Catalytic effect in lithium metal batteries: From heterogeneous catalyst to homogenous catalyst

Lithium metal batteries are regarded as prominent contenders to address the pressing needs owing to the high theoretical capacity.Toward the broader implementation,the primary obstacle lies in the intricate multi-electron,multi-step redox reaction associated with sluggish conversion kinetics,subsequently giving rise to a cascade of parasitic issues.In order to smooth reaction kinetics,catalysts are widely introduced to accelerate reaction rate via modulating the energy barrier.Over past decades,a large amount of research has been devoted to the catalyst design and catalytic mechanism exploration,and thus the great progress in electrochemical performance has been realized.Therefore,it is necessary to make a comprehensive review toward key progress in catalyst design and future development pathway.In this review,the basic mechanism of lithium metal batteries is provided along with corresponding advantages and existing challenges detailly described.The main catalysts employed to accelerate cathode reaction with emphasis on their catalytic mechanism are summarized as well.Finally,the rational design and innovative direction toward efficient catalysts are suggested for future application in metal-sulfur/gas battery and beyond.This review is expected to drive and benefit future research on rational catalyst design with multi-parameter synergistic impacts on the activity and stability of next-generation metal battery,thus opening new avenue for sustainable solution to climate change,energy and environmental issues,and the potential industrial economy.

A Review on Engineering Transition Metal Compound Catalysts to Accelerate the Redox Kinetics of Sulfur Cathodes for Lithium–Sulfur Batteries

Engineering transition metal compounds(TMCs)catalysts with excellent adsorption-catalytic ability has been one of the most effec-tive strategies to accelerate the redox kinetics of sulfur cathodes.Herein,this review focuses on engineering TMCs catalysts by cation doping/anion doping/dual doping,bimetallic/bi-anionic TMCs,and TMCs-based heterostructure composites.It is obvious that introducing cations/anions to TMCs or constructing heterostructure can boost adsorption-catalytic capacity by regulating the electronic structure including energy band,d/p-band center,electron filling,and valence state.Moreover,the elec-tronic structure of doped/dual-ionic TMCs are adjusted by inducing ions with different electronegativity,electron filling,and ion radius,resulting in electron redistribution,bonds reconstruction,induced vacancies due to the electronic interaction and changed crystal structure such as lat-tice spacing and lattice distortion.Different from the aforementioned two strategies,heterostructures are constructed by two types of TMCs with different Fermi energy levels,which causes built-in electric field and electrons transfer through the interface,and induces electron redistribution and arranged local atoms to regulate the electronic structure.Additionally,the lacking studies of the three strategies to comprehensively regulate electronic structure for improving catalytic performance are pointed out.It is believed that this review can guide the design of advanced TMCs catalysts for boosting redox of lithium sulfur batteries.

Recent advances in regulating the performance of acid oxygen reduction reaction on carbon-supported non-precious metal single atom catalysts

Developing high performance and low-cost catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)in challenging acid condition is vital for proton-exchange-membrane fuel cells(PEMFCs).Carbon-supported nonprecious metal single atom catalysts(SACs)have been identified as potential catalysts in the field.Great advance has been obtained in constructing diverse active sites of SACs for improving the performance and understanding the fundamental principles of regulating acid ORR performance.However,the ORR performance of SACs is still unsatisfactory.Importantly,microenvironment adjustment of SACs offers chance to promote the performance of acid ORR.In this review,acid ORR mechanism,attenuation mechanism and performance improvement strategies of SACs are presented.The strategies for promoting ORR activity of SACs include the adjustment of center metal and its microenvironment.The relationship of ORR performance and structure is discussed with the help of advanced experimental investigations and theoretical calculations,which will offer helpful direction for designing advanced SACs for ORR.

Novel ternary metals-based telluride electrocatalyst with synergistic effects of high valence non-3d metal and oxophilic Te for pH-universal hydrogen evolution reaction

