Excellent catalytic effects of highly crumpled graphene nanosheets on hydrogenation/dehydrogenation of magnesium hydride

Highly crumpled graphene nanosheets (GNS) with a BET surface area as high as 1159 m(2) g(-1) was fabricated by a thermal exfoliation method. A systematic investigation was performed on the hydrogen sorption properties of MgH(2)-5 wt% GNS nanocomposites acquired by ball-milling. It was found that the as-synthesized GNS exhibited a superior catalytic effect on hydrogenation/dehydrogenation of MgH(2). Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and isothermal hydrogenation/dehydrogenation measurements indicated that both hydrogen sorption capacity and dehydrogenation/hydrogenation kinetics of the composites improved with increasing milling time. The composites MgH(2)-GNS milled for 20 h can absorb 6.6 wt% H(2) within 1 min at 300 °C and 6.3 wt% within 40 min at 200 °C, even at 150 °C, it can also absorb 6.0 wt% H(2) within 180 min. It was also demonstrated that MgH(2)-GNS-20 h could release 6.1 wt% H(2) at 300 °C within 40 min. In addition, microstructure measurements based on XRD, SEM, TEM as well as Raman spectra revealed that the grain size of thus-prepared MgH(2)-GNS nanocomposites decreased with increasing milling time, moreover, the graphene layers were broken into smaller graphene nanosheets in a disordered and irregular manner during milling. It was confirmed that these smaller graphene nanosheets on the composite surface, providing more edge sites and hydrogen diffusion channels, prevented the nanograins from sintering and agglomerating, thus, leading to promotion of the hydrogenation/dehydrogenation kinetics of MgH(2).

Nanostructured metal-free electrochemical catalysts for highly efficient oxygen reduction

Replacing precious and nondurable Pt catalysts with cheap and commercially available materials to facilitate sluggish cathodic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is a key issue in the development of fuel cell technology. The recently developed cost effective and highly stable metal-free catalysts reveal comparable catalytic activity and significantly better fuel tolerance than that of current Pt-based catalysts; therefore, they can serve as feasible Pt alternatives for the next generation of ORR electrocatalysts. Their promising electrocatalytic properties and acceptable costs greatly promote the R&D of fuel cell technology. This review provides an overview of recent advances in state-of-the-art nanostructured metal-free electrocatalysts including nitrogen-doped carbons, graphitic-carbon nitride (g-C(3) N(4) )-based hybrids, and 2D graphene-based materials. A special emphasis is placed on the molecular design of these electrocatalysts, origin of their electrochemical reactivity, and ORR pathways. Finally, some perspectives are highlighted on the development of more efficient ORR electrocatalysts featuring high stability, low cost, and enhanced performance, which are the key factors to accelerate the commercialization of fuel cell technology.