Theoretical Study on Mechanism and Kinetics of Reaction of O（^3p） with Propane

The reaction of C3H8＋O（^3p）→C3HT＋OH is investigated using ab initio calculation and dynamical methods. Electronic structure calculations for all stationary points are obtained using a dual-level strategy. The geometry optimization is performed using the unrestricted second-order Moller-Plesset perturbation method and the single-point energy is computed us- ing the coupled-cluster singles and doubles augmented by a perturbative treatment of triple excitations method. Results indicate that the main reaction channel is C3Hs＋O（^3p）→i- C3HT＋OH. Based upon the ab initio data, thermal rate constants are calculated using the variational transition state theory method with the temperature ranging from 298 K to 1000 K. These calculated rate constants are in better agreement with experiments than those reported in previous theoretical studies, and the branching ratios of the reaction are also calculated in the present work. Furthermore, the isotope effects of the title reaction are calculated and discussed. The present work reveals the reaction mechanism of hydrogenabstraction from propane involving reaction channel competitions is helpful for the understanding of propane combustion.

Synthesis of ZSM-5 monoliths with hierarchical porosity through a steam-assisted crystallization method using sponges as scaffolds

Self‐supporting ZSM‐5crystals with hierarchical porosity were prepared through a steam‐assisted crystallization method using sponges as rigid scaffolds.The synthesized materials were characterized by X‐ray diffraction,nitrogen sorption,scanning electron microscopy,transmission electron microscopy,solid‐state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and ammonia temperature‐programmed desorption.The ZSM‐5monoliths exhibited high crystallinities,hierarchical porous structures and strong acidities.They showed superior catalytic performance in the liquid‐phase esterification reaction between benzyl alcohol and hexanoic acid.

Sustainable synthesis of supported metal nanocatalysts for electrochemical hydrogen evolution

Among the various types of heterogeneous catalysts,supported metal nanocatalysts(SMNCs)have attracted widespread interest in chemistry and materials science,due to their advantageous features,such as high efficiency,stability,and reusability for catalytic reactions.However,to obtain well-defined SMNCs and inhibit nanoparticle aggregation,traditional approaches generally involve numerous organic reagents,complex steps,and specialized equipment,thus hindering the practical and large-scale synthesis of SMNCs.In this review,we summarize green and sustainable synthetic methodologies for the assembly of SMNCs,including low temperature pyrolysis and solid-state,surfactant-and reductant-free,and ionic liquid assisted syntheses.The conventional application of SMNCs for electrochemical hydrogen evolution and the corresponding achievements are subsequently discussed.Finally,future perspectives toward the sustainable production of SMNCs are presented.

Metal-mediated catalysis in the gas phase: A review

This review summarizes a variety of experimentally identified gas‐phase catalytic cycles,all of which are mediated by atomic metal ions,bare metal clusters,metal oxide clusters or metal complexes.Emphasis is placed on the latest advances in the unique catalytic reactivity of cluster‐confined single noble metal atoms.The cycles discussed in this paper cover a wide range of inorganic and organic molecules.The use of start‐of‐the‐art mass spectrometric instrumentation in conjunction with quantum chemistry calculations is also reported,as these techniques have determined the mechanistic details of the elementary steps of such catalytic cycles.The important role of gas‐phase data in guiding the rational design of better‐performing catalysts in related condensed phase reactions is also examined.In particular,this review focuses on the following three topics:(1)the catalytic oxidation of carbon monoxide,(2)the catalytic functionalization of methane,and(3)catalytic decarboxylation.

