Induction Heating for the Electrification of Catalytic Processes.

The increasing availability of electrical energy generated from clean, low-carbon, renewable sources like solar and wind power is paving the way for a more sustainable future. This has resulted in a growing trend in the chemical industry to increase the share of electricity use in chemical processes, particularly catalytic ones. This shift towards electrifying catalytic processes offers significant environmental benefits.

Synthesis and Characterization of Novel Adsorbents Based on Functionalization of Graphene Oxide with Schiff Base and Reduced Schiff Base for Pesticide Removal.

Graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets were functionalized with Schiff base and reduced Schiff base. Covalent and non-covalent functionalized GO nanostructures have been tested for the removal of pesticides with different chemical structures and properties (e.g.

Metal-Free Electrocatalysts for the Selective 2 e Oxygen Reduction Reaction: A Never-Ending Story?

Hydrogen peroxide (H O ) electrosynthesis via the 2e Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR) represents a highly challenging, environmentally friendly and cost-effective alternative to the current anthraquinone-based technology. Various lightweight element hetero-doped carbon nanostructures are promising and cheap metal-free electrocatalysts for H O synthesis, particularly those containing O-functionalities. The exact role of O-containing functional groups as electroactive sites for the process remains debated if not highly controversial.

Not Just Another Methanation Catalyst: Depleted Uranium Meets Nickel for a High-Performing Process Under Autothermal Regime.

Invited for this month's cover are collaborating teams from academia-the French ICPEES and IS2M of Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) and the Italian ICCOM of Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR)-and industry with the participation of the ORANO group. The cover picture shows a CO -to-CH process promoted by nickel nanoparticles supported on depleted uranium oxide under exceptionally low temperature values or autothermal conditions. The Research Article itself is available at 10.

(NHC-olefin)-nickel(0) nanoparticles as catalysts for the ()-selective semi-hydrogenation of alkynes and ynamides.

Nickel(0) nanoparticles coordinated to NHC ligands bearing N-coordinated cinnamyl moieties were readily prepared by reduction of a [NiCpBr(NHC-cinnamyl)] complex with methyl magnesium bromide. The combination of a strong σ-donor NHC ligand with a π-coordinating appended cinnamyl moiety likely prevents nickel(0) nanoparticle aggregation to larger inactive species, and allows the effective and ()-selective semi-hydrogenation of alkynes and ynamides

Not Just Another Methanation Catalyst: Depleted Uranium Meets Nickel for a High-Performing Process Under Autothermal Regime.

Ni-based catalysts prepared through impregnation of depleted uranium oxides (DU) have successfully been employed as highly efficient, selective, and durable systems for CO hydrogenation to substituted natural gas (SNG; CH ) under an autothermal regime. The thermo-physical properties of DU and the unique electronic structure of f-block metal-oxides combined with a nickel active phase, generated an ideal catalytic assembly for turning waste energy back into useful energy for catalysis. In particular, Ni/UO stood out for the capacity of DU matrix to control the extra heat (hot-spots) generated at its surface by the highly exothermic methanation process.

Porous Silicon Carbide (SiC): A Chance for Improving Catalysts or Just Another Active-Phase Carrier?

There is an obvious gap between efforts dedicated to the control of chemicophysical and morphological properties of catalyst active phases and the attention paid to the search of new materials to be employed as functional carriers in the upgrading of heterogeneous catalysts. Economic constraints and common habits in preparing heterogeneous catalysts have narrowed the selection of active-phase carriers to a handful of materials: oxide-based ceramics ( AlO, SiO, TiO, and aluminosilicates-zeolites) and carbon. However, these carriers occasionally face chemicophysical constraints that limit their application in catalysis.

Highly Nickel-Loaded γ-Alumina Composites for a Radiofrequency-Heated, Low-Temperature CO Methanation Scheme.

In this work, we joined highly Ni-loaded γ-Al O composites, straightforwardly prepared by impregnation methods, with an induction heating setup suited to control, almost in real-time, any temperature swing at the catalyst sites (i. e., "hot spots" ignition) caused by an exothermic reaction at the heart of the power-to-gas (P2G) chain: CO methanation.

High-Density and Thermally Stable Palladium Single-Atom Catalysts for Chemoselective Hydrogenations.

Single-atom catalysts (SACs) have shown superior activity and/or selectivity for many energy- and environment-related reactions, but their stability at high site density and under reducing atmosphere remains unresolved. Herein, we elucidate the intrinsic driving force of a Pd single atom with high site density (up to 5 wt %) under reducing atmosphere, and its unique catalytic performance for hydrogenation reactions. In situ experiments and calculations reveal that Pd atoms tend to migrate into the surface vacancy-enriched MoC surface during the carburization process by transferring oxide crystals to carbide crystals, leading to the surface enrichment of atomic Pd instead of formation of particles.

Palladium Supported on Calcium Decorated Carbon Nanotube Hybrids for Chemoselective Hydrogenation of Cinnamaldehyde.

The chemoselective hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde (CAL) to the corresponding hydrocinamaldehyde (HCAL) is a type of important reactions in fine chemistry, which is critically dependent on the rational design the chemical structure of active metal. In this work, calcium promoted palladium on CNT hybrid (Ca-Pd@CNT) with monolithic structure was synthesized through one-pot alginate gel process. The catalytic performance results showed that moderate Ca promotion catalyst (Ca-Pd@CNT) present a superior CAL hydrogenation activity with CAL conversion of 99.

Playing with covalent triazine framework tiles for improved CO adsorption properties and catalytic performance.

