| 1. |
- Dobrota, Ana S., et al.
(författare)
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Stabilization of alkali metal ions interaction with OH-functionalized graphene via clustering of OH groups - implications in charge storage applications
- 2016
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Ingår i: RSC Advances. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2046-2069. ; 6:63, s. 57910-57919
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Graphene synthesized by reduction of graphene oxide, depending on the degree of reduction, retains a certain amount of surface OH groups. Considering the surface OH groups/graphene layer system by means of density functional theory calculations, we evidenced the tendency of OH groups to cluster, resulting in enhanced system stability and no band gap opening. In the oxygen concentration range between 1.8 and 8.47 at%, with the addition of each new OH group, integral binding energy decreases, while differential binding energy shows the boost at even numbers of OH groups. Furthermore, we found that the clustering of OH groups over graphene basal plane plays a crucial role in enhancing the interactions with alkali metals. Namely, if alkali metal atoms interact with individual OH groups only, the interaction leads to an irreversible formation of MOH phase. When alkali atoms interact with clusters containing odd number of OH groups, a reversible transfer of an electron charge from the metal atom to the substrate takes place without OH removal. The strength of the interaction in general increases from Li to K. In an experimental investigation of a graphene sample which dominantly contains OH groups, we have shown that the trend in the specific interaction strength reflects to gravimetric capacitances measured in alkali metal chloride solutions. We propose that the charge stored in OH groups which interact with alkali metal cation and the pi electronic system of the graphene basal plane presents the main part of its pseudocapacitance.
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| 2. |
- Gutic, Sanjin J., et al.
(författare)
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Hydrogen Evolution Reaction-From Single Crystal to Single Atom Catalysts
- 2020
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Ingår i: Catalysts. - : MDPI. - 2073-4344. ; 10:3
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is one of the most important reactions in electrochemistry. This is not only because it is the simplest way to produce high purity hydrogen and the fact that it is the side reaction in many other technologies. HER actually shaped current electrochemistry because it was in focus of active research for so many years (and it still is). The number of catalysts investigated for HER is immense, and it is not possible to overview them all. In fact, it seems that the complexity of the field overcomes the complexity of HER. The aim of this review is to point out some of the latest developments in HER catalysis, current directions and some of the missing links between a single crystal, nanosized supported catalysts and recently emerging, single-atom catalysts for HER.
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| 3. |
- Gutic, Sanjin J., et al.
(författare)
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Improved catalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction in alkaline solutions through the electrochemical formation of nickel-reduced graphene oxide interface
- 2017
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Ingår i: Physical Chemistry, Chemical Physics - PCCP. - : ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY. - 1463-9076 .- 1463-9084. ; 19:20, s. 13281-13293
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- H-2 production via water electrolysis plays an important role in hydrogen economy. Hence, novel cheap electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction ( HER) are constantly needed. Here, we describe a simple method for the preparation of composite catalysts for H-2 evolution, consisting in simultaneous reduction of the graphene oxide film, and electrochemical deposition of Ni on its surface. The obtained composites (Ni@rGO), compared to pure electrodeposited Ni, show an improved electrocatalytic activity towards HER in alkaline media. We found that the activity of the Ni@rGO catalysts depends on the surface composition ( Ni vs. C mole ratio) and on the level of structural disorder of the rGO support. We suggest that HER activity is improved via H-ads spillover from the Ni particles to the rGO support, where quick recombination to molecular hydrogen is favored. A deeper insight into such a mechanism of H-2 production was achieved by kinetic Monte-Carlo simulations. These simulations enabled the reproduction of experimentally observed trends under the assumption that the support can act as a Hads acceptor. We expect that the proposed procedure for the production of novel HER catalysts could be generalized and lead to the development of a new generation of HER catalysts by tailoring the catalyst/support interface.
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| 4. |
- Karacic, Dalibor, et al.