Electrocatalyst designs based on oxophilic foreign atoms are considered a promising approach for developing efficient pH-universal hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)electrocatalysts by overcoming the sluggish alkaline HER kinetics.Here,we design ternary transition metals-based nickel telluride(Mo WNi Te)catalysts consisting of high valence non-3d Mo and W metals and oxophilic Te as a first demonstration of non-precious heterogeneous electrocatalysts following the bifunctional mechanism.The Mo WNi Te showed excellent HER catalytic performance with overpotentials of 72,125,and 182 mV to reach the current densities of 10,100,and 1000 mA cm^(-2),respectively,and the corresponding Tafel slope of 47,52,and 58 mV dec-1in alkaline media,which is much superior to commercial Pt/C.Additionally,the HER performance of Mo WNi Te is well maintained up to 3000 h at the current density of 100 mA cm^(-2).It is further demonstrated that the Mo WNi Te exhibits remarkable HER activities with an overpotential of 45 mV(31 mV)and Tafel slope of 60 mV dec-1(34 mV dec-1)at 10 mA cm^(-2)in neutral(acid)media.The superior HER performance of Mo WNi Te is attributed to the electronic structure modulation,inducing highly active low valence states by the incorporation of high valence non-3d transition metals.It is also attributed to the oxophilic effect of Te,accelerating water dissociation kinetics through a bifunctional catalytic mechanism in alkaline media.Density functional theory calculations further reveal that such synergistic effects lead to reduced free energy for an efficient water dissociation process,resulting in remarkable HER catalytic performances within universal pH environments.

The role of morphology on the electrochemical CO_(2) reduction performance of transition metal-based catalysts

The continued increase in population and the industrial revolution have led to an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide(CO_(2)) concentration. Consequently, developing and implementing effective solutions to reduce CO_(2) emissions is a global priority. The electrochemical CO_(2) reduction reaction(CO_(2)RR) is strongly believed to be a promising alternative to fossil fuel-based technologies for the production of value-added chemicals. So far, the implementation of CO_(2)RR is hindered by associated electrochemical reactions, such as low selectivity, hydrogen evolution reaction(HER), and additional overpotential induced in some cases. As a result, it is necessary to conduct a timely evaluation of the state-of-the-art strategies in CO_(2)RR, with a focus on the engineering of the electrocatalytic systems. Catalyst morphology is one factor that plays a critical role in overcoming these drawbacks and significantly contributes to enhancing product selectivity and Faradaic efficiency(FE). This review article summarizes the recent advances in the rational design of electrocatalysts with various morphologies and the influence of these morphologies on CO_(2)RR. To compare literature findings in a meaningful way, the article focuses on results reported under a well-defined period and considers the first three rows of the d-block metal catalysts. The discussion typically covers the design of nanostructured catalysts and the molecular-level understanding of morphology-performance relationship in terms of activity, selectivity, and stability during CO_(2) electrolysis. Among others, it would be convenient to recommend a comprehensive discussion on the morphologies of single metals and heterostructures, with a detailed emphasis on their impact on CO_(2) conversion.

Towards the selectivity distinction of phenol hydrogenation on noble metal catalysts

Selective hydrogenation of phenol to cyclohexanone is intriguing in chemical industry.Though a few catalysts with promising performances have been developed in recent years,the basic principle for catalyst design is still missing owing to the unclear catalytic mechanism.This work tries to unravel the mechanism of phenol hydro-genation and the reasons causing the selectivity discrepancy on noble metal catalysts under mild conditions.Results show that different reaction pathways always firstly converge to the formation of cyclohexanone under mild conditions.The selectivity discrepancy mainly depends on the activity for cyclohexanone sequential hy-drogenation,in which two factors are found to be responsible,i.e.the hydrogenation energy barrier and the competitive chemisorption between phenol and cyclohexanone,if the specific co-catalyzing effect of H 2 O on Ru is not considered.Based on the above results,a quantitative descriptor,E b(one/pl)/E a,in which E a can be further correlated to the d band center of the noble metal catalyst,is proposed by the first time to roughly evaluate and predict the selectivity to cyclohexanone for catalyst screening.

Endeavors on the development of efficient and sustainable supported metal catalysts for chemical synthesis on solid-liquid interfaces

Supported metal catalysts,particularly for precious metals,have gained increasing attention in green synthetic chemistry.They can make metal-catalyzed organic synthesis more sustainable and economical due to easy separation of product with less metal residue,as well as reusability of the high-cost catalysts.Although great effort has been spent,the precise catalytic mechanism of supported metal-catalyzed reactions has not been clearly elucidated and the development of efficient and stable recyclable catalysts remains challenging.This highlight reveals a“molecular fence”metal stabilization strategy and discloses the metal evolution in Pd-catalyzed C-C bond formation reactions using Nheterocyclic carbene(NHC)-functionalized hypercrosslinked polymer support,wherein the polymeric skeleton isolates or confines the metal species involved in the catalytic reactions,and NHC captures free low-valent metal species in solution and stabilizes them on the support via strong metal-support coordination interaction.This strategy creates a novel route for the development of supported metal catalysts with high stability and provides insights into the reaction mechanism of heterogeneous catalysis.

