Fabrication of CNT-N@Manganese Oxide Hybrid Nanomaterials through a Versatile One-Pot Eco-Friendly Route toward Engineered Textile Supercapacitors

The expansion of the Internet of Things market and the proliferation of wearable technologies have generated a significant demand for textile-based energy storage systems. This work reports the engineered design of hybrid electrode nanomaterials of N-doped carbon nanotubes (CNT-N) functionalized with two types of manganese oxides (MOs)-birnessite (MnO2) and hausmannite (Mn3O4)-and their application in solid-state textile-based hybrid supercapacitors (SCs). A versatile citric acid-mediated eco-friendly one-pot aqueous precipitation process is proposed for the fabrication of the hybrids. Remarkably, different types of MOs were obtained by simply changing the reaction temperature from room temperature to 100 °C, without any post-thermal treatment. Asymmetric textile SCs were developed using cotton fabrics coated with CNT-N and the hybrids as textile electrodes, and poly(vinyl) alcohol/orthophosphoric acid as the solid-gel electrolyte. The asymmetric devices presented enhanced energy storage performance relative to the symmetric device based on CNT-N and excellent cycling stability (>96%) after 8000 charge/discharge cycles owing to synergistic effects between CNT-N and the MOs, which endowed nonfaradaic and pseudocapacitive features to the SCs. The asymmetric SC based on CNT-N@MnO2 featured 47% higher energy density and comparable power density to the symmetric CNT-N-based device (8.70 W h cm-2 at 309.01 μW cm-2 vs. 5.93 W h cm-2 at 346.58 μW cm-2). The engineered hybrid CNT-N@MO nanomaterials and the eco-friendly citric acid-assisted one-pot precipitation route open promising prospects not only for energy storage, but also for (photo)(electro)catalysis, wastewater treatment, and (bio)sensing.

Flexible free-standing Ni-Mn oxide antenna decorated CNT/nanofiber membrane for high-volumetric capacitance supercapacitors

There is growing demand for lightweight flexible supercapacitors with high electrochemical performance for wearable and portable electronics. Here, we spun nanoparticles of nickel-manganese oxides along with carbon nanotubes into carbon nanofibers and engineered a 3D networked Ni-Mn oxides/CNT@CNF free-standing membrane for flexible supercapacitor applications. The electrospinning process controlled the nanoparticle aggregation while subsequent heat treatment generates nanochannels in the fibres, resulting in a very porous tubular nanocomposite structure. The preparation process also enabled good interfacial contact between the nanoparticles and the conductive carbon network. The resulting Ni-Mn oxides/CNT@CNF membrane displays high mass loading (Ni-Mn oxides) of 855 mg cm^-3 and low CNT incorporation of ∼0.4%. The outstanding porous structure, synergy of the carbon with Ni-Mn oxides, and fast and facile faradaic reactions on the electrode were responsible for the superior volumetric capacitance of 250 F cm^-3 at 1 A cm^-3, energy density as high as 22 mW h cm^-3 and an excellent power density of 12 W cm^-3. Despite the low CNT loading, the hybrid electrode exhibits excellent cycling performance with capacitance retention of 96.4% after 10 000 cycles evidencing a well-preserved Ni-manganese oxide nanostructure throughout the cycling. The resulting outstanding electrochemical performances of the Ni-Mn oxides/CNT@CNF synergic system offer new insights into effective utilization of transition metal oxides for establishing high-performance flexible supercapacitors within a confined volume.

