CeO2/rGO/Pt sandwich nanostructure: rGO-enhanced electron transmission between metal oxide and metal nanoparticles for anodic methanol oxidation of direct methanol fuel cells

Cerium-Based Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Evolution/Reduction Reactions: Progress and Perspectives

Ce-based materials have been widely used in photocatalysis and other fields because of their rich redox pairs and oxygen vacancies, despite research on the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) remaining scare. However, most pristine cerium-based materials, such as CeO₂, are non-conductive materials. Therefore, how to obtain highly conductive and stable OER/ORR electrocatalysts is currently a hot research topic. To overcome these limitations, researchers have proposed a variety of strategies to promote the development of Ce-based electrocatalysts in recent years. This progress report focuses on reviewing new strategies concerning three categories of Ce-based electrocatalysts: metal-organic framework (MOF) derivatives, structure tuning, and polymetallic doping. It also puts forward the main existing problems and future prospects. The content of cerium in the crust is about 0.0046%, which is the highest among the rare earth elements. As a low-cost rare earth material, Ce-based materials have a bright future in the field of electrocatalysis due to replacing precious metal and some transition metals.

Cerium functionalized graphene nano-structures and their applications; A review

Graphene-based nanomaterials with remarkable properties, such as good biocompatibility, strong mechanical strength, and outstanding electrical conductivity, have dramatically shown excellent potential in various applications. Increasing surface area and porosity percentage, improvement of adsorption capacities, reduction of adsorption energy barrier, and also prevention of agglomeration of graphene layers are the main advantages of functionalized graphene nanocomposites. On the other hand, Cerium nanostructures with remarkable properties have received a great deal of attention in a wide range of fields; however, in some cases low conductivity limits their application in different applications. Therefore, the combination of cerium structures and graphene networks has been widely invesitaged to improve properties of the composite. In order to have a comprehensive information of these nanonetworks, this research reviews the recent developments in cerium functionalized graphene derivatives (graphene oxide (GO), reduced graphene oxide (RGO), and graphene quantum dot (GQD) and their industrial applications. The applications of functionalized graphene derivatives have also been successfully summarized. This systematic review study of graphene networks decorated with different structure of Cerium have potential to pave the way for scientific research not only in field of material science but also in fluorescent sensing, electrochemical sensing, supercapacitors, and catalyst as a new candidate.

Noncovalently copper-porphyrin functionalized reduced graphene oxide for sensitive electrochemical detection of dopamine

The nanocomposite of an electron-deficient flat tetrakis-(ethoxycarbonyl) porphyrin copper(II) (Cu-TECP) and reduced grapheme oxide (RGO) was prepared and used for electrochemical detection of dopamine (DA). The prepared nanocomposite was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Electrochemical studies of the modified glass carbon electrode (GCE) were carried out by the cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammograms (DPV) methods. The RGO/Cu-TECP/GCE exhibited enhanced electrocatalytic activity towards the detection of dopamine (DA). The detection limit was 0.58 μM, while the linear range was from 2 to 200 μM ([Formula: see text] 0.997).

In situ formation of reduced graphene oxide structures in ceria by combined sol-gel and solvothermal processing

Raman and IR investigations indicated the presence of reduced graphene oxide (rGO)-like residues on ceria nanoparticles after solvothermal treatment in ethanol. The appearance of such structures is closely related to cerium tert-butoxide as precursor and ethanol as solvothermal solvent. The rGO-like residues improve the catalytic CO oxidation activity. This was also confirmed by introduction of "external" graphene oxide during sol-gel processing, by which the rGO structures and the catalytic activity were enhanced.

N-doped TiO₂ Nanotubes as an Effective Additive to Improve the Catalytic Capability of Methanol Oxidation for Pt/Graphene Nanocomposites

N-doped TiO₂ nanotubes have been prepared as additives to improve the catalytic capability of Pt/graphene composites in methanol oxidation reactions. Electrochemical experiments show that the catalytic performance of Pt/graphene composites has been greatly improved by the introduction of N-doped TiO₂ nanotubes.

