Designing a hybrid nanomaterial based on Cr-containing polyoxometalate and graphene oxide as an electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction

A new polyoxometalate (POM)-based hybrid nanomaterial (denoted as PMo11-Cr-mGO) was designed via covalent interaction between the Cr(acac)3 complex and [PMo11O39]7- followed by immobilization on the surface of modified graphene oxide (mGO). The prepared nanomaterial was characterized using a series of physicochemical techniques. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and FE-SEM-EDS revealed the preservation of layered GO during the formation of the desired hybrid nanomaterial. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and elemental analysis confirmed the immobilization of POM (PMo11-Cr) on the surface of mGO and the formation of PMo11-Cr-mGO. In order to evaluate the performance of PMo11-Cr-mGO in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), electrochemical measurements were also performed. The resulting PMo11-Cr-mGO exhibited excellent HER activities with a low overpotential of 153 mV at 10 mA cm-2 and good durability in acidic media, thus emerging as one of the most efficient POM-based electrocatalysts.

Electron-Sponge Nature of Polyoxometalates for Next-Generation Electrocatalytic Water Splitting and Nonvolatile Neuromorphic Devices

Designing next-generation molecular devices typically necessitates plentiful oxygen-bearing sites to facilitate multiple-electron transfers. However, the theoretical limits of existing materials for energy conversion and information storage devices make it inevitable to hunt for new competitors. Polyoxometalates (POMs), a unique class of metal-oxide clusters, have been investigated exponentially due to their structural diversity and tunable redox properties. POMs behave as electron-sponges owing to their intrinsic ability of reversible uptake-release of multiple electrons. In this review, numerous POM-frameworks together with desired features of a contender material and inherited properties of POMs are systematically discussed to demonstrate how and why the electron-sponge-like nature of POMs is beneficial to design next-generation water oxidation/reduction electrocatalysts, and neuromorphic nonvolatile resistance-switching random-access memory devices. The aim is to converge the attention of scientists who are working separately on electrocatalysts and memory devices, on a point that, although the application types are different, they all hunt for a material that could exhibit electron-sponge-like feature to realize boosted performances and thus, encouraging the scientists of two completely different fields to explore POMs as imperious contenders to design next-generation nanodevices. Finally, challenges and promising prospects in this research field are also highlighted.

Recent Advances in Confining Polyoxometalates and the Applications

Polyoxometalates (POMs) are widely used in catalysis, energy storage, biomedicine, and other research fields due to their unique acidity, photothermal, and redox features. However, the leaching and agglomeration problems of POMs greatly limit their practical applications. Confining POMs in a host material is an efficient tool to address the above-mentioned issues. POM@host materials have received extensive attention in recent years. They not only inherent characteristics of POMs and host, but also play a significant synergistic effect from each component. This review focuses on the recent advances in the development and applications of POM@host materials. Different types of host materials are elaborated in detail, including tubular, layered, and porous materials. Variations in the structures and properties of POMs and hosts before and after confinement are highlighted as well. In addition, an overview of applications for the representative POM@host materials in electrochemical, catalytic, and biological fields is provided. Finally, the challenges and future perspectives of POM@host composites are discussed.

Co-assembly of graphene/polyoxometalate films for highly electrocatalytic and sensing hydroperoxide

Graphene oxide (GO) films mixed with polyethylenimine (PEI) were prepared by a layer-by-layer assembly (LBL) method, in which the GO component is then converted to reduced GO (rGO) in situ through an electron transfer interaction with a polyoxometalate (POM) that is assembled on the outer surface. With this, devices were manufactured by spreading composite films of (PEI/rGO)_n-POM with different numbers of PEI/rGO layers on ITO substrates. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) reveals that the catalytic activity for H₂O₂ of (PEI/rGO)_n-POM films was significantly higher than that of similar films of (PEI/GO)_n/PEI/POM manufactured LBL with the same number of layers, although the catalyst POM content of (PEI/rGO)_n-POM was only half that of (PEI/GO)_n/PEI/POM. The catalytic activity of (PEI/rGO)_n-POM films first increases and then decreases as the number of PEI/rGO layers increases. The result shows that (PEI/rGO)₃-POM films with three PEI/rGO layers exhibit the highest efficiency. Amperometric measurements of the (PEI/rGO)₃-POM films showed improved current response, high sensitivity, wide linear range, low detection limit, and fast response for H₂O₂ detection. The enhanced catalytic property of (PEI/rGO)_n-POM films is attributed to the electron transfer interaction and electrostatic interaction between POM and rGO.

