Article
Chemistry, Physical
Judith Zander, Jana Timm, Morten Weiss, Roland Marschall
Summary: Photocatalytic nitrogen fixation is explored as a sustainable alternative for the Haber-Bosch process. This study combines defect-rich carbon nitride with FeS2 to improve ammonia production. Detailed material characterization reveals that ammonia is generated via light-induced reduction of (sic)N-CN groups in the carbon nitride structure. FeS2 acts as a cocatalyst, enhancing ammonia yield by pi-back-donation from Fe-centers.
ADVANCED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Judith Zander, Jana Timm, Morten Weiss, Roland Marschall
Summary: The article discusses the generation of ammonia using defective polyheptazine and pyrite under light irradiation, presenting a promising decentralized approach as a sustainable alternative to the Haber-Bosch process.
ADVANCED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Xin Bai, Man Li, Jinlun Li, Xi Rao, Shaohui Zheng, Yongping Zhang
Summary: It is important to introduce nitrogen defects in polymeric carbon nitride molecules by calcining trithiocyanuric acid and melamine at different temperatures, which can enhance photocatalytic performance by inducing midgap energy level changes, increasing light utilization, and facilitating charge transfer and separation.
ACS APPLIED NANO MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Chong Wang, Yuchen Hou, Jiajia Cheng, Mei-Jin Lin, Xinchen Wang
Summary: Selective oxidation reactions play a key role in converting petrochemical feedstock into commodity chemicals and pharmaceuticals, but efficiency and selectivity are often limited. A donor-acceptor functional carbon nitride photocatalyst (ECN) was developed through surface engineering photochemical modification, showing significant enhancement in the photocatalytic aerobic oxidation of alcohols under 620 nm red-light irradiation.
APPLIED CATALYSIS B-ENVIRONMENTAL
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Pengju Yang, Lei Shang, Jianghong Zhao, Ming Zhang, Hu Shi, Hongxia Zhang, Hengquan Yang
Summary: The study presented a strategy of using acetonitrile treatment to create nitrogen vacancies on the surface of PCN photocatalyst, greatly improving the efficiency of syngas production. This method not only accelerates the transfer kinetics of photogenerated charge carriers, but also allows for tuning the H2/CO ratio of syngas, achieving efficient syngas production under visible light.
APPLIED CATALYSIS B-ENVIRONMENTAL
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Chuang Han, Bidyut Kumar Kundu, Yujun Liang, Yujie Sun
Summary: This review article provides an overview of recent advancements in utilizing near-infrared (NIR) light for photocatalysis, with a particular focus on the emerging field of two-photon excitation NIR photocatalysis. The article highlights the advantages of utilizing NIR light and two-photon excitation compared to UV-visible irradiation and one-photon excitation.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Qi Li, Luoming Zhang, Jianan Liu, Jing Zhou, Yanqing Jiao, Xudong Xiao, Chen Zhao, Yang Zhou, Sheng Ye, Baojiang Jiang, Jian Liu
Summary: By constructing 1D strip-like carbon nitride from carbon-doping, this study addresses the issues of high carrier recombination rate and low charge transfer efficiency, improving the hydrogen evolution rate significantly. The effective pi delocalization and porous structure of the carbon-doped 1D carbon nitride play a key role in accelerating charges and mass transfer, leading to a much higher hydrogen evolution rate compared to polymeric carbon nitride under visible light irradiation.
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Wei Wang, Yu Huang, Zhenyu Wang
Summary: Photocatalytic technology, utilizing sunlight to generate active species for environmental remediation, is closely related to the semiconductor's photoabsorption, carrier separation, and redox ability. Various strategies such as heterojunction fabrication and element doping have been employed to enhance the photocatalytic performance of g-C3N4.
ACTA PHYSICO-CHIMICA SINICA
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zongyang Ya, Xinyu Jiang, Peng Wang, Jingjin Cai, Qiyou Wang, Haijiao Xie, Shanglin Xiang, Tingwei Wang, Dongyu Cai
Summary: This work presents a novel tubular g-C3N4 with a hierarchical core-shell structure achieved through the incorporation of phosphorous elements and nitrogen vacancies. The core is composed of randomly stacked ultra-thin nanosheets, enabling efficient electron/hole separation and visible-light absorption. This photocatalyst demonstrates outstanding performance in the photodegradation of rhodamine B and tetracycline hydrochloride under low intensity visible light, as well as remarkable hydrogen evolution rate under visible light. The introduction of phytic acid into the melamine and urea solution during hydrothermal treatment leads to the formation of this hierarchical structure, offering a facile and scalable approach for mass production.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Jingying Chen, Yukun Zhu, Xianfeng Yang, Wanneng Ye, Jiaxiu Liu, Denys S. Butenko, Ping Lu, Pingping Meng, Yan Xu, Dongjiang Yang, Shuchao Zhang
Summary: This study synthesized a superior visible-light-driven photocatalyst comprising a red phosphorus nanodot-modified carbon nitride nanotube heterostructure for bacterial inactivation. The optimized photocatalyst rapidly and completely destroyed Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus under white LED irradiation. The efficient photocatalytic activity was attributed to the unique heterojunction structure and broad absorption spectra.
