Oxygen Electrocatalysis at MnIII-O x-C Hybrid Heterojunction: An Electronic Synergy or Cooperative Catalysis?

The interface at the metal oxide-carbon hybrid heterojunction is the source to the well-known "synergistic effect" in catalysis. Understanding the structure-function properties is key for designing more advanced catalyst-support systems. Using a model MnIII-O x single-layer catalyst on carbon, we herein report a full elucidation to the catalytic synergism at the hybrid heterojunction in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The successful fabrication of the single-layer catalyst from bottom-up is fully characterized by the X-ray absorption fine structure and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. For oxygen electrocatalysis over this model hybrid heterostructure, our results, from both theory and experiment, show that the synergistic ORR truly undergoes a cooperated two-step electrocatalysis with catalytic promotion (Δ Eonset = 60 mV) near the heterojunction and over the single-layer catalyst through an interfacial electronic interplay, rather than an abstruse transition towards a one-step dissociative pathway. Finally, we report a superior peroxide-reducing activity of 432.5 mA cm-2 mg(M)-1 over the MnIII-O x single-layer.

[NiIII(OMe)]-mediated reductive activation of CO2 affording a Ni(κ1-OCO) complex.

Carbon dioxide is expected to be employed as an inexpensive and potential feedstock of C1 sources for the mass production of valuable chemicals and fuel. Versatile chemical transformations of CO2, i.e. insertion of CO2 producing bicarbonate/acetate/formate, cleavage of CO2 yielding µ-CO/µ-oxo transition-metal complexes, and electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 affording CO/HCOOH/CH3OH/CH4/C2H4/oxalate were well documented. Herein, we report a novel pathway for the reductive activation of CO2 by the [NiIII(OMe)(P(C6H3-3-SiMe3-2-S)3)]- complex, yielding the [NiIII(κ1-OCO˙-)(P(C6H3-3-SiMe3-2-S)3)]- complex. The formation of this unusual NiIII(κ1-OCO˙-) complex was characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, EPR, IR, SQUID, Ni/S K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and Ni valence-to-core X-ray emission spectroscopy. The inertness of the analogous complexes [NiIII(SPh)], [NiII(CO)], and [NiII(N2H4)] toward CO2, in contrast, demonstrates that the ionic [NiIII(OMe)] core attracts the binding of weak σ-donor CO2 and triggers the subsequent reduction of CO2 by the nucleophilic [OMe]- in the immediate vicinity. This metal-ligand cooperative activation of CO2 may open a novel pathway promoting the subsequent incorporation of CO2 in the buildup of functionalized products.

Domination of second-sphere shrinkage effect to improve photoluminescence of red nitride phosphors.

Red Ca0.99Al(1-4δ/3-x)Si(1+δ+x)N(3-x)C(x):Eu(2+)0.01 (δ = 0.345; x = 0-0.2) nitride phosphors exhibit a blue-shifted emission with increased eye sensitivity function and excellent thermal stability. The variations in the photoluminescence in the Ca0.99Al(1-4δ/3-x)Si(1+δ+x)N(3-x)C(x):Eu(2+)0.01 (δ = 0.345; x = 0-0.2) system are thoroughly investigated. The enhanced emission energy and the improved thermal stability with increasing x are dominated by the second-sphere shrinkage effect via the substitution of small Si(4+) for large Al(3+) with simultaneous charge compensation. Related proofs of the second-sphere shrinkage effect control for photoluminescence are confirmed via high-resolution neutron powder diffraction, EXAFS, and (29)Si solid-state NMR techniques.

Studying the effects of Zr-doping in (Bi0.5Na0.5)TiO3via diffraction and spectroscopy.

The structural properties of (Bi0.5Na0.5)Ti1-xZrxO3 (where 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.7) have been investigated using powder diffraction and X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Diffraction measurements on (Bi0.5Na0.5)TiO3 confirm that both monoclinic Cc and rhombohedral R3c phases are present at room temperature. Doping small amounts of Zr into the B site of (Bi0.5Na0.5)TiO3 initially stabilizes the rhombohedral phase before the orthorhombic Pnma phase begins to form at x = 0.5. Analysis of the Ti K-edge and Zr L3-edge XANES spectra show that the crystallographic phase change has very little effect on the local structure of Ti(4+)/Zr(4+) cations, suggesting that there is little change in the cation off-center displacement within the BO6 octahedra with each successive phase change.

Soft ferromagnetism in mixed valence Sr(1-x)La(x)Ti(0.5)Mn(0.5)O3 perovskites.

The structural, magnetic and electrical properties of the mixed Ti-Mn oxides Sr(1-x)La(x)Ti(0.5)Mn(0.5)O3 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.5) are reported. At room temperature the oxides have a cubic structure in space group Pm3m for x ≤ 0.25 and rhombohedral in R3c for 0.3 ≤ x ≤ 0.50. X-ray absorption spectroscopic measurements demonstrate the addition of La(3+) is compensated by the partial reduction of Mn(4+) to Mn(3+). Variable temperature neutron diffraction measurements show that cooling Sr(0.6)La(0.4)Ti(0.5)Mn(0.5)O3 results in a first order transition from rhombohedra to an orthorhombic structure in Imma. Complex magnetic behaviour is observed. The magnetic behaviour of the mixed valent (Mn(3+/4+)) examples is dominated by ferromagnetic interactions, although cation disorder frustrates long range magnetic ordering.

A complete high-to-low spin state transition of trivalent cobalt ion in octahedral symmetry in SrCo0.5Ru0.5O(3-δ).

The complex metal oxide SrCo0.5Ru0.5O(3-δ) possesses a slightly distorted perovskite crystal structure. Its insulating nature infers a well-defined charge distribution, and the six-fold coordinated transition metals have the oxidation states +5 for ruthenium and +3 for cobalt as observed by X-ray spectroscopy. We have discovered that Co(3+) ion is purely high-spin at room temperature, which is unique for a Co(3+) in an octahedral oxygen surrounding. We attribute this to the crystal field interaction being weaker than the Hund's-rule exchange due to a relatively large mean Co-O distances of 1.98(2) Å, as obtained by EXAFS and X-ray diffraction experiments. A gradual high-to-low spin state transition is completed by applying high hydrostatic pressure of up to 40 GPa. Across this spin state transition, the Co Kß emission spectra can be fully explained by a weighted sum of the high-spin and low-spin spectra. Thereby is the much debated intermediate spin state of Co(3+) absent in this material. These results allow us to draw an energy diagram depicting relative stabilities of the high-, intermediate-, and low-spin states as functions of the metal-oxygen bond length for a Co(3+) ion in an octahedral coordination.

Key role of bismuth in the magnetoelastic transitions of Ba3BiIr2O9 and Ba3BiRu2O9 as revealed by chemical doping.

The key role played by bismuth in an average intermediate oxidation state in the magnetoelastic spin-gap compounds Ba3BiRu2O9 and Ba3BiIr2O9 has been confirmed by systematically replacing bismuth with La(3+) and Ce(4+). Through a combination of powder diffraction (neutron and synchrotron), X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and magnetic properties measurements, we show that Ru/Ir cations in Ba3BiRu2O9 and Ba3BiIr2O9 have oxidation states between +4 and +4.5, suggesting that Bi cations exist in an unusual average oxidation state intermediate between the conventional +3 and +5 states (which is confirmed by the Bi L3-edge spectrum of Ba3BiRu2O9). Precise measurements of lattice parameters from synchrotron diffraction are consistent with the presence of intermediate oxidation state bismuth cations throughout the doping ranges. We find that relatively small amounts of doping (∼10 at%) on the bismuth site suppress and then completely eliminate the sharp structural and magnetic transitions observed in pure Ba3BiRu2O9 and Ba3BiIr2O9, strongly suggesting that the unstable electronic state of bismuth plays a critical role in the behavior of these materials.

Biogeochemical reductive release of soil embedded arsenate around a crater area (Guandu) in northern Taiwan using X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy.

