Publications by authors named "Jane J Leung"

Article Synopsis
  • Chemical products like plastics and fertilizers are important for our daily lives but can harm the environment when made and used.
  • The study suggests seven ways to make the chemical industry better for the planet by 2050, which could cost between $1.2 and $3.7 trillion.
  • These improvements could cut the demand for chemicals by 23-33% and help reduce harmful emissions while still providing the chemical products we need.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

With the transfer of the electrochemical CO-reduction from academic labs towards industrial application, one major factor is the increase in current density. This can be achieved the usage of a gas diffusion electrode. It allows for electrochemical reactions at the three-phase boundary between gaseous CO, liquid electrolyte and electrocatalyst.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A series of copolymers comprising a terpyridine ligand and various functional groups were synthesized toward integrating a Co-based molecular CO reduction catalyst. Using porous metal oxide electrodes designed to host macromolecules, the Co-coordinated polymers were readily immobilized via phosphonate anchoring groups. Within the polymeric matrix, the outer coordination sphere of the Co terpyridine catalyst was engineered using hydrophobic functional moieties to improve CO reduction selectivity in the presence of water.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The synthesis of renewable fuels from water or CO is crucial for sustainable energy storage, with a focus on using nonprecious metal catalysts in solid-state materials.
  • The review examines 3D metal-based molecular catalysts, their immobilization on solid supports, and various applications in electro-, photo-, and photoelectrocatalytic processes for fuel synthesis in aqueous environments.
  • It discusses the efficiency and stability of these hybrid systems, while also addressing future challenges in expanding catalytic methods to produce higher-value carbon-based products beyond traditional uses.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The development of photoelectrodes capable of light-driven hydrogen evolution from water is an important approach for the storage of solar energy in the form of a chemical energy carrier. However, molecular catalyst-based photocathodes remain scarcely reported and typically suffer from low efficiencies and/or stabilities due to inadequate strategies for interfacing the molecular component with the light-harvesting material. In this study, we report the straightforward preparation of a p-silicon|mesoporous titania|molecular catalyst photocathode assembly that is active towards proton reduction in aqueous media with an onset potential of +0.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A freestanding H2-evolution electrode consisting of a copolymer-embedded cobaloxime integrated into a multiwall carbon nanotube matrix by π-π interactions is reported. This electrode is straightforward to assemble and displays high activity towards hydrogen evolution in near-neutral pH solution under inert and aerobic conditions, with a cobalt-based turnover number (TON(Co)) of up to 420. An analogous electrode with a monomeric cobaloxime showed less activity with a TON(Co) of only 80.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The novel heterometallic polyoxotitanate cage [Ti18MnO30(OEt)20(MnPhen)3] (1), obtained by solvothermal reaction of Ti(OEt)4 with Mn(AcO)3·(H2O)2 and 1,10-phenanthroline (Phen) in EtOH, has a C3 symmetric core structure containing an interstitial tetrahedral Mn(II) ion and is surrounded by three Mn(II)(Phen) fragments. The molecular structure is retained in thin film electrodes of 1 deposited by solution drop-casting onto fluorinated tin oxide (FTO). Both solid state and solution phase electrochemical measurements show dual redox couples, consistent with the two distinct Mn coordination environments in the cage structure.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF