Mesoporous Carbon Nanofibers Loaded with Ordered PtFe Alloy Nanoparticles for Electrocatalytic Nitrate Reduction to Ammonia

Highly dispersed bimetallic alloy nanoparticle electrocatalysts have been demonstrated to exhibit exceptional performance in driving the nitrate reduction reaction(NO_(3)RR)to generate ammonia(NH_(3)).In this study,we prepared mesoporous carbon nanofibers(mCNFs)functionalized with ordered PtFe alloys(O-PtFe-mCNFs)by a composite micelle interface-induced co-assembly method using poly(ethylene oxide)-block-polystyrene(PEO-b-PS)as a template.When employed as electrocatalysts,O-PtFe-mCNFs exhibited superior electrocatalytic performance for the NO_(3RR)compared to the mCNFs functionalized with disordered PtFe alloys(D-PtFe-mCNFs).Notably,the NH_(3)production performance was particularly outstanding,with a maximum NH_(3)yield of up to 959.6μmol/(h·cm~2).Furthermore,the Faraday efficiency(FE)was even 88.0%at-0.4 V vs.reversible hydrogen electrode(RHE).This finding provides compelling evidence of the potential of ordered PtFe alloy catalysts for the electrocatalytic NO_(3)RR.

Highly active and stable Co nanoparticles embedded in nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbon nanofibers for aqueous-phase levulinic acid hydrogenation

Developing a highly active and durable non-noble metal catalyst for aqueous-phase levulinic acid(LA)hydrogenation to g-valerolactone(GVL)is an appealing yet challenging task.Herein,we report well-dispersed Co nanoparticles(NPs)embedded in nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbon nanofibers as an efficient catalyst for aqueous-phase LA hydrogenation to GVL.The Co zeolitic imidazolate framework(ZIF-67)nanocrystals were anchored on the sodium dodecyl sulfate modified wipe fiber(WF-S),yielding one-dimensional(1-D)structured composite(ZIF-67/WF-S).Subsequently,Co NPs were uniformly embedded in nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbon nanofibers(Co^(R)NC/SMCNF)through a pyrolysis-reduction strategy using ZIF-67/WF-S as the precursor.Benefiting from introducing modified wipe fiber WF-S to enhance the dispersion of Co NPs,and Co^(0) with Co-N_xdual active sites,the resulting Co^(R)NC/SMCNF catalyst shows brilliant catalytic activity(206 h^(-1) turnover frequency).Additionally,the strong metal-support interactions greatly inhibited the Co NPs from aggregation and leaching from the mesoporous carbon nanofibers,and thus increasing the reusability of the Co^(R)NC/SMCNF catalyst(reusable nine times without notable activity loss).

Manipulating selenium molecular configuration in N/O dual-doped porous carbon for high performance potassium-ion storage

Potassium-selenium(K-Se)batteries have attracted more and more attention because of their high theoretical specific capacity and natural abundance of K resources.However,dissolution of polyselenides,large volume expansion during cycling and low utilization of Se remain great challenges,leading to poor rate capability and cycle life.Herein,N/O dual-doped carbon nanofibers with interconnected micro/mesopores(MMCFs)are designed as hosts to manipulate Se molecular configuration for advanced flexible K-Se batteries.The micropores play a role in confining small Se molecule(Se_(2–3)),which could inhibit the formation of polyselenides and work as physical barrier to stabilize the cycle performance.While the mesopores can confine long-chain Se(Se_(4–7)),promising sufficient Se loading and contributing to higher discharge voltage of the whole Se@MMCFs composite.The N/O co-doping and the 3D interpenetrating nanostructure improve electrical conductivity and keep the structure integrity after cycling.The obtained Se_(2–3)/Se_(4–7)@MMCFs electrode exhibits an unprecedented cycle life(395 mA h g^(−1) at 1 A g^(−1) after 2000 cycles)and high specific energy density(400 Wh kg^(−1),nearly twice the specific energy density of the Se_(2–3)@MMCFs).This study offers a rational design for the realization of a high energy density and long cycle life chalcogen cathode for energy storage.