This study investigates biogeochemical reductive release of arsenate from beudantite into solution in a crater area in northern Taiwan, using a combination of X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) and atomic absorption spectrometry. Total arsenic (As) concentrations in the soil were more than 200 mg/kg. Over four months of laboratory experiments, less than 0.8% As was released into solution after reduction experiments. The 71% to 83% As was chemically reduced into arsenite (As(III)) and partially weathering into the soluble phase. The kinetic dissolution and re-precipitation of As, Fe, Pb and sulfate in this area of paddy soils merits further study.

Investigating the order-disorder phase transition in Nd2-xYxZr2O7via diffraction and spectroscopy.

The pyrochlore-defect fluorite phase transition in the mixed-metal zirconate Nd2-xYxZr2O7 (0 ≤ x ≤ 2) solid solution was investigated using synchrotron X-ray and neutron diffraction, as well as X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Diffraction analysis revealed a two-phase region between 1.0 ≤ x ≤ 1.2. In the pyrochlore phase, Zr L3-edge XANES analysis demonstrated a gradual change in the local coordination environment of the B site with increasing Y content that was consistent with an increase in disorder. Although Y L3-edge XANES analysis suggested that the Y cations remained in an ordered coordination environment in the pyrochlore phase, disorder did gradually increase once the fluorite phase formed. It was found that Y cations prefer an ordered coordination environment near the phase boundary whereas Zr cations prefer a disordered coordination environment.

Anion disorder in lanthanoid zirconates Gd(2-x)Tb(x)Zr2O7.

The pyrochlore-defect fluorite order-disorder transition has been studied for a series of oxides of the type Gd(2-x)Tb(x)Zr2O7 by a combination of diffraction and spectroscopy techniques. Synchrotron X-ray diffraction data suggest an abrupt transition from the coexistence of pyrochlore and defect fluorite phases to a single defect fluorite phase with increasing Tb content. However neutron diffraction data, obtained at λ ≈ 0.497 Å for all Gd-containing samples to minimize absorption, not only provide evidence for independent ordering of the anion and cation sublattices but also suggest that the disorder transition across the pyrochlore-defect fluorite boundary of Ln2Zr2O7 is rather gradual. Such disorder was also evident in X-ray absorption measurements at the Zr L3-edge, which showed a gradual increase in the effective coordination number of the Zr from near 6-coordinate in the pyrochlore rich samples to near 7-coordinate in the Tb rich defect fluorites. These results indicate the presence of ordered domains throughout the defect fluorite region, and demonstrate the gradual nature of the order-disorder transition across the Gd(2-x)Tb(x)Zr2O7 series.

Does local disorder occur in the pyrochlore zirconates?

The zirconates Ln(2)Zr(2)O(7) (Ln = lanthanoid) have been studied using a combination of Zr L-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) and synchrotron X-ray and neutron powder diffraction methods. These studies demonstrate that as the size of the lanthanoid cation decreases, the local structure evolves smoothly from the ideal pyrochlore toward the defect fluorite rather than undergoing an abrupt transformation. The Zr L-edge spectrum is found to be extremely sensitive to changes in the local coordination environment and demonstrates an increase in local disorder across the pyrochlore oxides. The sensitivity of the XANES measurements enables us to identify the progressive nature of the transition that could not be detected using bulk diffraction techniques.

Insight into the dinuclear {Fe(NO)2}10{Fe(NO)2}10 and mononuclear {Fe(NO)2}10 dinitrosyliron complexes.

