Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Yazhou Huang, Junyan Lv, Jiacai Huang, Kunshan Xu, Lei Liu
Summary: Despite heavy reliance on platinum, electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is a promising method for hydrogen production. MoS2-based heterostructure can replace platinum as catalyst. CFP/NiSe2/MoS2 catalyst shows excellent HER catalytic performance and durability.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Alpa Y. Shah, Gourab Karmakar, Adish Tyagi, G. Kedarnath
Summary: This study presents a simple method for producing phase-pure Cu2GeS3 nanostructures and thoroughly evaluates their structural characteristics, phase purity, morphology, elemental composition, and band gap. The results show that these nanomaterials are suitable for solar cell applications and exhibit good photoelectric properties and stability.
NEW JOURNAL OF CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Gerard Marti, Laura Mallon, Nuria Romero, Laia Francas, Roger Bofill, Karine Philippot, Jordi Garcia-Anton, Xavier Sala
Summary: The catalytic properties of metal nanoparticles can be controlled by selecting their surface-coordinated species, which affects key catalytic intermediates and the catalyst-electrolyte interface. Surface-functionalization of metal nanoparticles plays a crucial role in charge transfers and recombination processes in photoactivated systems, enhancing their catalytic performance in artificial photosynthesis. This article provides a critical analysis of synthetic methods and the effects of surface-functionalization on the oxygen evolution reaction, hydrogen evolution reaction, and CO2 reduction reaction.
ADVANCED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Gryphon A. Drake, Logan P. Keating, Moonsub Shim
Summary: Colloidal nanocrystal heterostructures with variable three-dimensional morphology have size-, shape-, and composition-dependent electronic structure, enabling the design of solution-processable materials with high performance and programmable functionality. Understanding the thermodynamic and kinetic factors that govern nanocrystal growth is crucial for designing and synthesizing complex materials. This review focuses on the growth mechanisms of nanorod heterostructures, the simplest form of anisotropic nanocrystal heterostructures, and explores the effects of various factors on their growth.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yubao Zhao, Peng Zhang, Zhenchun Yang, Lina Li, Jingyu Gao, Sheng Chen, Tengfeng Xie, Caozheng Diao, Shibo Xi, Beibei Xiao, Chun Hu, Wonyong Choi
Summary: The use of sodium cyanaminate moiety in polymeric carbon nitride frameworks enhances solar-driven H2O2 production by promoting photon absorption, altering the energy landscape, improving charge separation efficiency, enhancing surface adsorption, and creating selective oxygen reduction reaction surface-active sites. An electronic coupling interaction between O-2 and the surface is experimentally substantiated to boost the population and prolong the lifetime of active shallow-trapped electrons. This renewable approach to chemical synthesis provides a sustainable and environmentally friendly method for H2O2 production.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Peng Wen, Hui Li, Xiao Ma, Renbo Lei, Xinwei Wang, Scott M. Geyer, Yejun Qiu
Summary: This study demonstrates the synthesis of ZnTe quantum dots and the fabrication of an innovative Ag3Cu/TiO2/ZnTe metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) photocathode for efficient and stable photoelectrochemical CO2 reduction to produce fuel gases. Transient absorption spectroscopy and theoretical calculations reveal the mechanism of interfacial charge migration and the role of Ag3Cu co-catalyst in key steps of CO2 reduction in the MIS photocathode.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY A
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zilong Li, Shunlian Ning, Jinchang Xu, Junmin Zhu, Zhixuan Yuan, Yinlong Wu, Jian Chen, Fangyan Xie, Yanshuo Jin, Nan Wang, Hui Meng, Shuhui Sun
Summary: In this study, Co(OH)(2)@Ni(OH)(2) heterostructures were synthesized using a metal-organic framework precursor in a one-pot hydrothermal method. The catalyst exhibited excellent catalytic activity and stability in the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR), converting ethanol into acetate with a high faradaic efficiency of 97.9%. The high performance was attributed to the double hydroxide heterostructure further processed by electrochemical activation. The active sites for EOR were identified as Ni (NiOOH) through in situ Raman spectra and DFT calculations.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Zhiying Lin, Tao Feng, Xin Ma, Gang Liu