Selective Mild Oxidation of Anilines into Nitroarenes by Catalytic Activation of Mesoporous Frameworks Linked with Gold-Loaded Mn3 O4 Nanoparticles

This work reports the synthesis and catalytic application of mesoporous Au-loaded Mn3 O4 nanoparticle assemblies (MNAs) with different Au contents, i. e., 0.2, 0.5 and 1 wt %, towards the selective oxidation of anilines into the corresponding nitroarenes. Among common oxidants, as well as several supported gold nanoparticle platforms, Au/Mn3 O4 MNAs containing 0.5 wt % Au with an average particle size of 3-4 nm show the best catalytic performance in the presence of tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) as a mild oxidant. In all cases, the corresponding nitroarenes were isolated in high to excellent yields (85-97 %) and selectivity (>98 %) from acetonitrile or greener solvents, such as ethyl acetate, after simple flash chromatography purification. The 0.5 % Au/Mn3 O4 catalyst can be isolated and reused four times without a significant loss of its activity and can be applied successfully to a lab-scale reaction of p-toluidine (1 mmol) leading to the p-nitrotulene in 83 % yield. The presence of AuNPs on the Mn3 O4 surface enhances the catalytic activity for the formation of the desired nitroarene. A reasonable mechanism was proposed including the plausible formation of two intermediates, the corresponding N-aryl hydroxylamine and the nitrosoarene.

Synergistic catalysis on Fe-N x sites and Fe nanoparticles for efficient synthesis of quinolines and quinazolinones via oxidative coupling of amines and aldehydes

In this paper, we developed a reusable heterogeneous non-precious iron nanocomposite comprising metallic Fe-Fe3C nanoparticles and Fe-N x sites on N-doped porous carbon, which allows for highly efficient synthesis of quinolines and quinazolinones via oxidative coupling of amines and aldehydes using H2O2 as the oxidant in aqueous solution under mild conditions. A set of quinazolines and quinazolinones were synthesized in high yields with a broad substrate scope and good tolerance of functional groups. Characterization and control experiments disclose that a synergistic effect between the metallic Fe nanoparticles and built-in Fe-N x sites is primarily responsible for the outstanding catalytic performance. Furthermore, the iron nanocomposite could be readily recovered for successive use without appreciable loss in catalytic activity and selectivity. This work provides an expedient and sustainable method to access pharmaceutically relevant N-heterocycles.

Metallopolymers for advanced sustainable applications

Since the development of metallopolymers, there has been tremendous interest in the applications of this type of materials. The interest in these materials stems from their potential use in industry as catalysts, biomedical agents in healthcare, energy storage and production as well as climate change mitigation. The past two decades have clearly shown exponential growth in the development of many new classes of metallopolymers that address these issues. Today, metallopolymers are considered to be at the forefront for discovering new and sustainable heterogeneous catalysts, therapeutics for drug-resistant diseases, energy storage and photovoltaics, molecular barometers and thermometers, as well as carbon dioxide sequesters. The focus of this review is to highlight the advances in design of metallopolymers with specific sustainable applications.

Advances in Nanostructured Metal-Encapsulated Porous Organic-Polymer Composites for Catalyzed Organic Chemical Synthesis

Porous organic polymers (POPs) are of growing research interest owing to their high surface areas, stabilities, controllable chemical configurations, and tunable pore volumes. The molecular nanoarchitecture of POP provides metal or metal oxide binding sites, which is promising for the development of advanced heterogeneous catalysts. This article highlights the development of numerous kinds of POPs and key achievements to date, including their functionalization and incorporation of nanoparticles into their framework structures, characterization methods that are predominantly in use for POP-based materials, and their applications as catalysts in several reactions. Scientists today are capable of preparing POP-based materials that show good selectivity, activity, durability, and recoverability, which can help overcome many of the current environmental and industrial problems. These POP-based materials exhibit enhanced catalytic activities for diverse reactions, including coupling, hydrogenation, and acid catalysis.