Influence of preparation methods on the physicochemical properties and catalytic performance of MnO_x-CeO_2 catalysts for NH_3-SCR at low temperature

This work examines the influence of preparation methods on the physicochemical properties and catalytic performance of MnOx‐CeO2 catalysts for selective catalytic reduction of NO by NH3 (NH3‐SCR) at low temperature. Five different methods, namely, mechanical mixing, impregnation,hydrothermal treatment, co‐precipitation, and a sol‐gel technique, were used to synthesizeMnOx‐CeO2 catalysts. The catalysts were characterized in detail, and an NH3‐SCR model reaction waschosen to evaluate the catalytic performance. The results showed that the preparation methodsaffected the catalytic performance in the order: hydrothermal treatment > sol‐gel > co‐precipitation> impregnation > mechanical mixing. This order correlated with the surface Ce3+ and Mn4+ content,oxygen vacancies and surface adsorbed oxygen species concentration, and the amount of acidic sitesand acidic strength. This trend is related to redox interactions between MnOx and CeO2. The catalystformed by a hydrothermal treatment exhibited excellent physicochemical properties, optimal catalyticperformance, and good H2O resistance in NH3‐SCR reaction. This was attributed to incorporationof Mnn+ into the CeO2 lattice to form a uniform ceria‐based solid solution (containing Mn‐O‐Cestructures). Strengthening of the electronic interactions between MnOx and CeO2, driven by thehigh‐temperature and high‐pressure conditions during the hydrothermal treatment also improved the catalyst characteristics. Thus, the hydrothermal treatment method is an efficient and environment‐friendly route to synthesizing low‐temperature denitrification (deNOx) catalysts.

Efficient electrocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide to ethylene on copper–antimony bimetallic alloy catalyst

The exploration of efficient electrocatalysts for the reduction of CO2 to C2H4 is of significant importance but is also a challenging subject.Cu-based bimetallic catalysts are extremely promising for efficient CO2 reduction.In this work,we synthesize a series of porous bimetallic Cu–Sb alloys with different compositions for the catalytic reduction of CO2 to C2H4.It is demonstrated that the alloy catalysts are much more efficient than the pure Cu catalyst.The performance of the alloy catalysts depended strongly on the composition.Further,the alloy with a Cu:Sb ratio of 10:1 yielded the best results;it exhibited a high C2H4 Faradaic efficiency of 49.7%and a high current density of 28.5 mA cm?2 at?1.19 V vs.a reversible hydrogen electrode(RHE)in 0.1 M KCl solution.To the best of our knowledge,the electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 to C2H4 using Cu–Sb alloys as catalysts has not been reported.The excellent performance of the porous alloy catalyst is attributed to its favorable electronic configuration,large surface area,high CO2 adsorption rate,and fast charge transfer rate.

Regulating surface In–O in In@InO_(x) core‐shell nanoparticles for boosting electrocatalytic CO_(2) reduction to formate

To solve the excessive emission of CO_(2) caused by the excessive use of fossil fuels and the corre‐sponding environmental problems,such as the greenhouse effect and climate warming,electrocat‐alytic CO_(2) reduction to liquid fuel with high selectivity is of huge significance for energy conversion and storge.Indium has been considered as a promising and attractive metal for the reduction of CO_(2) to formate.However,the current issues,such as low selectivity and current activity,largely limit the industrial application for electrocatalytic CO_(2) reduction,the design optimization of the catalyst structure and composition is extremely important.Herein,we develop a facile strategy to regulate surface In–O of In@InO_(x) core‐shell nanoparticles and explore the structure‐performance relation‐ship for efficient CO_(2)‐to‐formate conversion though air calcination and subsequent in situ electro‐chemical reconstruction,discovering that the surface In–O is beneficial to stabilize the CO_(2) interme‐diate and generate formate.The optimized AC‐In@InO_(x)‐CNT catalyst exhibits a C1 selectivity up to 98%and a formate selectivity of 94%as well as a high partial formate current density of 32.6 mA cm^(-2).Furthermore,the catalyst presents an excellent stability for over 25 h with a limited activity decay,outperforming the previously reported In‐based catalysts.These insights may open up op‐portunities for exploiting new efficient catalysts by manipulating their surface.