Promotion effects of alkali metals on iron molybdate catalysts for CO_(2)catalytic hydrogenation

CO_(2)hydrogenation is an attractive way to store and utilize carbon dioxide generated by industrial processes,as well as to produce valuable chemicals from renewable and abundant resources.Iron catalysts are commonly used for the hydrogenation of carbon oxides to hydrocarbons.Iron-molybdenum catalysts have found numerous applications in catalysis,but have been never evaluated in the CO_(2)hydrogenation.In this work,the structural properties of iron-molybdenum catalysts without and with a promoting alkali metal(Li,Na,K,Rb,or Cs)were characterized using X-ray diffraction,hydrogen temperatureprogrammed reduction,CO_(2)temperature-programmed desorption,in-situ^(57)Fe Mossbauer spectroscopy and operando X-ray adsorption spectroscopy.Their catalytic performance was evaluated in the CO_(2)hydrogenation.During the reaction conditions,the catalysts undergo the formation of an iron(Ⅱ)molybdate structure,accompanied by a partial reduction of molybdenum and carbidization of iron.The rate of CO_(2)conversion and product selectivity strongly depend on the promoting alkali metals,and electronegativity was identified as an important factor affecting the catalytic performance.Higher CO_(2)conversion rates were observed with the promoters having higher electronegativity,while low electronegativity of alkali metals favors higher light olefin selectivity.

General approach for atomically dispersed precious metal catalysts toward hydrogen reaction

As a carbon-free energy carrier,hydrogen has become the pivot for future clean energy,while efficient hydrogen production and combustion still require precious metal-based catalysts.Single-atom catalysts(SACs)with high atomic utilization open up a desirable perspective for the scale applications of precious metals,but the general and facile preparation of various precious metal-based SACs remains challenging.Herein,a general movable printing method has been developed to synthesize various precious metal-based SACs,such as Pd,Pt,Rh,Ir,and Ru,and the features of highly dispersed single atoms with nitrogen coordination have been identified by comprehensive characterizations.More importantly,the synthesized Pt-and Ru-based SACs exhibit much higher activities than their corresponding nanoparticle counterparts for hydrogen oxidation reaction and hydrogen evolution reaction(HER).In addition,the Pd-based SAC delivers an excellent activity for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution.Especially for the superior mass activity of Ru-based SACs toward HER,density functional theory calculations confirmed that the adsorption of the hydrogen atom has a significant effect on the spin state and electronic structure of the catalysts.

Rare-earth metal catalysts for alkene hydrosilylation

Rare-earth metal catalyzed hydrosilylation of alkenes has emerged as a powerful and selective strategy for the synthesis of organosilanes. This transformation can offer distinctive catalytic sequences and reaction patterns from other catalysts because of the high electropositivity and lack of oxidative-addition process of rare-earth metal. This review summarizes the rare-earth metal catalysts for hydrosilylation of alkene according to the type of ligands. The synthesis and structure of rare-earth metal catalysts,the substrate scope as well as some preliminary structure-activity relationship and mechanism are discussed.

Influence of preparation method on performance of a metal supported perovskite catalyst for combustion of methane

A different method was employed for the preparation of a metal supported perovskite catalyst for the catalytic combustion of methane.The prepared metallic catalysts were characterized by means of X-ray diffractometer(XRD),scanning electron microscopy(SEM),transmission electron microscopy(TEM),and also by ultrasonic and thermal shock tests and catalytic activity.It was found that the process factors during the preparation,e.g.the preparation of the catalyst precursor and the coating slurry,the calcination temperature,all had strong effects on the activity and stability of the coated catalyst.Based on the experimental results,it was proposed that the sample adopted spray-pyrolysis method showed better catalytic activity and adhesion stability than those adopted co-precipitation and sol-gel.The increasing calcinations temperature could enhance adhesion stability,but reduce catalytic activity.For the coated samples,XRD illuminated that the typical well-crystallized perovskite structure was formed on the metallic surface after calcined at 800 oC.SEM and TEM micrographs of the samples showed obvious dissimilarity at morphology aspect by different preparation methods.The LaMnO3 catalyst on the support by the spray-pyrolysis method had a mass loss 26% after 30 min ultrasonic treatment and 7% after 10 times thermal shock.

