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Catalysts
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Electrocatalysis in Energy and Green Chemistry
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Electrocatalysis in Energy and Green Chemistry

A special issue of Catalysts (ISSN 2073-4344). This special issue belongs to the section "Electrocatalysis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 May 2021) | Viewed by 25623

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Rosa Arrigo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Science, Engineering and Environment, University of Salford, Manchester M5 4WT, UK
Interests: Catalysis; Electrocatalysis; Catalysts synthesis; In situ and operando spectroscopy; Nanocarbons for catalytic application; Structural characterization; Energy research
Dr. Sara Pérez Rodríguez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Instituto de Carboquímica-CSIC, Calle Miguel Luesma Castán, 4, 50018 Zaragoza, Spain
Interests: PEM fuel cells; CO2 electroreduction; Electrochemistry Materials; Nanomaterials; Nanostructured carbon materials; Heterogeneous catalysts; Catalyst Characterization; Catalyst Synthesis; Porous Materials

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Electro-catalysis lies at the core of energy storage and conversion devices and electrode design is a key-enabler of these technologies. An electrode is a multi-components system where specific physicochemical properties such as redox and acid/base properties, hydrophobic/hydrophilic characteristics, surface area and electrical conductivity operate concertedly to enable a reaction to occur efficiently. Not only the nature, nuclearity and morphology of the active phase, but also other factors significantly modify the performances of the electrode. Amongst others, support effects, promoters and more recently ligands effects in single metal atom/organic hybrid systems have been investigated for fine-tuning of the activity and selectivity. Additionally, the “electrode prehistory”, in terms of the synthetic methods and the materials used for the electrode preparation, has also a significant influence on performances.

This Special Issue aims to cover recent trends and progresses in the development of electrocatalysts for electro-catalytic applications including, but not limited to, the carbon dioxide reduction, hydrogen evolution reaction, oxygen reduction and evolution reactions and ammonia synthesis. The goal of this issue is to provide the readership with a collection of articles in which emphasis is placed not only on the discovery of new active materials and/or electrode preparation but also on the understanding of the nanostructural and chemical characteristic of the electrodes responsible for improved performance.

Dr. Rosa Arrigo
Dr. Sara Pérez Rodríguez
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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. Catalysts is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2200 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

  • Single-atom electro-catalysis
  • Metal-Carbon based electro-catalysis
  • Heteroatom functionalized carbon
  • Non-precious electrocatalysts
  • Carbides and nitrides electrocatalysts