ACS APPLIED NANO MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Anna Dai, Zhenxiong Huang, Li Tian, Ziying Zhang, Xiangjiu Guan, Liejin Guo
Summary: In this study, a phenyl-grafted carbon nitride photocatalyst was synthesized, which exhibited extended visible-light absorption and a higher photocatalytic H2-evolution rate compared to conventional catalysts.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Zhangkai Chen, Meifang Li, Xinjiang Hu, Yuan Yuan, Hui Wang, Jiaqin Deng, Xiaodong Ji, Guoyu Li, Yuan Ouyang, Ni Liu
Summary: This review summarizes the synthesis methods developed in recent years for regulating the position and concentration of nitrogen defects in graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4), as well as the characterization methods for identifying these defects. The mechanism of how nitrogen defects enhance the photocatalytic performance of g-C3N4 is explored, including their role in enhancing light absorption, promoting carrier transfer and separation, and increasing carrier consumption through surface reactions. The opportunities and challenges related to the identification, synthesis, and mechanism of nitrogen defects are discussed.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Pengju Yang, Ruirui Wang, Huilin Tao, Yongfan Zhang, Maria-Magdalena Titirici, Xinchen Wang
Summary: The study presents unique cobalt nitride/nitrogen-rich carbons as efficient catalysts for converting CO2 into CO. These catalysts exhibit significantly higher mass activity and CO production compared to previously reported catalysts.
APPLIED CATALYSIS B-ENVIRONMENTAL
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Yi Yang, Yuanyuan Chen, Zhenhui Li, Senpei Tang, Youji Li, Zaihui Fu, Shitao Yang, Ming Yang, Haijiao Xie
Summary: This study reports the superior performance of a homojunction material MTCN in CO2 photocatalytic reduction, which is prepared by thermal polymerization and calcination under air, exhibiting improved porosity and photoelectric conversion efficiency.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Haotian Tan, Wenping Si, Wei Peng, Xin Chen, Xiaoqing Liu, Yong You, Liqun Wang, Feng Hou, Ji Liang
Summary: This study introduces localized polarization via strain engineering to enhance the photocatalytic efficiency of two-dimensional carbon nitride materials. By reducing the exciton binding energy and promoting charge separation, the multielectron photocatalytic process is significantly improved, leading to increased hydrogen evolution yield and other photocatalytic reactions.
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Xinyu Guo, Bo Liu, Xinhua Gao, Fugui He, Qingxiang Ma, Subing Fan, Tian-sheng Zhao, Jumei Tian, Prasert Reubroycharoen, Jianli Zhang
Summary: The hydrophilic/hydrophobic properties of catalysts greatly affect product distribution in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis by modulating secondary reactions. It has been found that hydrophilic modification can inhibit secondary reactions. In this study, Fe catalysts supported on hydroxyapatite (HAP) were prepared using an impregnation method. The effect of catalyst surface properties on CO hydrogenation product distribution was investigated. The surface hydroxyl groups on Fe/HAP promoted carbon chain growth and improved olefin selectivity. The addition of Na promoter suppressed the formation of undesirable CH4, further enhancing the selectivity for light olefins and C5+ hydrocarbons. Fe/HAP exhibited lower CH4 selectivity (15%) and higher C5+ selectivity (45%) compared to Fe2O3. Meanwhile, Fe/HAP-Na catalysts achieved a higher selectivity of light olefins (with an O/P ratio of 4.51).
