Mo2C coated with Ni nanoparticles as the cathode catalyst towards efficient hydrogen evolution reaction: an experimental and computational investigation.

Although Mo2C and earth-abundant 3d transition metals are regarded as potential catalysts to replace noble metal catalysts for effective hydrogen evolution reaction, their large-scale application is still inhibited by their own defects. Here, a facile thermal treatment method for nonprecious metal catalysts is developed to prepare a porous Ni/Mo2C composite catalyst. The loading density of Ni nanoparticles on the Mo2C surface has an important effect on the activity of the catalyst. By optimizing the Ni doping ratio, the Ni-40/Mo2C-17 sample exhibits the lowest onset overpotential and lowest overpotential at 10 mA cm-2 in both acidic and alkaline electrolytes, compared to other reported Ni- and Mo2C-based catalysts. In addition, theoretical calculations have also confirmed the synergistic effect between Ni nanoparticles and Mo2C, which can balance the thermodynamics between H adsorption and desorption of H2. This work provides an avenue for designing high-performance water-splitting catalytic materials using low-cost species, which exhibit excellent HER activity in a wide pH range.

Hollow CdS-ZnS-ZIF-8 Polyhedron for Visible Light-Induced Cr(VI) Reduction.

By loading a small amount of cadmium acetate dihydrate on the zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8), a hollow CdS-ZnS-ZIF-8 composite was facilely synthesized by rapid solid-phase grinding with thioacetamide. The evolution of the structure, composition, and photoelectrochemical properties was studied by a series of methods. When it was used as a photocatalyst, the hollow CdS-ZnS-ZIF-8 composite demonstrated a highly visible light response as well as a robust ability and reusability for Cr(VI) reduction, which could be ascribed to the hollow structure and ultrasmall CdS nanoparticles. Notably, the presence of ZIF-8-S (ZIF-8 ground with thioacetamide) could also obviously enhance the stability of CdS by promoting the separation of the photogenerated charge during light irradiation.

General Strategy for Synthesis of Ordered Pt3 M Intermetallics with Ultrasmall Particle Size.

Controllable synthesis of atomically ordered intermetallic nanoparticles (NPs) is crucial to obtain superior electrocatalytic performance for fuel cell reactions, but still remains arduous. Herein, we demonstrate a novel and general hydrogel-freeze drying strategy for the synthesis of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) supported Pt3 M (M=Mn, Cr, Fe, Co, etc.) intermetallic NPs (Pt3 M/rGO-HF) with ultrasmall particle size (about 3 nm) and dramatic monodispersity. The formation of hydrogel prevents the aggregation of graphene oxide and significantly promotes their excellent dispersion, while a freeze-drying can retain the hydrogel derived three-dimensionally (3D) porous structure and immobilize the metal precursors with defined atomic ratio on GO support during solvent sublimation, which is not afforded by traditional oven drying. The subsequent annealing process produces rGO supported ultrasmall ordered Pt3 M intermetallic NPs (≈3 nm) due to confinement effect of 3D porous structure. Such Pt3 M intermetallic NPs exhibit the smallest particle size among the reported ordered Pt-based intermetallic catalysts. A detailed study of the synthesis of ordered intermetallic Pt3 Mn/rGO catalyst is provided as an example of a generally applicable method. This study provides an economical and scalable route for the controlled synthesis of Pt-based intermetallic catalysts, which can pave a way for the commercialization of fuel cell technologies.

Enhancing the Stability of 4.6 V LiCoO2 Cathode Material via Gradient Doping.

LiCoO2 (LCO) can deliver ultrahigh discharge capacities as a cathode material for Li-ion batteries when the charging voltage reaches 4.6 V. However, establishing a stable LCO cathode at a high cut-off voltage is a challenge in terms of bulk and surface structural transformation. O2 release, irreversible structural transformation, and interfacial side reactions cause LCO to experience severe capacity degradation and safety problems. To solve these issues, a strategy of gradient Ta doping is proposed to stabilize LCO against structural degradation. Additionally, Ta1-LCO that was tuned with 1.0 mol% Ta doping demonstrated outstanding cycling stability and rate performance. This effect was explained by the strong Ta-O bonds maintaining the lattice oxygen and the increased interlayer spacing enhancing Li+ conductivity. This work offers a practical method for high-energy Li-ion battery cathode material stabilization through the gradient doping of high-valence elements.

Gram-scale synthesis of small-sized PtM intermetallics as high-performance catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction.

Pt-based intermetallics exhibit excellent activity in electrocatalysis. However, their controlled syntheses remain difficult. Herein, carbon-supported PtM (M = Fe, Co, Ni, Zn and Mn) intermetallics with small size (3 nm) were prepared at the gramscale and applied as a highly effective electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction.

Rational design of MnO2@MnO2 hierarchical nanomaterials and their catalytic activities.

Hierarchically structured materials have special properties and possess potential in applications in the catalytic and electrochemical fields. Herein, two kinds of hierarchical core-shell nanostructures, lavender-like α-MnO2@α-MnO2 and balsam pear-like α-MnO2@γ-MnO2, were prepared by a facile room-temperature method using α-MnO2 nanowires as a backbone under acidic and alkaline conditions, respectively. When being used as a catalyst for dimethyl ether combustion, α-MnO2@γ-MnO2 exhibited a better performance than α-MnO2@α-MnO2 (T10 = 171 vs. 196 °C; T90 = 220 vs. 258 °C, SV = 30, 000 mL g-1 h-1). It is concluded that the larger surface area, higher reducibility/oxygen mobility, richer surface oxygen species, and the relatively smaller apparent activation energy are responsible for the superior performance of α-MnO2@γ-MnO2.