(författare)
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Electrochemical reduction of thin graphene-oxide films in aqueous solutions - Restoration of conductivity
- 2022
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Ingår i: Electrochimica Acta. - : Elsevier BV. - 0013-4686 .- 1873-3859. ; 410
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Graphene oxide finds applications in different fields of science, including energy conversion. Electrochemical reduction of graphene oxide (GO) significantly improves its conductivity. However, the kinetics of this process depends on the solvent, supporting electrolyte, pH, and numerous other factors. Most studies report the macroscopic views and ex-situ properties of reduced GO. To expand the knowledge about GO reduction, in this study, we used cyclic voltammetry (CV), simultaneous 2 points and 4 points resistance measurement (s24), conductive atomic force microscopy (AFM), and theoretical calculations. Using CV, we demonstrated that the choice of supporting electrolyte (KCl or LiCl) influences the potential range in which electrochemical GO reduction occurs. The activation energy of this process was estimated to be below 30 kJ mol(-1) in both electrolytes, being significantly lower than that required for thermal reduction of GO. Simultaneous in situ s24 resistance measurements suggest that GO films reach a highly conductive state at deep negative potentials, with an abrupt, irreversible switch from non-conductive to the conductive state. However, conductive AFM presents a more exact picture of this process: the reduction of GO films starts locally while the formed conductive islands grow during the reduction. This mechanism was confirmed by theoretical calculations indicating that the reduction starts on isolated oxygen-functional groups over the GO basal plane, while clustered OH groups are more difficult to reduce. The presented results can help in tailoring reduced GO for a particular electrochemical application by precisely controlling the reduction degree and percentage of the conductive area of the reduced GO films.
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| 5. |
- Karacic, Dalibor, et al.
(författare)
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When supporting electrolyte matters - Tuning capacitive response of graphene oxide via electrochemical reduction in alkali and alkaline earth metal chlorides
- 2019
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Ingår i: Electrochimica Acta. - : Elsevier. - 0013-4686 .- 1873-3859. ; 297, s. 112-117
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The ability to tune charge storage properties of graphene oxide ( GO) is of utmost importance for energy conversion applications. Here we show that the electrochemical reduction of GO is highly sensitive to the cations present in the solution. GO is reduced at more negative potential in alkali metal chloride solutions than in alkaline earth metal chlorides. During the reduction, the capacitance of GO increases from 10 to 70 times. The maximum capacitances of reduced GO are between 65 and 130 F g(-1), depending on the electrolyte and the presence of conductive additive. We propose that different interactions of cations with oxygen functional groups of GO during the reduction are responsible for the observed effect. This hypothesis has been confirmed by Density Functional Theory calculations of alkali and alkaline earth metals interactions with epoxy-functionalized graphene sheet.
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| 6. |
- Lazarevic-Pasti, Tamara, et al.
(författare)
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The impact of the structure of graphene-based materials on the removal of organophosphorus pesticides from water
- 2018
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Ingår i: ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE-NANO. - : ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY. - 2051-8153 .- 2051-8161. ; 5:6, s. 1482-1494
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The wide use of pesticides in modern agriculture and other areas results in an urgent need for their efficient removal from the environment. Adsorption of pesticides is one of the most commonly used strategies for this task. Here we analyze the adsorption of two organophosphorus pesticides, dimethoate (DMT) and chlorpyrifos (CPF), on graphene-based materials. The adsorption was found to be very sensitive to the structure of the adsorbents used. In particular, aliphatic DMT was found to prefer hydrophilic oxidized graphene surfaces. The CPF molecule, which contains an aromatic moiety, prefers adsorption on the surface of a graphene basal plane with high structural order and preserved electron system. The toxicity of pesticide solutions is reduced after adsorption, suggesting that there is no oxidation of DMT and CPF to more toxic oxo forms. We emphasize that the combination of structural properties of adsorbents and adsorbates defines the adsorption of organophosphorus pesticides on graphene-based materials, while the specific surface area of adsorbents is not the major factor.
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