The reversible redox transformations [(NO)(2)Fe(S(t)Bu)(2)](-) ⇌ [Fe(µ-S(t)Bu)(NO)(2)](2)(2-) ⇌ [Fe(µ-S(t)Bu)(NO)(2)](2)(-) ⇌ [Fe(µ-S(t)Bu)(NO)(2)](2) and [cation][(NO)(2)Fe(SEt)(2)] ⇌ [cation](2)[(NO)(2)Fe(SEt)(2)] (cation = K(+)-18-crown-6 ether) are demonstrated. The countercation of the {Fe(NO)(2)}(9) dinitrosyliron complexes (DNICs) functions to control the formation of the {Fe(NO)(2)}(10){Fe(NO)(2)}(10) dianionic reduced Roussin's red ester (RRE) [PPN](2)[Fe(µ-SR)(NO)(2)](2) or the {Fe(NO)(2)}(10) dianionic reduced monomeric DNIC [K(+)-18-crown-6 ether](2)[(NO)(2)Fe(SR)(2)] upon reduction of the {Fe(NO)(2)}(9) DNICs [cation][(NO)(2)Fe(SR)(2)] (cation = PPN(+), K(+)-18-crown-6 ether; R = alkyl). The binding preference of ligands [OPh](-)/[SR](-) toward the {Fe(NO)(2)}(10){Fe(NO)(2)}(10) motif of dianionic reduced RRE follows the ligand-displacement series [SR](-) > [OPh](-). Compared to the Fe K-edge preedge energy falling within the range of 7113.6-7113.8 eV for the dinuclear {Fe(NO)(2)}(9){Fe(NO)(2)}(9) DNICs and 7113.4-7113.8 eV for the mononuclear {Fe(NO)(2)}(9) DNICs, the {Fe(NO)(2)}(10) dianionic reduced monomeric DNICs and the {Fe(NO)(2)}(10){Fe(NO)(2)}(10) dianionic reduced RREs containing S/O/N-ligation modes display the characteristic preedge energy 7113.1-7113.3 eV, which may be adopted to probe the formation of the EPR-silent {Fe(NO)(2)}(10)-{Fe(NO)(2)}(10) dianionic reduced RREs and {Fe(NO)(2)}(10) dianionic reduced monomeric DNICs in biology. In addition to the characteristic Fe/S K-edge preedge energy, the IR ν(NO) spectra may also be adopted to characterize and discriminate [(NO)(2)Fe(µ-S(t)Bu)](2) [IR ν(NO) 1809 vw, 1778 s, 1753 s cm(-1) (KBr)], [Fe(µ-S(t)Bu)(NO)(2)](2)(-) [IR ν(NO) 1674 s, 1651 s cm(-1) (KBr)], [Fe(µ-S(t)Bu)(NO)(2)](2)(2-) [IR ν(NO) 1637 m, 1613 s, 1578 s, 1567 s cm(-1) (KBr)], and [K-18-crown-6 ether](2)[(NO)(2)Fe(SEt)(2)] [IR ν(NO) 1604 s, 1560 s cm(-1) (KBr)].

X-ray absorption near edge structure and crystallographic studies of the mixed valence oxide SrRu0.8Ni0.2O3.

Neutron diffraction methods are used to refine the structure of SrRu(0.8)Ni(0.2)O(3) at room temperature and 4 K. X-ray absorption measurements at the Ru L-edge demonstrate that partial oxidation of the Ru(4+) to Ru(5+) occurs upon introducing Ni into the SrRuO(3) structure to form SrRu(0.8)Ni(0.2)O(3). Whilst the diffraction measurements show that SrRu(0.8)Ni(0.2)O(3) is isostructural with SrRuO(3), the Ni doped compound exhibits an unusual first order orthorhombic-cubic phase transition near 670 K as revealed by x-ray diffraction. The Curie temperature in SrRu(0.8)Ni(0.2)O(3) is lower than that found in SrRuO(3) as a consequence of local distortions reducing the p-d hybridization.

Discrimination of mononuclear and dinuclear dinitrosyl iron complexes (DNICs) by S K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy: insight into the electronic structure and reactivity of DNICs.

In addition to probing the formation of dinitrosyl iron complexes (DNICs) by the characteristic Fe K-edge pre-edge absorption energy ranging from 7113.4 to 7113.8 eV, the distinct S K-edge pre-edge absorption energy and pattern can serve as an efficient tool to unambiguously characterize and discriminate mononuclear DNICs and dinuclear DNICs containing bridged-thiolate and bridged-sulfide ligands. The higher Fe-S bond covalency modulated by the stronger electron-donating thiolates promotes the Fe → NO π-electron back-donation to strengthen the Fe-NO bond and weaken the NO-release ability of the mononuclear DNICs, which is supported by the Raman ν(Fe-NO) stretching frequency. The Fe-S bond covalency of DNICs further rationalizes the binding preference of the {Fe(NO)(2)} motif toward thiolates following the trend of [SEt](-) > [SPh](-) > [SC(7)H(4)SN](-). The relative d-manifold energy derived from S K-edge XAS as well as the Fe K-edge pre-edge energy reveals that the electronic structure of the {Fe(NO)(2)}(9) core of the mononuclear DNICs [(NO)(2)Fe(SR)(2)](-) is best described as {Fe(III)(NO(-))(2)}(9) compared to [{Fe(III)(NO(-))(2)}(9)-{Fe(III)(NO(-))(2)}(9)] for the dinuclear DNICs [Fe(2)(µ-SEt)(µ-S)(NO)(4)](-) and [Fe(2)(µ-S)(2)(NO)(4)](2-).

