Advanced heterostructure of Pd nanosheets@Pt nanoparticles boosts methanol electrooxidation

Heterostructures have emerged as elaborate structures to improve catalytic activity owing to their combined surface and distinct inverse interface.However,fabricating advanced nanocatalysts with facetdependent interface remains an unexploited and promising area.Herein,we render the controlled growth of Pt nanoparticles(NPs)on Pd nanosheets(NSs)by regulating the reduction kinetics of Pt^(2+)with solvents.Specifically,the fast reduction kinetic makes the Pt NPs uniformly deposited on the Pd NSs(U-Pd@Pt HS),while the slow reduction kinetic leads to the preferential growth of Pt NPs on the edge of the Pd NSs(E-Pd@Pt HS).Density functional theory calculations demonstrate that Pd(111)-Pt interface in U-Pd@Pt HS induces the electron-deficient status of Pd substrates,triggering the d-band center downshift and amplifying the Pd-Pt intermetallic interaction.The synergy between the electronic effect and interfacial effect facilitates the removal of poisonous intermediates on U-Pd@Pt HS.By virtue of the Pd NSs@Pt NPs interface,the heterostructure achieves exceptional methanol oxidation reaction activity as well as improved durability.This study innovatively proposes heterostructure engineering with facetdependent interfacial modulation,offering instructive guidelines for the rational design of versatile heterocatalysts.

Synergetic enhancement of selectivity for electroreduction of CO_(2)to C_(2)H_(4)by crystal facet engineering and tandem catalysis over silver-incorporated-cuprous oxides

Electrochemical CO_(2)reduction to C_(2)H_(4)can provide a sustainable route to reduce globally accelerating CO_(2)emissions and produce energy-rich chemical feedstocks.However,the poor selectivity in C_(2)H_(4)electrosynthesis limits its implementation in industrially interesting processes.Herein,we report a composite structured catalyst composed of Ag and Cu_(2)O with different crystal faces to achieve highly efficient reduction of CO_(2)to C_(2)H_(4).The catalyst composed of Ag and octahedral Cu_(2)O enclosed with(111)facet exhibits the best CO_(2)electroreduction performance,with the Faradaic efficiency(FE)and partial current density reaching 66.8%and 17.8 mA cm2 for C_(2)H_(4)product at-1.2 VRHE in 0.5 M KHCO_(3),respectively.Physical characterization and electrochemical test analysis indicate that the high selectivity for C_(2)H_(4)product stems from the synergistic effect of crystal faces control engineering and tandem catalysis.Specifically,Ag can provide optimal availability of CO intermediate by suppressing hydrogen evolution;subsequently,C-C coupling is promoted on the intimate surface of Cu_(2)O with facetdependent selectivity.The insights gained from this work may be beneficial for designing efficient multicomponent catalysts for improving the selectivity of electrochemical CO_(2)reduction reaction to generate C2þproducts.

Facet-dependent electro-optical properties of cholesteric liquid crystals doped with Cu2O nanocrystals

Excellent electro-optical （E-O） performances are essential for high-quality reflective cholesteric liquid crystal （LC） displays, but are often limited by the high driving voltages required by these displays. Dispersing functional nanomaterials into the LCs has emerged as a promising approach to achieve outstanding E-O properties. In this work, we report the facet-controlled E-O properties of a chiral nematic LC （N＊LC） doped with cubic, octahedral, and rhornbic dodecahedral Cu20. The outstanding E-O properties of the doped systems are related to the interaction between the liquid crystals and Cu20 dopants with different exposed crystal planes. Doping with octahedral and rhombic dodecahedral Cu20 reduces the stability of the planar state, as a result of both the surface abundance of active Cu atoms that interact with the polarized LC molecules, and the large amounts of vertexes and edges on the crystal surfaces, which accelerate the transition from the planar to the focal conic state under an applied electric field. Rhombic Cu20 is the most effective dopant for improving the E-O properties of the present LCs, resulting in a 65.31% reduction of the threshold voltage. The facet and morphology effects highlighted in this work provide a new pathway to develop excellent energy-saving meso-materials with exposed high-reactivity facets, improving their potential applications in electro-optical technologies and information displays.

Crystal facet-dependent electrocatalytic performance of metallic Cu in CO_(2)reduction reactions

Developing high-performance electrocatalysts for CO_(2) reduction reaction(CO_(2)RR)is crucial since it is beneficial for environmental protection and the resulting value-add chemical products can act as an alternative to fossil feedstocks.Nonetheless,the direct reduction of CO_(2) into long-chain hydrocarbons and oxygenated hydrocarbons with high selectivity remains challenging.Copper(Cu)shows a distinctive advantage that it is the only pure metal catalyst for reducing CO_(2) into multi-carbon(C_(2+))products and the certain facets(e.g.,(100),(111),(111))of Cu nanocrystals exhibit relatively low energy barriers for the formation of specific products(e.g.,CO,HCOOH,CH_(4),C_(2)H_(4),C_(2)H_(5)OH,and other C_(2+) products).Therefore,extensive studies have been carried out to explore the relationship between the facets of Cu nanocrystals and corresponding catalytic products.In this review,we will discuss the crystal facet-dependent electrocatalytic CO_(2)RR performance in metallic Cu catalysts,meanwhile,the detailed reaction mechanisms will be systematically summarized.In addition,we will provide a personal perspective for the future research directions in this emerging field.We believe this review is helpful to guide the design of high-selectivity Cu-based electrocatalysts for CO_(2)RR.

Lifting surface reconstruction of Au(100)by tellurium adsorption

The Au(100)surface has been a subject of intense studies due to excellent catalytic activities and its model character for surface science.However,the spontaneous surface reconstruction buries active Au(100)plane and limits practical applications,how to controllably eliminate the surface reconstruction over large scale remains challenging.Here,we experimentally and theoretically demonstrate that simple decoration of the Au(100)surface by tellurium(Te)atoms can uniquely lift its reconstruction over large scale.Scanning tunneling microscopy imaging reveals that the lifting of surface reconstruction preferentially starts from the boundaries of distinct domains and then extends progressively into the domains with the reconstruction rows perpendicular to the boundaries,leaving a Au(100)-(1×1)surface behind.The Au(100)-(1×1)is saturated at~84%±2%with respect to the whole surface at a Te coverage of 0.16 monolayer.With further increasing the Te coverage to 0.25 monolayer,the Au(100)-(1×1)surface becomes reduced and overlapped by a well-ordered(2×2)-Te superstructure.No similar behavior is found for Te-decorated Au(111),Cu(111),Cu(100)surfaces,nor for the decorated Au(100)with other elements.This result may pave the way to design Au-based catalysts and,as an intermediate step,even potentially open a new route to constructing complex transition metal dichalcogenides.