Summary: 1T MoS2 shows high electrocatalytic activity for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), but low activity for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) limits its wide application as a bifunctional electrocatalyst. This study demonstrates the preparation of 1T-rich MoS2 composite catalysts using hydrothermal synthesis of Fe/Ni bimetallic organic framework and in-situ fabrication of 1T/2H MoS2, enhancing HER and OER in alkaline condition.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Lianqing Yu, Xiang Li, Lijie Duan, Yaping Zhang, Haifeng Zhu
Summary: A composite photocatalyst consisting of cadmium sulfide dewdrops on ultrathin strontium titanate branches with oxygen vacancies was successfully constructed. The oxygen vacancies acted as electron traps, while the CdS provided active sites for the hydrogen evolution reaction. The nanocomposite achieved a hydrogen production rate over 50 times higher than that of the single SrTiO3 and over 750 times higher than that of pure SrTiO3.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Fulvio Bellato, Michele Ferri, Abinaya Annamalai, Mirko Prato, Luca Leoncino, Rosaria Brescia, Luca De Trizio, Liberato Manna
Summary: We present the first colloidal synthesis of NiAs nanocrystals and their performance as electrocatalysts for water splitting reactions. The NiAs nanocrystals exhibit high activity for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER), surpassing the performance of benchmark materials. The study highlights the potential of transition metal arsenides as emerging materials for electrocatalytic applications.
ACS APPLIED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Qi-Fa Chen, Yu-Hua Guo, Yi-Han Yu, Ming-Tian Zhang
Summary: Water oxidation is a crucial step in producing hydrogen using solar energy in artificial photosynthetic systems. Inspired by the oxygen evolution complex (OEC) in PSII, research has shifted towards non-precious metal catalysts, deepening our understanding of the mechanism of water oxidation.
COORDINATION CHEMISTRY REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Haibin Ma, Zhiwen Chen, Zhili Wang, Chandra Veer Singh, Qing Jiang
Summary: This study successfully developed a low-cost, high-efficiency catalyst Co/CoMoN/NF for both HER and OER reactions in alkaline electrolyte. The Co/CoMoN/NF heterostructures exhibited excellent performance in both HER and OER, and demonstrated superior long-term stability.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jing Jiang, Xinzhi Wang, Xin Liang, Jiayi Zhang, Lunhong Ai
Summary: We report a robust multi-functional MoS2-MoP2 heterostructure formed on nickel foam (Mo-S-P/NF) to boost both the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline medium. The optimal Mo-S-P/NF exhibits excellent electrocatalytic performances with ultralow overpotentials of 202 mV for OER, 50 mV for HER as well as a low cell voltage of 1.56 V for overall water splitting at a current density of 10 mA cm(-2), along with outstanding long-term durability, owing to prominent superwetttability, abundant defective surface and unique heterointerface. Remarkably, the successful implementation of solar thermoelectricity-driven water electrolysis self-powered by the Mo-S-P/NF inspires its practical application in sustainable hydrogen production.
APPLIED SURFACE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Muthuraja Velpandian, Govind Ummethala, Sairam K. Malladi, Praveen Meduri
Summary: Layered transition metal selenides, specifically the tungsten diselenide @ tin diselenide heterostructures, have shown great potential as non-noble metal bifunctional electrocatalysts for electrochemical water splitting. These heterostructures significantly enhance the electrochemical performance of both oxygen evolution reaction and hydrogen evolution reaction, making them promising candidates for energy conversion systems.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Gopi Ragupathy, Julian Riess, Bat -El Cohen, Lioz Etgar, Roey Sagi, Kumar P. Deepak, Reinhard Schomacker, Micha Asscher
Summary: The photochemical and photocatalytic activity of adsorbates on surfaces is influenced by the nature of the substrate and its resonant absorption of visible light. This study investigates the visible light photochemical response of formamidinium lead bromide (FAPbBr(3)) halide perovskite and carbon nitride (CN) thin-film materials on a SiO2/Si(100) substrate. The results show that the FAPbBr(3) material has a faster photoproduct formation compared to the CN substrate.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY A
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Kevin Rossi, Raffaella Buonsanti
Summary: This paper summarizes recent progress in the design of selective catalysts for electrochemical CO2 conversion, highlighting the importance of accurate control over the shape and size of nanocatalysts in understanding and enhancing the selectivity of the CO2 reduction reaction.
