Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Catalysts for Energy Applications

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2021) | Viewed by 9923

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Greenergy, National University of Tainan, Tainan City 70005, Taiwan
Interests: graphene; semiconductors; nanostructures; photocatalyst; hybrids; energy storage

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), Atlanta, GA, USA
Interests: ionomer; polymer membrane; bipolar membrane; electrocatalyst for fuel cells; water electrolysis; CO2 electroreduction; CO2 sequestration
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is a pleasure to invite you to submit your manuscripts to this Special Issue concerning a wide range of novel hybrid catalysts for energy applications. This Special Issue focuses on the advancements in the catalysts, including organic–inorganic, 3D hybrid catalysts, heterogenous catalysts that are used in cells including, but not limited to, fuel cells (methanol and ethanol electrooxidation), direct alcohol fuel cells, PEMFC, metal-air batteries.

This issue intends to highlight some recent findings in the production of organic–inorganic nanostructured catalysts with improved performances for energy application in conversion and storage, rechargeable metal–air batteries and fuel cells. The wide range of materials includes, but is not limited to, graphene (GO/rGO), carbon nanotubes, metals, metal oxides, and meso-nanostructure materials addressing the above-mentioned issues.

Dr. Lakshmanan Saravanan
Dr. Mrinmay Mandal
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. 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

  • Graphene
  • Carbon nanotubes
  • Metal oxides
  • Hybrid nanostructures
  • Heterostructure
  • 3D hybrids
  • Electro-oxidation
  • Fuel cells
  • Water electrolysis
  • CO2 electroreduction
  • CO2 sequestration
  • Metal–air batteries

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

12 pages, 2875 KiB  
Article
Hydrothermal Synthesis of CuO/RuO2/MWCNT Nanocomposites with Morphological Variants for High Efficient Supercapacitors
by Yi-Chen Chung, Ade Julistian, Lakshmanan Saravanan, Peng-Ren Chen, Bai-Cheng Xu, Pei-Jie Xie and An-Ya Lo
Catalysts 2022, 12(1), 23; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal12010023 - 26 Dec 2021
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3284
Abstract
In this study, we develop the optimum composition of copper oxide/ruthenium oxide and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CuO/RuO2/MWCNTs) ternary nanocomposite via a hydrothermal method as an efficient electrode material for supercapacitor applications. The ratio between CuO and RuO2 varied to improve [...] Read more.
In this study, we develop the optimum composition of copper oxide/ruthenium oxide and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CuO/RuO2/MWCNTs) ternary nanocomposite via a hydrothermal method as an efficient electrode material for supercapacitor applications. The ratio between CuO and RuO2 varied to improve the electrochemical performance of the electrode. The synthesized nanocomposites are analyzed by high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (HR-SEM), thermo gravimetric analyzer (TGA) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Furthermore, the elemental composition is analyzed by energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy and the specific capacitance was analyzed by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and galvanostatic charge–discharge (GCD) methods. The electrochemical investigations is conducted in a three-electrode system and the sample is attached on a stainless steel plate as the working electrode; platinum wire works as the counter electrode and Ag/AgCl electrode as the reference electrode, adopting 3 M (NH4)2SO4 as the electrolyte. The resultant of CuO/RuO2/MWCNT nanocomposite with 7 wt% Cu and 20 wt% Ru was found to perform the highest specific capacitance of 461.59 F/g in a current density of 1 A/g. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Catalysts for Energy Applications)
Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 4340 KiB  
Article
Hollow TiO2 Microsphere/Graphene Composite Photocatalyst for CO2 Photoreduction
by Yi-Chen Chung, Pei-Jie Xie, Yi-Wei Lai and An-Ya Lo
Catalysts 2021, 11(12), 1532; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal11121532 - 16 Dec 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2572
Abstract
In an attempt to improve the photocatalytic activity of anatase TiO2, we developed a composite photocatalyst composed of hollow TiO2 microspheres (hTS) and graphene. The hTS were prepared through a two-step hydrothermal process, where SiO2 microspheres with desirable diameters [...] Read more.
In an attempt to improve the photocatalytic activity of anatase TiO2, we developed a composite photocatalyst composed of hollow TiO2 microspheres (hTS) and graphene. The hTS were prepared through a two-step hydrothermal process, where SiO2 microspheres with desirable diameters of 100–400 nm were used as sacrificial templates. Accordingly, the effect of the hTS cavity size on the activity of the catalyst in wet CO2 photoreduction (CO2PR) was studied. Furthermore, it was established that the hydrothermal pH value crucially influences the photocatalytic activity of the hTS photocatalyst, as well as its composition and microstructure. The hTS photocatalyst was also combined with graphene (0–90 wt%) to improve its photocatalytic activity. This study provides insight into the optimal microsphere diameter, hydrothermal pH value, and graphene/hTSx ratio required for designing hollow microsphere-based photocatalysts with enhanced CO2PR performances. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Catalysts for Energy Applications)
Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 39636 KiB  
Communication
Cobalt Boride/g-C3N4 Nanosheets-Assisted Electrocatalytic Oxidation of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural into 2,5-Furandicarboxylic Acid
by Mohammed A. Suliman, Chanbasha Basheer and Wasif Farooq
Catalysts 2021, 11(10), 1241; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal11101241 - 15 Oct 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2765
Abstract
The electrochemical production of 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) from 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural (HMF) is receiving growing attention. The FDCA-based polyethylene 2,5-furan dicarboxylate (PEF) polymer is a green candidate for substituting polyethylene terephthalate. This work demonstrated a highly efficient CoB/g-C3N4 nanosheet on the surface [...] Read more.
The electrochemical production of 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) from 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural (HMF) is receiving growing attention. The FDCA-based polyethylene 2,5-furan dicarboxylate (PEF) polymer is a green candidate for substituting polyethylene terephthalate. This work demonstrated a highly efficient CoB/g-C3N4 nanosheet on the surface of the nickel foam as an electrode for the HMF electrooxidation reaction. Electrolysis at a constant potential combined with liquid chromatography showed the formation of FDCA with a yield of 97% with an excellent faradaic efficiency of near 95%. CoB/g-C3N4 achieved a current density of 20 mA cm−2 for HMF oxidation in 1.0 M KOH with 10 mM HMF at 1.37 V vs. RHE before the competing oxygen evolution reaction. The electrocatalyst was effectively reused up to three times without compromising efficiency. This work demonstrates a cheap and active electrocatalyst material for the electrochemical formation of FDCA from HMF and gives perception into the reaction mechanism. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Catalysts for Energy Applications)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop