Review on Carbon Dioxide Utilization for Cycloaddition of Epoxides by Ionic Liquid-Modified Hybrid Catalysts: Effect of Influential Parameters and Mechanisms Insight

Carbon nanomaterial-based aptasensors for rapid detection of foodborne pathogenic bacteria

Each year, millions of people suffer from foodborne illness due to the consumption of food contaminated with pathogenic bacteria, which severely challenges global health. Therefore, it is essential to recognize foodborne pathogens swiftly and correctly. However, conventional detection techniques for bacterial pathogens are labor-intensive, low selectivity, and time-consuming, highlighting a notable knowledge gap. A novel approach, aptamer-based biosensors (aptasensors) linked to carbon nanomaterials (CNs), has shown the potential to overcome these limitations and provide a more reliable method for detecting bacterial pathogens. Aptamers, short single-stranded DNA (ssDNA)/RNA molecules, serve as bio-recognition elements (BRE) due to their exceptionally high affinity and specificity in identifying foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli (E. coli), Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter jejuni, and other relevant pathogens commonly associated with foodborne illnesses. Carbon nanomaterials' high surface area-to-volume ratio contributes unique characteristics crucial for bacterial sensing, as it improves the binding capacity and signal amplification in the design of aptasensors. Furthermore, aptamers can bind to CNs and create aptasensors with improved signal specificity and sensitivity. Hence, this review intends to critically review the current literature on developing aptamer functionalized CN-based biosensors by transducer optical and electrochemical for detecting foodborne pathogens and explore the advantages and challenges associated with these biosensors. Aptasensors conjugated with CNs offers an efficient tool for identifying foodborne pathogenic bacteria that is both precise and sensitive to potentially replacing complex current techniques that are time-consuming.

The potential utility of dendritic fibrous nanosilica as an adsorbent and a catalyst in carbon capture, utilization, and storage

Anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG; e.g., CO2) are regarded as the most critical cause of the current global climate crisis. To combat this issue, a plethora of CO2 capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies have been proposed and developed based on a number of technical principles (e.g., post-combustion capture, chemical looping, and catalytic conversion). In this light, the potential utility of dendritic fibrous nanosilica (DFNS) materials is recognized for specific CCUS applications (such as adsorptive capture of CO2 and its catalytic conversion into a list of value-added products (e.g., methane, carbon monoxide, and cyclic carbonates)) with the highly tunable properties (e.g., high surface area, pore volume, multifunctional surface, and open pore structure). This review has been organized to offer a comprehensive evaluation of the approaches required for tuning the textural/morphological/surface properties of DFNS (based on multiple synthesis and modification scenarios) toward CCUS applications. It further discusses the effects of such approaches on the properties of DFNS materials in relation to their CCUS performance. This review is thus expected to help develop and implement advanced strategies for DFNS-based CCUS technologies.

Ionic Liquids in Metal, Photo-, Electro-, and (Bio) Catalysis

Ionic liquids (ILs) have unique physicochemical properties that make them advantageous for catalysis, such as low vapor pressure, non-flammability, high thermal and chemical stabilities, and the ability to enhance the activity and stability of (bio)catalysts. ILs can improve the efficiency, selectivity, and sustainability of bio(transformations) by acting as activators of enzymes, selectively dissolving substrates and products, and reducing toxicity. They can also be recycled and reused multiple times without losing their effectiveness. ILs based on imidazolium cation are preferred for structural organization aspects, with a semiorganized layer surrounding the catalyst. ILs act as a container, providing a confined space that allows modulation of electronic and geometric effects, miscibility of reactants and products, and residence time of species. ILs can stabilize ionic and radical species and control the catalytic activity of dynamic processes. Supported IL phase (SILP) derivatives and polymeric ILs (PILs) are good options for molecular engineering of greener catalytic processes. The major factors governing metal, photo-, electro-, and biocatalysts in ILs are discussed in detail based on the vast literature available over the past two and a half decades. Catalytic reactions, ranging from hydrogenation and cross-coupling to oxidations, promoted by homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts in both single and multiphase conditions, are extensively reviewed and discussed considering the knowledge accumulated until now.

Cobalt complexes with α-amino acid ligands catalyze the incorporation of CO2 into cyclic carbonates

Arguably one of the largest research areas involving carbon dioxide (CO₂) fixation is the coupling of CO₂ to epoxides to form cyclic carbonates and polycarbonates. In this sense, there is an ever-increasing demand for the development of higher-performing catalytic systems that could counterbalance sustainability and energy efficiency in the production of cyclic carbonates. The use of abundant first-row transition metals combined with naturally occurring amino acids may be an ideal catalytic platform to fulfill this demand. Nevertheless, detailed information on the interactions between metal centers and natural products as catalysts in this transformation is lacking. Here a series of Co(III) amino acid catalysts operating in a binary system showed outstanding performance for the coupling reaction of epoxides and CO₂. Nine new complexes of the type trans(N)-[Co(aa)₂(bipy)]Cl (aa: ala, asp, lys, met, phe, pro, ser, tyr, and val) were used to explore the structure-activity relationship influenced by the complex outer coordination sphere, and its effect on the catalytic activity in the coupling reaction of CO₂ and epoxides.

