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At least 343 records · Page 19

Plastic waste upcycling toward a circular economy

Large amounts of plastics are discarded worldwide each year, leading to a significant mass of waste in landfills and pollution to soil, air, and waterways. Upcycling is an efficient way to transform plastic waste into high-value products and can significantly lessen the environmental impact of plastic production/consumption. In this article, current advances and future directions in plastic waste upcycling technologies are discussed. In particular, this review focuses on the production of high-value materials from plastic waste conversion methods, including pyrolysis, gasification, photoreforming, and mechanical reprocessing. Plastic waste compositions, conversion products, reaction mechanisms, catalyst selection, conversion efficiencies, polymer design, and polymer modification are also explored. Furthermore, the main challenges facing the adoption and scale-up of these technologies are highlighted. Suggestions are given for focusing future research and development to increase the efficiency of upcycling practices.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗

An Ultra-long Life, High-performance, Flexible Li-CO2Battery Based on Multifunctional Carbon Electrocatalysts

Integrating CO2 utilization and renewable energy delivery/storage, the rechargeable Li–CO2 battery has been considered as a promising candidate for next-generation secondary batteries. However, high-performance catalyst(s) for efficient formation and decomposition of the discharge product, Li2CO3, are an imperative part of a Li–CO2 battery. The development of flexible Li–CO2 batteries extends their applications into compliant and wearable devices/systems, but at the same time imposes a big challenge for battery fabrication and lifetime enhancement. In this study, a rechargeable quasi-solidus flexible Li–CO2 battery was designed and fabricated using highly active N,S-doped carbon nanotubes (N,S-doped CNTs) as the cathode catalyst, and a smart polymer gel as the flexible electrolyte. This newly-developed flexible Li–CO2 battery exhibited a capacity as high as 23560 mAh g−1 based on the catalyst mass and an ultra-long lifetime of up to 538 cycles with excellent mechanical flexibility. This work provides a platform for the design and development of high-performance flexible Li–CO2 batteries from low-cost, earth-abundant, carbon-based multifunctional cathode catalysts.

Superior stability↗

A Stable Site‐Isolated Mono(phosphine)‐Rhodium Catalyst on a Metal‐Organic Layer for Highly Efficient Hydrogenation Reactions

Abstract Phosphine‐ligated transition metal complexes play a pivotal role in modern catalysis, but our understanding of the impact of ligand counts on the catalysis performance of the metal center is limited. Here we report the synthesis of a low‐coordinate mono(phosphine)‐Rh catalyst on a metal‐organic layer (MOL), P‐MOL • Rh, and its applications in the hydrogenation of mono‐, di‐, and tri‐substituted alkenes as well as aryl nitriles with turnover numbers (TONs) of up to 390000. Mechanistic investigations and density functional theory calculations revealed the lowering of reaction energy barriers by the low steric hindrance of site‐isolated mono(phosphine)‐Rh sites on the MOL to provide superior catalytic activity over homogeneous Rh catalysts. The MOL also prevents catalyst deactivation to enable recycle and reuse of P‐MOL • Rh in catalytic hydrogenation reactions.

Chemistry↗

Interplay between copper redox and transfer and support acidity and topology in low temperature NH 3 -SCR

Low-temperature standard NH 3 -SCR over copper-exchanged zeolite catalysts occurs on NH 3 -solvated Cu-ion active sites in a quasi-homogeneous manner. As key kinetically relevant reaction steps, the reaction intermediate Cu II (NH 3 ) 4 ion hydrolyzes to Cu II (OH)(NH 3 ) 3 ion to gain redox activity. The Cu II (OH)(NH 3 ) 3 ion also transfers between neighboring zeolite cages to form highly reactive reaction intermediates. Via operando electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy and SCR kinetic measurements and density functional theory calculations, we demonstrate here that such kinetically relevant steps become energetically more difficult with lower support Brønsted acid strength and density. Consequently, Cu/LTA displays lower Cu atomic efficiency than Cu/CHA and Cu/AEI, which can also be rationalized by considering differences in their support topology. By carrying out hydrothermal aging to eliminate support Brønsted acid sites, both Cu II (NH 3 ) 4 ion hydrolysis and Cu II (OH)(NH 3 ) 3 ion migration are hindered, leading to a marked decrease in Cu atomic efficiency for all catalysts.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Discovery of a Hybrid System for Photocatalytic CO 2 Reduction via Attachment of a Molecular Cobalt-Quaterpyridine Complex to a Crystalline Carbon Nitride