Transition metal-based single-atom catalysts(TM-SACs);rising materials for electrochemical CO_(2) reduction

The continuous increase of global atmospheric CO_(2) concentrations brutally damages our environment. A series of methods have been developed to convert CO_(2) to valuable fuels and value-added chemicals to maintain the equilibrium of carbon cycles. The electrochemical CO_(2) reduction reaction(CO_(2)RR) is one of the promising methods to produce fuels and chemicals, and it could offer sustainable paths to decrease carbon intensity and support renewable energy. Thus, significant research efforts and highly efficient catalysts are essential for converting CO_(2) into other valuable chemicals and fuels. Transition metal-based single atoms catalysts(TM-SACs) have recently received much attention and offer outstanding electrochemical applications with high activity and selectivity opportunities. By taking advantage of both heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysts, TM-SACs are the new rising star for electrochemical conversion of CO_(2) to the value-added product with high selectivity. In recent years, enormous research effort has been made to synthesize different TM-SACs with different M–Nxsites and study the electrochemical conversion of CO_(2) to CO. This review has discussed the development and characterization of different TMSACs with various catalytic sites, fundamental understanding of the electrochemical process in CO_(2) RR,intrinsic catalytic activity, and molecular strategics of SACs responsible for CO_(2)RR. Furthermore, we extensively review previous studies on 1 st-row transition metals TM-SACs(Ni, Co, Fe, Cu, Zn, Sn) and dual-atom catalysts(DACs) utilized for electrochemical CO_(2) conversions and highlight the opportunities and challenges.

Catalytic Reduction of CO2 to CO via Reverse Water Gas Shift Reaction:Recent Advances in the Design of Active and Selective Supported Metal Catalysts

The catalytic conversion of CO2 to CO via a reverse water gas shift(RWGS)reaction followed by well-established synthesis gas conversion technologies may provide a potential approach to convert CO2 to valuable chemicals and fuels.However,this reaction is mildly endothermic and competed by a strongly exothermic CO2 methanation reaction at low temperatures.Therefore,the improvement in the low-temperature activities and selectivity of the RWGS reaction is a key challenge for catalyst designs.We reviewed recent advances in the design strategies of supported metal catalysts for enhancing the activity of CO2 conversion and its selectivity to CO.These strategies include varying support,tuning metal–support interactions,adding reducible transition metal oxide promoters,forming bimetallic alloys,adding alkali metals,and enveloping metal particles.These advances suggest that enhancing CO2 adsorption and facilitating CO desorption are key factors to enhance CO2 conversion and CO selectivity.This short review may provide insights into future RWGS catalyst designs and optimization.

Mechanism of interaction relation between the rare-earth element Ce and impurity elements Pb and Bi in Ag-based filler metal

The mechanism of interaction relation between the rare-earth element Ce and elements Pb and Bi in Ag-based filler metal has been studied. The results show that the compounds CePb and CeBi with high melting point can be easily produced between these three elements in the filler metal, which greatly limited the formation of the isolated phase Pb or Bi and also eliminated the bad effect of impurity elements Pb and Bi on the spreading property of Ag-based filler metal. The metallurgical and quantum-mechanical bond formation analysis show that a strong chemical affinity was existed between the rare-earth element Ce and impurity elements Pb and Bi, which was proved by the XRD analysis results.

Low-temperature conversion of methane to oxygenates by supported metal catalysts: From nanoparticles to single atoms

Direct cost-effective conversion of abundant methane to high value-added oxygenates(methanol,formic acid,acetic acid,etc.)under mild conditions is prospective for optimizing the structure of energy resources.However,the CAH bond of products is more reactive than that of high thermodynamic stable methane.Exploring an appropriate approach to eliminate the‘‘seesaw effect"between methane conversion and oxygenate selectivity is significant.In this review,we briefly summarize the research progress in the past decade on low-temperature direct conversion of methane to oxygenates in gas-solid-liquid phase over various transition metal(Fe,Cu,Rh,Pd,Au Pd,etc.)based nanoparticle or single-atom catalyst.Furthermore,the prospects of catalyst design and catalysis process are also discussed.

Investigate the kinetics of coke solution loss reaction with an alkali metal as a catalyst based on the improved genetic algorithm

The kinetics of coke solution loss reaction with and without sodium carbonate were investigated under the reaction atmosphere of carb on dioxide. The variables of gas flow rate and coke particle size were explored to eliminate the external and inteirial diffusion, respectively. Then, the improved method combining with the least square and the genetic algorithm was proposed to solve the homogeneous model and the shrinking core model. It was found that the improved genetic algorithm method has good stability by studying the fitness function at each generation. In the homogeneous model, the activation energy with and without sodium carbonate was 54.89 and 95.56 kJ/mol, respectively. And. the activation energy with and without sodium carbonate in the shrinking core model was 49.83 and 92.18 kJ/mol, respectively. Therefore, it was concluded that the sodium carbonate has the catalytic action. In addition, results showed that the estimated conversions were agreed well with the experimental ones, which indicated that the calculated kinetic parameters were valid and the proposed method was successfully developed.