Highly dispersed CeO₂ on TiO₂ nanotube: a synergistic nanocomposite with superior peroxidase-like activity

In this report, a novel nanocomposite of highly dispersed CeO2 on a TiO2 nanotube was designed and proposed as a peroxidase-like mimic. The best peroxidase-like activity was obtained for the CeO2/nanotube-TiO2 when the molar ratio of Ce/Ti was 0.1, which was much higher than that for CeO2/nanowire-TiO2, CeO2/nanorod-TiO2, or CeO2/nanoparticle-TiO2 with a similar molar ratio of Ce/Ti. Moreover, in comparison with other nanomaterial based peroxidase mimics, CeO2/nanotube-TiO2 nanocomposites exhibited higher affinity to H2O2 and 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB). Kinetic analysis indicated that the catalytic behavior was in accordance with typical Michaelis-Menten kinetics. Ce(3+) sites were confirmed as the catalytic active sites for the catalytic reaction. The first interaction of surface CeO2 with H2O2 chemically changed the surface state of CeO2 by transforming Ce(3+) sites into surface peroxide species causing adsorbed TMB oxidation. Compared with CeO2/nanowire-TiO2, CeO2/nanorod-TiO2, and CeO2/nanoparticle-TiO2, the combination of TiO2 nanotube with CeO2 presented the highest concentration of Ce(3+) thus leading to the best peroxidase-like activity. On the basis of the high activity of CeO2/nanotube-TiO2, the reaction provides a simple method for colorimetric detection of H2O2 and glucose with the detection limits of 3.2 and 6.1 μM, respectively.

Graphene-based transition metal oxide nanocomposites for the oxygen reduction reaction

The development of low cost, durable and efficient nanocatalysts to substitute expensive and rare noble metals (e.g. Pt, Au and Pd) in overcoming the sluggish kinetic process of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is essential to satisfy the demand for sustainable energy conversion and storage in the future. Graphene based transition metal oxide nanocomposites have extensively been proven to be a type of promising highly efficient and economic nanocatalyst for optimizing the ORR to solve the world-wide energy crisis. Synthesized nanocomposites exhibit synergetic advantages and avoid the respective disadvantages. In this feature article, we concentrate on the recent leading works of different categories of introduced transition metal oxides on graphene: from the commonly-used classes (FeOx, MnOx, and CoOx) to some rare and heat-studied issues (TiOx, NiCoOx and Co-MnOx). Moreover, the morphologies of the supported oxides on graphene with various dimensional nanostructures, such as one dimensional nanocrystals, two dimensional nanosheets/nanoplates and some special multidimensional frameworks are further reviewed. The strategies used to synthesize and characterize these well-designed nanocomposites and their superior properties for the ORR compared to the traditional catalysts are carefully summarized. This work aims to highlight the meaning of the multiphase establishment of graphene-based transition metal oxide nanocomposites and its structural-dependent ORR performance and mechanisms.

Superior methanol electrooxidation activity and CO tolerance of mesoporous helical nanospindle-like CeO2 modified Pt/C

In an attempt to enhance the electrocatalytic activity and CO tolerance of ceria modified Pt/C electrodes, a novel structured ceria material has been developed.

Enhanced catalytic performance of a Pt-xCeO2/Graphene catalyst for DMFCs by adjusting the crystal-plane and shape of nanoscale ceria

Oxygen storage capacity is influenced by the morphology and crystal-plane(s) of CeO₂, which can thus affect the ability of this material to oxidise carbon monoxide.

An enzymatic biosensor for hydrogen peroxide based on one-pot preparation of CeO2-reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite

The study describes cerium oxide-reduced graphene oxide (CeO₂-rGO) prepared by a facile one-pot hydrothermal approach and its assembly with horseradish peroxidase (HRP) for the detection of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) at trace levels.

Platinum nanoparticles on porphyrin functionalized graphene nanosheets as a superior catalyst for methanol electrooxidation

A novel nanostructured catalyst of platinum nanoparticles supported on 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(1-methyl-4-pyridinio)porphyrin tetra(p-toluenesulfonate) (TMPyP) functionalized graphene (TMPyP-graphene) is synthesized by the hydrothermal polyol process. The as-synthesized nanocomposites are characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and electrochemical tests. It has been found that Pt nanoparticles of ca. 3.4 nm are uniformly dispersed on the surface of TMPyP-graphene, and hold a high electrochemical active surface area (ECSA) of 126.2 m(2) g(-1). The results demonstrate that the Pt/TMPyP-graphene catalyst exhibits a much higher electrocatalytic activity and stability than the Pt/graphene and commercial Pt/C catalysts for methanol oxidation, which is of significant importance in improving the efficiency of Pt-based electrocatalysts for DMFCs applications.