While recent reports have demonstrated the attachment of molecular catalysts to amorphous, graphitic carbon nitrides (g-CN) for light-driven CO 2 reduction, approaches to the utilization of crystalline carbon nitrides have remained undiscovered. Herein, a functional hybrid photocatalyst system has been found using a crystalline carbon nitride semiconductor, poly(triazine imide) lithium chloride (PTI-LiCl), with a surface-attached CoCl 2 (qpy-Ph-COOH) catalyst for CO 2 reduction. The molecular catalyst attaches to PTI-LiCl at concentrations from 0.10 to 4.30 wt % and exhibits ∼96% selectivity for CO production in a CO 2 -saturated, aqueous 0.5 M KHCO 3 solution. Optimal loadings were found to be within 0.42–1.04 wt % with rates between 1,400 and 1,550 μmol CO/g·h at an irradiance of 172 mW/cm 2 (λ = 390 nm) and apparent quantum yields of ∼2%. This optimized loading is postulated to represent a balance between maximal turnover frequency (TOF; 300+ h –1 ) and excess catalyst that can limit excited-electron lifetimes, as probed via transient absorption spectroscopy. An increase in the incident irradiance yields a concomitant increase in the TOFs and CO rates only for the higher catalyst loadings, reaching up to 2,149 μmol CO/g·h with a more efficient use of the catalyst surface capacity. The lower catalyst loadings, by comparison, already function at maximal TOFs. Higher surface loadings are also found to help mitigate deactivation of the molecular catalysts during extended catalytic testing (>24 h) owing to the greater net surface capacity for CO 2 reduction, thus representing an effective strategy to extend lifetime. The hybrid particles can be deposited onto an FTO substrate to yield ∼60% Faradaic efficiency for photoelectrochemical CO production at −1.2 V vs Ag/AgCl bias. In conclusion, these results demonstrate the synergistic combination of a crystalline carbon nitride with a molecular catalyst that achieves among the highest known rates in carbon-nitride systems for the light-driven CO 2 reduction to CO in aqueous solution with >95% selectivity.

CO2 reduction↗

The development of a non-cryogenic nitrogen/oxygen supply system

Development of the hydrazine/water electrolysis process in a manned spacecraft to provide metabolic oxygen and both oxygen and nitrogen for cabin leakage makeup was studied. Electrode development efforts were directed to stability, achieved with catalyst additives and improved processing techniques, and a higher hydrazine conversion efficiency, achieved by reducing catalyst loading on the cathodes. Extensive testing of the one-man breadboard N2/02 system provided complete characterization of cabin atmosphere control aspects. A detailed design of a prototype modular N2/02 unit was conducted. The contact heat exchanger which is an integral component of this design was fabricated and sucessfully design-verification tested.

Greenough, B. M.↗

Exploring the mobility of Cu in bimetallic nanocrystals to promote atomic-scale transformations under a reactive gas environment

