NiSe/CeO catalysts from Ce-UiO-66 metal-organic skeletons and their electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol, urea and glycerol.

Hydrogen is a viable alternative energy source to fossil fuels. In order to manufacture enough hydrogen to meet the needs of social growth, finding an alternate energy source that is more effective is essential. Electrochemical water cracking is a more appropriate method for producing hydrogen.

Interfacial engineering of nickel selenide with CeO on N-doped carbon nanosheets for efficient methanol and urea electro-oxidation.

The design of low cost, high efficiency electrocatalysts for methanol oxidation reactions (MOR) and urea oxidation reactions (UOR) is a pressing need to address the energy crisis and water pollution. In the present work, we developed Cerium dioxide (CeO) and nickel selenide (NiSe) nanoparticles integrated into three-dimensional N-doped carbon nanosheets to be used as efficient and stable bifunctional electrocatalysts for MOR and UOR. By optimizing the selenization temperature, the CeO-modified NiSe obtained at selenization temperature of 550 °C (CeO-NiSe-550-NC) has the best MOR and UOR electrochemical performance.

Understanding the copper-iridium nanocrystals as highly effective bifunctional pH-universal electrocatalysts for water splitting.

It is pivotal to develop an economical, effective, and stable catalyst to promote the oxygen/hydrogen evolution reaction (OER/HER) throughout pH electrolytes, as the demand for hydrogen energy will increase greatly with the future development. Herein, a series of Ir-Cu nanoparticle composite carbon (IrCu/C) catalysts are successfully synthesized using ethylene glycol reduction. In addition, the structure, morphology and composition of the electrocatalysts were systematically characterized, and the OER/HER performance of the catalysts was also tested under different pH conditions.

Preparation of 3D NdO-NiSe-Modified Nitrogen-Doped Carbon and Its Electrocatalytic Oxidation of Methanol and Urea.

Developing renewable energy sources and controlling water pollution are critical but challenging problems. Urea oxidation (UOR) and methanol oxidation (MOR), both of which have high research value, have the potential to effectively address wastewater pollution and energy crisis problems. A three-dimensional neodymium-dioxide/nickel-selenide-modified nitrogen-doped carbon nanosheet (NdO-NiSe-NC) catalyst is prepared in this study by using mixed freeze-drying, salt-template-assisted technology, and high-temperature pyrolysis.

Evaluating the Growth of Ceria-Modified N-Doped Carbon-Based Materials and Their Performance in the Oxygen Reduction Reaction.

Owning to their distinctive electronic structure, rare-earth-based catalysts exhibit good performance in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and can replace commercial Pt/C. In this study, CeO-modified N-doped C-based materials were synthesized using salt template and high-temperature calcination methods, and the synthesis conditions were optimized. The successful synthesis of CeO-CN-800 was confirmed through a series of characterization methods and electrochemical tests.

Revealing the Real Role of Etching during Controlled Assembly of Nanocrystals Applied to Electrochemical Reduction of CO.

In recent years, the use of inexpensive and efficient catalysts for the electrocatalytic CO reduction reaction (CORR) to regulate syngas ratios has become a hot research topic. Here, a series of nitrogen-doped iron carbide catalysts loaded onto reduced graphene oxide (N-FeC/rGO-H) were prepared by pyrolysis of iron oleate, etching, and nitrogen-doped carbonization. The main products of the N-FeC/rGO-H electrocatalytic reduction of CO are CO and H, when tested in a 0.

Ultradispersed Ir Ni clusters as bifunctional electrocatalysts for high-efficiency water splitting in acid electrolytes.

Design and synthesis of electrocatalysts with high activity and low cost is an important challenge for water splitting. We report a rapid and facile synthetic route to obtain Ir Ni clusters polyol reduction. The Ir Ni clusters show excellent activity for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in acidic electrolytes.

Controlled assembly of nitrogen-doped iron carbide nanoparticles on reduced graphene oxide for electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide to syngas.