Selective Oxidation of Biomass-Derived Alcohols and Aromatic and Aliphatic Alcohols to Aldehydes with O2/Air Using a RuO2-Supported Mn3O4 Catalyst

Selective catalytic oxidation of carbohydrate-derived 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, furfuryl alcohol, and various aromatic and aliphatic compounds to the corresponding aldehyde is a challenging task. The development of a sustainable heterogeneous catalyst is crucial in achieving high selectivity for the desired aldehyde, especially using O2 or air. In this study, a RuO2-supported Mn3O4 catalyst is reported for the selective oxidation reaction. Treatment of MnO2 molecular sieves with RuCl3 in aqueous formaldehyde solution gives a new type of RuO2-supported Mn3O4 catalyst. Detailed catalyst characterization using powder X-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption, scanning and transmission electron microscopes, diffuse reflectance UV-visible spectrometer, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy proves that the RuO2 species are dispersed on the highly crystalline Mn3O4 surface. This catalytic conversion process involves molecular oxygen or air (flow, 10 mL/min) as an oxidant. No external oxidizing reagent, additive, or cocatalyst is required to carry out this transformation. This oxidation protocol affords 2,5-diformylfuran, 2-formylfuran, and other aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes in good to excellent yield (70-99%). Moreover, the catalyst is easily recycled and reused without any loss in the catalytic activity.

Tuning the Synthesis of Manganese Oxides Nanoparticles for Efficient Oxidation of Benzyl Alcohol

The liquid phase oxidation of benzyl alcohol is an important reaction for generating benzaldehyde and benzoic acid that are largely required in the perfumery and pharmaceutical industries. The current production systems suffer from either low conversion or over oxidation. From the viewpoint of economy efficiency and environmental demand, we are aiming to develop new high-performance and cost-effective catalysts based on manganese oxides that can allow the green aerobic oxidation of benzyl alcohol under mild conditions. It was found that the composition of the precursors has significant influence on the structure formation and surface property of the manganese oxide nanoparticles. In addition, the crystallinity of the resulting manganese nanoparticles was gradually improved upon increasing the calcination temperature; however, the specific surface area decreased obviously due to pore structure damage at higher calcination temperature. The sample calcined at the optimal temperature of 600 °C from the precursors without porogen was a Mn3O4-rich material with a small amount of Mn2O3, which could generate a significant amount of [Formula: see text] species on the surface that contributed to the high catalytic activity in the oxidation. Adding porogen with precursors during the synthesis, the obtained catalysts were mainly Mn2O3 crystalline, which showed relatively low activity in the oxidation. All prepared samples showed high selectivity for benzaldehyde and benzoic acid. The obtained catalysts are comparable to the commercial OMS-2 catalyst. The synthesis-structure-catalysis interaction has been addressed, which will help for the design of new high-performance selective oxidation catalysts.

Efficient and Highly Selective Solvent-Free Oxidation of Primary Alcohols to Aldehydes Using Bucky Nanodiamond

Selective oxidation of alcohols to aldehydes is widely applicable to the synthesis of various green chemicals. The poor chemoselectivity for complicated primary aldehydes over state-of-the-art metal-free or metal-based catalysts represents a major obstacle for industrial application. Bucky nanodiamond is a potential green catalyst that exhibits excellent chemoselectivity and cycling stability for the selective oxidation of primary alcohols in diverse structures (22 examples, including aromatic, substituted aromatic, unsaturated, heterocyclic, and linear chain alcohols) to their corresponding aldehydes. The results are comparable to reported transition-metal catalysts including conventional Pt/C and Ru/C catalysts for certain substrates under solvent-free conditions. The possible activation process of the oxidant and substrates by the surface oxygen groups and defect species are revealed with model catalysts, ex situ electrochemical measurements, and ex situ attenuated total reflectance. The zigzag edges of sp² carbon planes are shown to play a key role in these reactions.

Metal oxide as a template in the preparation of porous poly(2-hydroxyethylmethylacrylate-co-divinylbenzene) particles as a metallocene catalyst support

Porous functional P(HEMA-co-DVB) particles with controllable pore structure and morphology were prepared using metal oxide as particle-forming template.

Synthesis and characterization of functional porous organic polymers as efficient metallocene catalyst supports

Porous P(HEMA-co-DVB) particles with tunable pore structure and morphology were prepared by a dispersion polymerization strategy.