Bimetallic nanocrystals (NCs) often show improved catalytic activities compared to their monometallic counterparts, but to optimize the performance it is crucial to understand how they behave under actual reaction conditions, i.e. in gas environments. Here, in this study, we use powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), total scattering (TS) with pair distribution function (PDF) analysis and in situ high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) to provide new insights into the atomic-scale behaviour of NC catalysts under a reactive gas environment. By investigating Au, Cu, Pd, PdCu, AuPd and AuCu NCs, we observe that the properties of bimetallic NCs differ significantly from their monometallic counterparts. While metal oxide phases formed for monometallic Pd and Cu under O 2 -exposure, bimetallic PdCu and AuCu NCs showed loss of metallic Cu in the crystalline phases after exposure to O 2 . However, upon introducing the bimetallic NCs to a reducing atmosphere, the Cu was found to reappear and reincorporate into a crystalline phase, forming the initial bimetallic structures. By combining TS, PDF analysis and in situ HR-TEM, we saw that Cu segregates to the NC surfaces or forms small CuO domains under O 2 -exposure. Our results thus indicate that the Cu mobility promotes segregation and formation of CuO along with the formation of a monometallic phase, which ultimately changes the resulting active surface sites of the nanocatalyst. Understanding the dynamical structure–property relations of nanocatalysts is key to enable rational design of efficient and robust catalysts for controlled catalytic reactions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Supported-Single Nickel Atom Catalysts for the Methanation of Carbon Dioxide

Synthesis of twenty-seven bimetallic catalysts consisting of nickel and one of nine different dopants (B, Co, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Sn, V, and Zn) supported on three different metal oxides (Al 2 O 3 , CeO 2 , and SiO 2 ) is carried out via organometallic grafting. The catalysts are evaluated for their activity and selectivity for the CO 2 methanation reaction at a feed ratio of H 2 /CO 2 of 4 at 300 °C in a high-throughput flow reactor system. After in situ pre-activation (500 °C in H 2 ), Ni/Co/CeO 2 exhibited high conversion (84.3%) and selectivity for methane (99.6%). Ni/Co/CeO 2 was characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction, H 2 -temperature-programmed reduction (H 2 -TPR), and CO 2 -temperature-programmed desorption (CO 2 -TPD). HRTEM showed the presence of single Ni and Co atoms on ceria after pre-reduction at 500 °C and after the methanation reaction at 300 °C for 15 h. XPS determined that the strong interaction between Ni, Co, and ceria increased after the reduction, leading to a charge transfer between Ni and Ce that created oxygen vacancies in ceria. Nickel was found to be Ni 2+ in the as-prepared material and was partially reduced in the presence of cobalt and after the activation in H 2 at 500 °C. The DFT results show that both nickel and cerium exhibit lower Bader charges in the Ni/Co/CeO 2 system, confirming that the presence of cobalt enhances the reduction of both Ni and Ce through electronic interactions. This indicates that single cationic Ni atoms are highly effective for the methanation reaction. In conclusion, the organometallic grafting technique is found to be efficient for synthesizing catalysts with highly homogeneous dispersed species at low metal loadings (0.16 wt % Ni–0.15 wt % Co), which leads to high turnover frequency (up to 248.7 h –1 ) and durability for methanation.

CO2 conversion↗

Programmable heating and quenching for efficient thermochemical synthesis

Conventional thermochemical syntheses by continuous heating under near-equilibrium conditions face critical challenges in improving the synthesis rate, selectivity, catalyst stability and energy efficiency, owing to the lack of temporal control over the reaction temperature and time, and thus the reaction pathways. As an alternative, we present a non-equilibrium, continuous synthesis technique that uses pulsed heating and quenching (for example, 0.02 s on, 1.08 s off) using a programmable electric current to rapidly switch the reaction between high (for example, up to 2,400 K) and low temperatures. The rapid quenching ensures high selectivity and good catalyst stability, as well as lowers the average temperature to reduce the energy cost. Using CH4 pyrolysis as a model reaction, our programmable heating and quenching technique leads to high selectivity to value-added C2 products (>75% versus <35% by the conventional non-catalytic method and versus <60% by most conventional methods using optimized catalysts). Our technique can be extended to a range of thermochemical reactions, such as NH 3 synthesis, for which we achieve a stable and high synthesis rate of about 6,000 μmol g Fe –1 h –1 at ambient pressure for >100 h using a non-optimized catalyst. Furthermore, this study establishes a new model towards highly efficient non-equilibrium thermochemical synthesis.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Rare-isotope and kinetic studies of Pt/SnO2 catalysts