X-ray absorption and neutron diffraction studies of (Sr(1 - x)Ce(x))MnO3: transition from coherent to incoherent static Jahn-Teller distortions.

We have carried out Ce L- and Mn K-edge x-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) measurements to experimentally determine the oxidation states of both Ce and Mn in (Sr(1 - x)Ce(x))MnO(3) (x = 0.1-0.4). It was found that although Ce is predominantly 4 + at low doping levels (x = 0.1 and 0.15), the Ce valency decreases with increasing Ce doping (reaching a value of around 3.5 + at x = 0.4). The average Mn oxidation state decreases with the increase of Ce content, with the percentage of Jahn-Teller active Mn(3+) ions increasing from 26% (x = 0.1) to 57% (x = 0.4). Precise structural parameters were also obtained from high resolution neutron diffraction studies for samples with x = 0.1-0.3. The crystal structure remains tetragonal in I4/mcm for x ≤ 0.3. The octahedral tilt angle increases with increasing Ce content, but the distortion of the MnO(6) octahedra is reduced significantly at x ≥ 0.2 due to a transition from long-range ordered Jahn-Teller distortions to incoherent static distortions.

Ferromagnetic CoPt3 nanowires: structural evolution from fcc to ordered L1(2).

This investigation demonstrates the magnetic properties and nanostructures of CoPt(3) wire arrays that were fabricated by electrodeposition using a porous alumina template. The X-ray absorption analysis clearly verified the occurrence of a phase transition in CoPt(3) nanowires. This phase transition significantly influences the magnetic properties and enhances coercivity and squareness. The phase transition of CoPt(3) nanowires was from a random alloy distribution to anisotropically ordered CoPt(3) (L1(2)). The thermally induced phase transition of CoPt(3) nanowires to ordered L1(2) CoPt(3) through a "cluster-in-cluster" intermediate state via interdiffusion processes is revealed. The mechanism exhibited by these CoPt(3) nanowires is proposed to explain the strong correlation between their magnetic character and their atomic distribution.

A solution study on the local and global structure changes of cytochrome c: an unfolding process induced by urea.

The local and global structural changes of cytochrome c induced by urea in aqueous solution have been studied using X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). According to the XAS result, both the native (folded) protein and the unfolded protein exhibit the same preedge features taken at Fe K-edge, indicating that the Fe(III) in the heme group of the protein maintains a six-coordinated local structure in both the folded and unfolded states. Furthermore, the discernible differences in the X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) of these two states are attributed to a possible spin transition of the Fe(III) from a low-spin state to a high-spin state during the unfolding process. The perseverance of six-coordination and the spin transition of the iron are reconciled by a proposed ligand exchange, with urea and water molecules replacing the methionine-80 and histidine-18 axial ligands, respectively. The SAXS result reveals a significant morphology change of cytochrome c from a globular shape of a radius of gyration R(g) = 12.8 A of the native protein to an elongated ellipsoid shape of R(g) = 29.7 A for the unfolded protein in the presence of concentrated urea. The extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) data unveil the coordination geometries of Fe(III) in both the folded and unfolded state of cytochrome c. An initial spin transition of Fe(III) followed by an axial ligand exchange, accompanied by the change in the global envelope, is proposed for what happened in the protein unfolding process of cytochrome c.

New members of a class of iron-thiolate-nitrosyl compounds: trinuclear iron-thiolate-nitrosyl complexes containing Fe(3)S(6) core.