The electrocatalytic CO reduction reaction (CORR) decreases the amount of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere while enabling a closed carbon cycle. Herein, iron oleate was used as a precursor to produce oleic acid-coated triiron tetraoxide nanoparticles (FeO@OA NPs) by pyrolysis, which was then assembled with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and doped with dicyandiamide as a nitrogen source to obtain nitrogen-doped iron carbide nanoparticles assembled on rGO (N-FeC/rGO NPs). The catalyst prepared by nitrogen doping at 800 °C with an FeO@OA NPs to rGO weight ratio of 20:1 showed good activity and stability for the CORR.

Divergent Paths, Same Goal: A Pair-Electrosynthesis Tactic for Cost-Efficient and Exclusive Formate Production by Metal-Organic-Framework-Derived 2D Electrocatalysts.

Electrosynthesis of formic acid/formate is a promising alternative protocol to industrial processes. Herein, a pioneering pair-electrosynthesis tactic is reported for exclusively producing formate via coupling selectively electrocatalytic methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) and CO reduction reaction (CO RR), in which the electrode derived from Ni-based metal-organic framework (Ni-MOF) nanosheet arrays (Ni-NF-Af), as well as the Bi-MOF-derived ultrathin bismuthenes (Bi-enes), both obtained through an in situ electrochemical conversion process, are used as efficient anodic and cathodic electrocatalysts, respectively, achieving concurrent yielding of the same high-value product at both electrodes with greatly reduced energy input. The as-prepared Ni-NF-Af only needs quite low potentials to reach large current densities (e.

Development of Boron-Doped Mesoporous Carbon Materials for Use in CO Capture and Electrochemical Generation of HO.

Mesoporous carbon materials have been increasingly studied due to their large specific surface area and good chemical stability. Optimizing their functionality through a doping modification can broaden their application in many fields. Herein, a series of B-doped mesoporous carbon materials are prepared by a convenient hydrothermal synthesis using F127 as the template and boric acid as the boron source.

Rational design of CuPdN nanocrystals for selective electroreduction of carbon dioxide to formic acid.

The selective electrochemical reduction of CO yields value-added products that are important renewable energy resources for carbon recycling. In this study, CuPdN nanocrystals (NCs) exhibited higher electrocatalytic activity for carbon dioxide (CO) reduction to formic acid (HCOOH) than as-prepared CuN and CuPd NCs. In addition, the reaction yielded small amounts of CO (<5%), H, and HCOOH as the main products, and the electrocatalytic activity of the Cu NCs was significantly enhanced by modification with N and Pd.

Three-Dimensional Network Architecture with Hybrid Nanocarbon Composites Supporting Few-Layer MoS for Lithium and Sodium Storage.

The exploration of anode materials for lithium ion batteries (LIBs) or sodium ion batteries (SIBs) represents a grand technological challenge to meet the continuously increased demand for the high-performance energy storage market. Here we report a facile and reliable synthetic strategy for in situ growth of few-layer MoS nanosheets on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) cross-linked hollow carbon spheres (HCS) with formation of three-dimensional (3D) network nanohybrids (MoS-rGO/HCS). Systematic electrochemical studies demonstrate, as an anode of LIBs, the as-developed MoS-rGO/HCS can deliver a reversible capacity of 1145 mAh g after 100 cycles at 0.

Energy-efficient electrolytic hydrogen production assisted by coupling urea oxidation with a pH-gradient concentration cell.

An unprecedented asymmetric-electrolyte electrolyzer is proposed using an acidic cathode for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and an alkaline anode for the urea oxidation reaction (UOR), which significantly decreases the electrical energy required for electrolytic hydrogen production.

Contact electrification induced interfacial reactions and direct electrochemical nanoimprint lithography in n-type gallium arsenate wafer.