ACCOUNTS OF CHEMICAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Gaston O. Larrazabal, Valery Okatenko, Ib Chorkendorff, Raffaella Buonsanti, Brian Seger
Summary: This study assessed the performance of highly uniform copper nanocubes loaded onto gas diffusion electrodes in the electrochemical CO2 reduction. The results showed that the nanocubes maintained high selectivity towards ethylene at high current densities, with partial current densities towards propylene also observed. However, the performance at high current densities was significantly influenced by electrode flooding.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ona Segura Lecina, Michael A. Hope, Amrit Venkatesh, Snaedis Bjoergvinsdottir, Kevin Rossi, Anna Loiudice, Lyndon Emsley, Raffaella Buonsanti
Summary: Colloidal atomic layer deposition enables the growth of hybrid organic-inorganic oxide shells with tunable thickness around ligand-functionalized inorganic nanoparticles at the nanometer scale. Carboxylate ligands have been identified as the key element enabling the synthesis of these core-shell structures. This method improves stability and dispersion of nanoparticles, with the mechanism of shell formation still under investigation.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Laia Castilla-Amoros, Tzu-Chin Chang Chien, James R. Pankhurst, Raffaella Buonsanti
Summary: Micro- and nanosized particles of liquid metals, particularly Ga-based alloys, have gained attention for various applications. Surface functionalization of Ga-based nanoparticles with organic ligands allows for easily processable inks. This study investigates the interaction between these ligands and the native oxide skin of liquid metal nanoparticles, which plays an important role in regulating their properties. The choice of ligand is found to affect the oxide thickness and chemical reactivity of Ga nanoparticles. Thermodynamics and kinetics suggest that it is the affinity of the anchoring group towards the metal core that determines oxide thickness. Thicker oxide shells promote the formation of Cu-Ga nanodimers, while thinner oxides lead to isolated Cu nanoparticles. This research emphasizes the importance of selecting the appropriate ligand when studying Ga-based metal nanoparticles for different applications.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Valery Okatenko, Laia Castilla-Amoros, Dragos Constantin Stoian, Jan Vavra, Anna Loiudice, Raffaella Buonsanti
Summary: Liquid metal nanoparticles (NPs) have emerged as electrocatalysts with unique properties. However, their rapid coalescence has hindered their implementation in electrocatalysis. In this study, liquid gallium NPs were shown to drive the electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction while remaining separated from each other, providing a potential avenue for the development of gallium-based NPs as a new class of electrocatalysts.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Laia Castilla-Amoros, Pascal Schouwink, Emad Oveisi, Valery Okatenko, Raffaella Buonsanti
Summary: Bimetallic nanocrystals with compositional and structural diversity exhibit superior physico-chemical properties and are widely used in sensing and catalysis. However, the manipulation of non-noble metal bimetallic nanocrystals remains challenging. In this study, we obtain copper-indium bimetallic nanocrystals through galvanic replacement reaction, resulting in a variety of morphologies and metal distributions. We observe that the separation of the two metals is influenced by reaction time and copper precursor concentration. Furthermore, we demonstrate the application of these new copper-indium nanocrystals as model catalysts in CO2 reduction reaction.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Min Wang, Anna Loiudice, Valery Okatenko, Ian D. D. Sharp, Raffaella Buonsanti
Summary: The coupling of CO-generating molecular catalysts with copper electrodes in tandem schemes is a promising strategy to boost the formation of multi-carbon products in the electrocatalytic reduction of CO2. The spatial distribution of the two components in molecular-based tandem systems has not been well explored. This study examines the importance of the relative spatial distribution of Co-phthalocyanine (CoPc) and Cu nanocubes (Cu-cub) on the performance of tandem catalysts. It is found that a direct contact between the CO-generating molecular catalyst and the Cu is crucial for promoting C-C coupling, indicating a surface transport mechanism between the two components of the tandem catalyst.