Closed-cycle pulsed CO2 laser operation requires the use of an efficient CO-O2 recombination catalyst for these dissociation products which otherwise would degrade the laser operation. The catalyst must not only operate at low temperatures but also must operate efficiently for long periods. In the case of the Laser Atmospheric Wind Sounder (LAWS) laser, an operational lifetime of 3 years is required. Additionally, in order to minimize atmospheric absorption and enhance aerosol scatter of laser radiation, the LAWS system will operate at 9.1 micrometers with an oxygen-18 isotope CO2 lasing medium. Consequently, the catalyst must not only operate at low temperatures but must also preserve the isotopic integrity of the rare-isotope composition in the recombination mode. Several years ago an investigation of commercially available and newly synthesized recombination catalysts for use in closed-cycle pulsed common and rare-isotope CO2 lasers was implemented at the NASA Langley Research Center. Since that time, mechanistic efforts utilizing both common and rare oxygen isotopes have been implemented and continue. Rare-isotope studies utilizing commercially available platinum-tin oxide catalyst have demonstrated that the catalyst contributes oxygen-16 to the product carbon dioxide thus rendering it unusable for rare-isotope applications. A technique has been developed for modification of the surface of the common-isotope catalyst to render it usable. Results of kinetic and isotope label studies using plug flow, recycle plug flow, and closed internal recycle plug flow reactor configuration modes are discussed.

Upchurch, Billy T.↗

Catalytic Resonance Theory: Turnover Efficiency and the Resonance Frequency

Programmable catalysts exhibiting forced oscillation in the free energy of reacting surface species were simulated to understand the general mechanisms leading to efficient use of the input energy. Catalytic ratchets with either positive or negative adsorbate scaling exhibited oscillation conditions of both high and low turnover efficiency, yielding catalytic turnover frequencies either close to or significantly lower than the applied catalyst oscillation frequency, respectively. The “effective rate”, defined as the product of the catalytic turnover frequency and the turnover efficiency (ηTOE), was limited via two catalytic mechanisms: a leaky catalytic ratchet existed when molecules repeatedly traversed backward through the catalytic transition state upon catalyst oscillation, while a catalytic ratchet with low surface participation exhibited reduced formation of a gas-phase final product due to low surface product coverage. Furthermore, a single applied frequency yielding a maximum effective catalytic rate defined as the “resonance frequency” provided maximum combined benefit for catalytic rate and efficiency.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Electrochemical Oxidation of HMF via Hydrogen Atom Transfer and Hydride Transfer on NiOOH and the Impact of NiOOH Composition

Abstract A great deal of attention has been directed toward studying the electrochemical oxidation of 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), a molecule that can be obtained from biomass‐derived cellulose and hemicellulose, to 2,5‐furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), a molecule that can replace the petroleum‐derived terephthalic acid in the production of widely used polymers such as polyethylene terephthalate. NiOOH is one of the best and most well studied electrocatalysts for achieving this transformation; however, the mechanism by which it does so is still poorly understood. This study quantitatively examines how two different dehydrogenation mechanisms on NiOOH impact the oxidation of HMF and its oxidation intermediates on the way to FDCA. The first mechanism is a well‐established indirect oxidation mechanism featuring chemical hydrogen atom transfer to Ni 3+ sites while the second mechanism is a newly discovered potential‐dependent (PD) oxidation mechanism involving electrochemically induced hydride transfer to Ni 4+ sites. The composition of NiOOH was also tuned to shift the potential of the Ni(OH) 2 /NiOOH redox couple and to investigate how this affects the rates of indirect and PD oxidation as well as intermediate accumulation during a constant potential electrolysis. The new insights gained by this study will allow for the rational design of more efficient electrochemical dehydrogenation catalysts.