Robust charge carrier engineering via plasmonic effect and conjugated Π-framework on Au loaded ZnCr-LDH/RGO photocatalyst towards H2 and H2O2 production

Au loaded ZnCr-LDH/RGO ternary photocatalyst for H2 and H2O2 production under visible light illumination.

Exploration of the Cs Trapping Phenomenon by Combining Graphene Oxide with α-K6P2W18O62 as Nanocomposite

A graphene oxide-based α-K₆P₂W₁₈O₆₂ (Dawson-type polyoxometalate) nanocomposite was formed by using two types of graphene oxide (GO) samples with different C/O compositions. Herein, based on the interaction of GO, polyoxometalates (POMs), and their nanocomposites with the Cs cation, quantitative data have been provided to explicate the morphology and Cs adsorption character. The morphology of the GO-POM nanocomposites was characterized by using TEM and SEM imaging. These results show that the POM particle successfully interacted above the surface of GO. The imaging also captured many small black spots on the surface of the nanocomposite after Cs adsorption. Furthermore, ICP-AES, the PXRD pattern, IR spectra, and Raman spectra all emphasized that the Cs adsorption occurred. The adsorption occurred by an aggregation process. Furthermore, the difference in the C/O ratio in each GO sample indicated that the ratio has significantly influenced the character of the GO-POM nanocomposite for the Cs adsorption. It was shown that the oxidized zone (sp²/sp³ hybrid carbon) of each nanocomposite sample was enlarged by forming the nanocomposite compared to the corresponding original GO sample. The Cs adsorption performance was also influenced after forming a composite. The present study also exhibited the fact that the sharp and intense diffractions in the PXRD were significantly reduced after the Cs adsorption. The result highlights that the interlayer distance was changed after Cs adsorption in all nanocomposite samples. This has a good correlation with the Raman spectra in which the second-order peaks changed after Cs adsorption.

Electronic structure modelling of the edge-functionalisation of graphene by MnxOy particles

The use of graphenic carbon is attractive as a basal or intermediate support for catalytic particles in advanced catalytic electrodes. This popularity is motivated by its excellent electrical properties and ability to form foliated conformal coatings of exceptional surface area and flexibility. Surface- and edge-functionalisation of graphene sheets affords diverse routes to the covalent attachment of candidate catalytic species. Of particular interest to advanced water oxidation is the possibility of covalent attachment of MnxOy species partially recapitulating the chemistry of the Mn4O5Ca active site of Photosystem II (PSII), which achieves the four-electron oxidation of water under physiological conditions. Here, we report aperiodic density functional theory (DFT) investigations of candidate attachment geometries for a variety of manganese oxide particles to graphene sheets. We find that the flexibility of graphene sheets as well as the conformational degrees of freedom of candidate edge functionalisation permits a large variety of realistic attachment geometries that can act as attachment sites for molecular manganese-oxide species or nuclei for the growth of periodic manganese oxides. We find that substantially simplified models of graphene attachment afford an excellent compromise between computational efficiency, tractability, and accuracy, and characterise the accuracy of these models in detail.