Editorial Material
Chemistry, Physical
Raffaella Buonsanti
CHEMISTRY OF MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Valery Okatenko, Anna Loiudice, Mark A. Newton, Dragos C. Stoian, Anastasia Blokhina, Alexander N. Chen, Kevin Rossi, Raffaella Buonsanti
Summary: Researchers have successfully synthesized CuGa nanoparticles and demonstrated that alloying Cu with Ga greatly improves the stability of the nanocatalysts. In particular, CuGa nanoparticles containing 17% Ga preserved most of their CO2RR activity for at least 20 hours, while Cu nanoparticles of the same size reconstructed and lost their CO2RR activity within 2 hours.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Philippe B. Green, Ona Segura Lecina, Petru P. Albertini, Anna Loiudice, Raffaella Buonsanti
Summary: This study presents a method to overcome the limitations of ligand exchange by growing an amorphous alumina shell using colloidal atomic layer deposition (c-ALD). The researchers demonstrate that c-ALD can create colloidally stable composite materials by trapping organic chromophores around the nanocrystal core. This approach allows for unique triplet energy transfer and the assembly of a triplet exciton funnel structure, which cannot be achieved through traditional ligand exchange procedures.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ona Segura Lecina, Mark A. Newton, Philippe B. Green, Petru P. Albertini, Jari Leemans, Kenneth P. Marshall, Dragos Stoian, Anna Loiudice, Raffaella Buonsanti
Summary: This study demonstrates that ZnO shells can be grown on InP QDs using colloidal atomic layer deposition (c-ALD), leading to enhanced photoluminescence and stability. By comparing two synthetic routes, it is found that aminophosphine-based InP QDs show increased photoluminescence, and the ZnO shell prevents degradation of the QD suspension under ambient conditions.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Valery Okatenko, Anna Loiudice, Mark A. Newton, Dragos C. Stoian, Anastasia Blokhina, Alexander N. Chen, Kevin Rossi, Raffaella Buonsanti
Summary: Researchers synthesized tunable CuGa nanoparticles and found that alloying Cu with Ga greatly improves the stability of the nanocatalysts in the electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction. Various characterization techniques suggest that the addition of Ga can suppress Cu oxidation and enhance electronic interactions, resulting in the stabilized CuGa nanoparticles.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Valery Okatenko, Coline Boulanger, Alexander N. Chen, Krishna Kumar, Pascal Schouwink, Anna Loiudice, Raffaella Buonsanti
Summary: Studied the chemical reactivity of liquid Ga and Cu nanoparticles and found that the applied voltage and spatial proximity of the particle precursors affected the reaction outcome. The use of liquid Ga/Cu nanodimer precursors resulted in more uniform mixing and reaction products. Adjusting the stoichiometry of Ga and Cu in the nanodimer precursors produced CuGa2 alloys or solid@liquid CuGa2@Ga core@shell nanoparticles. The voltage-driven synthesis was extended to the combination of Ga with other elements.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Min Wang, Vasilis Nikolaou, Anna Loiudice, Ian D. Sharp, Antoni Llobet, Raffaella Buonsanti
Summary: Copper-based tandem schemes are promising strategies to enhance multi-carbon product formation in the electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction. By coupling a CO-generating catalyst with copper nanocatalysts, the selectivity for ethylene production can be significantly increased.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Anna Loiudice, Bastien P. G. Niau, Raffaella Buonsanti
Summary: Solid-state chemistry among nanocrystalline precursors is a promising approach for the synthesis of ternary metal oxides, providing an alternative pathway to synthesize a wide variety of materials.
ACS NANOSCIENCE AU
(2022)