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Zhidong Yang, Hongxia Zhang, Jianghong Zhao, Hu Shi, Pengju Yang
Summary: Photoreduction of CO2 to produce carbon-neutral fuels is a sustainable method, but developing robust catalysts for selective CO2 reduction is still challenging. This study presents a hybrid photocatalyst (Ni(OH)(2)/NC) formed by encapsulating nitrogen-doped carbon and Ni(OH)(2), which demonstrates enhanced selectivity and activity for CO production under visible light. The modification of NC can modulate the electronic structures of Ni(OH)(2) and promote the adsorption and activation of CO2, leading to superior CO2-to-CO photoreduction activity. This work provides a new avenue for modulating the selectivity and activity of CO2 reduction over transition metal hydroxides or oxide catalysts.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Zhihao Liu, Xinhua Gao, Kangzhou Wang, Jie Liang, Yongjun Jiang, Qingxiang Ma, Tian-Sheng Zhao, Jianli Zhang
Summary: PtM technology is a multi-stage process that converts H2 and CO2 into methane, enabling CO2 resource utilization and offering potential for fuel production. However, a detailed summary and understanding of low-temperature methanation in PtM technology is still lacking. This review addresses the water electrolysis, CO2 separation, and capture technologies, evaluates the development of efficient catalysts for low-temperature CO2 methanation, and discusses the challenges and prospects of PtM technology.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Tian He, Ya Zhang, Hongxia Zhang, Jianghong Zhao, Hu Shi, Hengquan Yang, Pengju Yang
Summary: Organic semiconductors have gained significant attention in the field of photocatalysis due to their tunable physicochemical properties. However, charge recombination remains a challenge for organic semiconductor photocatalysts. In this study, we demonstrated that the aggregation of pyrene can induce dipole polarization, leading to enhanced separation and transfer of charge carriers. The resulting pyrene aggregates exhibited improved hydrogen photosynthesis activity. This work highlights the importance of aggregation-induced structural symmetry breaking in enabling efficient charge separation and transfer in organic semiconductors.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Haripal Singh Malhi, Zhenzhou Zhang, Yanling Shi, Xinhua Gao, Wenqi Liu, Weifeng Tu, Yi-Fan Han
Summary: The addition of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) had a significant impact on the morphology, reduction, phase structure, and adsorption behavior of Fe-based catalysts, as well as the reactivity of CO2 hydrogenation to olefins. The incorporation of MWNTs into alkali metal-promoted FeZn catalysts inhibited the synthesis of CH4 and CO, and improved the selectivity for olefins. The MWNTs-supported catalysts exhibited superior selectivity for heavy olefins, which could be attributed to the electron-donating ability of MWNTs, the presence of extra Ha·gg carbide, and higher adsorption strength with light olefins. Additionally, the catalyst supported by MWNTs showed exceptional stability throughout the 100-hour test at 593 K.
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Xueping Deng, Tianming Li, Subing Fan, Xinhua Gao, Tian-Sheng Zhao
Summary: Cu or/and Fe doped Co3O4 catalysts were synthesized using microwave-assisted and hydro -thermal processes, and their structural and catalytic properties were studied. Cu doped Co3O4 improved the hydroformylation reactivity of 1-octene, while 2Fe2Cu-Co3O4-HT displayed high conversion of 1-octene and nonanol selectivity.
FUEL PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Zhihao Liu, Xinhua Gao, Kangzhou Wang, Thachapan Atchimarungsri, Jumei Tian, Prasert Reubroycharoen, Qingxiang Ma, Tian-Sheng Zhao, Noritatsu Tsubaki, Jianli Zhang
Summary: We report a highly efficient layered CoAlO catalyst, fabricated by facile direct reduction of hydrotalcite-like precursors, for efficient catalytic CO2 methanation to produce methane at low temperature and atmospheric pressure. It displayed outstanding space-time yield (STY) of 0.46 g(CH4)center dot g(cat)(-1)center dot h(-1), which was about 3 times than that of supported catalysts under the given conditions, and good stability within 200-h durability test. The designed CoAlO catalyst had appropriate alkaline and reducibility, which could significantly enhance adsorption and activation of CO2. The formation mechanism of active Co species was clearly revealed and the structure-activity relationship of the catalysts were clarified in detail. This work offers a promising catalytic design for efficient CO2 methanation.
FUEL PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Qi Zhang, Ya Zhang, Hongxia Zhang, Jianghong Zhao, Linfeng Liang, Yamin Huang, Zhanfeng Zheng, Pengju Yang, Hu Shi, Hengquan Yang
Summary: This study discovered that eosin Y (EY) aggregates have strong red/near-infrared (NIR) light absorption due to electronic couplings between adjacent molecules. The aggregates also facilitate exciton dissociation and charge separation, effectively suppressing charge recombination. The quantum yield of hydrogen production by EY aggregates reaches 23.6% at 610 nm. Furthermore, this aggregation-induced red/NIR-light photocatalysis phenomenon was observed in a series of organic dyes. Notably, the quantum yield of cobalt phthalocyanin aggregates for hydrogen production is calculated to be 17.2% at 800 nm, the highest value reported for NIR-light-driven H2-evolution systems (>= 800 nm).
