Fischer–Tropsch Synthesis: ZIF-8@ZIF-67-Derived Cobalt Nanoparticle-Embedded Nanocage Catalysts

Bimetal-organic frameworks derived redox-type composite materials for high-performance energy storage

Electrodes and electroactive materials are crucial components in the development of supercapacitors due to their geometric properties. In this study, bimetal-organic frameworks (Bi-MOFs, ZIF-8@ZIF-67) were utilized as electrode materials for a high-performance hybrid supercapacitor (HSC) by designing a novel synthesis of metallic carbonate hydroxide/oxides. In particular, the Bi-MOFs function as a sacrificial precursor in the synthesis of hollow NiMn(CO3)0.5·0·.11H2O/ZnO@Co3O4 CNCs (NM-CH/ZnO@Co3O4 CNCs) cubic composite materials by a straightforward low-temperature treatment. The NM-CH/ZnO@Co3O4 CNCs exhibited exceptional electrochemical performance with high specific capacity of 196.3 ± 0.08 mAh/g, specific capacitance of 1179 ± 0.10 F g-1 at 0.5 A g-1, and outstanding cycling stability of 98% after 25,000 cycles compared to the other electrode materials. The porous and hollow structure, along with a large surface area, contributed to the enhanced electrochemical properties of the composite material. An HSC was constructed using NM-CH/ZnO@Co3O4 CNCs as the cathode and activated porous carbon (APC) as the anode, resulting in a device with a specific energy of 33 ± 0.12 Wh kg-1 and a power density of 19354 ± 0.07 W kg-1. The use of Bi-MOF electrodes presents new avenues for the development of high-performance energy storage materials, with the potential for industrial energy storage application demonstrated though the successful powering of portable lightbulbs.

Serial Nitrogen-Doped Metal/Carbon Composites Derived from Organic Salts for Superior Electromagnetic Wave Absorption and Supercapacitor Electrode

The present study provides a facile one-pot pyrolysis strategy to prepare serial nitrogen-doped (N-doped) metal/carbon composites derived from six types of metal ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA-M, M = Co, Cu, Mn, Fe, Mg, and Ca). N-doped Co/C composite integrated carbonaceous with magnetic components to attain dielectric-magnetic double loss mechanisms. The minimum reflection loss and effective absorption bandwidth reached -57.6 dB at 1.75 mm and 4.64 GHz at 1.52 mm, respectively. The electromagnetic simulation further confirms that the dissipation ability increases with the improvement of carbonization temperature. Results show that altering the metal species of precursors can significantly improve the electrochemical performance of the composites using the identical strategy. N-doped Cu/C composite performed a maximum specific capacitance of 2383.3 F g-1 at 0.5 A g-1 -1, and maintained 86.3% cycling stability at 20 A g-1 after 5000 cycles. The energy density of a symmetrical two-electrode configuration achieved 350.13 Wh kg-1 at a power density of 4000.04 W kg-1. Density functional theory calculations indicate that nitrogen dopants cause faster ion transport and stronger adsorption capacity. Moreover, the bifunctionality of other composites types are also systematically characterized.

Highly sensitive turn-on electrochemical sensing of organophosphorus pesticides by integration of homogeneous reaction and heterogeneous catalytic signal amplification

Enzyme-inhibited electrochemical sensor is a promising strategy for detecting organophosphorus pesticides (OPs). However, the poor stability of enzymes and the high oxidation potential of thiocholine signal probe limit their potential applications. To address this issue, an indirect strategy was proposed for highly sensitive and reliable detection of chlorpyrifos by integrating homogeneous reaction and heterogeneous catalysis. In the homogeneous reaction, Hg2+ with low oxidation potential was employed as signal probe for chlorpyrifos detection since its electroactivity can be inhibited by thiocholine, which was the hydrolysate of acetylthiocholine catalyzed by acetylcholinesterase. Additionally, Co,N-doped hollow porous carbon nanocage@carbon nanotubes (Co,N-HPNC@CNT) derived from ZIF-8@ZIF-67 was utilized as high-performance electrode material to amplify the stripping voltammetry signal of Hg2+. Thanks to their synergistic effect, the sensor exhibited outstanding sensing performance, excellent stability and good anti-interference ability. This strategy paves the way for the development of high-performance OP sensors and their application in food safety.

