scholarly journals Identifying the impact of the covalent-bonded carbon matrix to FeN4 sites for acidic oxygen reduction

2022 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xueli Li ◽  
Zhonghua Xiang

AbstractThe atomic configurations of FeNx moieties are the key to affect the activity of oxygen rection reaction (ORR). However, the traditional synthesis relying on high-temperature pyrolysis towards combining sources of Fe, N, and C often results in the plurality of local environments for the FeNx sites. Unveiling the effect of carbon matrix adjacent to FeNx sites towards ORR activity is important but still is a great challenge due to inevitable connection of diverse N as well as random defects. Here, we report a proof-of-concept study on the evaluation of covalent-bonded carbon environment connected to FeN4 sites on their catalytic activity via pyrolysis-free approach. Basing on the closed π conjugated phthalocyanine-based intrinsic covalent organic polymers (COPs) with well-designed structures, we directly synthesized a series of atomically dispersed Fe-N-C catalysts with various pure carbon environments connected to the same FeN4 sites. Experiments combined with density functional theory demonstrates that the catalytic activities of these COPs materials appear a volcano plot with the increasement of delocalized π electrons in their carbon matrix. The delocalized π electrons changed anti-bonding d-state energy level of the single FeN4 moieties, hence tailored the adsorption between active centers and oxygen intermediates and altered the rate-determining step.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xueli Li ◽  
Zhonghua Xiang

Abstract Atomically dispersed Fe and N co-doped carbon (Fe–N–C) catalysts exhibited superior acid oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activities and recently been considered as the most promising alternatives to the benchmark Pt-based catalysts for proton exchange membrane fuel cells. The atomic configuration between Fe, N and C is one of the key factors to affect ORR activity. However, the traditional synthetic methods that rely on pyrolysis of the mixtures of Fe, N and C precursors often result in the plurality of local environment for the FeNx site. Unveiling the effect of covalent-bonded carbon matrix to FeNx sites towards ORR activity is important but still a great challenge due to inevitable connection of diverse N as well as random defects during the pyrolysis process. Here, we report a proof-of-concept study on the evaluation of covalent-bonded carbon environment connected to FeN4 sites on their catalytic activity via pyrolysis-free approach. Basing on the closed π conjugated phthalocyanine-based intrinsic covalent organic polymers (COPs) with well-designed structures, we directly synthesized a series of atomically dispersed Fe-N-C catalysts with various pure carbon environment without any N doping directly connected to the same FeN4 sites. Experiments coupled with density functional theory demonstrate that the catalytic activities appear a volcano plot with the increase of degree of delocalized π electrons from the carbon matrix. The delocalized π electrons changed anti-bonding d-state energy level of the single FeN4 moieties, hence tailored the adsorption between active centers and oxygen intermediates and altered the rate-determining step of oxygen reduction reaction.


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 2045
Author(s):  
Mirosław Kwiatkowski ◽  
Elżbieta Broniek ◽  
Vanessa Fierro ◽  
Alain Celzard

This paper presents the results of an evaluation of the impact of the amount of potassium hydroxide on the obtained porous structure of the activated carbons derived from the shells of pistachios, hazelnuts, and pecans by carbonization and subsequent chemical activation with potassium hydroxide by different adsorption methods: Brunauer–Emmett–Teller, Dubinin–Raduskevich, the new numerical clustering-based adsorption analysis, Quenched Solid Density Functional Theory, and 2D-Non-linear Density Functional Theory for Heterogeneous Surfaces, applied to nitrogen adsorption isotherms at −196 °C. Based on the conducted research, a significant potential for the production of activated carbons from waste materials, such as nut shells, has been demonstrated. All the activated carbons obtained in the present study at the activator/char mass ratio R = 4 exhibited the most developed porous structure, and thus very good adsorption properties. However, activated carbons obtained from pecan shells deserve special attention, as they were characterized by the most homogeneous surface among all the samples analyzed, i.e., by a very desirable feature in most adsorption processes. The paper demonstrates the necessity of using different methods to analyze the porous structure of activated carbons in order to obtain a complete picture of the studied texture. This is because only a full spectrum of information allows for correctly selecting the appropriate technology and conditions for the production of activated carbons dedicated to specific industrial applications. As shown in this work, relying only on the simplest methods of adsorption isotherm analysis can lead to erroneous conclusions due to lack of complete information on the analyzed porous structure. This work thus also explains how and why the usual characterizations of the porous structure of activated carbons derived from lignocellulosic biomass should not be taken at face value. On the contrary, it is advisable to cross reference several models to get a precise idea of the adsorbent properties of these materials, and therefore to propose the most suitable production technology, as well as the conditions of the preparation process.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (18) ◽  
pp. eabg2580
Author(s):  
Weiren Cheng ◽  
Huabin Zhang ◽  
Deyan Luan ◽  
Xiong Wen (David) Lou