Preparation of Low Cost Activated Carbon from Deactivated Resin Catalyst for Methyl Tert-Butyl Ether Synthesis and Its Application in Dimethyl Sulfide Adsorption with Transition Metal Impregnation

In this paper, a low-cost activated carbon(AC) was prepared from deactivated resin catalyst(DRC) for methyl tert-butyl ether(MTBE) synthesis through carbonization and subsequent steam activation treatment. The activated carbon was characterized in detail. After loading various transition metals, including Cu^(2+), Ag+, Co^(2+), Ni^(2+), Zn^(2+), and Fe^(3+) via the ultrasonic-assisted impregnation method, a series of metal-loaded adsorbents(xM-AC) were obtained and their dimethyl sulfide(DMS) adsorption performance was investigated in a batch system. Among these adsorbents, 15Cu-AC presented a superior DMS adsorption capacity equating to 58.986 mg/g due to the formation of S-M(σ) bonds between Cu^(2+) and sulfur atoms of DMS as confirmed by the Raman spectra and kinetic study.

Study on Relationship between Microstructure of Active Phase and HDS Performance of Sulfided Ni-Mo Catalysts: Effect of Metal Loading

Six Ni-Mo catalysts with different metal contents were prepared and characterized by N2 adsorption and X-ray diffractometry. The active phase microstructure of these catalysts was examined by the Raman spectroscopy, temperatureprogrammed reduction(TPR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Hydrodesulfurization(HDS) activity of catalyst samples were analyzed in a flow fixed-bed microreactor. The sulfidation degree of Mo and the length of the MoS2 slab slightly increased with the amount of metal loaded following sulfidation. This small change is attributed to polymolybdate species observed in all the oxidized catalysts. Weak metal-support interactions, as determined by the TPR technique, increased the NiSx sulfidation phase and MoS2 slab stacking. The HDS activity of the catalyst samples increased with the number of active sites. For high metal loading catalysts, their HDS activity was nearly identical because the sulfur atoms cannot easily approach active sites. This change is caused by the large number of stacked layers in the MoS2 slabs as well as the decrease in the specific surface area and pore volume of the catalyst samples with an increasing metal loading.

Recent progress on transition metal oxides and carbon-supported transition metal oxides as catalysts for thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate

As a main oxidizer in solid composite propellants,ammonium perchlorate(AP)plays an important role because its thermal decomposition behavior has a direct influence on the characteristic of solid composite propellants.To improve the performance of solid composite propellant,it is necessary to take measures to modify the thermal decomposition behavior of AP.In recent years,transition metal oxides and carbon-supported transition metal oxides have drawn considerable attention due to their extraordinary catalytic activity.In this review,we highlight strategies to enhance the thermal decomposition of AP by tuning morphology,varying the types of metal ion,and coupling with carbon analogue.The enhanced catalytic performance can be ascribed to synergistic effect,increased surface area,more exposed active sites,and accelerated electron transportation and so on.The mechanism of AP decomposition mixed with catalyst has also been briefly summarized.Finally,a conclusive outlook and possible research directions are suggested to address challenges such as lacking practical application in actual formulation of solid composite propellant and batch manufacturing.

SULFUR-RESISTANT BIMETALLIC NOBLE METAL CATALYSTS FOR AROMATIC HYDROGENATION OF DIESEL FUEL

Y zeolite supporting noble metal catalysts, as the important industrial catalysts for aromatics hydrogenation, have received increasing attention in recent years. Pd M/Y bimetallic catalysts, where M is non noble metal element, were prepared to investigate the effects of the addition of a second metal. Pd M/Y catalysts were evaluated under the following conditions: H 2 pressure 4.2 MPa, MHSV 4.0 h -1 , sulfur content in feed 3000 μg/g. The microreactor results indicated that the second metal remarkably affects the hydrogenation activity of Pd/Y catalysts. Among them, Cr and W improve the sulfur resistance of Pd/Y, but La, Mn, Mo and Ag make the sulfur resistance worse and the second metals have no evident influence on product selectivity and acidic properties of the catalysts.