Enhanced Enzymatic Performance of Immobilized Pseudomonas fluorescens Lipase on ZIF-8@ZIF-67 and Its Application to the Synthesis of Neryl Acetate with Transesterification Reaction

In this study, hybrid skeleton material ZIF-8@ZIF-67 was synthesized by the epitaxial growth method and then was utilized as a carrier for encapsulating Pseudomonas fluorescens lipase (PFL) through the co-precipitation method, resulting in the preparation of immobilized lipase (PFL@ZIF-8@ZIF-67). Subsequently, it was further treated with glutaraldehyde to improve protein immobilization yield. Under optimal immobilization conditions, the specific hydrolytic activity of PFL@ZIF-8@ZIF-67 was 20.4 times higher than that of the free PFL. The prepared biocatalyst was characterized and analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR). Additionally, the thermal stability of PFL@ZIF-8@ZIF-67 at 50 °C was significantly improved compared to the free PFL. After 7 weeks at room temperature, PFL@ZIF-8@ZIF-67 retained 78% of the transesterification activity, while the free enzyme was only 29%. Finally, PFL@ZIF-8@ZIF-67 was applied to the neryl acetate preparation in a solvent-free system, and the yield of neryl acetate reached 99% after 3 h of reaction. After 10 repetitions, the yields of neryl acetate catalyzed by PFL@ZIF-8@ZIF-67 and the free PFL were 80% and 43%, respectively.

Application of metal-organic frameworks and their derivates for thermal-catalytic C1 molecules conversion

One-carbon (C1) catalysis refers to the conversion of compounds with a single carbon atom, especially carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), and methane (CH4), into clean fuels and valuable chemicals via catalytic strategy is crucial for sustainable and green development. Among various catalytic strategies, thermal-driven process seems to be one of the most promising pathways for C1 catalysis due to the high efficiency and practical application prospect. Notably, the rational design of thermal-driven C1 catalysts plays a vital role in boosting the targeted products synthesis of C1 catalysis, which relies heavily on the choice of ideal active site support, catalyst fabrication precursor, and catalytic reaction field. As a novel crystalline porous material, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) has made significant progress in the design and synthesis of various functional nanomaterials. However, the application of MOFs in C1 catalysis faces numerous challenges, such as thermal stability, mechanical strength, yield of MOFs, and so on. To overcome these limitations and harness the advantages of MOFs in thermal-driven C1 catalysis, researchers have developed various catalyst/carrier preparation strategies. In this review, we provide a concise overview of the recent advancements in the conversion of CO, CO2, and CH4 into clean fuels and valuable chemicals via thermal-catalytic strategy using MOFs-based catalysts. Furthermore, we discuss the main challenges and opportunities associated with MOFs-based catalysts for thermal-driven C1 catalysis in the future.

ZIF-67 grafted-boehmite-PVA composite membranes with enhanced removal efficiency towards Cr(VI) from aqueous solutions

In this work, we developed a thin membrane of boehmite-polyvinyl alcohol composite (BOPOM) (diameter ∼ 5 cm) grafted ZIF-67 combing sol-gel and in-situ growth methods. The fabricated materials were characterized using FT-IR, SEM, XRD, TGA, XPS, and N2 sorption techniques. Results indicate that ZIF-67 nanocrystals were well-grafted into the AlOOH-PVA matrix with reduced crystallite size. Furthermore, the decorated ZIF-67 offered additional porous structures and adsorption sites onto the membrane, enhancing their removal efficiency towards Cr6+ compared to the undecorated and pristine ZIF-67. At pH ∼5.5, the harvested ZIF-67/BOPOM exhibited the highest Cr6+ uptake capacity of ∼56.4 mg g-1. Kinetic studies showed that the chromium adsorption on the prepared materials obeyed the pseudo-second-order model, and the kinetic parameters followed the order ZIFF-67/BOPOM (0.020 mg g-1 min-1) > BOPOM (0.011 mg g-1 min-1) > ZIF-67 (0.006 mg g-1 min-1). Notably, the adsorption mechanism study revealed that adsorbed Cr6+ was reduced to Cr3+, and the reduction yield was boosted owing to grafting ZIF-67 into the BOPOM. In addition, the fabricated ZIF-67/BOPOM can simultaneously remove Cr6+ and methyl orange dye (MO) in the solution due to their synergetic effects on each other. Furthermore, the hybrid membrane ZIF-67/BOPOM showed a chromium removal efficiency of ∼78.2% after four successive adsorption-desorption cycles. This study indicates that grafting nanocrystals ZIF-67 onto the super-platform boehmite-PVA is a promising strategy to harvest an adsorbent with a high adsorption ability, cost-effectiveness, and reduced secondary pollution risks.