Solvent-Induced Symmetry-Breaking Charge Transfer in an Octupolar Triphenylamine Derivative Resolved with Transient Fluorescence Spectroscopy

The excited-state symmetry-breaking charge transfer (SBCT) dynamics in quadrupolar or octupolar molecules without clear infrared markers is usually hard to be tracked directly. In this work, on the basis of the evolution of instantaneous emission dipole moment obtained by femtosecond transient fluorescence spectroscopy, we presented a real-time characterization of the solvent-induced SBCT dynamics in an octupolar triphenylamine derivative. While the emission dipole moment of the octupolar trimer in weakly polar toluene changes little during the excited-state relaxation, it exhibits a fast reduction in a few picoseconds in strongly polar tetrahydrofuran. In comparison with the uorescence dynamics of dipolar monomer, we deduced that the emitting state of the octupolar trimer in strongly polar solvent, which undergoes solvent-induced structural uctuation, changes from exciton-coupled octupolar to excitation localized dipolar symmetry. In weakly polar solvent, the octupolar symmetry of the trimer is largely preserved during the solvation stabilization.

Synthesis,characterization,and activity of a covalently anchored heterogeneous perylene diimide photocatalyst

The consecutive two‐photon photocatalytic behavior of perylene diimide(PDI)enables it to catalyze photoreduction reactions that are thermodynamically unfavorable via single‐photon processes.In this work,we developed a heterogeneous PDI photocatalyst by covalently binding PDI molecules on the surface of nanosilica.This photocatalyst structure overcomes the intrinsic limitation of the low solubility of PDI,but retains its consecutive two‐photon photocatalytic property.Detailed characterization of the photocatalyst by techniques such as thermogravimetric analysis,solid‐state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy,and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy indicated that the PDI molecules were anchored covalently on the surface of nanosilica.The obtained photocatalyst reduced aryl halides under visible‐light irradiation in polar organic solvent and in water.The present study provides a promising strategy to realize two‐photon activity of PDI in common solvents for photocatalytic applications.

Light-driven activation of carbon-halogen bonds by readily available amines for photocatalytic hydrodehalogenation

A straightforward protocol using readily available aromatic amines,N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine or N,N,N',N'-tetramethylbenzidine,as photocatalysts was developed for theefficient hydrodehalogenation of organic halides,such as 4'-bromoacetophenone,polyfluoroarenes,cholorobenzene,and 2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether(a resistant and persistent organic pollu-tant).The strongly reducing singlet excited states of the amines enabled diffusion-controlled disso-ciative electron transfer to effectively cleave carbon-halogen bonds,followed by radical hydrogena-tion.Diisopropylethylamine served as the terminal electron/proton donor and regenerated theamine sensitizers.

Simple synthesis of sub-nanometer Pd clusters:High catalytic activity of Pd/PEG-PNIPAM in Suzuki reaction

Ultra‐small metal nanoclusters have high surface energy and abundant active sites,and thereforetheir catalytic activities are usually significantly higher than those of larger nanoparticles.A temperature‐responsive copolymer,namely poly(ethylene glycol)‐co‐poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide)(PEG‐PNIPAM)was synthesized as the first step,and then ultra‐small Pd clusters stabilized withinPEG‐PNIPAM copolymer micelles were formed by direct reduction.Pd nanoclusters of size less than2nm showed outstanding catalytic activity in the Suzuki coupling reaction.The reaction betweeniodobenzene and phenylboronic acid was completed in as little as10s(turnover frequency=4.3×104h?1).A yield of64%was achieved in5min in the reaction between chlorobenzene and phenylboronicacid.The catalyst showed significant deactivation during three consecutive runs.However,this composite catalyst consisting of Pd/PEG‐PNIPAM can be easily recycled based on the reversiblephase transition of temperature‐responsive PEG‐PNIPAM.This catalyst therefore has good potentialfor practical applications.

Activation of Dinitrogen by Gas-Phase Species

Reactions of gas-phase species with small molecules are being actively studied to understand the elementary steps and mechanistic details of related condensed-phase processes.Activation of the very inert N≡N triple bond of dinitrogen molecule by isolated gas-phase species has attracted considerable interest in the past few decades.Apart from molecular adsorption and dissociative adsorption,interesting processes such as C-N coupling and degenerate ligand exchange were discovered.The present review focuses on the recent progress on adsorption,activation,and functionalization of N2 by gas-phase species(particularly metal cluster ions)using mass spectrometry,infrared photo-dissociation spectroscopy,anion photoelectron spectroscopy,and quantum chemical calculations including density functional theory and high-level ab initio calculations.Recent advances including characterization of adsorption products,dependence of clusters’reactivity on their sizes and structures,and mechanisms of N≡N weakening and splitting have been emphasized and prospects have been discussed.