Pyridinium-Inspired Organocatalysts for Carbon Dioxide Fixation: A Density Functional Theory Inspection

The current project aims to apply the virtues of minimalism to examine the catalytic ability of commercially organic compounds of small chemical structures to catalyze the coupling reaction between carbon dioxide and propylene oxide (PO) under mild conditions. The proposed catalysts are pyridinium iodide (A), 2-hydroxypyridinium iodide (B), and piperidinium iodide (C), where their structure is based on cooperative acidic and nucleophilic motifs. The quantum chemistry model, M062X-D3/def2-TZVP//M062X-D3/def2-SVPP, was used to understand the reaction mechanism and the catalytic performance. Since the coupling reaction was performed under excess PO, we proposed that PO serves as a reactant and solvent. Therefore, calculations were performed in gas and liquid phases for comparison. The findings indicated that the rate-determining step depends on the chemical structure of the catalyst and whether the phase is a gas or liquid phase. In general, modeling in the liquid phase produces potential energy surfaces of lower energy barriers. The noncovalent interactions reflect the role of hydrogen bonding in controlling the kinetic behavior of the coupling reaction. Based on the finding, catalyst A is the best candidate for transforming CO₂ into cyclic carbonates.

Highly Exposed NH2 Edge on Fragmented g-C3 N4 Framework with Integrated Molybdenum Atoms for Catalytic CO2 Cycloaddition: DFT and Techno-Economic Assessment

This study focuses on the applicability of single-atom Mo-doped graphitic carbon nitride (GCN) nanosheets which are specifically engineered with high surface area (exfoliated GCN), NH₂ rich edges, and maximum utilization of isolated atomic Mo for propylene carbonate (PC) production through CO₂ cycloaddition of propylene oxide (PO). Various operational parameters are optimized, for example, temperature (130 °C), pressure (20 bar), catalyst (Mo₂ GCN), and catalyst mass (0.1 g). Under optimal conditions, 2% Mo-doped GCN (Mo₂ GCN) has the highest catalytic performance, especially the turnover frequency (TOF) obtained, 36.4 h^-1 is higher than most reported studies. DFT simulations prove the catalytic performance of Mo₂ GCN significantly decreases the activation energy barrier for PO ring-opening from 50-60 to 4.903 kcal mol^-1 . Coexistence of Lewis acid/base group improves the CO₂ cycloaddition performance by the formation of coordination bond between electron-deficient Mo atom with O atom of PO, while NH₂ surface group disrupts the stability of CO₂ bond by donating electrons into its low-level empty orbital. Steady-state process simulation of the industrial-scale consumes 4.4 ton h^-1 of CO₂ with PC production of 10.2 ton h^-1 . Techno-economic assessment profit from Mo₂ GCN is estimated to be 60.39 million USD year^-1 at a catalyst loss rate of 0.01 wt% h^-1 .

Hexagonal Layer Manganese Metal-Organic Framework for Photocatalytic CO2 Cycloaddition Reaction

A novel manganese metal-organic framework (Mn-MOF) termed UAEU-50 assembled from a benzenedicarboxylate linker (BDC) and trinuclear manganese clusters was synthesized and fully characterized using different spectroscopic and analytic techniques (e.g., X-ray powder diffraction, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy). UAEU-50 adopted a hexagonal layer structure and exhibited superior thermal stability and robust chemical stability. Photocatalytic activities of UAEU-50 were investigated using the cycloaddition of CO₂ to different epoxides, forming cyclic carbonates. Impressively, UAEU-50 can transform up to 90% photocatalytic CO₂ conversion to cyclic carbonates in the visible-light region at ambient conditions.

Efficient synthesis of cyclic carbonates from CO2 under ambient conditions over Zn(betaine)2Br2: experimental and theoretical studies

It is very interesting to synthesize high value-added chemicals from CO₂ under mild conditions with low energy consumption. Here, we report that a novel catalyst, Zn(betaine)₂Br₂, can efficiently promote the cycloaddition of CO₂ with epoxides to synthesize cyclic carbonates under ambient conditions (30 °C, 1 atm). DFT calculations provide important insights into the mechanism, particularly the unusual synergistic catalytic action of Zn²⁺, Br^- and NR⁴⁺, which is the critical factor for the outstanding performance of Zn(betaine)₂Br₂. The unique features of the catalyst are that it is cheap, green and very easy to prepare.

A Brief Review of Catalytic Cathode Materials for Na-CO2 Batteries

As an emerging energy storage technology, Na-CO2 batteries with high energy density are drawing tremendous attention because of their advantages of combining cost-effective energy conversion and storage with CO2 clean recycle and utilization. Nevertheless, their commercial applications are impeded by unsatisfactory electrochemical performance including large overpotentials, poor rate capability, fast capacity deterioration, and inferior durability, which mainly results from the inefficient electrocatalysts of cathode materials. Therefore, novel structured cathode materials with efficient catalytic activity are highly desired. In this review, the latest advances of catalytic cathode materials for Na-CO2 batteries are summarized, with a special emphasis on the electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction and evolution, the formation and decomposition of discharge product, as well as their catalytic mechanism. Finally, an outlook is also proposed for the future development of Na-CO2 batteries.

Photocatalytic Activities of FeNbO4/NH2-MIL-125(Ti) Composites toward the Cycloaddition of CO2 to Propylene Oxide

Photocatalytic utilization of CO2 in the production of value-added chemicals has presented a recent green alternative for CO2 fixation. In this regard, three FeNbO4/NH2-MIL-125(Ti) composites of different mole ratios were synthesized, characterized using Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-Vis DRS), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX). PXRD patterns confirm the co-existence of the parent components in the prepared composites. Moreover, the surface area increased as the mole percent of NH2-MIL-125(Ti) in the composites increased due to the large surface area of NH2-MIL-125(Ti). Prepared composites were investigated for the photocatalytic insertion of CO2 into propylene oxide. FeNbO4(75%)/NH2-MIL-125(Ti)(25%) showed the highest percent yield of 52% compared to the other two composites. Results demonstrate the cooperative mechanism between FeNbO4 and NH2-MIL-125(Ti) and that the reaction proceeded photocatalytically.