The neutral trinuclear iron-thiolate-nitrosyl, [(ON)Fe(mu-S,S-C(6)H(4))](3) (1), and its oxidation product, [(ON)Fe(mu-S,S-C(6)H(4))](3)[PF(6)] (2), were synthesized and characterized by IR, X-ray diffraction, X-ray absorption, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), and magnetic measurement. The five-coordinated, square pyramidal geometry around each iron atom in complex 1 remains intact when complex 1 is oxidized to yield complex 2. Magnetic measurements and EPR results show that there is only one unpaired electron in complex 1 (S(total) = 1/2) and no unpaired electron (S(total) = 0) in 2. The detailed geometric comparisons between complexes 1 and 2 provide understanding of the role that the unpaired electron plays in the chemical bonding of this trinuclear complex. Significant shortening of the Fe-Fe, Fe-N, and Fe-S distances around Fe(1) is observed when complex 1 is oxidized to 2. This result implicates that the removal of the unpaired electron does induce the strengthening of the Fe-Fe, Fe-N, and Fe-S bonds in the Fe(1) fragment. A significant shift of the nuNO stretching frequency from 1751 cm(-1) (1) to 1821, 1857 cm(-1) (2) (KBr) also indicates the strengthening of the N-O bonds in complex 2. The EPR, X-ray absorption, magnetic measurements, and molecular orbital calculations lead to the conclusion that the unpaired electron in complex 1 is mainly allocated in the Fe(1) fragment and is best described as {Fe(1)NO}7, so that the unpaired electron is delocalized between Fe and NO via d-pi* orbital interaction; some contributions from [Fe(2)NO] and [Fe(3)NO] as well as the thiolates associated with Fe (1) are also realized. According to MO calculations, the spin density of complex 1 is predominantly located at the Fe atoms with 0.60, -0.15, and 0.25 at Fe(1), Fe(2), and Fe(3), respectively.

Fabrication of nanorattles with passive shell.

This investigation describes the formation of a metal nanorattle with a pure metal shell by varying experimental parameters. The galvanic replacement reaction between silver and chloroauric acid was adopted to prepare hollow metal nanoparticles. This approach is extended to produce nanorattles of Au cores and Au shells by starting with Au(core)Ag(shell) nanoparticles as templates. The effect of temperature on the nanostructure of the final product is also considered. The composition of the shell in nanorattles can be controlled by varying the reaction temperature (to form pure gold or gold-silver alloy, for example). X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy is conducted to elucidate the fine structure of these nanoparticles. Partial alloying between the Au core and the Ag shell is observed by extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS).

Synthesis of thermally stable zirconia-based mesoporous materials via a facile post-treatment.

A novel method of preparing thermally stable zirconia-based mesoporous materials was developed. The zirconia-based mesoporous materials of 2D-hexagonal structure were prepared using zirconium sulfate as the zirconium precursor and cetyltrimethylammonium (CTMA) as the pore-directing agent with the aid of salt in the synthesis solution to reduce the sulfate content in the final product and significantly improve the crystallographic ordering. Post-treatment of the mesoporous material with NaCl solution and lowering the ramping rate to less than 0.2 degrees C/min during the calcination process, however, were the key steps to hinder the growth of the dense zirconia phase and to retain the ordered mesostructure up to 600 degrees C. It was found that a portion of the surfactant (8.9-17.4 wt %) and sulfate ions (0.5-1.2 wt %) were removed during the post-treatment, which prevented the remaining sulfate groups from being reduced by the hydrogen-rich surfactant during the calcination process as confirmed by sulfur K-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) and infrared spectroscopy. The maintenance of sulfur in the sulfate state seemed to be important in stabilizing the mesoporous structure of zirconia materials. The mesoporous zirconia materials after extraction with NaCl solution three times and calcination at 550-600 degrees C had the composition ZrO(2-x)(SO4)x with x = 0.10-0.27. The material possesses high surface area (approximately 200 m2/g), large pore volume (approximately 0.10 cm3/g), and wormlike mesopores. In comparison with the mesoporous zirconia materials stabilized by chemical treatment, the present route was simpler and more environmentally friendly and resulted in mesoporous zirconia materials of better thermal stability.