| 1. |
- Lacnjevac, Uros, et al.
(författare)
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High-performance hydrogen evolution electrocatalysis using proton-intercalated TiO2 nanotube arrays as interactive supports for Ir nanoparticles
- 2020
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Ingår i: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 8:43, s. 22773-22790
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Developing ultraefficient electrocatalytic materials for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) with low content of expensive platinum group metals (PGMs) via low-energy-input procedures is the key to the successful commercialization of green water electrolysis technologies for sustainable production of high-purity hydrogen. In this study, we report a facile room-temperature synthesis of ultrafine metallic Ir nanoparticles on conductive, proton-intercalated TiO2 nanotube (H-TNT) arrays via galvanic displacement. A series of experiments demonstrate that a controlled transformation of the H-TNT surface microstructure from neat open-top tubes to disordered nanostripe bundles ("nanograss") is highly beneficial for providing an abundance of exposed Ir active sites. Consequently, for nanograss-engineered composites, outstanding HER activity metrics are achieved even at very low Ir(iii) precursor concentrations. An optimum Ir@TNT cathode loaded with 5.7 mu g(Ir) cm(-2) exhibits an overpotential of -63 mV at -100 mA cm(-2) and a mass activity of 34 A mg(Ir)(-1) at -80 mV under acidic conditions, along with excellent catalytic durability and structural integrity. Density functional theory (DFT) simulations reveal that the hydrogen-rich TiO2 surface not only stabilizes the deposited Ir and weakens its H binding strength to a moderate intensity, but also actively takes part in the HER mechanism by refreshing the Ir catalytic sites near the Ir|H-TiO2 interface, thus substantially promoting H-2 generation. The comprehensive characterization combined with theory provides an in-depth understanding of the electrocatalytic behavior of H-TNT supported PGM nanoparticles and demonstrates their high potential as competitive electrocatalyst systems for the HER.
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| 2. |
- Sanchez-Grande, Ana, et al.
(författare)
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On-Surface Synthesis of Ethynylene-Bridged Anthracene Polymers
- 2019
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Ingår i: Angewandte Chemie International Edition. - : WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH. - 1433-7851 .- 1521-3773. ; 58:20, s. 6559-6563
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Engineering low-band-gap -conjugated polymers is a growing area in basic and applied research. The main synthetic challenge lies in the solubility of the starting materials, which precludes advancements in the field. Here, we report an on-surface synthesis protocol to overcome such difficulties and produce poly(p-anthracene ethynylene) molecular wires on Au(111). To this aim, a quinoid anthracene precursor with =CBr2 moieties is deposited and annealed to 400K, resulting in anthracene-based polymers. High-resolution nc-AFM measurements confirm the nature of the ethynylene-bridge bond between the anthracene moieties. Theoretical simulations illustrate the mechanism of the chemical reaction, highlighting three major steps: dehalogenation, diffusion of surface-stabilized carbenes, and homocoupling, which enables the formation of an ethynylene bridge. Our results introduce a novel chemical protocol to design -conjugated polymers based on oligoacene precursors and pave new avenues for advancing the emerging field of on-surface synthesis.
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| 3. |
- Xie, Maomao, et al.
(författare)
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Antibacterial Nanomaterials : Mechanisms, Impacts on Antimicrobial Resistance and Design Principles
- 2023
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Ingår i: Angewandte Chemie - International Edition. - : Wiley. - 1433-7851 .- 1521-3773. ; 62:17
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the biggest threats to the environment and health. AMR rapidly invalidates conventional antibiotics, and antimicrobial nanomaterials have been increasingly explored as alternatives. Interestingly, several antimicrobial nanomaterials show AMR-independent antimicrobial effects without detectable new resistance and have therefore been suggested to prevent AMR evolution. In contrast, some are found to trigger the evolution of AMR. Given these seemingly conflicting findings, a timely discussion of the two faces of antimicrobial nanomaterials is urgently needed. This review systematically compares the killing mechanisms and structure-activity relationships of antibiotics and antimicrobial nanomaterials. We then focus on nano-microbe interactions to elucidate the impacts of molecular initiating events on AMR evolution. Finally, we provide an outlook on future antimicrobial nanomaterials and propose design principles for the prevention of AMR evolution.
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