The development of durable platinum-group-metal-free oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts is a key research direction for enabling the wide use of fuel cells. Here, we use a combination of experimental measurements and density functional theory calculations to study the activity and durability of seven iron-based metallophthalocyanine (MPc) ORR catalysts that differ only in the identity of the substituent groups on the MPcs. While the MPcs show similar ORR activity, their durabilities as measured by the current decay half-life differ greatly. We find that the energy difference between the hydrogenated intermediate structure and the final demetalated structure () of the MPcs is linearly related to the degradation reaction barrier energy. Comparison to the degradation data for the previously studied metallocorrole systems suggested that also serves as a descriptor for the corrole systems and that the high availability of protons at the active site due to the COOH group of the -corrole decreases the durability.
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Sci Rep
December 2024
School of Environmental Science, The University of Shiga Prefecture, Hassakacho, Hikone, 2500, 522-8533, Japan.
Mangrove forests are increasingly recognized as vital blue carbon ecosystems due to their high carbon sequestration capacity, primarily through the accumulation of soil organic carbon (SOC). Recent research highlights that, in addition to SOC, dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), particularly in the form of bicarbonate (HCO₃⁻), plays a crucial role in carbon sequestration by being exported from these ecosystems to adjacent coastal waters. This study aims to investigate the previously unexamined mechanisms behind bicarbonate production in mangrove soils.
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December 2024
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Polymer electrolyte membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWEs) are a critical technology for efficient hydrogen production to decarbonize fuels and industrial feedstocks. To make hydrogen cost-effective, the overpotentials across the cell need to be decreased and platinum-group metal loading reduced. One overpotential that needs to be better understood is due to mass transport limitations from bubble formation within the porous transport layer (PTL) and anode catalyst layer (ACL), which can lead to a reduction in performance at typical operating current densities.
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December 2024
Key Laboratory of Molecular Nanostructure and Nanotechnology, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Zn-air batteries (ZABs) present high energy density and high safety but suffer from low oxygen reaction reversibility and dendrite growth at Zn electrode in alkaline electrolytes. Non-alkaline electrolytes have been considered recently for improving the interfacial processes in ZABs. However, the dynamic evolution and reaction mechanisms regulated by electrolytes at both the positive and Zn negative electrodes remain elusive.
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December 2024
Department of Chemistry, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan, 44919, Republic of Korea.
Oxidative modifications can disrupt protein folds and functions, and are strongly associated with human aging and diseases. Conventional oxidation pathways typically involve the free diffusion of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which primarily attack the protein surface. Yet, it remains unclear whether and how internal protein folds capable of trapping oxygen (O) contribute to oxidative damage.
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December 2024
Center of Artificial Photosynthesis for Solar Fuels and Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China.
Natural enzymes feature distinctive second spheres near their active sites, leading to exquisite catalytic reactivity. However, incumbent synthetic strategies offer limited versatility in functionalizing the second spheres of heterogeneous catalysts. Here, we prepare an enzyme-mimetic single Co-N atom catalyst with an elaborately configured pendant amine group in the second sphere via 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition, which switches the oxygen reduction reaction selectivity from the 4e to the 2e pathway under acidic conditions.
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