Defect-meditated efficient catalytic activity toward p-nitrophenol reduction: A case study of nitrogen doped calcium niobate system

Efficient Removal and Recovery of Ag from Wastewater Using Charged Polystyrene-Polydopamine Nanocoatings and Their Sustainable Catalytic Application in 4-Nitrophenol Reduction

This study addresses the long-standing challenges of removing and recovering trace silver (Ag) ions from wastewater while promoting their sustainable catalysis utilization. We innovatively developed a composite material by combining charged sulfonated polystyrene (PS) with a PDA coating. This composite serves a dual purpose: effectively removing and recovering trace Ag+ from wastewater and enabling reused Ag for sustainable applications, particularly in the catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) to 4-aminophenol (4-AP). The PS-PDA demonstrated exceptional selectivity to trace Ag+ recycling, which is equal to 14 times greater than the commercial ion exchanger. We emphasize the distinct roles of different charged functional groups in Ag+ removal and catalytic reduction performance. The negatively charged SO3H groups exhibited the remarkable ability to rapidly enrich trace Ag ions from wastewater, with a capacity 2-3 times higher than that of positively-N+(CH3)3Cl and netural-CH2Cl-modified composites; this resulted in an impressive 96% conversion of 4-NP to 4-AP within just 25 min. The fixed-bed application further confirmed the effective treatment capacity of approximately 4400 L of water per kilogram of adsorbent, while maintaining an extremely low effluent Ag+ concentration of less than 0.1 mg/L. XPS investigations provided valuable insights into the conversion of Ag+ ions into metallic Ag through the enticement of negatively charged SO3H groups and the in situ reduction facilitated by PDA. This breakthrough not only facilitates the efficient extraction of Ag from wastewater but also paves the way for its environmentally responsible utilization in catalytic reactions.

Calcium-mediated nitrogen reduction for electrochemical ammonia synthesis

Ammonia (NH3) is a key commodity chemical for the agricultural, textile and pharmaceutical industries, but its production via the Haber-Bosch process is carbon-intensive and centralized. Alternatively, an electrochemical method could enable decentralized, ambient NH3 production that can be paired with renewable energy. The first verified electrochemical method for NH3 synthesis was a process mediated by lithium (Li) in organic electrolytes. So far, however, elements other than Li remain unexplored in this process for potential benefits in efficiency, reaction rates, device design, abundance and stability. In our demonstration of a Li-free system, we found that calcium can mediate the reduction of nitrogen for NH3 synthesis. We verified the calcium-mediated process using a rigorous protocol and achieved an NH3 Faradaic efficiency of 40 ± 2% using calcium tetrakis(hexafluoroisopropyloxy)borate (Ca[B(hfip)4]2) as the electrolyte. Our results offer the possibility of using abundant materials for the electrochemical production of NH3, a critical chemical precursor and promising energy vector.

Tailoring defects in SrTiO3 by one step nanoarchitectonics for realizing photocatalytic nitrogen fixation in pure water

Surface contamination of materials by nitrogenous impurities is a major problem that can bias the quantification of ammonia in photocatalytic N₂ fixation reactions. In this work, SrTiO₃ nanocubes were prepared by using a nitrogenous precursor and engineered with Ti³⁺ sites and oxygen vacancy defects in a one-step solvothermal approach. It was observed that the synthesized materials were containing surface nitrogenous impurities and therefore a rigorous cleaning procedure was adopted to eliminate them to the best extent. The contribution of unavoidable surface impurities was deduced in the form of adventitious NH₃ by employing control experiments and a realistic photocatalytic NH₃ generation was achieved. It was found that pristine SrTiO₃ showed no photocatalytic activity, whereas one of the defected SrTiO₃ materials showed the highest NH₃ formation under natural sunlight in pure water, which was ascribed to the tuned defect sites, enhanced surface area and efficient separation of photogenerated charges. Based on the experimental results, a stringent protocol has been suggested for materials synthesis while working with nitrogenous precursors and for subsequent photocatalytic N₂ fixation experiments. Thus, the present study provides a simple and affordable procedure for catalyst synthesis for the studied application and expands the scope of perovskite oxide materials to fabricate efficient photocatalysts for sustainable NH₃ production.

Role of Surface Oxygen Vacancies and Oxygen Species on CuO Nanostructured Surfaces in Model Catalytic Oxidation and Reductions: Insight into the Structure-Activity Relationship Toward the Performance

Defect engineering, such as modification of oxygen vacancy density, has been considered as an effective approach to tailor the catalytic performance on transition-metal oxide nanostructured surfaces. The role of oxygen vacancies (O_V) on the surface of the as-prepared, zinnia-shaped morphology of CuO nanostructures and their marigold forms on calcination at 800 °C has been investigated through the study of model catalytic reactions of reduction of 4-nitrophenol and aerobic oxidation of benzyl alcohol. The O_V on the surfaces of different morphologies of CuO have been identified and quantified through Rietveld analysis and HRTEM, EPR, and XPS studies. The structure-activity relationships between surface oxygen vacancies (O_V) and catalytic performance have been systematically investigated. The enhanced catalytic performance of the cubic CuO nanostructures compared to their as-prepared forms has been attributed to the formation of surface oxygen species on the reactive and dominant (110) surface that has low oxygen vacancy formation energy. The mechanistic role of surface oxygen species in the studied reactions has been quantitatively correlated with the catalytic activity of the different morphological forms of the CuO nanostructures.

