Insights into the enhanced hydrogen adsorption on M/LaO (M = Ni, Co, Fe).

Lanthanum oxide (LaO) possesses superior reactivity during catalytic hydrogenation, but the intrinsic activity of LaO toward H adsorption and activation remains unclear. In the present work, we fundamentally investigated hydrogen interaction with Ni-modified LaO. Hydrogen temperature programmed desorption (H-TPD) on Ni/LaO shows enhanced hydrogen adsorption with a new hydrogen desorption peak at a higher temperature position compared to that on the metallic Ni surfaces.

Highly Efficient Alkaline Water Splitting with Ru-Doped Co-V Layered Double Hydroxide Nanosheets as a Bifunctional Electrocatalyst.

Active electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are decisive for achieving efficient energy conversion from electricity to hydrogen fuel through water electrolysis. In this study, tremella-like Ru-doped Co-V layered double hydroxide nanosheets on Ni Foam (Ru-CoV-LDH@NF) was fabricated by a one-pot solvothermal reaction. As-prepared Ru-CoV-LDH@NF, with a nominal Ru loading of around 51.

Gold-Incorporated Cobalt Phosphide Nanoparticles on Nitrogen-Doped Carbon for Enhanced Hydrogen Evolution Electrocatalysis.

Transition metal phosphides (TMPs) demonstrate great potential for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalysis, but their activities need further improvement. Herein we report a novel Au incorporation strategy to boost the HER catalytic performance of CoP. As a proof of concept, heterostructured Au/CoP nanoparticles dispersed on nitrogen-doped carbon with unique porosity, denoted as Au/CoP@NC-3, are synthesized by thermal treatment of Au-nanoparticle-incorporated ZIF-67 precursor.

Optical imaging of the potential distribution at transparent electrode/solution interfaces.

Measuring the electrode potential with spatio-temporal resolution is of essential importance for surface electrochemistry, energy storage and conversion among others. Optical imaging of the electrode potential distribution on transparent electrodes (ITO, FTO and single-layer graphene, etc.) is successfully achieved by using oblique incident reflectivity difference (OIRD) technology.

Rational Synthesis of Iron/Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Catalyst through a Spatial Isolation Strategy for Efficient Oxygen Reduction in Acidic and Alkaline Media.

It remains challenging to rationally synthesize iron/nitrogen-doped carbon (Fe/N-C) catalysts with rich Fe-N atomic active sites for improved oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalysis. A highly efficient Fe/N-C catalyst, which has been synthesized through a spatial isolation strategy, is reported. Derived from bioinspired polydopamine (PDA)-based hybrid microsphere precursors, it is a multifunctional carrier that loads atomically dispersed Fe /Zn ions through coordination interactions and N-rich melamine through electrostatic attraction and covalent bonding.

Mesoporous Hollow Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanospheres with Embedded MnFeO/Fe Hybrid Nanoparticles as Efficient Bifunctional Oxygen Electrocatalysts in Alkaline Media.

Exploring sustainable and efficient electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is necessary for the development of fuel cells and metal-air batteries. Herein, we report a bimetal Fe/Mn-N-C material composed of spinel MnFeO/metallic Fe hybrid nanoparticles encapsulated in N-doped mesoporous hollow carbon nanospheres as an excellent bifunctional ORR/OER electrocatalyst in alkaline electrolyte. The Fe/Mn-N-C catalyst is synthesized via pyrolysis of bimetal ion-incorporated polydopamine nanospheres and shows impressive ORR electrocatalytic activity superior to Pt/C and good OER activity close to RuO catalyst in alkaline environment.