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yingzi Huang, Xue Ye, Xinhua Gao, Lisheng Guo, Yaqiong Wang, Wenlin Xu, Jie Li
Summary: A series of novel self-assembled CoMn bimetallic catalysts with hollow microcage structure have been prepared and studied. The Mn loading and the unique hollow microcage structure play important roles in low-temperature CO oxidation. The catalyst CoMn-2 exhibits the highest catalytic activity, attributed to its small particle size, high surface active oxygen content, and Co3+/(Co2++Co3+) ratio.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Yong Min Park, Byeong Gi Kim, Xinhua Gao, Xingjun Zhang, Hyun-Seog Roh, Chan-Hwa Chung, Jong Wook Bae
Summary: The highly ordered mesoporous structures of Co3O4-Al2O3 mixed metal oxide, prepared using a hard template of mesoporous KIT-6, showed higher catalytic activity and stability for CO2 hydrogenation to synthetic methane at a surface Al content of approximately 6 wt% (m-CoAl(1)). The enhanced CO2 conversion (42.5%) and CH4 selectivity (96.7%) were attributed to the adjusted surface hydrophobicity by incorporating an optimal amount of spinel CoAl2O4 phases, which acted as structural stabilizers and generated more hydrophobic surfaces. The interaction between Co3O4-Al2O3 was selectively strengthened by an optimal amount of spinel CoAl2O4 phases, improving the surface hydrophobicity and oxygen vacant sites to effectively inhibit the competitive adsorption of water produced during CO2 hydrogenation.
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Jae Min Park, Ji Su Yu, Jae Hyeon Kwon, Chan-Hwa Chung, Hyun-Seog Roh, Xinhua Gao, Jong Wook Bae
Summary: By introducing a coating layer of four different metal oxides (CeO2, ZrO2, SiO2, and Al2O3) on the coprecipitated hydrotalcite-like Ni-MgAl2O4 (NiMgAl), the thermal stability of Ni nanoparticles in the dry reforming reaction of CH4 with CO2 (DRM) was enhanced. Among the catalysts, NiMgAl@Al showed superior catalytic properties due to the stronger metal support interaction (SMSI) resulting from the spatially confined Ni nanoparticles on the MgAl2O4 frameworks through exsolution phenomena facilitated by the porous Al2O3 overlayers. The simpler overlayer coating method, especially with porous Al2O3 coating layer, was found to be an effective way to achieve superior catalytic activity and stability by preserving thermally stable smaller Ni nanoparticles on the Ni-MgAl2O4 surfaces.
FUEL PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Shuai Zhang, Kangzhou Wang, Fugui He, Xinhua Gao, Subing Fan, Qingxiang Ma, Tiansheng Zhao, Jianli Zhang
Summary: The process of Fischer-Tropsch synthesis involves the dissociation and adsorption of CO and H2, followed by rearrangement to produce hydrocarbons and water. CO dissociation adsorption is crucial for catalytic activity control. This study focuses on the activation pathways of CO and discusses the significance of water in Fischer-Tropsch reactions.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xiaojun Li, Yudong Xia, Yangzhou Xu, Haitao Li, Jiangchao Huang, Jie Yao, Heng Zhao, Xinhua Gao, Jinghao Yu, Lisheng Guo, Jie Li
Summary: Thermocatalytic conversion of CO2 to methanol is an attractive approach to address energy and environmental crises. However, existing copper/oxide catalysts used in these processes suffer from low methanol yield. In this study, inverse oxide/Cu catalysts were designed to achieve superior performance for CO2 hydrogenation. The optimized ZnO/Cu-1.0 catalyst exhibited a higher methanol selectivity and space-time yield than previous catalysts.
RESEARCH ON CHEMICAL INTERMEDIATES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Wenlong Song, Qiqi Zhu, Kangzhou Wang, Rui Zhu, Qingxiang Ma, Tiansheng Zhao, Qingjie Guo, Xinhua Gao, Jianli Zhang
Summary: This study reports the positive role of residual sodium on the structural properties and catalytic performance of FeAlNa catalysts for olefins synthesis. The residual sodium improves the reduction behavior of Fe species and CO adsorption, inhibits secondary hydrogenation, and also inhibits the interaction between Fe and Al. The modified catalyst achieves a high olefins/paraffins ratio and low CH4 selectivity.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Haochen Qi, Cederick Cyril Amoo, Wuqiang Si, Jian Lou, Xuangan Liu, Chunyang Zeng, Qingjie Ge, Jian Sun, Chuang Xing, Xinhua Gao
Summary: Synthesizing 'high quality gasoline' from syngas via Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis (FTS) with the use of iso-olefins as intermediates has been proven to enhance the production of isoparaffins. The experimental study involved the addition of different zeolites as catalysts to convert syngas directly to isoparaffins. Among the reactions investigated, the Fe-Na/SiO2 with (Fe = 20 wt%, and Na = 2 wt%) and HZSM-5(80) zeolite in a dual bed configuration demonstrated the highest selectivity for isoparaffins. This study offers a new approach for the production and optimization of isoparaffins from FTS reactions.