ZnO and cobalt phthalocyanine hybridized graphene: efficient photocatalysts for degradation of rhodamine B

A novel method has been developed to synthesize graphene-ZnO composite as a highly efficient catalyst by reduction of graphite oxide and in situ deposition of ZnO nanoparticles by chemical reduction reaction. The graphene-ZnO catalyst is capable of complete degradation of rhodamine B under exposure to natural sunlight. Further, the catalytic efficiency of graphene-ZnO catalyst was enhanced by sensitizing with cobalt phthalocyanine. The formation of graphene-ZnO photocatalyst and its further sensitization with cobalt phthalocyanine was characterized using UV-vis, ATR-IR and Raman spectroscopy, powder XRD and thermogravimetric analysis. The morphology of both graphene-ZnO and graphene-ZnO-CoPC catalysts was analyzed using scanning and transmission electron microscopes.

Graphene nanoribbons hybridized carbon nanofibers: remarkably enhanced graphitization and conductivity, and excellent performance as support material for fuel cell catalysts

High electronic conductivity of the support material and uniform distribution of the catalyst nanoparticles (NPs) are extremely desirable for electrocatalysts. In this paper, we present our recent progress on electrocatalysts for fuel cells with simultaneously improved conductivity of the supporting carbon nanofibers (CNFs) and distribution of platinum (Pt) NPs through facile incorporation of graphene nanoribbons (GNRs). Briefly, GNRs were obtained by the cutting and unzipping of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and subsequent thermal reduction and were first used as novel nanofillers in CNFs towards high performance support material for electrocatalysis. Through electrospinning and carbonization processes, GNR embedded carbon nanofibers (G-CNFs) with greatly enhanced graphitization and electronic conductivity were synthesized. Chemical deposition of Pt NPs onto G-CNFs generated a new Pt-G-CNF hybrid catalyst, with homogeneously distributed Pt NPs of ∼3 nm. Compared to Pt-CNF (Pt on pristine CNFs) and Pt-M-CNF (Pt on MWCNT embedded CNFs), Pt-G-CNF hybrids exhibit significantly improved electrochemically active surface area (ECSA), better CO tolerance for electro-oxidation of methanol and higher electrochemical stability, testifying G-CNFs are promising support materials for high performance electrocatalysts for fuel cells.

PPyNT-Im-PtAu alloy nanoparticle hybrids with tunable electroactivity and enhanced durability for methanol electrooxidation and oxygen reduction reaction

Polypyrrole nanotubes (PPyNTs)/PtAu alloy nanoparticle (NP) hybrids were synthesized in gram-scale by using covalently attached imidazolium moieties as a linker. The approach involves the surface functionalization of PPyNTs with pendant imidazolium moieties (PPyNT-Im), anion-exchange with Pt and Au precursors, and followed by the reduction of metal ions to produce the PtAu alloy NPs on the surface of PPyNTs. X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM), and elemental mapping showed that both Pt and Au were atomically distributed in the PtAu alloy NPs without phase segregation. The composition of the PtAu alloy NPs can be simply controlled by adjusting the feed ratio in the metal precursor solution. The electrocatalytic properties of prepared PPyNT-Im-PtxAuy (the suffixes x and y represent the relative molar ratio of Pt and Au in the feed, respectively) NP hybrids were determined by the composition of alloy NPs. The Pt-rich NP hybrids, PPyNT-Im-Pt8Au2, showed highly electrocatalytic activity and stability toward the methanol oxidation in both acidic and alkaline solutions, whereas the Au-rich NP hybrids, PPyNT-Im-Pt2Au8, showed an enhanced catalytic activity and durability upon oxygen reduction. The present study provided a simple and effective approach for the preparation of PtAu alloy catalysts with controllable composition for high-performance fuel cells and electrochemical sensors.