Electrochemical investigation and amperometry determination iodate based on ionic liquid/polyoxotungstate/P-doped electrochemically reduced graphene oxide multi-component nanocomposite modified glassy carbon electrode

A novel modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was successfully fabricated with a tetra-component nanocomposite consisting of (1,1′-(1,4-butanediyl)dipyridinium) ionic liquid (bdpy), SiW₁₁O₃₉Ni(H₂O) (SiW₁₁Ni) Keggin-type polyoxometalate (POM), and phosphorus-doped electrochemically reduced graphene oxide (P-ERGO) by electrodeposition technique. The (bdpy)SiW₁₁Ni/GO hybrid nanocomposite was synthesized by a one-pot hydrothermal method and characterized by UV-vis absorption, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, thermogravimetric-differential thermal analysis (TGA/DTA), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The morphology, electrochemical performance, and electrocatalysis activity of the nanocomposite modified glassy carbon electrode ((bdpy)SiW₁₁Ni/P-ERGO/GCE) were analyzed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), cyclic voltammetry (CV), square wave voltammetry (SWV), and amperometry, respectively. Under the optimum experimental conditions, the as-prepared sensor showed high sensitivity of 28.1 μA mM⁻¹ and good selectivity for iodate (IO₃⁻) reduction, enabling the detection of IO₃⁻ within a linear range of 10–1600 μmol L⁻¹ (R² = 0.9999) with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.47 nmol L⁻¹ (S/N = 3). The proposed electrochemical sensor exhibited good reproducibility, and repeatability, high stability, and excellent anti-interference ability, as well as analytical performance in mineral water, tap water, and commercial edible iodized salt which might provide a capable platform for the determination of IO₃⁻.

Constructing a sensitive electrochemical sensor based on (bdpy)SiW₁₁Ni/P-ERGO/GCE for IO₃⁻ detection at the nanomolar level with noticeable selectivity.

Photochemical and electrochemical reduction of graphene oxide thin films: tuning the nature of surface defects

Individual and combined photo(electro)chemical reduction treatments of graphene oxide thin films have been performed to modulate the type of defects introduced into the graphene sheets during the reduction. These were characterized by X-ray photoelectron and Raman spectroscopies, nuclear reaction analysis and electrochemical methods. Illumination of the graphene oxide thin film electrodes with low irradiance simulated solar light provoked the photoassisted reduction of the material with negligible photothermal effects. The photoreduced graphene oxide displayed a fragmented sp2 network due to the formation of a high density of defects (carbon vacancies) and the selective removal of epoxides and hydroxyl groups. In contrast, the electrochemical reduction under mild polarization conditions favored the formation of sp3 defects over vacancies, with a preferential removal of carbonyl and carboxyl groups over hydroxyl/epoxides. Used in conjunction, mild photochemical and electrochemical treatments allowed the obtainment of reduced graphene oxides with varied reduction degrees (ca. C/O ratio ranging from 4.9 to 2.2), and surface defects. Furthermore, the electrochemical reduction prevented the formation of vacancies during the subsequent illumination step. In contrast, both types of defects were accumulated when the GO electrode was first exposed to illumination and then polarized.

Electrochemical Reduction-Assisted In Situ Fabrication of a Graphene/Au Nanoparticles@polyoxometalate Nanohybrid Film: High-Performance Electrochemical Detection for Uric Acid

Nanohybrid films had attracted much attention owning to the enhancement of catalytic activity. However, the fabrication time took hours to days, no matter if it was the preparation of nanohybrids or the assembly process. Furthermore, the catalytic efficiency of the nanohybrid film still remained to improve. In this paper, a reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/gold nanoparticles (Au NPs)@polyoxometalate (POM) nanohybrid film was successfully fabricated by combining electrodeposition and electrochemical reduction in situ processes. The assembly process involving no organic or polymer linker molecules [except for a precursor poly(ethylenimine) (PEI) coating for indium tin oxide (ITO)] can be completed within 1 h. The reduced POM K₆[P₂W₁₈O₆₂]·19H₂O (P₂W₁₈) was employed as reducing agents and bridging molecules for rGO and Au nanoparticles and the encapsulating molecules for the Au nanoparticles. The most interesting one is the {rGO/Au@P₂W₁₈} modified electrode loading only the monolayer catalyst of Au@P₂W₁₈ and exhibiting comparable, even better electrochemical detection performance toward uric acid than other sensors with three to eight layers of the catalyst. The amperometric detection displayed a great sensitivity, lower detection limit, wide linear range, good long-time stability, superior selectivity, and reproducibility. The enhanced catalytic property may attribute to the improved conductivity of the film without organic or polymer linker molecules (except for a precursor PEI coating) and the electron transfer in the process of film fabrication.

