Supporting Nano Catalysts for the Selective Hydrogenation of Biomass-derived Compounds.

The selective hydrogenation of biomass derivatives presents a promising pathway for the production of high-value chemicals and fuels, thereby reducing reliance on traditional petrochemical industries. Recent strides in catalyst nanostructure engineering, achieved through tailored support properties, have significantly enhanced the hydrogenation performance in biomass upgrading. A comprehensive understanding of biomass selective upgrading reactions and the current advancement in supported catalysts is crucial for guiding future processes in renewable biomass. This review aims to summarize the development of supported nanocatalysts for the selective hydrogenation of the US DOE's biomass platform compounds derivatives into valuable upgraded molecules. The discussion includes an exploration of the reaction mechanisms and conditions in catalytic transfer hydrogenation (CTH) and high-pressure hydrogenation. By thoroughly examining the tailoring of supports, such as metal oxide catalysts and porous materials, in nano-supported catalysts, we elucidate the promoting role of nanostructure engineering in biomass hydrogenation. This endeavor seeks to establish a robust theoretical foundation for the fabrication of highly efficient catalysts. Furthermore, the review proposes prospects in the field of biomass utilization and address application bottlenecks and industrial challenges associated with the large-scale utilization of biomass.

Synthesis of xCe-MnO2 with three-dimensional ultra-thin nanosheet structure and its excellent low-temperature reducibility for toluene catalysis.

A series of xCe-MnO2 (x = 0-1) catalysts were synthesized using ammonium oxalate as a precipitator via the redox precipitation method and hydrothermal synthesis method. The results indicate that 0.25Ce-MnO2 exhibited the highest catalytic activity for toluene oxidation, with the T99 of 240 °C. Characterization results from XRD, Raman, SEM, TEM, EDS-mapping, BET, and other techniques reveal that the 0.25Ce-MnO2 catalyst exhibited a three-dimensional multistage ultrathin nanosheet structure by adjusting the introduction amount of Ce, with abundant active sites, and effectively formed Ce-Mn homogeneous dispersion. The larger pore size and volume of 0.25Ce-MnO2 catalyst lead to it excellent toluene transfer ability. Furthermore, compared with MnO2, the crystal pattern of 0.25Ce-MnO2 shifted to the tetragonal cryptomelane type α-MnO2 phase and exposed more crystal planes which are beneficial to catalyze toluene. H2-TPR, O2-TPD, and XPS characterization further confirmed the strong interaction between Ce and Mn oxides, which exhibited better low-temperature reducibility and oxygen migration, along with abundant Ce3+ and Mn3+ species, where lattice oxygen played a major role. Moreover, in situ DRIFTS revealed that the 0.25Ce-MnO2 catalyst showed higher adsorption and desorption capacity for toluene than the MnO2 catalyst, and benzoate species were the key intermediates for catalytic oxidation. Additionally, benzoate and surface phenolic species were the key intermediates for catalytic oxidation of MnO2. Because 0.25Ce-MnO2 possesses better ability of converting toluene to benzoate species, it exhibits better activity.

Effect of Peer Attachment on Legal Emotion Among Junior Middle School Students: The Mediation Role of Self-Esteem.

Legal consciousness is the individual consciousness which reflects legal phenomena. Well-developed legal consciousness plays a crucial role in informing citizens of his legal right and ability to exercise these rights, therefore forms certain connections of individuals and society, and its development is a key part of individual's socialization process. Here, we investigated the emotion aspect of legal consciousness (henceforth legal emotion) and tried to identify several factors affecting the development of legal emotion and several factors affected by legal emotion. A large sample of Chinese junior middle school students (N = 967) completed a battery of self-reported questionnaires regarding legal emotion, peer attachment, self-esteem, prosocial tendencies, and interpersonal trust. The results indicated that for early adolescents, peer attachment predicts both positive and negative legal emotion. Importantly, peer attachment affects legal emotion partially through self-esteem. We also showed that negative legal emotion acted as a mediator on the relationship between interpersonal trust and prosocial tendencies. The results provided important insights into the role of legal emotion, the emotion aspect of legal consciousness, in the social interactions and its potential psychological mechanism.