Synthesis and Electrocatalytic Properties of Palladium Network Nanostructures

Cyano-bridged coordination polymer hydrogel-derived Sn-Fe binary oxide nanohybrids with structural diversity: from 3D, 2D, to 2D/1D and enhanced lithium-storage performance

Metal oxide nanohybrids with uniform dimensions and controlled architectures possess unique compositional and structural superiorities, and thus harbor promising potential for a series of applications in energy, catalysis, and sensing systems. Herein, we propose a facile, general, and scalable cyano-bridged coordination polymer hydrogel-derived thermal-oxidation route for the construction of main-group metal and transition-metal heterometallic oxide nanohybrids with controlled constituents and architectures. The formation of Sn-Fe binary oxide nanohybrids has been demonstrated as an example by using cyano-bridged Sn(iv)-Fe(ii) bimetallic coordination polymer hydrogels (i.e., SnCl4-K4Fe(CN)6 cyanogels, Sn-Fe cyanogels) as precursors. The physicochemical properties of Sn-Fe cyanogels with different Sn/Fe ratios have been systematically examined, and it is found that perfect Sn-Fe cyanogels without unbridged Sn(iv) or Fe(ii) can be formed with Sn/Fe ratios from 2 : 1 to 1 : 2. More importantly, the simple adjustment of Sn/Fe ratios in the Sn-Fe cyanogel precursors can realize flexible dimensional control of the Sn-Fe binary oxide nanohybrids, and 2D/1D SnO2-Fe2O3 hierarchitectures, 2D SnO2-Fe2O3 nanosheets, and 3D SnO2-Fe2O3 networks have been synthesized using the Sn-Fe 1 : 2, Sn-Fe 1 : 1, and Sn-Fe 2 : 1 cyanogels as precursors, respectively. To demonstrate their compositional/structural superiorities and potential applications, the lithium-storage utilization of the Sn-Fe binary oxide nanohybrids has been selected as an objective application, and the nanohybrids exhibit Sn/Fe ratio-dependent lithium-storage performance. As a representative example, the 2D/1D SnO2-Fe2O3 hierarchitectures manifest markedly enhanced Li-storage performance in terms of reversible capacities and cycling stability in comparison with their constituent units, i.e., bare SnO2 nanosheets and Fe2O3 nanorods. The proposed cyanogel-derived thermal-oxidation strategy could open up new opportunities for constructing heterometallic oxide nanohybrids, and the rationally designed metal oxide nanohybrids may find broad applications in energy, catalysis, and sensing fields by virtue of their structural and compositional features.

A strategy for fabricating porous PdNi@Pt core-shell nanostructures and their enhanced activity and durability for the methanol electrooxidation

Three-dimensionally (3D) porous morphology of nanostructures can effectively improve their electrocatalytic activity and durability for various electrochemical reactions owing to big surface area and interconnected structure. Cyanogel, a jelly-like inorganic polymer, can be used to synthesize various three-dimensionally (3D) porous alloy nanomaterials owing to its double-metal property and particular 3D backbone. Here, 3D porous PdNi@Pt core-shell nanostructures (CSNSs) are facilely synthesized by first preparing the Pd-Ni alloy networks (Pd-Ni ANWs) core via cyanogel-reduction method followed by a galvanic displacement reaction to generate the Pt-rich shell. The as-synthesized PdNi@Pt CSNSs exhibit a much improved catalytic activity and durability for the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) in the acidic media compared to the commercial used Pt black because of their specific structural characteristics. The facile and mild method described herein is highly attractive for the synthisis of 3D porous core-shell nanostructures.

Cyanogel-derived formation of 3 D nanoporous SnO2-MxOy (M=Ni, Fe, Co) hybrid networks for high-performance lithium storage

Three-dimensional (3 D) nanoporous SnO2 -Mx Oy (M=Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, etc.) hybrid networks possess unique compositional and structural features that are beneficial to lithium storage and are thus anticipated to meet the performance requirements of advanced lithium-ion batteries for transportation and stationary energy storage. Herein, a facile, scalable, and versatile cyanogel-derived method for the construction of 3 D nanoporous SnO2 -Mx Oy hybrid networks was developed for the first time. The formation of 3 D nanoporous SnO2 -NiO, SnO2 -α-Fe2 O3 , and SnO2 -NiO-Co3 O4 hybrid networks was illustrated by using Sn-M cyanogels as precursors. Moreover, the anodic performance of the 3 D nanoporous SnO2 -NiO hybrid network was examined to demonstrate proof of concept. After coating with polypyrrole-derived carbon, the SnO2 -NiO@C hybrid network exhibited superior lithium-storage capabilities in terms of specific capacity, cycling stability, and rate capability.

Autocatalysis and selective oxidative etching induced synthesis of platinum-copper bimetallic alloy nanodendrites electrocatalysts

The controllable synthesis of noble metal alloy nanostructures with highly branched morphology has attracted much attention because of their specific physical and chemical properties. This article reports the synthesis of platinum-copper bimetallic alloy nanodendrites (Pt-Cu BANDs) by a facile, one-pot, templateless, and seedless hydrothermal method in the presence of poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) and formaldehyde (HCHO). The morphology, composition, and structure of Pt-Cu BANDs are fully characterized by various physical techniques, demonstrating Pt-Cu BANDs are highly alloying, porous, and self-supported nanostructures. The formation/growth mechanism of Pt-Cu BANDs is explored and discussed based on the experimental observations. The autocatalytic growth and interdiffusion are responsible for the formation of Pt-Cu alloy whereas selective oxidative etching results in dendritic morphology of Pt-Cu alloy nanostructures. In addition, the electrocatalytic activity and stability of Pt-Cu BANDs for the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) are investigated by various electrochemical techniques. The synthesized Pt-Cu BANDs show higher electrocatalytic activity and stability than commercially available Pt black.

Multi-generation overgrowth induced synthesis of three-dimensional highly branched palladium tetrapods and their electrocatalytic activity for formic acid oxidation

Highly branched noble metal nanostructures are highly attractive for catalytic applications owing to their specific physical and chemical properties. In this work, three-dimensional highly branched palladium tetrapods (Pd-THBTs) have been constructed in the presence of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) through one-step hydrothermal reduction of ethylenediamine-tetramethylene phosphonate-palladium(II) (EDTMP-Pd(II)) by formaldehyde. The morphology and structure of the Pd-THBTs were fully characterized and the growth mechanism was explored and discussed based on the experimental observation. The concave Pd tetrahedra grew into highly branched Pd tetrapods consisting of four nanothorn-like branches with tetrahedral dimensions through interesting multi-generation nanocrystal overgrowth. The electrocatalytic activities of the as-synthesized Pd-THBTs toward formic acid oxidation were also studied by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The Pd-THBTs showed higher catalytic activity and stability for formic acid oxidation than the commercial Pd black.

Facile synthesis, characterization and application of highly active palladium nano-network structures supported on electrospun carbon nanofibers

Pd-NNSs-ECNFs were successfully prepared and applied in Suzuki coupling reactions in environmental friendly solvent systems.