Conductive metal-organic framework (MOF) materials have been recently considered as effective electrocatalysts. However, they usually suffer from two major drawbacks, poor electrochemical stability and low electrocatalytic activity in bulk form. Here, we have developed a rational strategy to fabricate a promising electrocatalyst composed of a nanoscale conductive copper-based MOF (Cu-MOF) layer fully supported over synergetic iron hydr(oxy)oxide [Fe(OH)x] nanoboxes. Owing to the highly exposed active centers, enhanced charge transfer, and robust hollow nanostructure, the obtained Fe(OH)x@Cu-MOF nanoboxes exhibit superior activity and stability for the electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Specifically, it needs an overpotential of 112 mV to reach a current density of 10 mA cm−2 with a small Tafel slope of 76 mV dec−1. X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy combined with density functional theory calculations unravels that the highly exposed coordinatively unsaturated Cu1-O2 centers could effectively accelerate the formation of key *H intermediates toward fast HER kinetics.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Igor Kowalec ◽  
Lara Kabalan ◽  
Richard Catlow ◽  
Andrew Logsdail

<p>We investigate the mechanism of direct CO<sub>2</sub> hydrogenation to methanol on Pd (111), (100) and (110) surfaces using density functional theory (DFT), providing insight into the reactivity of CO<sub>2</sub> on Pd-based catalysts. The initial chemisorption of CO<sub>2</sub>, forming a partially charged CO<sub>2</sub><sup>δ-</sup>, is weakly endothermic on a Pd (111) surface, with an adsorption energy of 0.06 eV, and slightly exothermic on Pd (100) and (110) surfaces, with adsorption energies of -0.13 and -0.23 eV, respectively. Based on Mulliken analysis, we attribute the low stability of CO<sub>2</sub><sup>δ-</sup><sub> </sub>on the Pd (111) surface to a negative charge that accumulates on the surface Pd atoms interacting directly with the CO<sub>2</sub><sup>δ-</sup><sub> </sub>adsorbate. For the reaction of the adsorbed species on the Pd surface, HCOOH hydrogenation to H<sub>2</sub>COOH is predicted to be the rate determining step of the conversion to methanol in all cases, with activation barriers of 1.35, 1.26, and 0.92 eV on Pd (111), (100) and (110) surfaces, respectively.<br></p>


2021 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-25
Author(s):  
Said Abdelqadar Said Said Abdelqadar Said ◽  
Omar A Shareef and Abdulkhalik S Alkazzaz Omar A Shareef and Abdulkhalik S Alkazzaz

The transformation of 2and#39;-hydroxychalcones to their corresponding flavanones was studied theoretically by the use of the density functional theory (DFT) with B3-LYP/ 6-311G basis set to get important information about the role of both of electronic and structural properties in this process. The obtained energies were found to be in agreement with our previous results that obtained from HPLC studies. The estimated hardness, polarizability, and electrophilicity profiles were found to obey the maximum hardness principle (MHP), minimum polarizability principle (MPP), and the minimum electrophilicity principle (MEP) respectively. Flavanone ring closure was found to be the rate-determining step.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. A. Menazea ◽  
Nasser S. Awwad ◽  
Hala Ibrahium ◽  
Parvaneh delirkheirollahinezhad ◽  
H. Elhosiny Ali

Abstract We employed density functional B3LYP to inspect the impact of Ru-decoration on a GaN nanotube (GaNNT) sensing performance in detection of purinethol (PT) drug. The interaction of the pristine GaNNT with the PT was found to be weak, and the sensing response is 4.3. Decorating an Ru atom into the GaNNT surface increases the adsorption energy (Ead) of PT from -6.5 to -23.6 kcal/mol. The sensing response significantly rises to 93.6 by Ru-decoration. A short recovery time of 15.7 s is found for the PT desorption from the Ru-decorated GaNNT surface at 298 K. The water solvent reduces Ead of PT to -20.1 kcal/mol. Thus, it suggests that Ru-decorated GaNNT may be a highly sensitive PT sensor with a short recovery time.


Author(s):  
Harry J. Stroud ◽  
Chris E. Mohn ◽  
Jean-Alexis Hernandez ◽  
Neil L. Allan

The energy landscape of the fast-ion conductor Bi 4 V 2 O 11 is studied using density functional theory. There are a large number of energy minima, dominated by low-lying thermally accessible configurations in which there are equal numbers of oxygen vacancies in each vanadium–oxygen layer, a range of vanadium coordinations and a large variation in Bi–O and V–O distances. By dividing local minima in the energy landscape into sets of configurations, we then examine diffusion in each different layer using ab initio molecular dynamics. These simulations show that the diffusion mechanism mainly takes place in the 〈110〉 directions in the vanadium layers, involving the cooperative motion of the oxide ions between the O(2) and O(3) sites in these layers, but not O(1) in the Bi–O layers, in agreement with experiment. O(1) vacancies in the Bi–O layers are readily filled by the migration of oxygens from the V–O layers. The calculated ionic conductivity is in reasonable agreement with the experiment. We compare ion conduction in δ-Bi 4 V 2 O 11 with that in δ-Bi 2 O 3 . This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue ‘Understanding fast-ion conduction in solid electrolytes’.


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