X-ray absorption fine structure study of amorphous metal oxide thin films prepared by photochemical metalorganic deposition

Improved ORR/OER bifunctional catalytic performance of amorphous manganese oxides prepared by photochemical metal-organic deposition

Transition metal oxide nanomaterials or nanocomposites containing transition metal oxides have the potential to replace traditional catalysts for electrochemical applications, photocatalysis, and energy storage. Amorphous manganese oxide catalysts were prepared via photochemical metal-organic deposition (PMOD). Through XRD, SEM-EDS, Raman spectroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy, HRTEM-EDS, and XPS, we confirmed that amorphous manganese oxide catalysts were successfully prepared. Amorphous catalysts prepared with different photolysis times were compared in terms of their performance for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER), and catalyst MnO x -PMOD48 showed the best performance because of its high Mn3+ proportion and electrochemically active surface area. MnO x -PMOD48 showed better ORR/OER performance than the crystalline MnO x and MnO x /Ti4O7 catalysts from our previous work. Following our previous work on crystalline manganese oxide catalysts, we added Ti4O7 during the PMOD process with 48 h of treatment and obtained the amorphous catalyst MnO x /Ti4O7-PMOD. MnO x /Ti4O7-PMOD was supported by Ti4O7 particles, which led to improved stability. The ORR/OER catalytic activity of MnO x /Ti4O7-PMOD was better than that of crystalline catalyst MnO x /Ti4O7-300, which was the best crystalline catalyst in our previous work. We also compared lithium-oxygen batteries assembled with MnO x /Ti4O7-PMOD and MnO x /Ti4O7-300. The battery performance tests confirmed that the amorphous manganese catalyst had better ORR/OER bifunctional catalytic performance than the crystalline manganese catalyst because of its high defect state with more abundant edge active sites and more surface-exposed catalytic active sites.

Fouling of ion exchange membranes used in the electrodialysis reversal advanced water treatment: A review

Electrodialysis self-reversal (EDR) technology has attracted in the treatment of water for domestic and industrial uses. The self-reversal consists of a frequent reversal of the direction of current between the EDR-cell electrodes to combat fouling of ion exchange membranes (IEMs). Irrespective of the EDR self-cleaning processes, the role of natural organic matter and their complexing ability with metal ions on IEMs fouling is partially understood. The objective of this review is to identify the research gaps present in the elucidation of IEM fouling routes. The common IEMs' foulants are identified, and several fouling mechanisms are briefly discussed. The effectiveness of self-cleaning mechanisms to reduce IEMs fouling is also be discussed. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) possesses high chelation which forms metal complexes with di and trivalent cations found in water. The role of ternary complexes, e.g. M^2+/3+-DOC and membrane surface, on membrane fouling via surface bridging, are also addressed. Finally, mitigation methods of IEMs membrane fouling are also discussed.

Understanding the Roles of NiOx in Enhancing the Photoelectrochemical Performance of BiVO4 Photoanodes for Solar Water Splitting

Solar water oxidation is considered as a promising method for efficient utilization of solar energy and bismuth vanadate (BiVO₄ ) is a potential photoanode. Catalyst loading on BiVO₄ is often used to tackle the limitations of charge recombination and sluggish kinetics. In this study, amorphous nickel oxide (NiO_x ) is loaded onto Mo-doped BiVO₄ by photochemical metal-organic deposition method. The resulting NiO_x /Mo:BiVO₄ photoanodes demonstrate a two-fold improvement in photocurrent density (2.44 mA cm^-2 ) at 1.23 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) compared with the uncatalyzed samples. After NiO_x modification the charge-separation and charge-transfer efficiencies improve significantly across the entire potential range. It is further elucidated by open-circuit photovoltage (OCP), time-resolved-microwave conductivity (TRMC), and rapid-scan voltammetry (RSV) measurements that NiO_x modification induces larger band bending and promotes efficient charge transfer on the surface of BiVO₄ . This work provides insight into designing BiVO₄ -catalyst assemblies by using a simple surface-modification route for efficient solar water oxidation.

Spectroscopic Investigation of the Activation of a Chromium-Pyrrolyl Ethene Trimerization Catalyst

1-Hexene is an important α-olefin for polyethylene production and is produced from ethene. Recent developments in the α-olefin industry have led to the successful commercialization of ethene trimerization catalysts. An important industrially applied ethene trimerization system uses a mixture of chromium 2-ethylhexanoate, AlEt₃, AlEt₂Cl, and 2,5-dimethylpyrrole (DMP). Here, we have studied the activation of this system using catalytic and spectroscopic experiments (XAS, EPR, and UV–vis) under conditions employed in industry. First, chromium 2-ethylhexanoate was prepared and characterized to be [Cr₃O(RCO₂)₆(H₂O)₃]Cl. Next, the activation of chromium 2-ethylhexanoate with AlEt₃, AlEt₂Cl, and DMP was studied, showing immediate reduction (<5 ms) of the trinuclear Cr(III) carboxylate and formation of a neutral polynuclear Cr(II) carboxylate complex. Over time, this Cr(II) carboxylate complex is partially converted into a chloro-bridged dinuclear Cr(II) pyrrolyl complex. In cyclohexane, small quantities of an unknown Cr(I) complex (∼1% after 1 h) are observed, while in toluene, the quantity of Cr(I) is much higher (∼23% after 1 h). This is due to the formation of cationic bis(tolyl)Cr(I) complexes, which likely leads to the observed inferior performance using toluene as the reaction solvent. Catalytic studies allow us to exclude some of the observed Cr(I) and Cr(II) complexes as the active species in this catalytic system. Using this combination of techniques, we have been able to structurally characterize complexes of this selective Cr-catalyzed trimerization system under conditions which are employed in industry.