In situ preparation of highly dispersed Pd supported on exfoliated layered double hydroxides via nitrogen plasma for 4-nitrophenol reduction

In this work, a simple and environmental-friendly nitrogen glow discharge plasma reduction method has been developed for synthesizing palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs) supported on exfoliated Mg-Al-layered double hydroxide (Pd/LDH) catalysts. The as-prepared catalysts were characterized by means of characterizations methods, which contain X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectrometry (XPS), and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR). Highly dispersed ultrafine PdNPs were supported on exfoliated, defect-induced LDHs uniformly without agglomeration. The effects of treatment time of nitrogen plasma and Pd loading amount on structure, morphology, and catalytic performance of Pd/LDHs were investigated. The comparisons of structure and morphology between LDHs and Pd/LDHs were also discussed. The average particle size of as-synthesized PdNPs with face-centered cubic structure is 2.01 nm, which ranges from 1.18 to 3.01 nm. Nitrogen plasma cannot only reduce Pd²⁺, but also exfoliate LDHs, introduce defects, and even destroy the structure of LDHs. The Pd/LDH catalyst with 1 wt% Pd loading under nitrogen plasma treatment for 60 min showed the best catalytic performance in 4-nitrophenol reduction. The turnover frequency (TOF) of as-prepared catalyst is 20-fold higher than that of commercial Pd/C catalyst.

Steering Charge Kinetics of Tin Niobate Photocatalysts: Key Roles of Phase Structure and Electronic Structure

Tin niobate photocatalysts with the phase structures of froodite (SnNb₂O₆) and pyrochlore (Sn₂Nb₂O₇) were obtained by a facile solvothermal method in order to explore the impact of phase structure and electronic structure on the charge kinetics and photocatalytic performance. By employing tin niobate as a model compound, the effects of phase structure over electronic structure, photocatalytic activity toward methyl orange solution and hydrogen evolution were systematically investigated. It is found that the variation of phase structure from SnNb₂O₆ to Sn₂Nb₂O₇ accompanied with modulation of particle size and band edge potentials that has great consequences on photocatalytic performance. In combination with the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), transient photocurrent responses, transient absorption spectroscopy (TAS), and the analysis of the charge-carrier dynamics suggested that variation of electronic structure has great impacts on the charge separation and transfer rate of tin niobate photocatalysts and the subsequent photocatalytic performance. Moreover, the results of the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) indicated that the existent of Sn⁴⁺ species in Sn₂Nb₂O₇ could result in a decrease in photocatalytic activity. Photocatalytic test demonstrated that the SnNb₂O₆ (froodite) catalyst possesses a higher photocatalytic activity toward MO degradation and H₂ evolution compared with the sample of Sn₂Nb₂O₇ (pyrochlore). On the basis of spin resonance measurement and trapping experiment, it is expected that photogenerated holes, O₂^-•, and OH^• active species dominate the photodegradation of methyl orange.

Monolithic carbon foam-supported Au nanoparticles with excellent catalytic performance in a fixed-bed system

A MCF/Au monolith can be innovatively utilized to construct a fixed-bed system, which exhibits exceptional reduction performance for 4-nitrophenol.

Hydrothermal derived nitrogen doped SrTiO3 for efficient visible light driven photocatalytic reduction of chromium(VI)

In this work, we report on the synthesis of nitrogen doped SrTiO₃ nanoparticles with efficient visible light driven photocatalytic activity toward Cr(VI) by the solvothermal method. The samples are carefully characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and photocatalytic test. It is found that nitrogen doping in SrTiO₃ lattice led to an apparent lattice expansion, particle size reduction as well as subsequent increase of Brunner–Emmet–Teller surface area. The visible light absorption edge and intensity can be modulated by nitrogen doping content, which absorption edge extends to about 600 nm. Moreover, nitrogen doping can not only modulate the visible light absorption feature, but also have consequence on the enhancement of charge separation efficiency, which can promote the photocatalytic activity. With well controlled particle size, Brunner–Emmet–Teller surface area, and electronic structure via nitrogen doping, the photocatalytic performance toward Cr(VI) reduction of nitrogen doped SrTiO₃ was optimized at initial hexamethylenetetramine content of 2.

One-step synthesis of hollow porous gold nanoparticles with tunable particle size for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol

Hollow porous gold nanoparticles (HPGNPs) were synthesized via a one-step solution phase method at ambient temperature. The particle size, ranging from 80nm to 350nm, was easily controlled by changing the concentration of HAuCl4. The morphology and the structure of the as-prepared HPGNPs were investigated by SEM, TEM, HRTEM and XPS. Langmuir isotherm analysis yielded values of 8973m(2)/g for the outer surface area and 58724m(2)/g for the inner surface area for the 80nm HPGNPs. Due to a special hollow porous nanostructure, the HPGNPs exhibited superior catalytic activity and stability for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP). No significant inactivation of the 80nm HPGNPs was observed, even after recycling for six cycles or storing for more than 1 month. Due to these excellent properties, it is expected that HPGNPs can be used in such applications as water pollutant removal and environmental remediation.

A metastable cubic phase of sodium niobate nanoparticles stabilized by chemically bonded solvent molecules

A facile and green alternative was provided to prepare a metastable phase of cubic NaNbO₃ nanoparticles. A new insight into the stabilization of cubic NaNbO₃ nanoparticles by chemically bonded organic molecules was proposed on the basis of systematic structural and surface analyses.