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At least 271 records · Page 15

RuO 2 nanoparticles supported on MnO 2 nanorods as high efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst of lithium-oxygen battery

RuO2 nanoparticles supported on MnO2 nanorods (denoted as np-RuO2/nr-MnO2) were synthesized via a two-step hydrothermal reaction. SEM and TEM images both illustrated that RuO2 nanoparticles are well dispersed on the surface of MnO2 nanorods in the as-prepared np-RuO2/nr-MnO2 material. Electrochemical results demonstrated that the np-RuO2/nr-MnO2 as oxygen cathode of Li-O-2 batteries could maintain a reversible capacity of 500 mA h g(-1) within 75 cycles at a rate of 50 mA g(-1), and a higher capacity of 4000 mA h g(-1) within 20 cycles at a rate as high as 200 mA g(-1). Moreover, the cell with the np-RuO2/nr-MnO2 catalyst presented much lower voltage polarization (about 0.58 V at a rate of 50 mA g(-1)) than that measured with only MnO2 nanorods during charge/discharge processes. The catalytic property of the np-RuO2/nr-MnO2 and MnO2 nanorods were further compared by conducting studies of using rotating disk electrode (RDE), chronoamperommetry and linear sweep voltammetry. The results illustrated that the np-RuO2/nr-MnO2 exhibited excellent bifunctional electrocatalytic activities towards both oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Furthermore, in-situ high-energy X-ray diffraction was employed to trace evolution of species on the np-RuO2/nr-MnO2 cathode during the discharge processes. In-situ XRD patterns demonstrated the formation process of the discharge products that consisted of mainly Li2O2. Ex-situ SEM images were recorded to investigate the morphology and decomposition of the sphere-like Li2O2, which could be observed clearly after discharge process, while are decomposed almost after charge process. The excellent electrochemical performances of the np-RuO2/nr-MnO2 as cathode of Li-O-2 battery could be contributed to the excellent bifunctional electrocatalytic activities for both the ORR and OER, and to the one-dimensional structure which would benefit the diffusion of oxygen and the storage of Li2O2 in the discharge process of Li-O-2 battery.

Xu, Yue-Feng↗

Insights into Supported Subnanometer Catalysts Exposed to CO via Machine-Learning-Enabled Multiscale Modeling

Subnanometer catalysts offer high noble metal utilization and superior performance for several reactions. However, understanding their structures and properties on an atomic scale under working conditions is challenging due to the large configurational space. Here, we introduce an efficient multiscale framework to predict their stability exposed to an adsorbate. The framework integrates a comprehensive toolset including density functional theory (DFT) calculations, cluster expansion, machine learning, and structure optimization. The end-to-end machine-learning workflow guides DFT data generation and enables significant computational acceleration. We demonstrate the approach for CO-adsorbed Pdn (n = 1–55) clusters on CeO 2 (111). Simulation results reveal that CO can facilitate restructuring by stabilizing smaller planar structures and bilayer structures of specific intermediate sizes, consistent with experimental reports. Metal–support interactions, preferential CO adsorption, and metal nuclearity and structure control catalyst stability. As a result, the framework allows automatic discovery of stable catalyst structures and a systematic strategy to exploit properties in the subnanometer scale.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Predicting Reaction Products and Automating Reactive Trajectory Characterization in Molecular Simulations with Support Vector Machines

A machine learning-based methodology for the prediction of chemical reaction products, along with automated elucidation of mechanistic details via phase space analysis of reactive trajectories, is introduced using low-dimensional heuristic models and then applied to ab initio computer simulations of the photodissociation of acetaldehyde, an important chemical system in atmospheric chemistry. Our method is centered around training Support Vector Machines (SVMs) to identify optimal separatrices that delineate the regions of phase space that lead to different chemical reaction products. In contrast to the more common “black box” type machine learning methodologies for analyzing chemical simulation data, this SVM-based methodology allows for mechanistic insight to be gleaned from further analysis of the positioning of the phase space points used to train the SVM with respect to the separatrices. For example, a pair of phase space points that are in close proximity to each other but on opposite sides of a separatrix may be situated on opposite sides of a transition state, while phase space points occurring early in a simulation that are distant from a separatrix are likely to belong to trajectories that are highly biased toward the product state associated with the basin of attraction to which they belong. In addition to inferring mechanistic details about multiple-pathway chemical reactions, our method can also be used to increase reactive trajectory sampling efficiency in molecular simulations via rejection sampling, with trajectories leading to undesired product states being identified and terminated early in the simulation rather than being carried to completion.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Polypropylene Degradation Catalyzed by Tantalum Hydrides Supported on Sulfated Alumina