2,5-furandicarboxylic acid↗

Recent advances in CO 2 hydrogenation to value-added products — Current challenges and future directions

Climate change, global warming, fossil fuel depletion and rising fuel prices have created great incentives to seek alternative fuel production technologies. CO 2 transformation to value-added products using renewable H 2 has proven to be an emerging solution to enable this goal. In this regard, three different promising processes, namely methane, methanol and hydrocarbon synthesis via CO 2 hydrogenation are thoroughly discussed. In addition, the influential factors affecting process efficiencies such as catalyst design and mechanistic insight, operating conditions as well as reactor types are investigated, with key pathways that dictate catalyst activity and selectivity of the most promising materials described. Furthermore, a brief overview of the reactor configuration and its crucial role in the improving process viability is analyzed. Accordingly, fixed-bed, fluidized-bed, annular and spherical reactors along with H 2 O/H 2 perm-selective membrane reactors are disscussed for hydrocarbon production. In addition, different reactor configurations are compared to assess the best one that is adjustable depending on the reaction mechanism. In conclusion, a corrugated-wall dual-type membrane reactor is proposed as an emerging alternative for CO 2 hydrogenation to value-added products.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Hydride Accessibility and Reactivity in the Configurational and Stoichiometric Space of β-Ga 2 O 3 for CO 2 Hydrogenation

Understanding how surface species evolve under reaction conditions is essential for improving catalyst design for efficient CO 2 hydrogenation. This work combines systematic DFT calculations with grand canonical sampling to investigate the stability and reactivity of Ga–H species on β-Ga 2 O 3 across a range of reaction conditions. Initial DFT studies reveal that when Ga–H species are present, they facilitate formate formation via a low-barrier pathway, largely independent of the surface termination or hydrogen site. However, grand canonical sampling shows that under a broad range of reaction conditions─especially at high oxygen chemical potentials associated with high water content─Ga–H species are thermodynamically inaccessible. Furthermore, adsorbed water molecules can block reactive sites, inhibiting CO 2 activation even when hydrides are present. These findings suggest that the lack of accessible hydride species, rather than their intrinsic reactivity, could contribute to reduced catalytic performance of β-Ga 2 O 3 under more oxidizing, high-conversion conditions.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Ultralow-Loading Pt/Zn Hybrid Cluster in Zeolite HZSM-5 for Efficient Dehydroaromatization

Minimizing Pt loading without sacrificing catalytic performance is critical, particularly for designing cost-efficient hydrocarbon transformation catalysts. Here, we show that ultralow-loading (0.001–0.05 wt %) Pt- and Zn-functionalized HZSM-5 catalysts, prepared through simple ion exchange and impregnation, are highly active and stable for light alkane dehydroaromatization (DHA). The specific activity of benzene, toluene, and xylene is up to 8.2 mol/g Pt /min (or 1592 min –1 ) over the 0.001 wt % Pt–Zn 2 /HZSM-5 catalyst during ethane DHA at 550 °C under atmospheric pressure. Additionally, such bimetallic Pt x –Zn y /HZSM-5 catalysts are highly stable in contrast to the monometallic Pt/HZSM-5 catalysts. The rate constant of deactivation (k deactiv ), according to the first-order generalized power law equation model, for the bimetallic catalysts is up to 120 times lower than that of the monometallic counterparts, depending on the Pt loading. In conclusion, this breakthrough is achieved through the formation of the [Pt 1 –Zn n ] δ+ hybrid cluster, instead of Pt 0 cluster–proton adducts, in the micropores of the ZSM-5 zeolite.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Impact of Varying the Photoanode/Catalyst Interfacial Composition on Solar Water Oxidation: The Case of BiVO 4 (010)/FeOOH Photoanodes

