| 1. |
- Dürr, Robin N., et al.
(författare)
-
Clearing Up Discrepancies in 2D and 3D Nickel Molybdate Hydrate Structures
- 2024
-
Ingår i: Inorganic Chemistry. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0020-1669 .- 1520-510X. ; 63:5
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- When electrocatalysts are prepared, modification of the morphology is a common strategy to enhance their electrocatalytic performance. In this work, we have examined and characterized nanorods (3D) and nanosheets (2D) of nickel molybdate hydrates, which previously have been treated as the same material with just a variation in morphology. We thoroughly investigated the materials and report that they contain fundamentally different compounds with different crystal structures, chemical compositions, and chemical stabilities. The 3D nanorod structure exhibits the chemical formula NiMoO4·0.6H2O and crystallizes in a triclinic system, whereas the 2D nanosheet structures can be rationalized with Ni3MoO5–0.5x(OH)x·(2.3 – 0.5x)H2O, with a mixed valence of both Ni and Mo, which enables a layered crystal structure. The difference in structure and composition is supported by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, ion beam analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, electron diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and magnetic measurements. The previously proposed crystal structure for the nickel molybdate hydrate nanorods from the literature needs to be reconsidered and is here refined by ab initio molecular dynamics on a quantum mechanical level using density functional theory calculations to reproduce the experimental findings. Because the material is frequently studied as an electrocatalyst or catalyst precursor and both structures can appear in the same synthesis, a clear distinction between the two compounds is necessary to assess the underlying structure-to-function relationship and targeted electrocatalytic properties.
|
|
| 2. |
- Han, Ning, et al.
(författare)
-
Lowering the kinetic barrier via enhancing electrophilicity of surface oxygen to boost acidic oxygen evolution reaction
- 2024
-
Ingår i: Matter. - 2590-2393 .- 2590-2385. ; 7:3, s. 1330-1343
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The acidic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is essential for many renewable energy conversion and storage technologies. However, the high energy required to break the strong covalent O-H bond of H2O in acidic media results in sluggish OER kinetics. Here, we report the critical role of iron in a new family of iron-containing yttrium ruthenate (Y2-xFexRu2O7-δ) electrocatalysts in highly increasing the electrophilicity of surface oxygen, leading to a significant reduction of the kinetics barrier by 33%, thus an exceptional OER mass activity of 1,021 A· up to 12.4 and 7.7 times that of Y2Ru2O7-δ and RuO2, respectively. Introducing iron reduces the Mulliken atomic charge on the O sites in the generated Ru-O-Fe structure, thereby facilitating the acid-base nucleophilic assault from H2O and reducing the free energy on the rate-determining step of OER. This work provides an effective strategy to reduce the kinetics barrier to achieve highly efficient and economic OER in acidic conditions.
|
|
| 3. |
- Pang, Kanglei, 1993-, et al.
(författare)
-
Redirecting configuration of atomically dispersed selenium catalytic sites for efficient hydrazine oxidation
- 2024
-
Ingår i: Matter. - 2590-2393 .- 2590-2385. ; 7:2, s. 655-667
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Understanding the reconstruction of surface sites is crucial for gaining insights into the true active sites and catalytic mechanisms. While extensive research has been conducted on reconstruction behaviors of atomically dispersed metallic catalytic sites, limited attention has been paid to non-metallic ones despite their potential catalytic activity comparable or even superior to their noble-metal counterpart. Herein, we report a carbonaceous, atomically dispersed non-metallic selenium catalyst that displayed exceptional catalytic activity in the hydrazine oxidation reaction (HzOR) in alkaline media, outperforming the noble-metal Pt catalysts. In situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed that the pristine SeC4 site pre-adsorbs an ∗OH ligand, followed by HzOR occurring on the other side of the OH–SeC4. Theoretical calculations proposed that the pre-adsorbed ∗OH group pulls electrons from the Se site, resulting in a more positively charged Se and a higher polarity of Se–C bonds, thereby enhancing surface reactivity toward HzO/R.
|
|