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 12949 KiB  
Article
Investigations of Carbon Nitride-Supported Mn3O4 Oxide Nanoparticles for ORR
by Alexander I. Large, Sebastian Wahl, Salvatore Abate, Ivan da Silva, Juan Jose Delgado Jaen, Nicola Pinna, Georg Held and Rosa Arrigo
Catalysts 2020, 10(11), 1289; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal10111289 - 6 Nov 2020
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 3913
Abstract
Earth-abundant Mn-based oxide nanoparticles are supported on carbon nitride using two different immobilization methods and tested for the oxygen reduction reaction. Compared to the metal free CN, the immobilization of Mn oxide enhances not only the electrocatalytic activity but also the selectivity towards [...] Read more.
Earth-abundant Mn-based oxide nanoparticles are supported on carbon nitride using two different immobilization methods and tested for the oxygen reduction reaction. Compared to the metal free CN, the immobilization of Mn oxide enhances not only the electrocatalytic activity but also the selectivity towards the 4e- reduction reaction of O2 to H2O. The XPS analysis reveals the interaction of the pyridine N species with Mn3O4 nanoparticles being particularly beneficial. This interaction is realized—although to a limited extent—when preparing the catalysts via impregnation; via the oleic acid route it is not observed. Whilst this work shows the potential of these systems to catalyze the ORR, the main limiting factor is still the poor conductivity of the support which leads to overpotential. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electrocatalysis in Energy and Green Chemistry)
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13 pages, 3684 KiB  
Article
Ordered Mesoporous Carbon as a Support of Pd Catalysts for CO2 Electrochemical Reduction
by Sara Pérez-Rodríguez, Elena Pastor and María Jesús Lázaro
Catalysts 2020, 10(8), 912; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal10080912 - 10 Aug 2020
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3138
Abstract
Ordered mesoporous carbons (OMCs) have been used as catalyst supports of Pd nanoparticles for the electrochemical reduction of CO2 in 0.1 M KHCO3. OMC with tunable porosity and morphology were obtained by the hard-template approach using synthesized SBA-15 templates. SBA-15 [...] Read more.
Ordered mesoporous carbons (OMCs) have been used as catalyst supports of Pd nanoparticles for the electrochemical reduction of CO2 in 0.1 M KHCO3. OMC with tunable porosity and morphology were obtained by the hard-template approach using synthesized SBA-15 templates. SBA-15 materials were prepared using a mass ratio of the silica precursor (TEOS) and the surfactant (P123) of 2 or 5. After removing silica particles by a purification treatment with NaOH-ethanol or HF, different OMCs were obtained, with a developed porosity (up to 1050 m2 g−1) and ordered 2D hexagonal mesostructure (p6 mm). An increase in the TEOS/P123 ratio as well as the treatment with HF resulted in a decrease in the structural ordering of the materials. Pd nanoparticles with an average size of around 3 nm were deposited on the OMC. However, larger nanoparticles were also observed, especially for the materials obtained using a mass ratio TEOS/P123 of 5. Despite these differences, electrochemical experiments showed that CO2 was successfully reduced to other species (mainly COad) for all Pd/OMC electrocatalysts. These reduced species were adsorbed on Pd active sites, inhibiting the hydrogen evolution reaction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electrocatalysis in Energy and Green Chemistry)
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12 pages, 3345 KiB  
Article
Simple Environmentally-Friendly Reduction of 4-Nitrophenol
by Albert Serrà, Raül Artal, Maria Pozo, Jaume Garcia-Amorós and Elvira Gómez
Catalysts 2020, 10(4), 458; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal10040458 - 23 Apr 2020
Cited by 66 | Viewed by 8627
Abstract
The low molecular-mass organic compound 4-nitrophenol is involved in many chemical processes and is commonly present in soils and in surface and ground waters, thereby causing severe environmental impact and health risk. Several methods have been proposed for its transformation (bio and chemical [...] Read more.
The low molecular-mass organic compound 4-nitrophenol is involved in many chemical processes and is commonly present in soils and in surface and ground waters, thereby causing severe environmental impact and health risk. Several methods have been proposed for its transformation (bio and chemical degradation). However, these strategies not only produce equally or more toxic aromatic species but also require harsh operating conditions and/or time-consuming treatments. In this context, we report a comprehensive and systematic study of the electrochemical reduction of 4-nitrophenol as a viable alternative. We have explored the electrochemical reduction of this pollutant over different metallic and carbonaceous substrata. Specifically, we have focused on the use of gold and silver working electrodes since they combine a high electrocatalytic activity for 4-nitrophenol reduction and a low electrocatalytic capacity for hydrogen evolution. The influence of the pH, temperature, and applied potential have also been considered as crucial parameters in the overall optimization of the process. While acidic media and high temperatures favor the clean reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol, the simultaneous hydrogen evolution is pernicious for this purpose. Herein, a simple and effective electrochemical method for the transformation of 4-nitrophenol into 4-aminophenol is proposed with virtually no undesired by-products. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electrocatalysis in Energy and Green Chemistry)
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10 pages, 1292 KiB  
Communication
Plasma-Deposited Ru-Based Thin Films for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting
by Lukasz Jozwiak, Jacek Balcerzak and Jacek Tyczkowski
Catalysts 2020, 10(3), 278; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal10030278 - 1 Mar 2020
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 4117
Abstract
Plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) was used to produce new Ru-based thin catalytic films. The surface molecular structure of the films was examined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). To determine the electro- and photoelectrochemical properties, the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) process was investigated [...] Read more.
Plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) was used to produce new Ru-based thin catalytic films. The surface molecular structure of the films was examined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). To determine the electro- and photoelectrochemical properties, the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) process was investigated by linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) at pH = 13.6. It was found that Ru atoms were mainly in the metallic state (Ru0) in the as-deposited films, whereas after the electrochemical stabilization, higher oxidation states, mainly Ru+4 (RuO2), were formed. The stabilized films exhibited high catalytic activity in OER—for the electrochemical process, the onset and η10 overpotentials were approx. 220 and 350 mV, respectively, while for the photoelectrochemical process, the pure photocurrent density of about 160 mA/cm2 mg was achieved at 1.6 V (vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE)). The plasma-deposited RuOX catalyst appears to be an interesting candidate for photoanode material for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electrocatalysis in Energy and Green Chemistry)
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7 pages, 1746 KiB  
Communication
Potential Cycling Effects on Activities of Nickel-Mediated Benzyl Alcohol and Glycine Electrooxidation in Alkaline Solutions
by Yuyang Wei and Wenbin Zhang
Catalysts 2020, 10(1), 119; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal10010119 - 15 Jan 2020
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 4270
Abstract
Nickel electrodes under continuous potential cycling were applied for the electrooxidation of benzyl alcohol and glycine in KOH solutions, and their activities were measured and compared by cyclic voltammetry. It is shown that intrinsic activities of both reactions decrease with the increasing catalyst [...] Read more.
Nickel electrodes under continuous potential cycling were applied for the electrooxidation of benzyl alcohol and glycine in KOH solutions, and their activities were measured and compared by cyclic voltammetry. It is shown that intrinsic activities of both reactions decrease with the increasing catalyst loadings, and a more significant decreasing trend was observed in glycine electrooxidation when compared to benzyl alcohol electrooxidation. These phenomena may be explained by an increasing of mass loading induced a decrease of the catalyst surface conductivity, structure changes of Ni(OH)2 from α-phase to β-phase, and the intercalation of glycine molecules into nickel hydroxide interlayers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electrocatalysis in Energy and Green Chemistry)
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