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Nanomaterials
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Nano-Composites for Photo- and Electrocatalysis and Its Application
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Nano-Composites for Photo- and Electrocatalysis and Its Application

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy and Catalysis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2023) | Viewed by 8554

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Songlin Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
Interests: nanomaterial; nanosynthesis; metal-organic framework; electrocatalysis; battery; supercapacitor; electron microscopy
Prof. Dr. Zaicheng Sun

grade E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry and Biology, Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
Interests: photo-response nanomaterials for energy and the environment; carbon dots and their applications
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Photo- and electrocatalysis are concerned with redox reactions at the solid-liquid interface. Various emerging photo-electrochemical devices in the energy and environmental field are strongly associated with catalytic half-reactions, such as OER (oxygen evolution reaction), ORR (oxygen reduction reaction), HER (hydrogen evolution reaction), and CO2RR (carbon dioxide reduction reaction), etc. Noble-metal-based nanomaterials have long been employed commercially and are regarded as the most state-of-art catalysts in industrial and academic fields. On the other hand, transition-metal-based materials with delicate nanostructures are established as a versatile platform and have broadened the scope of nanoscience. Structural and compositional properties are especially considered in the design of nanocomposites targeted at highly exposed active sites to boost intrinsic activity and achieve advanced electrochemical performance.

This Special Issue of Nanomaterials aims to present original research or reviews highlighting the application of nanocomposites in photo- and electrocatalysis. The design and engineering of heterogeneous nanocomposites are the main focus of this SI, but other topics include: noble-metal-based nanocomposites; transition-metal-based nanocomposites; carbon-based nanocomposites; MOFs-derived nanocomposites; polymer matrix nanocomposites; and magnetic nanocomposites. This Special Issue will highlight the current trends and progress in the field of photo- electrocatalysis.

Dr. Songlin Zhang
Prof. Dr. Zaicheng Sun
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nanomaterials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • nanomaterial
  • nanocomposites
  • photocatalysis
  • electrocatalysis
  • electrochemistry
  • heterogeneous catalysis
  • energy conversion

