Rechargeable zinc-air batteries (RZABs) have been described as one of the most viable next-generation battery technologies, especially due to their low cost, high capacity, and being environmental-friendly. In this work, hausmannite MnO nanoparticles, obtained from low-cost commercial electrolytic manganese dioxide, were dispersed on conductive multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and carbon nanofibers (CNFs) and investigated for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in an alkaline medium and then applied in RZAB cell. The high performance of the CNFs (in terms of electron transfer kinetics) over the CNTs has been associated with its inherent defects and nitrogen content.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPorous Pd-based electrocatalysts are promising materials for alkaline direct ethanol fuel cells (ADEFCs) and ethanol sensors in the development of renewable energy and point-of-contact ethanol sensor test kits for drunk drivers. However, experimental and theoretical investigations of the interfacial interaction among Pd nanocrystals on supports (i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe interfacial engineering of Pd-based alloys (i.e., PdM with distinct morphologies, compositions, and strain defects) is an efficient way for enhanced catalytic activity; however, it remains a grand challenge to fabricate such alloys in aqueous solutions without heating, organic solvents, and multiple reaction steps.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTailoring the shape of Pd nanocrystals is one of the main ways to enhance catalytic activity; however, the effect of shapes and electrolyte pH on carbon monoxide oxidation (CO) is not highlighted enough. This article presents the controlled fabrication of Pd nanocrystals in different morphologies, including Pd nanosponge via the ice-cooling reduction of the Pd precursor using NaBH solution and Pd nanocube via ascorbic acid reduction at 25 °C. Both Pd nanosponge and Pd nanocube are self-standing and have a high surface area, uniform distribution, and clean surface.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMetal nanocrystal ornamented metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are of particular interest in multidisciplinary applications; however, their electrocatalytic CO oxidation performance over wide pH ranges is not yet reported. Herein, Ni-MOF-derived hierarchical porous carbon nanosheets (Ni-MOF/PC) with abundant Ni-N sites decorated with Pd nanocrystals (Pd/Ni-MOF/PC) were synthesized by microwave-irradiation (MW-I) followed by annealing at 900 °C and subsequent etching of Ni-MOF/C prior to Pd deposition. The fabrication mechanism comprises the generation of self-reduced reducing gases from triethylamine during the annealing and selective chemical etching of Ni, thereby facilitating the reduction of Ni-anchored MOF and Pd nanocrystal deposition with the aid of ethylene glycol and MW-I to yield Pd/Ni-N enriched MOF/PC.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRational synthesis of Co-ZIF-67 metal-organic framework (MOF)-derived carbon-supported metal nanoparticles is essential for various energy and environmental applications; however, their catalytic activity toward carbon monoxide (CO) oxidation in various electrolytes is not yet emphasized. Co-ZIF-67-derived hierarchical porous carbon nanosheet-supported Pd nanocrystals (Pd/ZIF-67/C) were prepared using a simple microwave-irradiation approach followed by carbonization and etching. Mechanistically, during microwave irradiation, triethyleneamine provides abundant reducing gases that promote the formation of Pd nanoparticles/Co-N in porous carbon nanosheets with the assistance of ethylene glycol and also form a multimodal pore size.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPorous spinel-type transition metal oxide (PS-TMO) nanocatalysts comprising two kinds of metal (denoted as ABO, where A, B = Co, Ni, Zn, Mn, Fe, V, Sm, Li, and Zn) have emerged as promising electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reactions (ORRs) in energy conversion and storage systems (ECSS). This is due to the unique catalytic merits of PS-TMOs (such as p-type conductivity, optical transparency, semiconductivity, multiple valence states of their oxides, and rich active sites) and porous morphologies with great surface area, low density, abundant transportation paths for intermediate species, maximized atom utilization and quick charge mobility. In addition, PS-TMOs nanocatalysts are easily prepared in high yield from Earth-abundant and inexpensive metal precursors that meet sustainability requirements and practical applications.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNickel selenide (Ni Se ) systems have received much attention in recent years as potential low cost counter electrodes (CEs) in dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Their electrocatalytic activities are comparable to that of the conventional platinum CE. Despite their achievements, the effect of stoichiometry on their catalytic performance as CEs in DSSCs still remains unclear, hence the motivation for this work.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCobalt-based metal-organic framework-derived carbon (MOFDC) has been studied as a new carbon-based support for a Pd catalyst for electrochemical water-splitting; , the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline medium. The study shows a high increase in the HER activity, in terms of low onset overpotential (onset = 35 mV RHE), high exchange current density ( ≈ 0.22 mA cm), high mass activity ( ≈ 59 mA mg), high kinetic current ( ≈ 5-8 mA cm) and heterogeneous rate constant ( ≈ 4 × 10 cm s), which are attributed to the high porosity of MOFDC and contribution from residual Co, while the large Tafel slope ( = 261 mV dec) is ascribed to the high degree of hydrogen adsorption onto polycrystalline Pd as a supplementary reaction step to the suggested Volmer-Heyrovsky mechanism.
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