Reduced State of the Graphene Oxide@Polyoxometalate Nanocatalyst Achieving High-Efficiency Nitrogen Fixation under Light Driving Conditions

The nitrogen (N₂) reduction to generate ammonia (NH₃) is a prerequisite for inputting fixed nitrogen (N) into a global biogeochemical cycle. Developing highly efficient photocatalysts for N₂ fixation under mild conditions is still a challenge. Herein, we first report three kinds of reduction states of graphene oxide (GO)@polyoxometalate (POM) composite nanomaterials, which have outstanding photocatalytic N₂ fixation activities in pure water without any other electronic sacrificial agents and cocatalysts at atmospheric pressure and room temperature. A lot of experiments show that the remarkable photocatalytic N₂ fixation performance of these three nanocatalysts is due to three factors that doping the reduced POMs (also called heteropoly blues) into the reduce GO (rGO) reduces the aggregation state of rGO (from 5 to 2 nm), resulting in rGO exposing many active sites to enhance the N₂ adsorption amount, these three nanocatalysts possess a wide absorption spectrum and strong reducibility, which facilitate absorb light energy exciting abundant photoelectrons to activate N₂, and rGO can effectively suppress the electrons recombination and rapidly transfer electrons to the absorbed N₂ to accelerate NH₃ production. Among them, r-GO@H₅[PMo₁₀V₂O₄₀] (PMo₁₀V₂) exhibits the highest NH₃ generation efficiency of 130.3 μmol L^-1 h^-1, which is improved by 65.9 and 97.3% compared to the reduced PMo₁₀V₂ (rPMo₁₀V₂) and PMo₁₀V₂. Introduction of POMs provides a new perspective in the design of high-performance photocatalytic N₂ fixation nanomaterials.

Tuning the photoluminescence property of carbon dots by ultraviolet light irradiation

Tuning of the photoluminescence property of carbon nanodots is realized by surface modification through ultraviolet light irradiation. The photoluminescence of the processed carbon nanodots in the visible region is weakened while that in the ultraviolet region increases significantly. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photo-electron spectroscopy reveal that the number of surface functional groups decrease significantly after ultraviolet light processing. By examining the electron donating and accepting properties, we confirm that the surface of the carbon nanodots is photoreduced by ultraviolet light, causing a decrease in the number of functional groups as well as emission in the visible region. The temporal behavior of the photoluminescence reveals that the increase of the emission in the ultraviolet region originates from the increased intrinsic state emission of the carbon nanodots.

Tuning of the photoluminescence property of carbon nanodots is realized by surface modification through ultraviolet light irradiation.

Dawson-type polyoxometalate-based vacancies g-C3N4 composite-nanomaterials for efficient photocatalytic nitrogen fixation

POM@V-g-C₃N₄ show outstanding photocatalytic N₂ fixation activities at mild conditions under illumination due to the excellent POM properties and rich defect structure. The reaction can form a self-healing, recyclable N₂-fixing catalytic system.

