Electrochemically synthesized Molybdenum oxides for enhancement of atmospheric pressure non-thermal pulsating corona plasma induced degradation of an organic compound

Heterostructured MoO3 Anchored Defect-Rich NiFe-LDH/NF as a Robust Self-Supporting Electrocatalyst for Overall Water Splitting

The rational design of inexpensive metal electrocatalysts with exciting catalytic activity for overall water splitting (OWS) remains a significant challenge. Heterostructures of NiFe layered double hydroxides (NiFe-LDHs) with abundant oxygen defects and tunable electronic properties have garnered considerable attention. Here, a self-supporting heterostructured catalyst (named MoO3/NiFe-NF) is synthesized via a hydrothermal method to grow NiFe-LDH with oxygen vacancies (OV) in situ on inexpensive nickel foam (NF). Subsequently, MoO3 is anchored and grown on the surface of NiFe-LDH by electrodeposition. The obtained catalysts achieved outstanding oxygen/hydrogen evolution reaction (OER/HER, 212 mV/85 mV@10 mA cm-2) performance in 1 m KOH. Additionally, when MoO3/NiFe-NF is utilized as the cathode and anode in OWS, a current density of 10 mA cm-2 can be obtained as an ultralow battery voltage of 1.43 V, a significantly lower value compared to the commercial electrolyzer incorporating Pt/C and IrO2 electrode materials. Finally, density functional theory (DFT) calculations and advanced spectroscopy technology are conducted to reveal the effects of heterojunctions and OV on the internal electronic structure of the electrical catalysts. Mainly, the present study provides a novel tactic for the rational design of remarkable, low-cost NiFe-LDH electrocatalysts with heterostructures for OWS.

Volatile organic compounds degradation by nonthermal plasma: a review

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have posed a severe threat on both ecosystem and human health which thus have gained much attention in recent years. Nonthermal plasma (NTP) as an alternative to traditional methods has been employed to degrade VOC in the atmosphere and wastewater for its high removal efficiency (up to 100%), mild operating conditions, and environmental friendliness. This review outlined the principles of NTP production and the applications on VOC removal in different kinds of reactors, like single/double dielectric barrier discharge, surface discharge, and gliding arc discharge reactors. The combination of NTP with catalysts/oxidants was also applied for VOC degradation to further promote the energy efficiency. Further, detailed explanations were given of the effect of various important factors including input/reactor/external conditions on VOC degradation performance. The reactive species (e.g., high-energy electrons, HO·, O·, N₂⁺, Ar⁺, O₃, H₂O₂) generated in NTP discharge process have played crucial roles in decomposing VOC molecules; therefore, their variation under different parameter conditions along with the reaction mechanisms involved in these NTP technologies was emphatically explained. Finally, a conclusion of the NTP technologies was presented, and special attention was paid to future challenges for NTP technologies in VOC treatment to stimulate the advances in this topic.