Photoanodes used in a water-splitting photoelectrochemical cell are almost always paired with an oxygen evolution catalyst (OEC) to efficiently utilize photon-generated holes for water oxidation because the surfaces of photoanodes are typically not catalytic for the water oxidation reaction. Suppressing electron–hole recombination at the photoanode/OEC interface is critical for the OEC to maximally utilize the holes reaching the interface for water oxidation. Here, in order to explicitly demonstrate and investigate how the detailed features of the photoanode/OEC interface affect interfacial charge transfer and photocurrent generation for water oxidation, we prepared two BiVO 4 (010)/FeOOH photoanodes with different Bi:V ratios at the outermost layer of the BiVO 4 interface (close to stoichiometric vs Bi-rich) while keeping all other factors in the bulk BiVO 4 and FeOOH layers identical. The resulting two photoanodes show striking differences in the photocurrent onset potential and photocurrent density for water oxidation. The ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results show that these two BiVO 4 (010)/FeOOH photoanodes show drastically different Fe 2+ :Fe 3+ ratios in FeOOH both in the dark and under illumination with water, demonstrating the immense impact of the interfacial composition and structure on interfacial charge transfer. Using computational studies, we reveal the effect of the surface Bi:V ratio on the hydration of the BiVO 4 surface and bonding with the FeOOH layer, which in turn affect the band alignments between BiVO 4 and FeOOH. These results explain the atomic origin of the experimentally observed differences in electron and hole transfer and solar water oxidation performance of the two photoanodes having different interfacial compositions.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Circumventing Kinetic Barriers to Metal Hydride Formation with Metal–Ligand Cooperativity

We report the two-electron, one-proton mechanism of cobalt hydride formation for the conversion of [Co III Cp(P Ph 2 N Bn 2 )(CH 3 CN)] 2+ to [HCo III Cp(P Ph 2 NBn 2 )] + . This complex catalytically converts CO 2 to formate under CO 2 reduction conditions, with hydride formation as a key elementary step. Through a combination of electrochemical measurements, digital simulations, theoretical calculations, and additional mechanistic and thermochemical studies, we outline the explicit role of the P Ph 2 N Bn 2 ligand in the proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) reactivity that leads to hydride formation. We reveal three unique PCET mechanisms, and we show that the amine on the P Ph 2 N Bn 2 ligand serves as a kinetically accessible protonation site en route to the thermodynamically favored cobalt hydride. Cyclic voltammograms recorded with proton sources that span a wide range of pK a values show four distinct regimes where the mechanism changes as a function of acid strength, acid concentration, and timescale between electrochemical steps. Peak shift analysis was used to determine proton transfer rate constants where applicable. Furthermore, this work highlights the astute choices that must be made when designing catalytic systems, including the basicity and kinetic accessibility of protonation sites, acid strength, acid concentration, and timescale between electron transfer steps, to maximize catalyst stability and efficiency.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Stable Metal–Organic Electrocatalysts for Anion-Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzers by Defect Engineering

Developing efficient and durable catalysts for the alkaline oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is vital to achieving practical anion-exchange membrane water electrolyzers (AEMWE) for green hydrogen production. In this work, we break the activity-stability trade-off of electrocatalysis by defect engineering of Ni-based metal-organic electrocatalysts (Ni-benzene dicarboxylate; Ni-BDC) through coordinating ferrocenecarboxylates (Fc) to the metal sites. Experimental results collectively reveal that the defect MOF (Ni-BDC:Fc_5:1) exhibits a high OER turnover frequency of 0.75 O 2 s -1 at 300 mV overpotential. Operando Raman spectroscopy and isotope-labelling electrochemical mass spectrometry measurements indicate the structure of Ni-BDC:Fc_5:1 is also more stable in service than that of pure Ni-BDC. The high activity and stability could be attributed to the moderate defects (i.e., unsaturated Ni sites) in the structure that not only increase the intrinsic activity and stability of the local active environment by inhibiting lattice oxygen exchange, but also electrochemically activates the bulk of the catalysts by creating a porous network that facilitates internal H 2 O/OH - conduction with enhanced electronic conduction. Accordingly, an AEMWE employing Ni-BDC:Fc_5:1 as the OER catalyst delivers an industrial-level current density of 1 A cm -2 at 1.73 V cell and can be steadily operated for more than 120 hours.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