One-pot synthesis of Au-M@SiO2 (M = Rh, Pd, Ir, Pt) core-shell nanoparticles as highly efficient catalysts for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol

Edge-oriented phosphatizing engineering of 2D Ni-MOFs with a tailored d-band center for boosting catalytic activity

Metal-organic framework (MOF)-based heterostructures have aroused widespread interest owing to their extensive compositional tunability and interesting catalytic properties. However, the precise edge-oriented growth of transition metal compounds at the edges of 2D MOFs to construct edge mode heterostructures remains a great challenge due to their inherent thermodynamic instability. Here, edge-oriented growth of Ni₂P at the edges of a 2D Ni-MOF was achieved for the first time by precisely tuning the phosphorus source content and phosphating temperature. Owing to the formation of the edge mode Ni-MOF/Ni₂P heterostructure, the as-prepared heterostructure showed upregulated d-band center, more robust 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) adsorption capacity, lowered energy barrier of the rate-determining step (RDS), and higher specific surface area, resulting in the best performance of the hydrogenation reduction of 4-NP to 4-aminophenol (4-AP) in the presence of non-precious metal catalysts.

Nitrogen and sulfur dual doped porous carbon as metal-free catalyst for oxidative degradation of 4-nitrophenol by persulfate activation

The replacement of metals in catalytic processes is highly demanded to improve sustainability and economic growth. Poor stability and metal leaching are the main drawbacks of metal-based catalytic reactions. This work represented the use of nitrogen and sulfur-co-doped mesoporous carbon material ((N, S)-MPC) as a metal-free catalyst for the degradation of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) as a priority pollutant announced by the Environmental Protection Agency through the persulfate-based advanced oxidation process. A low amount of (N, S)-MPC catalyst (0.3 g/L) exhibited superior performance for the degradation of 4-NP within 3 h at room temperature and unadjusted pH. The COD removal was calculated to be 76% using (N, S)-MPC catalyst. Interestingly, the degradations kinetics of 4-NP followed the zero-order kinetics with the rate constant of 0.505 min^-1. The radical quenching experiment was accomplished to investigate the activation pathway of degradation. A real sample from an oil and gas company was treated with the (N, S)-MPC catalyst, which showed excellent total decontamination of 61%. The recyclability and stability of the catalyst have been evaluated for three runs. Owing to the obvious benefits such as high efficiency, metal-free nature, and recyclability, the presented catalyst can improve pollutant removal from aqueous media and practical environmental remediation.

Compositing MXenes with hierarchical ZIF-67/cobalt hydroxide via controllable in situ etching for a high-performance supercapacitor

The accumulation and self-aggregation of nanosheets have been effectively inhibited. The interlamellar cobalt hydroxide nanostructures ensure efficient electron transfer. MXene as a conductive substrate improves electron transfer significantly.