Although metal assisted chemical etching (MacEtch) has emerged as a versatile micro-nanofabrication method for semiconductors, the chemical mechanism remains ambiguous in terms of both thermodynamics and kinetics. Here we demonstrate an innovative phenomenon, , the contact electrification between platinum (Pt) and an n-type gallium arsenide (100) wafer (n-GaAs) can induce interfacial redox reactions. Because of their different work functions, when the Pt electrode comes into contact with n-GaAs, electrons will move from n-GaAs to Pt and form a contact electric field at the Pt/n-GaAs junction until their electron Fermi levels () become equal.

Highly Dispersed NiO Nanoparticles Decorating graphene Nanosheets for Non-enzymatic Glucose Sensor and Biofuel Cell.

Nickel oxide-decorated graphene nanosheet (NiO/GNS), as a novel non-enzymatic electrocatalyst for glucose oxidation reaction (GOR), was synthesized through a facile hydrothermal route followed by the heat treatment. The successful synthesis of NiO/GNS was characterized by a series of techniques including XRD, BET, SEM and TEM. Significantly, the NiO/GNS catalyst show excellent catalytic activity toward GOR, and was employed to develop a sensitive non-enzymatic glucose sensor.

Porous Co3O4 hollow nanododecahedra for nonenzymatic glucose biosensor and biofuel cell.

Cobalt oxide hollow nanododecahedra (Co3O4-HND) is synthesized by a facile thermal transformation of cobalt-based metal-organic framework (Co-MOF, ZIF-67) template. The morphology and properties of the Co3O4-HND are characterized by a set of techniques, including transmission electron microscope (TEM), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Brunner-Emmet-Teller (BET). When tested as a non-enzymatic electrocatalyst for glucose oxidation reaction, the Co3O4-HND exhibits a high activity and shows an outstanding performance for determining glucose with a wide window of 2.

Electrochemical buckling microfabrication.

Can isotropic wet chemical etching be controlled with a spatial resolution at the nanometer scale, especially, for the repetitive microfabrication of hierarchical 3D μ-nanostructures on the continuously curved surface of functional materials? We present an innovative wet chemical etching method called "electrochemical buckling microfabrication": first, a constant contact force is applied to generate a hierarchical 3D μ-nanostructure on a mold electrode surface through a buckling effect; then, the etchant is electrogenerated on-site and confined close to the mold electrode surface; finally, the buckled hierarchical 3D μ-nanostructures are transferred onto the surface of a Ga In P coated GaAs wafer through WCE. The concave microlens, with a Fresnel structure, has an enhanced photoluminescence at 630 nm. Comparing with energy beam direct writing techniques and nanoimprint lithography, this method provides an electrochemical microfabrication pathway for the semiconductor industry, with low cost and high throughput.

Synergetic effect enhanced photoelectrocatalysis.

We report synergetic effect enhanced photoelectrocatalysis, in which Fe(3+) and Br(-) are used as the acceptors of photogenerated charges on TiO2 nanoparticles. The kinetic rate of interfacial charge transfer is promoted from (4.0 ± 0.

Combinatorial screening of photoelectrocatalytic system with high signal/noise ratio.

Solar energy is the most abundant nature resource and plays important roles in the sustainable developments of energy and environment. Scanning photoelectrochemical microscopy provides a high-throughput screening method by introducing the combinatorial technique to prepare the substrate with photoelectrochemical catalyst array. However, the signal/noise (S/N) ratio suffers from the background current of indium-tin oxide or fluorine-doped tin oxide itself, including a transient charge-discharge current of electric double layer and a steady-state photocatalytic current.

Electrochemical mechanical micromachining based on confined etchant layer technique.

The confined etchant layertechnique (CELT) has been proved an effective electrochemical microfabrication method since its first publication at Faraday Discussions in 1992. Recently, we have developed CELT as an electrochemical mechanical micromachining (ECMM) method by replacing the cutting tool used in conventional mechanical machining with an electrode, which can perform lathing, planing and polishing. Through the coupling between the electrochemically induced chemical etching processes and mechanical motion, ECMM can also obtain a regular surface in one step.