ion-exchange with di-valent nitrate salt.Different nitrate salts,including Co(NO_(3))_(2),Mg(NO_(3))_(2),Zn(NO_(3))_(2),Ca(NO_(3))_(2),Cu(NO_(3))_(2),KNO_(3),and AgNO_(3),have great effects on the channel structure and water affinity of the NaY zeolite membrane.When the concentration of nitrate salt,ion-exchange temperature and time are 0.1 mol·L^(-1),50℃and 2 h,the ion-exchange degree order of NaY zeolites is Ag^(+)>K^(+)>Ca^(2+)>Zn^(2+)>>Co^(2+)>Mg^(2+).Especially,Ag^(+)and K^(+)cation exchange degree of NaY zeolites are achieved to 96.54% and 82.77% in this work.BET surface,total pore capacity,pore size distribution and water contact angle of the ion-exchanged NaY zeolites are all disordered by mono-and di-valent cations.Di-valent nitrate salt is favor for increasing the dehydration performance of NaY zeolite membranes by ion-exchange.When the ion-exchange solution is Zn(NO_(3))_(2),the total flux variation and separation factor variation of the NaY membrane(M-5)are -45% and 230% for separation of 10%(mass)H_(2)O/EtOH mixture by pervaporation,and the ion-exchanged membranes showed good reproducibility.

Influence of carbonization temperature on cobalt-based nitrogendoped carbon nanopolyhedra derived from ZIF-67 for nonoxidative propane dehydrogenation

Propylene is a significant basic material for petrochemicals such as polypropylene,propylene oxide,etc.With abundant propane supply from shale gas,propane dehydrogenation(PDH)becomes extensively attractive as an on-purpose propylene production route in recent years.Nitrogen-doped carbon(NC)nanopolyhedra supported cobalt catalysts were synthesized in one-step of ZIF-67 pyrolysis and investigated further in PDH.XPS,TEM and N_(2) adsorption-desorption were used to study the influence of carbonization temperature on as-prepared NC supported cobalt catalysts.The temperature is found to affect the cobalt phase and nitrogen species of the catalysts.And the positive correlation was established between Co0 proportion and space time yield of propylene,indicating that the modulation of carbonization temperature could be important for catalytic performance.

Enhancing water-dissociation kinetics and optimizing intermediates adsorption free energy of cobalt phosphide via high-valence Zr incorporating for alkaline water electrolysis

Developing high-efficiency electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction(HER) and oxygen evolution reaction(OER) is required to enhance the sluggish kinetics of water dissociation and optimize the adsorption free energy of reaction intermediates.Herein,we tackle this challenge by incorporating high-valence Zr into CoP(ZrxCo_(1-x)P),which significantly accelerates the elementary steps of water electrolysis.Theoretical calculations indicate that the appropriate Zr incorporation effectively expedites the sluggish H2O dissociation kinetics and optimizes the adsorption energy of reaction intermediates for boosting the alkaline water electrolysis.These are confirmed by the experimental results of Zr_(0.06)Co_(0.94)P catalyst that delivers exceptional electrochemical activity.The overpotentials at the current density of 10 mA cm^(-2)(j10) are only 62(HER) and 240 mV(OER) in alkaline media.Furthermore,the Zr_(0.06)Co_(0.94)P/CC‖Zr_(0.06)Co_(0.94)P/CC system exhibits superior overall water splitting activity(1.53 V/j10),surpassing most of the reported bifunctional catalysts.This high-valence Zr incorporation and material design methods explore new avenues for realizing high-performance non-noble metal electrocatalysts.

A cobalt(Ⅱ)porphyrin with a tethered imidazole for efficient oxygen reduction and evolution electrocatalysis

Electrocatalytic oxygen reduction and evolution reactions are involved in new energy conversion and storage technologies,such as various fuel cells and metal-air batteries and also water splitting devices[1,2].However,both reactions are very slow in kinetics,and thus catalysts are required[3,4].

A core-shell copper oxides-cobalt oxides heterostructure nanowire arrays for nitrate reduction to ammonia with high yield rate

Electrochemical nitrate reduction to ammonia(NRA) can realize the green synthesis of ammonia(NH3) at ambient conditions, and also remove nitrate contamination in water. However, the current catalysts for NRA still face relatively low NH3yield rate and poor stability. We present here a core-shell heterostructure comprising cobalt oxide anchored on copper oxide nanowire arrays(CuO NWAs@Co_(3)O_(4)) for efficient NRA. The CuO NWAs@Co_(3)O_(4)demonstrates significantly enhanced NRA performance in alkaline media in comparison with plain CuO NWAs and Co_(3)O_(4)flocs. Especially, at-0.23 V vs. RHE, NH_(3) yield rate of the CuO NWAs@Co_(3)O_(4)reaches 1.915 mmol h^(-1)cm^(-2),much higher than those of CuO NWAs(1.472 mmol h^(-1)cm^(-2)), Co_(3)O_(4)flocs(1.222 mmol h^(-1)cm^(-2)) and recent reported Cu-based catalysts.It is proposed that the synergetic effects of the heterostructure combing atom hydrogen adsorption and nitrate reduction lead to the enhanced NRA performance.

Comparative Structural and Spectroscopic Characterization of M^ILn^IIITiO4 Ion-exchanged Phases,with M^I： Na, H, K

In this paper, a comparative study of the XRD characterization and FTIR spectroscopic behavior of some M^ILn^IIITiO4 phases with M^I： Na, H, K and Ln^III, the trivalent lanthanides elements： Sm, Eu, Er and Yb is reported. The H and K- oxides were obtained by ion-exchange from NaLnTiO4. These ternary oxides belong to the K2NiF4 structural type, with the M^I and Ln^III cations distributed in an ordered way on the K-sub lattice. The FTIR spectra of the materials were analyzed by comparison with structurally related materials. A close relationship with the parent NaLnTiO4 was found.