Hierarchical Yolk-Shell Porous Ionic Liquids with Lower Viscosity for Efficient C3H6/C3H8 Adsorption and Separation

Yolk-shell metal-organic framework (YS-MOF) liquids are candidate materials in large-size species with high-efficiency separation, owing to their hierarchical porosity, faster mass transfer, better compatibility, and higher solution processability than MOF liquids with micropores. Nevertheless, facile synthesis strategies of yolk-shell porous ionic liquids (YSPILs) with regulations of size and morphology are an ongoing challenge. Herein, we propose a general strategy to construct YSPILs based on Z67@PDA with tunable core sizes and morphologies. Benefiting from the unique hierarchical yolk-shell structure, as-prepared YSPILs exhibit promise in C3H6/C3H8 capture and separation with the increased sizes of core in yolk-shell ZIF-67@PDA. Advanced YS-MOF liquids have improved the adsorption properties and increased our ability to tailor chemical composition and pore architecture. Impressively, the adsorption capacity of C3H6 and C3H8 of YSPILs exhibits an approximately 3-fold enhancement compared with that of the neat ILs, confirming that the accessible porosities are retained. Effective C3H6/C3H8 separation performance of YSPILs over PILs based on ZIF-67, revealing the hierarchical porosity of YS-Z67@PDA liquids, benefits larger-size gas separation. Therefore, we believe that this work can not only help us to rationally design novel hierarchically porous ionic liquids but also promote candidate applications in large-size species separation, catalysis, and nanoreactors.

Removal of Low Trace ppb-Level Perfluorooctanesulfonic Acid (PFOS) with ZIF-8 Coatings Involving Adsorbent Degradation

For the first time, low trace-level removal of perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), i.e., 20-500 μg/L (ppb), from aqueous solutions using zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8)-coated copper sheet (ZIF-8@Cu) composite is reported here. In comparison with different commercial activated carbon (AC) and all-silica zeolites, the composite showed the highest removal rate of 98%, which remained consistent over a wide range of concentrations. Additionally, no adsorbent leaching from the composite was noticed, which eradicated pre-analysis steps such as filtration and centrifugation, unless needed for other adsorbents studied here. The composite displayed fast uptake with saturation reaching within 4 h, irrespective of the initial concentration. However, the morphological and structural characterization revealed surface degradation of ZIF-8 crystals, along with a decline in the crystal size. The adsorption of PFOS on ZIF-8 crystals was linked to chemisorption, as the surface degradation surges with an increase in PFOS concentration or with cyclic exposure at low concentrations. Methanol seemingly removed surface debris (partially), thus providing access to ZIF-8 beneath the surface debris. Overall, the findings demonstrate that at low trace ppb-level PFOS concentrations ZIF-8 can be considered as a possible candidate for PFOS removal, even though it suffers slow surface degradation, it also removes efficiently PFOS molecules from aqueous solutions.

Global-Local CNTs Conductive Network Couple with Co-Based Polyhedral Promotes the Electrocatalytic Reduction of Oxygen

The three-dimensional (3D) nanoreactor of global-local CNTs conductive network coupled with bimetallic MOFs-derived Co@N-C nanopolyhedra (denoted as gl-CNTs/Co@N-C) promotes the electrocatalytic reduction of oxygen owing to the improved mass transfer ability and stability. Here, the 1D/3D gl-CNTs/Co@N-C nanostructures with enhanced electrocatalytic properties were synthesized in one step by the direct thermolysis of Zn/Co-ZIF/MWCNTs precursor. Based on systematical optimization of the composition and structure, gl-CNTs/Co@N-C carbonaceous porous hybrids containing uniform Co nanoparticles (NPs) can not only effectively enable the conductivity but also expose more active sites. Consequently, the optimal gl-CNTs/Co@N-C nanostructure showed a significantly enhanced catalytic activity for the reduction of oxygen, the half-wave potential (E1/2) and diffusion-limited current density are 0.86 V (vs. RHE) and 5.34 mA cm−2, respectively. Moreover, this catalyst also showed long-term durability and methanol tolerance property, further highlighting the structure superiority of a precisely controllable nanoreactor.