Robust Nanowrapping of Reduced Graphene Oxide by Metal-Organic Network Films between Fe Ions and Tetra(Catechol-Substituted) Porphyrin

We found the utilization of porphyrin-based metal-organic network films composed of tetra(catechol-substituted)porphyrin (cPor) and Fe ions for robust wrapping materials of graphene oxide (GO), which can keep the dispersion state under the chemical reduction of GO to reduced graphene oxide (rGO) in water. The tetra(catechol-substituted)porphyrin (cPor) was designed for soft-wrapping methods because the aromatic porphyrin moieties can be strongly adsorbed onto the surface of GO or rGO via both π-π interactions and the catechol-Fe coordination network formation. The GO sheets covered with the cPor-Fe films were reduced chemically in water under retention of the wrapped nanostructure of the cPor-Fe/GO sheets. The obtained rGO composites after chemical reduction are characterized by using UV-vis absorption, Raman, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra, as well as thermogravimetric analysis and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). XPS and EDX spectra showed the presence of Fe species, which originates from the coordinated Fe-catechol nodes in the wrapped cPor-Fe films. The wrapped rGO sheets could be easily handled in water because of their high solubility therein and exhibits electric conductivity. In dynamic light scattering analysis, the average diameter of rGO composites before and after reduction changed slightly from 419 ± 309 to 663 ± 697 nm, indicating that the chemical reduction is not significantly influenced by the size of the rGO composite or the solubility. It is expected that the soft wrapping cPor-Fe/rGO should employ the applications to prepare functional materials such as modified electrodes, catalysts, energy-storage materials, and electronic devices.

Polyoxomolybdate-Polypyrrole/Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanocomposite as High-Capacity Electrodes for Lithium Storage

A nanocomposite polyoxomolybdate (PMo₁₂)-polypyrrole (PPy)/reduced graphene oxide (RGO) is fabricated by using a simple one-pot hydrothermal method as an electrode material for lithium-ion batteries. This facile strategy skillfully ensures that individual polyoxometalate (POM) molecules are uniformly immobilized on the RGO surfaces because of the wrapping of polypyrrole (PPy), which avoids the desorption and dissolution of POMs during cycling. The unique architecture endows the PMo₁₂-PPy/RGO with the lithium storage behavior of a hybrid battery-supercapacitor electrode: the nanocomposite with a lithium storage capacity delivers up to 1000 mAh g^-1 at 100 mA g^-1 after 50 cycles. Moreover, it still demonstrates an outstanding rate capability and a long cycle life (372.4 mAh g^-1 at 2 A g^-1 after 400 cycles). The reversible capacity of this nanocomposite has surpassed most pristine POMs and POMs-based electrode materials reported to date.

Photoreduction of Graphene Oxide and Photochemical Synthesis of Graphene-Metal Nanoparticle Hybrids by Ketyl Radicals

The photoreduction of graphene oxide (GO) using ketyl radicals is demonstrated for the first time. The use of photochemical reduction through ketyl radicals generated by I-2959 or (1-[4-(2-hydroxyethoxy)phenyl]-2-hydroxy-2-methyl-1-propan-1-one) is interesting because it affords spatial and temporal control of the reduction process. Graphene-metal nanoparticle hybrids of Ag, Au, and Pd were also photochemically fabricated in a one-pot procedure. Comprehensive spectroscopic and imaging techniques were carried out to fully characterize the materials. The nanoparticle hybrids showed promising action for the catalytic degradation of model environmental pollutants, namely, 4-nitrophenol, Rose Bengal, and Methyl Orange. The process described can be extended to polymer nanocomposites that can be photopatterned and could be potentially extended to fabricating plastic electronic devices.

SiW12 -TiO2 Mesoporous Layer for Enhanced Electron-Extraction Efficiency and Conductivity in Perovskite Solar Cells

High quality electron-transport layer (ETL) with superior optical and electrical properties is an essential part in high efficient perovskite solar cells (PSCs). In this work, SiW₁₂ -TiO₂ mesoporous film is prepared by a facile one-step spin-coating deposition method and successfully applied as ETL in PSCs. Compared with pristine TiO₂ -based PSC, the SiW₁₂ -TiO₂ -based one shows a remarkable enhanced power conversion efficiency (PCE) from 12.00 to 14.66 %, which is owed to the higher conductivity, electron-extraction efficiency, and well-matched energy level alignment of SiW₁₂ -TiO₂ film. Moreover, the SiW₁₂ -TiO₂ -based device also shows a good long-time stability in under ambient conditions. This work demonstrates that using polyoxometalates (POMs) to modify the metal-oxide semiconductors is an effective approach for further enhancing the performance of PSCs.

