Operando NMR methods for studying electrocatalysis

The combination of electrochemical measurements with spectroscopic characterizations provides valuable insights into reaction mechanisms.Nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR)spectroscopy,as a powerful technique due to its atomic specificity and versatility in studying gas,liquid,and solid,allows the study of electrolyte solution,catalyst and catalyst-adsorbate interfaces.When applied in operando,NMR can offer molecular-level insights into various electrochemical processes.Operando NMR has been applied extensively in battery research,but relatively underexplored for electrocatalysis in the past two decades.In this mini review,we first introduce the operando electrochemical NMR setups,categorized by different probe designs.Then we review the applications of operando NMR for monitoring the electrolyte solution and the catalyst-adsorbate interface.Considering the high environmental impact of electrochemical conversion of CO_(2)into value-added products,we zoom in to the use of operando NMR in studying electrochemical CO_(2)reduction.Finally,we provide our perspective on further developing and applying operando NMR methods for understanding the complex reaction network of Cu-catalyzed electrochemical CO_(2)reduction.

In situ High-pressure NMR Observations on the Formation and Dissociation of Methane Hydrate

A home-made static NMR cell with pressure up to 10 MPa was employed to observe the formation and dissociation processes of methane hydrate by in situ ^1H and ^13C NMR spectroscopies. Methane hydrate can be formed or decomposed in the temperature range of -5 to -13℃ at pressures between 4.0 and 7.0 MPa. The higher methane pressure, the formation or dissociation temperature of methane hydrate was higher. In situ ^1H NMR experiments indicated that the critical size of the hydrate clusters is crucial for the formation of methane hydrate.

Development of In Situ MAS NMR and Its Applications in Material Synthesis and Heterogeneous Catalysis

High-resolution magic angle spinning(MAS)NMR can afford both qualitative and quantitative information of the solid,liquid and gas phase at atomic level,and such information obtained at in situ/operando conditions is of vital importance for understanding the crystallization process of material as well as the reaction mechanism of catalysis.To meet the requirement of experimental conditions for material synthesis and catalytic reactions,in situ MAS NMR techniques have been continuously developed for using at higher temperatures and pressures with high sensitivity.Herein,we will briefly outline the development of this technology and discuss its detailed applications in understanding material synthesis and heterogeneous catalysis.

A New View of the Initiation and Propagation in Anionic Polymerization

This work confirms the new view of the initiation and propagation mechanism of the anionic polymerization previously proposed, based on the investigation of anionic bulk-polymerization of styrene and α-methyl styrene with the help of a self designed microflow device and characterized by GPC and in situ ^7Li NMR. It was found that n-BuLl tended to form the hexameric-aggregated structure and even to form the huge aggregated structure based on the former. These aggregations of initiators could directly initiate the anionic polymerization and form the su-pramolecule aggregations. The supramolecule aggregations inevitably blocked the diffusion of the monomers to the ion-pairs and resulted in a stationary-conversion platform. Then the aggregators were dissociated completely into equal binary-aggregated species, and the polymerization continued again rapidly before the termination. Tetrahy-drofuran （THF） acted as the electron donator, which could push the electron cloud to Li cation and make the aggre- gated ring of the active species rather loosened and facilitated the monomer to insert in. Therefore, a little THF can greatly promote the anionic polymerization. However, further addition of THF might block the channel between the ion-pairs and decrease the propagation rate. It was also found that the aggregated structure of the active species during the anionic polymerization only depends on the initiator aggregations which were formed before the polym-erization.