Precisely Engineering Architectures of Co/C Sub-Microreactors for Selective Syngas Conversion

Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) is an effective route to produce olefins, gasoline, diesel, and oxygenates from syngas (CO + H₂ ). However, it still remains a challenge for regulating the product distribution of FTS. Here, a series of Co/C sub-microreactors with precise designed nanoarchitectures are synthesized for selective syngas conversion. Through a combination of surface protection-assisted etching and following carbonization process, Co/C sub-microreactors with solid cube, double-shelled hollow box, and hollow box architectures, namely, Co/C-Cube, Co/C-DBox, Co/C-Box can be obtained. In FTS, comparing with solid Co/C-Cube, double-shelled hollow structured Co/C-DBox is inclined to grow long-chain hydrocarbon products, whereas hollow structured Co/C-Box avails the formation of short-chain hydrocarbon chemicals. Therefore, shape selective catalysis and controlled product distribution of FTS are realized by tuning the architectures of Co/C sub-microreactors. It is expected to fundamentally unravel the heterogeneous catalytic process via upfront designing and precisely regulating the architectures of micro/nanoreactors.

Metal Organic Framework (MOF)/Wood Derived Multi-cylinders High-Power 3D Reactor

3D monolithic reactor has shown great promise for varied heterogeneous catalysis reactions including water treatment, energy generation and storage, and clean fuel production. As a natural porous material, macroporous wood is regarded as an excellent support for inorganic catalyst due to its abundant polar functional groups and channels. On the other hand, a metal organic framework (MOF) has been widely used as heterogeneous catalyst due to its high specific surface area and large amount of microporosities. Combining macroporous wood and a microporous MOF is expected to produce a high-performance 3D reactor and is demonstrated here for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. The carbonized MOF/wood reactor retains the original cellular structure with over 180 000 channels/cm². When being decorated with hexagonal-shaped core-shell Co@C nanoparticles aggregates derived from Co-MOF, the MOF/wood reactor resembles a multi-cylinders reactor for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. Because of the unique combination of macro- and microporous hierarchical structure, the 3D MOF/wood reactor demonstrates exceptional performance under high gas hourly space velocity (81.2% CO conversion and 48.5% C₅₊ selectivity at 50 L·h^-1·g_cat^-1 GHSV). This validates that MOF/wood can serve as a multi-cylinders and high-power reactor for catalytic reactions, which is expected to be applicable for environmental and energy applications.

Impact of Coordination Features of Co(II)-Glycine Complex on the Surface Sites of Co/SiO2 for Fischer–Tropsch Synthesis

To investigate the effect of coordination features of Co(II)-glycine complex on the performance of Co/SiO2 for Fischer–Tropsch (FT) synthesis, Co(II)-glycine complex precursors were prepared by the conventional method, i.e., simply adding glycine to the solution of Co nitrate and novel route, i.e., reaction of glycine with cobalt hydroxide. The SiO2-supported Co catalysts were prepared by using the different Co(II)-glycine complexes. It is found that glycine is an effective chelating agent for improving the dispersion of Co and the mass-specific activity in FT synthesis when the molar ratio of glycine/Co2+ = 3, which is independent to the preparation method in this study. Significantly, the surface Co properties were significantly influenced by the coordination features of the Co2+ and the molar ratio of glycine to Co2+ in the Co(II)-glycine complex. Specifically, the Co(3gly)/SiO2 catalyst prepared by the novel route exhibits smaller and homogenous Co nanoparticles, which result in improved stability compared to Co-3gly/SiO2 prepared by the conventional method. Thus, the newly developed method is more controllable and promising for the synthesis of Co-based catalysts for FT synthesis.