Mechanistic insights into hydrodeoxygenation of phenol on bimetallic phosphide catalysts

Different binding modes of the reactant on different catalysts determine the hydrodeoxygenation selectivity.

Water oxidation catalysis: an amorphous quaternary Ba-Sr-Co-Fe oxide as a promising electrocatalyst for the oxygen-evolution reaction

An amorphous quaternary Ba-Sr-Co-Fe (a-BSCF) oxide film was fabricated by a simple and scalable photochemical thin-film deposition method. a-BSCF demonstrates superior electrocatalytic activity towards the oxygen evolution reaction in 0.1 M KOH solution.

In situ grown, self-supported iron–cobalt–nickel alloy amorphous oxide nanosheets with low overpotential toward water oxidation

In situ grown and self-supported iron–cobalt–nickel ternary alloy amorphous oxides were prepared by simple anodization which showed superior electrocatalytic activity toward oxygen evolution reaction with an overpotential of only 170 mV and a low Tafel slope.

Mixed-valent, heteroleptic homometallic diketonates as templates for the design of volatile heterometallic precursors

A novel series of mixed-valent, heteroleptic transition metal diketonates that can be utilized as prospective single-source precursors for the low-temperature preparation of oxide materials are reported. The first mixed-valent iron β-diketonates with different FeIII/FeII ratios have been synthesized by applying the mixed-ligand approach. Based on nearly quantitative reaction yields and analysis of iron-oxygen bonds, these compounds were formulated as [FeIII(acac)3][FeII(hfac)2] (1) and [FeII(hfac)2][FeIII(acac)3][FeII(hfac)2] (2). In the above heteroleptic complexes, the Lewis acidic, coordinatively unsaturated FeII centers chelated by two hfac (hexafluoroacetylacetonate) ligands with electron-withdrawing substituents maintain bridging interactions with oxygen atoms of electron-donating acac (acetylacetonate) groups that chelate the neighboring FeIII atoms. Switching the ligands on FeIII and FeII atoms in starting reagents resulted in the instant ligand exchange between iron centers and in yet another polynuclear homometallic diketonate [FeII(hfac)2][FeIII(acac)2(hfac)][FeII(hfac)2] (3) that adheres to the same bonding pattern as in complexes 1 and 2. The proposed synthetic methodology has been extended to design heterometallic diketonates with different M : M' ratios. Homometallic parent molecules have been used as templates to obtain heterometallic mixed-valent [FeIII(acac)3][MnII(hfac)2] (4) and [NiII(hfac)2][FeIII(acac)3][NiII(hfac)2] (5) complexes. The combination of two different diketonate ligands with electron-donating and electron-withdrawing substituents was found to be crucial for maintaining the above mixed-valent heterometallic assemblies. Theoretical investigation of two possible "isomers", [FeIII(acac)3][MnII(hfac)2] (4) and [MnIII(acac)3][FeII(hfac)2] (4') provided an additional support for the metal site assignment giving a preference of 9.78 kcal mol-1 for the molecule 4. Heterometallic complexes obtained in the course of this study have been found to act as effective single-source precursors for the synthesis of mixed-transition metal oxide materials M x M'2-xO3 and M x M'1-xO. The title highly volatile precursors can be used for the low-temperature preparation of both amorphous and crystalline heterometallic oxides in the form of thin films or nanosized particles that are known to operate as efficient catalysts in oxygen evolution reaction.

Comparative advantages and limitations of the basic metrology methods applied to the characterization of nanomaterials

Fabrication of modern nanomaterials and nanostructures with specific functional properties is both scientifically promising and commercially profitable. The preparation and use of nanomaterials require adequate methods for the control and characterization of their size, shape, chemical composition, crystalline structure, energy levels, pathways and dynamics of physical and chemical processes during their fabrication and further use. In this review, we discuss different instrumental methods for the analysis and metrology of materials and evaluate their advantages and limitations at the nanolevel.

Photochemical Route for Accessing Amorphous Metal Oxide Materials for Water Oxidation Catalysis

Large-scale electrolysis of water for hydrogen generation requires better catalysts to lower the kinetic barriers associated with the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Although most OER catalysts are based on crystalline mixed-metal oxides, high activities can also be achieved with amorphous phases. Methods for producing amorphous materials, however, are not typically amenable to mixed-metal compositions. We demonstrate that a low-temperature process, photochemical metal-organic deposition, can produce amorphous (mixed) metal oxide films for OER catalysis. The films contain a homogeneous distribution of metals with compositions that can be accurately controlled. The catalytic properties of amorphous iron oxide prepared with this technique are superior to those of hematite, whereas the catalytic properties of a-Fe100-y-zCoyNizOx are comparable to those of noble metal oxide catalysts currently used in commercial electrolyzers.

Local structure of fluorescent platinum nanoclusters

Fluorescent nanoclusters synthesized from a variety of noble metals have recently been reported in the scientific literature. Various characterization methods have been employed in their study, but uncertainty still remains regarding the local structure of such materials. Herein we present the results of employing X-ray absorption spectroscopy to probe the local structure and electronic properties of platinum nanoclusters reduced and stabilized using N,N-dimethylformamide. Most notable amongst these results is an apparent lack of metallic bonding in the samples studied; in light of these findings, it is proposed that a non-metallic platinum nanocluster is instead responsible for the observed fluorescence behaviour.