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 3375 KiB  
Article
An Unprecedented CeO2/C Non-Noble Metal Electrocatalyst for Direct Ascorbic Acid Fuel Cells
by Chenxi Qiu, Qiang Zhou, Rui Gao, Yizheng Guo, Jiaqi Qin, Dongqi Wang and Yujiang Song
Nanomaterials 2023, 13(19), 2669; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13192669 - 28 Sep 2023
Viewed by 673
Abstract
Direct ascorbic acid fuel cells (DAAFCs) employ biocompatible ascorbic acid (AA) as fuel, allowing convenient storage, transportation, and fueling as well as avoiding fuel crossover. The AA oxidation reaction (AAOR) largely governs the performance of DAAFCs. However, AAOR electrocatalysts currently have low activity, [...] Read more.
Direct ascorbic acid fuel cells (DAAFCs) employ biocompatible ascorbic acid (AA) as fuel, allowing convenient storage, transportation, and fueling as well as avoiding fuel crossover. The AA oxidation reaction (AAOR) largely governs the performance of DAAFCs. However, AAOR electrocatalysts currently have low activity, and state-of-the-art ones are limited to carbon black. Herein, we report the synthesis of an unprecedented AAOR electrocatalyst comprising 3.9 ± 1.1 nm CeO2 nanoparticles evenly distributed on carbon black simply by the wet chemical precipitation of Ce(OH)3 and a subsequent heat treatment. The resultant CeO2/C shows a remarkable AAOR activity with a peak current density of 13.1 mA cm−2, which is 1.7 times of that of carbon black (7.67 mA cm−2). According to X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), the surface Ce3+ of CeO2 appears to contribute to the AAOR activity. Furthermore, our density functional theory (DFT) calculation reveals that that the proton of the hydroxyl group of AA can easily migrate to the bridging O sites of CeO2, resulting in a faster AAOR with respect to the pristine carbon, -COOH, and -C=O sites of carbon. After an i-t test, CeO2/C loses 17.8% of its initial current density, which is much superior to that of carbon black. CeO2 can capture the electrons generated by the AAOR to protect the -COOH and -C=O sites from being reduced. Finally, DAAFCs fabricated with CeO2/C exhibit a remarkable power density of 41.3 mW cm−2, which is the highest among proton-exchange-membrane-based DAAFCs in the literature. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nano-Composites for Photo- and Electrocatalysis and Its Application)
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15 pages, 3361 KiB  
Article
Photocatalytic Semi-Hydrogenation of Alkynes: A Game of Kinetics, Selectivity and Critical Timing
by Melissa Cely-Pinto, Bowen Wang and Juan C. Scaiano
Nanomaterials 2023, 13(17), 2390; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13172390 - 22 Aug 2023
Viewed by 1104
Abstract
The semi-hydrogenation reaction of alkynes is important in the fine chemicals and pharmaceutical industries, and it is thus important to find catalytic processes that will drive the reaction efficiently and at a low cost. The real challenge is to drive the alkyne-to-alkene reaction [...] Read more.
The semi-hydrogenation reaction of alkynes is important in the fine chemicals and pharmaceutical industries, and it is thus important to find catalytic processes that will drive the reaction efficiently and at a low cost. The real challenge is to drive the alkyne-to-alkene reaction while avoiding over-hydrogenation to the saturated alkane moiety. The problem is more difficult when dealing with aromatic substitution at the alkyne center. Simple photocatalysts based on Palladium tend to proceed to the alkane, and stopping at the alkene with good selectivity requires very precise timing with basically no timing tolerance. We report here that the goal of high conversion with high selectivity could be achieved with TiO2-supported copper (Cu@TiO2), although with slower kinetics than for Pd@TiO2. A novel bimetallic catalyst, namely, CuPd@TiO2 (0.8% Cu and 0.05% Pd), with methanol as the hydrogen source could improve the kinetics by 50% with respect to Cu@TiO2, while achieving selectivities over 95% and with exceptional timing tolerance. Further, the low Palladium content minimizes its use, as Palladium is regarded as an element at risk of depletion. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nano-Composites for Photo- and Electrocatalysis and Its Application)
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12 pages, 6422 KiB  
Article
Synthesis of Multiple Emission Carbon Dots from Dihydroxybenzoic Acid via Decarboxylation Process
by Pengfei Li, Jijian Xu, Ziye Shen, Wenning Liu, Li An, Dan Qu, Xiayan Wang and Zaicheng Sun
Nanomaterials 2023, 13(14), 2062; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13142062 - 13 Jul 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1187
Abstract
Carbon dots (CDs), as a new zero-dimensional carbon-based nanomaterial with desirable optical properties, exhibit great potential for many application fields. However, the preparation technique of multiple emission CDs with high yield is difficult and complex. Therefore, exploring the large-scale and straightforward synthesis of [...] Read more.
Carbon dots (CDs), as a new zero-dimensional carbon-based nanomaterial with desirable optical properties, exhibit great potential for many application fields. However, the preparation technique of multiple emission CDs with high yield is difficult and complex. Therefore, exploring the large-scale and straightforward synthesis of multicolor CDs from a simple carbon source is necessary. In this work, the solvent-free method prepares a series of multicolor emission CDs from dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHBA). The maximum emission wavelengths are 408, 445, 553, 580, and 610 nm, respectively, covering the visible light region. The 2,4- and 2,6-CDs possess the longer emission wavelength caused by the 2,4-, and 2,6-DHBA easily undergo decarboxylation to form the larger sp2 domain graphitized structure. These CDs incorporated with g-C3N4 can significantly improve the photocatalytic water-splitting hydrogen production rate by extending the visible light absorption and enhancing the charge separation efficiency. The long-wavelength emission CDs can further enhance photocatalytic activity primarily by improving visible light absorption efficiency. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nano-Composites for Photo- and Electrocatalysis and Its Application)
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15 pages, 5231 KiB  
Article
Noble Metal Nanoparticle-Loaded Porphyrin Hexagonal Submicrowires Composites (M-HW): Photocatalytic Synthesis and Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity
by Shuanghong Liu, Guan Huang, Jiefei Wang, Jianshuai Bao, Mengyue Wang, Yaqun Wei, Yong Zhong and Feng Bai
Nanomaterials 2023, 13(4), 660; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13040660 - 08 Feb 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1502
Abstract
Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) photocatalysts have attracted considerable attention because of their strong absorption capacity of visible light and enhanced photogenic carrier separation efficiency. However, the separate production of metal nanoparticles (NPs) and semiconductors limits the photogenic charge transfer. As one of the [...] Read more.
Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) photocatalysts have attracted considerable attention because of their strong absorption capacity of visible light and enhanced photogenic carrier separation efficiency. However, the separate production of metal nanoparticles (NPs) and semiconductors limits the photogenic charge transfer. As one of the most promising organic photocatalysts, porphyrin self-assemblies with a long-range ordered structure-enhance electron transfer. In this study, plasmonic noble metal-based porphyrin hexagonal submicrowires composites (M-HW) loaded with platinum (Pt), silver (Ag), gold (Au), and palladium (Pd) NPs were synthesized through a simple in situ photocatalytic method. Homogeneous and uniformly distributed metal particles on the M-HW composites enhanced the catalytic or chemical properties of the organic functional nanostructures. Under the same loading of metal NPs, the methyl orange photocatalytic degradation efficiency of Ag-HW [kAg-HW (0.043 min−1)] composite was three times higher than that of HW, followed by Pt-HW [kPt-HW (0.0417 min−1)], Au-HW [kAu-HW (0.0312 min−1)], and Pd-HW [kPd-HW (0.0198 min−1)]. However, the rhodamine B (RhB) and eosin B photocatalytic degradations of Pt-HW were 4 times and 2.6 times those of HW, respectively. Finally, the SPR-induced electron injection, trapping, and recombination processes of the M-HW system were investigated. These results showed that M-HW plasmonic photocatalysts exhibited excellent photocatalytic performances, making them promising materials for photodegrading organic pollutants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nano-Composites for Photo- and Electrocatalysis and Its Application)
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11 pages, 4997 KiB  
Article
Super-Branched PdCu Alloy for Efficiently Converting Carbon Dioxide to Carbon Monoxide
by Kaili Bao, Yunjie Zhou, Jie Wu, Zenan Li, Xiong Yan, Hui Huang, Yang Liu and Zhenhui Kang
Nanomaterials 2023, 13(3), 603; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13030603 - 02 Feb 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1883
Abstract
The alloying of noble metals with Cu is one of the most effective strategies for improving catalytic performance and reducing cost in electrocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction reactions (CO2RR). Previous works usually focused on the influence of morphology and composition on the [...] Read more.
The alloying of noble metals with Cu is one of the most effective strategies for improving catalytic performance and reducing cost in electrocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction reactions (CO2RR). Previous works usually focused on the influence of morphology and composition on the catalytic activity, but lacked the study of the valence state ratio of metals and the electron transfer behavior on alloys. In this work, PdCu−2 alloy (Pd/Cu molar ratio is 1:2) was obtained by a simple one-step solvothermal method, which can effectively convert CO2 to CO with a maximum Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 85% at −0.9 V (vs. RHE). Then, the effect of the chemical state of Pd and Cu on the catalytic performance was investigated. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) shows that the binding energy of Pd in PdCu alloy has a negative shift, which has affected the adsorption of key intermediates. When the proportion of oxidized state and zero-valent metal in the alloy is about 1:2, the PdCu alloy shows the best catalytic activity. In addition, the transient photovoltage (TPV) measurements further demonstrate that due to the introduction of Cu, the electron transfer rate of PdCu−2 becomes the slowest, which helps the accumulation of electrons on PdCu−2 and leads to the improvement of catalytic performance for electrocatalytic CO2RR. This work can provide more insights into the alloy catalysts of electrocatalytic CO2RR. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nano-Composites for Photo- and Electrocatalysis and Its Application)
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8 pages, 3187 KiB  
Article
Displacement Reaction-Assisted Synthesis of Sub-Nanometer Pt/Bi Boost Methanol-Tolerant Fuel Cells
by Xianling Wu, Dumei Wang, Xueming Kang, Dongtang Zhang, Yong Yan, Guangsheng Guo, Zaicheng Sun and Xiayan Wang
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(8), 1301; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12081301 - 11 Apr 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1414
Abstract
The development of new synthetic methods for methanol-tolerant catalysts with improved performance is of fundamental importance for the commercialization of fuel cells. Herein, we reported a facile displacement reaction-assisted synthesis of graphene-supported sub-nanometer Pt/Bi catalysts (Pt/Bi/rGO). Bismuth (0) nanoparticles produced by NH3 [...] Read more.
The development of new synthetic methods for methanol-tolerant catalysts with improved performance is of fundamental importance for the commercialization of fuel cells. Herein, we reported a facile displacement reaction-assisted synthesis of graphene-supported sub-nanometer Pt/Bi catalysts (Pt/Bi/rGO). Bismuth (0) nanoparticles produced by NH3BH3 reduction can be further dissolved into the ethylene glycol, implying Bi(0) has a strong interaction with the hydroxyl group. That is the key interaction between Bi(0) and the functional group on the rGO to form the ultra-small Bi/rGO catalyst. Furthermore, Pt clusters are obtained by the displacement between Bi(0) and HPtCl4 and are directly anchored to the rGO surface. The as-synthesized Pt/Bi/rGO catalyst exhibits high oxygen reduction mass activity and high tolerance to methanol poisoning. In the presence of 0.5 mol/L CH3OH, the initial potential and activity of ORR were almost unchanged, which demonstrated great potential in the application of direct methanol fuel cells. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nano-Composites for Photo- and Electrocatalysis and Its Application)
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