The rational design and synthesis of covalent triazine frameworks (CTFs) from defined dicyano-aryl building blocks or their binary mixtures is of fundamental importance for a judicious tuning of the chemico-physical and morphological properties of this class of porous organic polymers. In fact, their gas adsorption capacity and their performance in a variety of catalytic transformations can be modulated through an appropriate selection of the building blocks. In this contribution, a set of five CTFs (-) have been prepared under classical ionothermal conditions from single dicyano-aryl or heteroaryl systems.

Nickel Sulfides Decorated SiC Foam for the Low Temperature Conversion of H₂S into Elemental Sulfur.

The selective oxidation of H₂S to elemental sulfur was carried out on a NiS₂/SiC catalyst under reaction temperatures between 40 and 80 °C using highly H₂S enriched effluents (from 0.5 to 1 vol.%).

Colloid Approach to the Sustainable Top-Down Synthesis of Layered Materials.

The successful future of 2D materials, which are crucial for accelerating technology development and societal requirements, depends on their efficient preparation in an economical and ecological way. Herein, we present a significant advance in the top-down exfoliation and dispersion method via an aqua colloid approach. We demonstrate that a broad family of natural oil-in-water emulsification agents with an elevated hydrophilic/lipophilic balance acts in the exfoliation of layered materials and the formation of their concentrated colloids.

Oxygenated group and structural defect enriched carbon nanotubes for immobilizing gold nanoparticles.

Surface functionalized and defect enriched carbon nanotubes (oCNTs) by green ozone/HO treatment can efficiently anchor gold nanoparticles. This Au/oCNT could be stabilized and well dispersed after thermal treatment and showed robust catalytic activity (20.6 mmol g h) for the oxidative self-coupling of benzylamine to imine in solvent free conditions.

Design and Fabrication of Highly Reducible PtCo Particles Supported on Graphene-Coated ZnO.

Cobalt particles dispersed on an oxide support form the basis of many important heterogeneous catalysts. Strong interactions between cobalt and the support may lead to irreducible cobalt oxide formation, which is detrimental for the catalytic performance. Therefore, several strategies have been proposed to enhance cobalt reducibility, such as alloying with Pt or utilization of nonoxide supports.

Aziridine-Functionalized Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes: Robust and Versatile Catalysts for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction and Knoevenagel Condensation.

This paper describes the exohedral N-decoration of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with NH-aziridine groups via [2 + 1] cycloaddition of a tert-butyl-oxycarbonyl nitrene followed by controlled thermal decomposition of the cyclization product. The chemical grafting with N-containing groups deeply modifies the properties of the starting MWCNTs, generating new surface microenvironments with specific base (Brønsted) and electronic properties. Both of these features translate into a highly versatile single-phase heterogeneous catalyst (MW@N) with remarkable chemical and electrochemical performance.

Sampling the structure and chemical order in assemblies of ferromagnetic nanoparticles by nuclear magnetic resonance.

Assemblies of nanoparticles are studied in many research fields from physics to medicine. However, as it is often difficult to produce mono-dispersed particles, investigating the key parameters enhancing their efficiency is blurred by wide size distributions. Indeed, near-field methods analyse a part of the sample that might not be representative of the full size distribution and macroscopic methods give average information including all particle sizes.

3D Study of the Morphology and Dynamics of Zeolite Nucleation.

The principle aspects and constraints of the dynamics and kinetics of zeolite nucleation in hydrogel systems are analyzed on the basis of a model Na-rich aluminosilicate system. A detailed time-series EMT-type zeolite crystallization study in the model hydrogel system was performed to elucidate the topological and temporal aspects of zeolite nucleation. A comprehensive set of analytical tools and methods was employed to analyze the gel evolution and complement the primary methods of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy.

Activation of few layer graphene by μW-assisted oxidation in water via formation of nanoballs - Support for platinum nanoparticles.

The functionalization of carbon nanomaterials in controlled and selective manner and in order to stabilize small metal nanoparticles is of high interest particularly in the catalysis field. We present the μ-waves assisted few layer graphene (FLG) oxidation in water, which results in a partial sheets exfoliation and formation of oxygen functionalized carbon nanoballs, supported on highly graphitized graphene sheets. This double morphology material allows homogenous anchoring of Pt nanoparticles, while the advantages of planar and highly crystallized FLG are preserved.

Hybrid Films of Graphene and Carbon Nanotubes for High Performance Chemical and Temperature Sensing Applications.

A hybrid composite material of graphene and carbon nanotube (CNT) for high performance chemical and temperature sensors is reported. Integration of 1D and 2D carbon materials into hybrid carbon composites is achieved by coupling graphene and CNT through poly(ionic liquid) (PIL) mediated-hybridization. The resulting CNT/PIL/graphene hybrid materials are explored as active materials in chemical and temperature sensors.

Silicon carbide coated with TiO2 with enhanced cobalt active phase dispersion for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis.

The introduction of a thin layer of TiO2 on β-SiC allows a significant improvement of the cobalt dispersion. This catalyst exhibits an excellent and stable catalytic activity for the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) with high C5+ selectivity, which contributes to the development of a new active catalyst family in the gas-to-liquid process.

Design of covalently functionalized carbon nanotubes filled with metal oxide nanoparticles for imaging, therapy, and magnetic manipulation.

Nanocomposites combining multiple functionalities in one single nano-object hold great promise for biomedical applications. In this work, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were filled with ferrite nanoparticles (NPs) to develop the magnetic manipulation of the nanotubes and their theranostic applications. The challenges were both the filling of CNTs with a high amount of magnetic NPs and their functionalization to form biocompatible water suspensions.