Efficient and stable acidic CO2 electrolysis to formic acid by a reservoir structure design.

Electrochemical synthesis of valuable chemicals and feedstocks through carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction in acidic electrolytes can surmount the considerable CO2 loss in alkaline and neutral conditions. However, achieving high productivity, while operating steadily in acidic electrolytes, remains a big challenge owing to the severe competing hydrogen evolution reaction. Here, we show that vertically grown bismuth nanosheets on a gas-diffusion layer can create numerous cavities as electrolyte reservoirs, which confine in situ-generated hydroxide and potassium ions and limit inward proton diffusion, producing locally alkaline environments. Based on this design, we achieve formic acid Faradaic efficiency of 96.3% and partial current density of 471 mA cm-2 at pH 2. When operated in a slim continuous-flow electrolyzer, the system exhibits a full-cell formic acid energy efficiency of 40% and a single pass carbon efficiency of 79% and performs steadily over 50 h. We further demonstrate the production of pure formic acid aqueous solution with a concentration of 4.2 weight %.

Fully Flexible Covalent Organic Frameworks for Fluorescence Sensing 2,4,6-Trinitrophenol and p-Nitrophenol.

Nitrophenols are important nitroaromatic compounds, both important environmental pollutants and dangerous explosives, posing a devastating danger and pollution threat to humans. It is vital to detect efficiently trace nitrophenols in the environment. In this contribution, a series of fully flexible cyclotriphosphazene-based COFs (FFCP COFs: HDADE, HBAPB, and HBPDA), prepared with both a flexible knot and flexible linkers of different lengths, were used for sensing 2,4,6-trinitrophenol (TNP) and p-nitrophenol (p-NP) in real time with excellent sensitivity and selectivity. The quenching constants of HDADE by TNP, HBAPB, and HBPDA by p-NP are 6.29 × 104, 2.17 × 105, and 2.48 × 105 L·mol-1, respectively. The LODs of TNP and p-NP are 1.19 × 10-11, 6.91 × 10-12, and 6.05 × 10-12 mol·L-1. Their sensitivities increase with the linker length, which is better than the corresponding COFs composed of rigid linkers. There is only a photoinduced electron transfer mechanism in the fluorescence quenching of HBPDA by p-NP. Meanwhile, the mechanisms of photoinduced charge transfer and resonance energy transfer exist in the fluorescence quenching of HDADE by TNP and the fluorescence quenching of HBAPB by p-NP.

Li(2)Ca(1.5)Nb(3)O(10) from X-ray powder data.

Lithium calcium niobium oxide (2/1.5/3/10), Li(2)Ca(1.5)Nb(3)O(10), has been synthesized by conventional solid-state reaction. Its structure consists of triple-layer perovskite slabs of corner-sharing NbO(6) octa-hedra inter-leaved with lithium ions; Ca cations partially occupy the perovskite A sites at 75% occupancy probability. All eight atoms in the asymmetric unit are on special positions: one Nb atom has site symmetry 4/mmm; the second Nb, both K, the Sr and two O atoms have site symmetry 4mm; the remaining two O atoms have site symmetries 2mm. and mmm., respectively.

Rietveld refinement of KLaTiO(4) from X-ray powder data.

Potassium lanthanum titanate(IV), KLaTiO(4), has been synthesized by conventional solid-state reaction. It crystallizes isotypically with the NaLnTiO(4) (Ln = La, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Y and Lu) family. Five of the six atoms in the asymmetric unit (one K, one La, one Ti and two O atoms) are situated on sites with 4mm symmetry, whereas one O atom has 2mm. site symmetry. The crystal structure can be described as being composed of single layers of distorted corner-sharing TiO(6) octa-hedra extending parallel to (001). The layers are alternately separated by K(+) and La(3+) cations along [001]. The coordination number of both K(+) and La(3+) cations is nine, resulting in distorted KO(9) and LaO(9) polyhedra.

Stabilizing indium sulfide for CO2 electroreduction to formate at high rate by zinc incorporation.

Recently developed solid-state catalysts can mediate carbon dioxide (CO2) electroreduction to valuable products at high rates and selectivities. However, under commercially relevant current densities of > 200 milliamperes per square centimeter (mA cm-2), catalysts often undergo particle agglomeration, active-phase change, and/or element dissolution, making the long-term operational stability a considerable challenge. Here we report an indium sulfide catalyst that is stabilized by adding zinc in the structure and shows dramatically improved stability. The obtained ZnIn2S4 catalyst can reduce CO2 to formate with 99.3% Faradaic efficiency at 300 mA cm-2 over 60 h of continuous operation without decay. By contrast, similarly synthesized indium sulfide without zinc participation deteriorates quickly under the same conditions. Combining experimental and theoretical studies, we unveil that the introduction of zinc largely enhances the covalency of In-S bonds, which "locks" sulfur-a catalytic site that can activate H2O to react with CO2, yielding HCOO* intermediates-from being dissolved during high-rate electrolysis.

RbCa(2)Nb(3)O(10) from X-ray powder data.

Rubidium dicalcium triniobate(V), RbCa(2)Nb(3)O(10), has been synthesized by solid-state reaction and its crystal structure refined from X-ray powder diffraction data using Rietveld analysis. The compound is a three-layer perovskite Dion-Jacobson phase with the perovskite-like slabs derived by termination of the three-dimensional CaNbO(3) perovskite structure along the ab plane. The rubidium ions (4/mmm symmetry) are located in the inter-stitial space.