CO Oxidation by Neutral Gold-Vanadium Oxide Clusters

Oxidation of CO by gas-phase atomic clusters is being actively studied to understand the molecular-level mechanisms of heterogeneous CO oxidation over related catalytic surfaces. However, it is experimentally challenging to study CO oxidation by neutral heteronuclear metal oxide clusters because of the difficulty of cluster ionization and detection without fragmentation. Herein, the neutral AuVO2-4 clusters were experimentally generated and their reactions with CO and O2 were studied. The experimental results showed that CO adsorption is the dominant channel on the interactions of AuVO4 and AuVO3 with CO, and AuVO2 can pick up an O2 molecule to generate AuVO4. Theoretical studies indicated that the oxidation of the trapped CO in AuVO3,4CO into CO2 is exothermic while the reaction barriers have to be overcome at the elevated temperatures. A catalytic cycle for CO oxidation by AuVO2-4 is proposed.

Exploration of the active phase of the hydrotalcite-derived cobalt catalyst for HCHO oxidation

A series of Co-based oxide catalysts were prepared by calcining hydrotalcite precursors in different atmospheres and studied for HCHO catalytic oxidation. The N2-calcined catalyst exhibits enhanced HCHO oxidation and superior stability. On the basis of H2-TPR, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Raman characterizations, this can be ascribed to better redox ability, octahedrally coordinated Co2+ ions derived from the CoO phase, and other surface oxygen species, such as O2– or O–. The extra octahedrally coordinated Co2+ ions may reside in a more open framework site than the inactive tetrahedrally coordinated Co2+ ions. This species of Co2+ can easily make contact with oxygen and oxidize. The surface oxygen species, along with the octahedrally coordinated Co2+ ions, and a part of the Co3+ species constitute the Co2+-oxygen species-Co3+ sites, which enhance the catalytic activities. According to DRIFTS, Co2+-oxygen species-Co3+ makes oxidation of HCHO and conversion of DOM to formate easier.

Ultrafast Electron Transfer in All-Small-Molecule Photovoltaic Blends Promoted by Intermolecular Interactions in Cyanided Donors

Cyano substitution has been established as a viable approach to optimize the performance of all-small-molecule organic solar cells.However,the effect of cyano substitution on the dynamics of photo-charge generation remains largely unexplored.Here,we report an ultrafast spectroscopic study showing that electron transfer is markedly promoted by enhanced intermolecular charge-transfer interaction in all-small-molecule blends with cyanided donors.The delocalized excitations,arising from intermolecular interaction in the moiety of cyano-substituted donor,undergo ultrafast electron transfer with a lifetime of∼3 ps in the blend.In contrast,some locally excited states,surviving in the film of donor without cyano substitution,are not actively involved in the charge separation.These findings well explain the performance improvement of devices with cyanided donors,suggesting that manipulating intermolecular interaction is an efficient strategy for device optimization.

Limits in Enhancement Factor in Near-Brewster Angle Reflection Pump-Probe Two-Dimensional Infrared Spectroscopy

In this work,we simulated 2D infrared spectroscopy(IR)spectroscopy in both transmission geometry and Brewster-angle reflection geometry.Light dispersion and the leakage of s-polarized light are considered in simulating the enhancement factor of the reflection mode.Our simulation shows that the dispersion in reflection will only alter the 2D IR lineshape slightly and can be corrected.Leaking spolarized light due to imperfectness of IR polarizers in the reflection geometry may limit the enhancement factor,but such limit is above what a typical experiment can reach.In the current experiment,the enhancement factor is mainly limited by the precision of incident angle,for which ordinary rotation stages are probably not adequate enough.Moreover,traditional energy ratio of pump and probe pulses,which is 9:1,may not be ideal and could be changed to 2:1 in the reflection geometry.Considering all the above factors,the enhancement on the order of 1000 is possible in the current experiment.Nevertheless,near-Brewster angle reflection will enhance both the signal and the noise caused by the signal itself,therefore this method only works if the noise is unrelated to the signal,particularly if the noise is caused by the fluctuation in the probe.It cannot improve the signal to noise ratio when the dominate noise is from the signal itself.The theoretical results here agree reasonably well with published experiment results and pave way for realizing even higher enhancement at nearer-Brewster angle.