Facile Synthesis of Graphene Sponge from Graphene Oxide for Efficient Dye-Sensitized H2 Evolution

Graphene is an advanced carbon energy material due to its excellent properties. Reduction of graphene oxide (GO) is the most promising mass production route of graphene/reduced graphene oxide (rGO). To maintain graphene's properties and avoid restacking of rGO sheets in bulk, the preparation of 3-dimensional porous graphene sponge via 2-dimensional rGO sheets is considered as a good strategy. This article presents a facile route to synthesize graphene sponge by thermal treating GO powder at low temperature of 250 °C under N2 atmosphere. The sponge possesses macroporous structure (5-200 nm in size) with BET specific surface area of 404 m(2) g(-1) and high conductivity. The photocatalytic H2 production activity of the rGO sponge with a sensitizer Eosin Y (EY) and cocatalyst Pt was investigated. The rGO sponge shows highly efficient dye-sensitized photocatalytic H2 evolution compared to that obtained via a chemical reduction method. The maximum apparent quantum yield (AQY) reaches up to 75.0% at 420 nm. The possible mechanisms are discussed. The synthesis method can be expanded to prepare other graphene-based materials.

Facile and green decoration of Pd nanoparticles on macroporous carbon by polyoxometalate with enhanced electrocatalytic ability

A well-defined Pd nanoparticles@polyoxometalates/macroporous carbon (Pd@POMs/MPC) tri-component nanohybrid has been developed using a facile, green, and one-pot synthesis method.

Enhancement of photochemical heterogeneous water oxidation by a manganese based soft oxometalate immobilized on a graphene oxide matrix

Enhancement of photochemical water oxidation using a graphene oxide matrix for [Na₁₇[Mn₆P₃W₂₄O₉₄(H₂O)₂]·43H₂O@GO] soft-oxometalate is shown.

Noncovalent Functionalization of Graphene Nanosheets with Cluster-Cored Star Polymers and Their Reinforced Polymer Coating

A noncovalent and phase-transfer-assisted method is developed for the fabrication of polymer-functionalized graphene, in which a series of cluster-cored star polymers (CSPs) containing a polyoxometalate core and polystyrene (PS) arms are used as modifiers. Through the electron transfer interaction between polyoxometalate and graphene, the CSPs can strongly adsorb on graphene nanosheets and transfer them from aqueous media to organic solvents like chloroform, forming individually dispersed graphene. Moreover, the CSP-functionalized graphene is well compatible with additional polymer matrices and can serve as a reinforcing nanofiller for polymer composites. A 0.2 wt% loading of them in PS coating achieves a 98.9% high enhancement in Young's modulus.

Electrochemical-reduction-assisted assembly of ternary Ag nanoparticles/polyoxometalate/graphene nanohybrids and their activity in the electrocatalysis of oxygen reduction

Ternary Ag NPs@POM/rGO nanohybrids were synthesized by an electrochemical-reduction-assisted assembly method and had high electrocatalytic activity towards the oxygen reduction reaction.

A silver-alkynyl cluster encapsulating a fluorescent polyoxometalate core: enhanced emission and fluorescence modulation

A fluorescent polyoxometalate-based silver(i)-alkynyl cluster exhibits sensitivity towards high energy UV irradiation and selectivity for detection of S²⁻.

Polypyrrole–polyoxometalate/reduced graphene oxide ternary nanohybrids for flexible, all-solid-state supercapacitors

Novel ternary nanohybrids PPy–PMo₁₂/rGO are synthesizedviaan H₃PMo₁₂O₄₀-mediated one-pot redox relay strategy. The nanohybrids exhibit excellent supercapacitive performance.

An introduction to the chemistry of graphene

This perspective outlines the chemistry of graphene, including functionalization, doping, photochemistry, catalytic chemistry and supramolecular chemistry.