Thermochemical Activation of Wood with NaOH, KOH and HPO for the Synthesis of Nitrogen-Doped Nanoporous Carbon for Oxygen Reduction Reaction.

Carbonization of biomass residues followed by activation has great potential to become a safe process for the production of various carbon materials for various applications. Demand for commercial use of biomass-based carbon materials is growing rapidly in advanced technologies, including in the energy sector, as catalysts, batteries and capacitor electrodes. In this study, carbon materials were synthesized from hardwood using two carbonization methods, followed by activation with HPO, KOH and NaOH and doping with nitrogen.

Powering the Future by Iron Sulfide Type Material (FeS) Based Electrochemical Materials for Water Splitting and Energy Storage Applications: A Review.

Water electrolysis is among the recent alternatives for generating clean fuels (hydrogen). It is an efficient way to produce pure hydrogen at a rapid pace with no unwanted by-products. Effective and cheap water-splitting electrocatalysts with enhanced activity, specificity, and stability are currently widely studied.

Recent Advances in Polymer Nanocomposites: Unveiling the Frontier of Shape Memory and Self-Healing Properties-A Comprehensive Review.

Shape memory and self-healing polymer nanocomposites have attracted considerable attention due to their modifiable properties and promising applications. The incorporation of nanomaterials (polypyrrole, carboxyl methyl cellulose, carbon nanotubes, titania nanotubes, graphene, graphene oxide, mesoporous silica) into these polymers has significantly enhanced their performance, opening up new avenues for diverse applications. The self-healing capability in polymer nanocomposites depends on several factors, including heat, quadruple hydrogen bonding, π-π stacking, Diels-Alder reactions, and metal-ligand coordination, which collectively govern the interactions within the composite materials.

Pt-Coated Ni Layer Supported on Ni Foam for Enhanced Electro-Oxidation of Formic Acid.

A Pt-coated Ni layer supported on a Ni foam catalyst (denoted PtNi/Ni) was investigated for the electro-oxidation of the formic acid (FAO) in acidic media. The prepared PtNi/Ni catalyst was studied as a function of the formic acid (FA) concentration at bare Pt and PtNi/Ni catalysts. The catalytic activity of the PtNi/Ni catalysts, studied on the basis of the ratio of the direct and indirect current peaks ()/() for the FAO reaction, showed values approximately 10 times higher compared to those on bare Pt, particularly at low FA concentrations, reflecting the superiority of the former catalysts for the electro-oxidation of FA to CO.

Effect of Pretreatment on the Nitrogen Doped Activated Carbon Materials Activity towards Oxygen Reduction Reaction.

Nitrogen-doped activated carbons with controlled micro- and mesoporosity were obtained from wood and wastes via chemical processing using pre-treatment (pyrolysis at 500 °C and hydrothermally carbonization at 250 °C) and evaluated as oxygen reduction catalysts for further application in fuel cells. The elemental and chemical composition, structure and porosity, and types of nitrogen bonds of obtained catalyst materials were studied. The catalytic activity was evaluated in an alkaline medium using the rotating disk electrode method.

Investigation of Hydrogen and Oxygen Evolution on Cobalt-Nanoparticles-Supported Graphitic Carbon Nitride.

This study focuses on fabricating cobalt particles deposited on graphitic carbon nitride (Co/gCN) using annealing, microwave-assisted and hydrothermal syntheses, and their employment in hydrogen and oxygen evolution (HER and OER) reactions. Composition, surface morphology, and structure were examined using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The performance of Co-modified gCN composites for the HER and OER were investigated in an alkaline media (1 M KOH).

Three-Dimensional Au(NiMo)/Ti Catalysts for Efficient Hydrogen Evolution Reaction.

In this study, NiMo catalysts that have different metal loadings in the range of ca. 28-106 µg cm were electrodeposited on the Ti substrate followed by their decoration with a very low amount of Au-crystallites in the range of ca. 1-5 µg cm using the galvanic displacement method.

Low Au-content CoAu electrodes for environmental applications.

Six cobalt gold (CoAu) electrodes were prepared by electroless deposition using different gold-containing solutions (acidic and weakly acidic) and different Au deposition times. Characterization of CoAu electrodes was done by scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, N-sorption, and X-ray powder diffraction techniques. The possibility of using the prepared electrodes in environmental applications, , for the electrochemical sensing of a trace amount of arsenic(iii) in weakly alkaline media was assessed.

Steps towards highly-efficient water splitting and oxygen reduction using nanostructured β-Ni(OH).

β-Ni(OH) nanoplatelets are prepared by a hydrothermal procedure and characterized by scanning and transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The material is demonstrated to be an efficient electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction, oxygen evolution, and hydrogen evolution reactions in alkaline media. β-Ni(OH) shows an overpotential of 498 mV to reach 10 mA cm towards oxygen evolution, with a Tafel slope of 149 mV dec (decreasing to 99 mV dec at 75 °C), along with superior stability as evidenced by chronoamperometric measurements.

Platinum Nanoparticles Modified Copper/Titanium Electrodes as Electrocatalysts for Borohydride Oxidation.

In this study, sodium borohydride oxidation has been investigated on the platinum nanoparticles modified copper/titanium catalysts (PtNPsCu/Ti), which were fabricated by employing the electroless copper plating and galvanic displacement technique. ICP-OES, XRD, FESEM, and EDX have been used to characterize PtNPsCu/Ti catalysts' composition, structure, and surface morphology. The oxidation of sodium borohydride was examined on the PtNPsCu/Ti catalysts using cyclic voltammetry and chrono-techniques.

Selective catalytic reduction of NO by NH using Mn-based catalysts supported by Ukrainian clinoptiolite and lightweight expanded clay aggregate.

In this study, Mn-based multicomponent catalysts supported by two different carriers (lightweight expanded clay aggregate and the Ukrainian clinoptiolite) were prepared by electroless metal deposition method and tested for the selective catalytic reduction of NO with ammonia (NH-SCR de-NO). Prior to the activity test, all the catalysts prepared were characterized by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray mapping, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, H-TPR and NH-TPD techniques. The particular interest of the present study was focused on the investigation of the carrier's role in the NO catalytic reduction and the promoting effect provided by the incorporation of the small amount of Pt (0.

Bimetallic Co-Based (CoM, M = Mo, Fe, Mn) Coatings for High-Efficiency Water Splitting.

Bimetallic cobalt (Co)-based coatings were prepared by a facile, fast, and low-cost electroless deposition on a copper substrate (CoFe, CoMn, CoMo) and characterized by scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. Prepared coatings were thoroughly examined for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline solution (1 M potassium hydroxide, KOH) and their activity compared to that of Co and Ni coatings. All five coatings showed activity for both reactions, where CoMo and Co showed the highest activity for HER and OER, respectively.