Systematical Study on Photodissociation Dynamics of BrCN from 225 nm to 260 nm

The photodissociation dynamics of Br-C bond cleavage for BrCN in the wavelength region from 225 nm to 260 nm has been studied by our homebuilt time-slice velocity-map imaging setup.The images for both of the ground state Br(^(2)P_(3/2))and spin-orbit excited Br^(*)(^(2)P_(1/2))channels are obtained at several photodissociation wavelengths.From the analysis of the translational energy release spectra,the detailed vibrational and rotational distributions of CN products have been measured for both of the Br and Br^(*) channels.It is found that the internal excitation of the CN products for the Br^(*) channel is colder than that for the Br channel.The most populated vibrational levels of the CN products are v=0 and 1 for the Br and Br^(*) channels,respectively.For the Br channel,the photodissociation dynamics at longer wavelengths are found to be different from those at shorter wavelengths,as revealed by their dramatically different vibrational and rotational excitations of the CN products.

van der Waals Interactions in Bimolecular Reactions

The van der Waals (vdW) interaction is very important in fields of physics, biology and chemistry, and its role in reaction dynamics is an issue of great interest. In this review, we focus on the recent progresses in the theoretical and experimental studies on the vdW interaction in bimolecular reactions. In particular, we review those studies that have advanced our understanding of how the vdW interaction can strongly influence the dynamics in both direct activated and complex-forming reactions, and further extend the discussion to the polyatomic reactions involving more atoms and those occurring at cold and ultracold temperatures. We indicate that an accurate description of the delicate vdW structure and long-range potential remains a challenge nowadays in either ab initio calculations or the fitting of the potential energy surfaces. We also present an explanation on the concept of vdW saddle proposed by us recently which may have general importance.

Ring Polymer Molecular Dynamics of the C(^(1)D)+H_(2) Reaction on the Most Recent Potential Energy Surfaces

Ring polymer molecular dynamics(RPMD)calculations for the C(^(1)D)+H_(2)reaction are performed on the Zhang-Ma-Bian ab initio potential energy surfaces(PESs)recently constructed by our group,which are unique in very good descriptions of the regions around conical intersections and of van der Waals(vdW)interactions.The calculated reaction thermal rate coefficients are in very good agreement with the latest experimental results.The rate coefficients obtained from the ground˜a^(1)A′ZMB-a PES are much larger than those from the previous RKHS PES,which can be attributed to that the vdW saddles on our PESs have very different dynamical effects from the vdW wells on the previous PESs,indicating that the RPMD approach is able to include dynamical effects of the topological structures caused by vdW interactions.The importance of the excited˜b^(1)A′′ZMB-b PES and quantum effects in the title reaction is also underscored.

Accurate Quantum Dynamics of the Simplest Isomerization System Involving Double-H Transfer

We perform accurate quantum dynamcs calculations on the isomerization of vinylidene-acetylene.Large-scale parallel computations are accomplished by an efficient theoretical scheme developed by our group,in which the basis functions are customized for the double-H transfer process.The A_(1)' and B_(2)'' vinylidene and delocalization states are obtained.The peaks recently observed in the cryo-SEVI spectra are analyzed,and very good agreement for the energy levels is achieved between theory and experiment.The discrepancies of energy levels between our calculations and recent experimental cryo-SEVI spectra are of similar magnitudes to the experimental error bars,or≤30 cm^(-1) excluding those involving the excitation of the CCH_(2) scissor mode.A kind of special state,called the isomerization state,is revealed and reported,which is characterized by large probability densities in both vinylidene and acetylene regions.In addition,several states dominated by vinylidene character are reported for the first time.The present work would contribute to the understanding of the double-H transfer.