Ta–H + sites supported on sulfated aluminum oxide (SAO), [Ta(H) 2 (O–) 2 ][SAO] (1), catalyze the hydrogenolysis of isotactic polypropylene (iPP, M n = 13.3 kDa; D = 2.4; mmmm = 94%) to form low-molecular-weight branched alkanes (C 11 –C 30 ) in good yields (70%). Here, the alkanes formed lose stereochemical information originating from iPP, but residual iPP remains highly isotactic. In the presence of D 2 , similar mixtures of alkanes are formed containing –CH 3–x D x , –CHD, and –CD–. Residual iPP maintains high tacticity and incorporates deuterium primarily into –CH 3 groups of the polymer (–CH 3–x D x /–CHD–/–CD– ~10:1:0). 1 reacts with pinacolborane to form [TaH(κ 2 -H 2 BPin)(O–) 2 ][SAO] (2). At 200 °C in an iPP melt, 2 reacts to form products indicative of C–H bond activation at –CH 3 groups and internal –CH 2 – groups in iPP in a ~1:3 ratio, indicating a slight kinetic preference for C–H bond activation at internal –CH 2 – groups. 1 is more reactive toward iPP than high-density polyethylene in hydrogenolysis reactions

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Impact of pH on Aqueous-Phase Phenol Hydrogenation Catalyzed by Carbon-Supported Pt and Rh

In aqueous phase, the rates of hydrogenation of aromatic substrates such as phenol on Pt/C and Rh/C are influenced by varying activity of hydronium ions. Decreasing the pH from 8 to 1 increases the rate of hydrogenation of phenol on Pt at 20 bar H 2 and 80 °C by 15-fold. This increase is attributed to weakening of the hydrogen binding energy (HBE) on the metal surface with decreasing pH. A weaker HBE at lower pH is also predicted by ab initio molecular dynamics simulations, providing atomistic insight into the impact of electrolyte ion distribution and interfacial solvent reorganization on HBE. The lower HBE results in a decrease in the activation energy for addition of adsorbed H from the metal to the adsorbed organic (with a Brønsted–Evans–Polanyi slope of ~1). In conclusion, the kinetic model derived accounts also for the lack of pH dependence at low hydrogen coverages (at 1 bar H 2 on Pt or up to 70 bar H 2 on Rh), when the weakening of the HBE decreases the hydrogen coverage.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

CO Oxidation by Subnanometer AgxAu3–x Supported Clusters via Density Functional Theory Simulations

The activity of AgxAu3–x/MgO(100) clusters in CO oxidation is investigated computationally via systematic sampling techniques. It is found that these subnanometer species transform after ligand adsorption into reaction complexes which catalyze CO oxidation through a variety of different mechanisms, occurring via both Langmuir–Hinshelwood and Eley–Rideal paths and in some cases directly involving the oxide support. The alloyed Ag2Au1 cluster is proposed as the best catalyst in terms of efficiency and robustness.

caculations↗

Diblock Copolymer Micelles and Supported Films with Noncovalently Incorporated Chromophores: A Modular Platform for Efficient Energy Transfer

Here we report generation of modular, artificial light-harvesting assemblies where an amphiphilic diblock copolymer, poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(butadiene), serves as the framework for noncovalent organization of BODIPY-based energy donor and bacteriochlorin-based energy acceptor chromophores. The assemblies are adaptive and form well-defined micelles in aqueous solution and high-quality monolayer and bilayer films on solid supports, with the latter showing greater than 90% energy transfer efficiency. Ultimately, this study lays the groundwork for further development of modular, polymer-based materials for light harvesting and other photonic applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Reversing sintering effect of Ni particles on γ-Mo 2 N via strong metal support interaction

Reversing the thermal induced sintering phenomenon and forming high temperature stable fine dispersed metallic centers with unique structural and electronic properties is one of the ever-lasting targets of heterogeneous catalysis. Here we report that the dispersion of metallic Ni particles into under-coordinated two-dimensional Ni clusters over γ-Mo 2 N is a thermodynamically favorable process based on the AIMD simulation. A Ni-4nm/γ-Mo 2 N model catalyst is synthesized and used to further study the reverse sintering effect by the combination of multiple in-situ characterization methods, including in-situ quick XANES and EXAFS, ambient pressure XPS and environmental SE/STEM etc. The under-coordinated two-dimensional layered Ni clusters on molybdenum nitride support generated from the Ni-4nm/γ-Mo 2 N has been demonstrated to be a thermally stable catalyst in 50 h stability test in CO 2 hydrogenation, and exhibits a remarkable catalytic selectivity reverse compared with traditional Ni particles-based catalyst, leading to a chemo-specific CO 2 hydrogenation to CO.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Synthesis and reactivity of molybdenum and tungsten bis(dinitrogen) complexes supported by diphosphine chelates containing pendant amines

In this study, we report the synthesis and characterization of molybdenum bis(dinitrogen) complexes supported by two PNP diphosphine ligands, Mo(N{sub 2}){sub 2}(PNP){sub 2}; PNP = [(R{sub 2}PCH{sub 2}){sub 2}N(R'), R = Et (ethyl), Ph (phenyl); R'= Me (methyl), Bn (benzyl)], and a series of tungsten bis(dinitrogen) complexes containing one or two PNP ligands, W(N{sub 2}){sub 2}(dppe)(PNP) and W(N{sub 2}){sub 2}(PNP){sub 2}, respectively, and the analogues complexes without pendant amines for comparison. These Mo- and W-N{sub 2} complexes were characterized by NMR, IR, spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry and structurally characterized by X-ray crystallography. In addition, reactivity of the complexes with CO is described.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