Highly Ordered Mesoporous Co3 O4 Electrocatalyst for Efficient, Selective, and Stable Oxidation of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural to 2,5-Furandicarboxylic Acid.

Electrochemical oxidation of biomass substrates to valuable bio-chemicals is highly attractive. However, the design of efficient, selective, stable, and inexpensive electrocatalysts remains challenging. Here it is reported how a 3D highly ordered mesoporous Co3 O4 /nickel foam (om-Co3 O4 /NF) electrode fulfils those criteria in the electrochemical oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to value-added 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA). Full conversion of HMF and an FDCA yield of >99.8 % are achieved with a faradaic efficiency close to 100 % at a potential of 1.457 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode. Such activity and selectivity to FDCA are attributed to the fast electron transfer, high electrochemical surface area, and reduced charge transfer resistance. More impressively, remarkable catalyst stability under long-term testing is obtained with 17 catalytic cycles. This work highlights the rational design of metal oxides with ordered meso-structures for electrochemical biomass conversion.

Surface-Casting Synthesis of Mesoporous Zirconia with a CMK-5-Like Structure and High Surface Area.

About 15 years ago, the Ryoo group described the synthesis of CMK-5, a material consisting of a hexagonal arrangement of carbon nanotubes. Extension of the surface casting synthesis to oxide compositions, however, was not possible so far, in spite of many attempts. Here it is demonstrated, that crystalline mesoporous hollow zirconia materials with very high surface areas up to 400 m2 g-1 , and in selected cases in the form of CMK-5-like, are indeed accessible via such a surface casting process. The key for the successful synthesis is an increased interaction between the silica hard template surface and the zirconia precursor species by using silanol group-rich mesoporous silica as a hard template. The surface areas of the obtained zirconias exceed those of conventionally hard-templated ones by a factor of two to three. The surface casting process seems to be applicable also to other oxide materials.

Zeolite Beta Formation from Clear Sols: Silicate Speciation, Particle Formation and Crystallization Monitored by Complementary Analysis Methods.

The formation of silicate nanoaggregates (NAs) at the very early stages of precursor sols and zeolite beta crystallization from silicate nanoparticles (NPs) are investigated in detail using a combination of different analysis methods, including liquid-state 29 Si, 27 Al, 14 N, and 1 H NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry (MS), small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy at cryogenic temperatures (cryo-TEM). Prior to hydrothermal treatment, silicate NAs are observed if the Si/OH ratio in the reaction mixture is greater than 1. Condensation of oligomers within the NAs then generates NPs. Aluminum doped into the synthesis mixtures is located exclusively in the NPs, and is found exclusively in a state that is fourfold connected to silicate, favoring their condensation and aggregation. These results are in agreement with general trends observed for other systems. Silicate NAs are essential intermediates for zeolite formation and are generated by the aggregation of hydrated oligomers, aluminate, and templating cations. Subsequent further intra-nanoaggregate silicate condensation results in the formation of NPs. 1 H and 14 N liquid NMR as well as diffusion ordered spectroscopy (DOSY) experiments provide evidence for weakly restricted rotational and translational mobility of the organic template within NAs as a consequence of specific silicate-template interactions. NAs thus appear as key species in clear sols, and their presence in the precursor sol favors silicate condensation and further crystallization, promoted either by increasing the Si/OH ratio or by heating.

Gold on Different Manganese Oxides: Ultra-Low-Temperature CO Oxidation over Colloidal Gold Supported on Bulk-MnO2 Nanomaterials.

Nanoscopic gold particles have gained very high interest because of their promising catalytic activity for various chemicals reactions. Among these reactions, low-temperature CO oxidation is the most extensively studied one due to its practical relevance in environmental applications and the fundamental problems associated with its very high activity at low temperatures. Gold nanoparticles supported on manganese oxide belong to the most active gold catalysts for CO oxidation. Among a variety of manganese oxides, Mn2O3 is considered to be the most favorable support for gold nanoparticles with respect to catalytic activity. Gold on MnO2 has been shown to be significantly less active than gold on Mn2O3 in previous work. In contrast to these previous studies, in a comprehensive study of gold nanoparticles on different manganese oxides, we developed a gold catalyst on MnO2 nanostructures with extremely high activity. Nanosized gold particles (2-3 nm) were supported on α-MnO2 nanowires and mesoporous ß-MnO2 nanowire arrays. The materials were extremely active at very low temperature (-80 °C) and also highly stable at 25 °C (70 h) under normal conditions for CO oxidation. The specific reaction rate of 2.8 molCO·h(-1)·gAu(-1) at a temperature as low as -85 °C is almost 30 times higher than that of the most active Au/Mn2O3 catalyst.

Co3 O4 Nanoparticles Supported on Mesoporous Carbon for Selective Transfer Hydrogenation of α,ß-Unsaturated Aldehydes.

A simple and scalable method for synthesizing Co3 O4 nanoparticles supported on the framework of mesoporous carbon (MC) was developed. Benefiting from an ion-exchange process during the preparation, the cobalt precursor is introduced into a mesostructured polymer framework that results in Co3 O4 nanoparticles (ca. 3 nm) supported on MC (Co3 O4 /MC) with narrow particle size distribution and homogeneous dispersion after simple reduction/pyrolysis and mild oxidation steps. The as-obtained Co3 O4 /MC is a highly efficient catalyst for transfer hydrogenation of α,ß-unsaturated aldehydes. Selectivities towards unsaturated alcohols are always higher than 95 % at full conversion. In addition, the Co3 O4 /MC shows high stability under the reaction conditions, it can be recycled at least six times without loss of activity.

Nitrogen-Doped Ordered Mesoporous Carbon Supported Bimetallic PtCo Nanoparticles for Upgrading of Biophenolics.

Hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) is an attractive route for the upgrading of bio-oils produced from lignocellulose. Current catalysts require harsh conditions to effect HDO, decreasing the process efficiency in terms of energy and carbon balance. Herein we report a novel and facile method for synthesizing bimetallic PtCo nanoparticle catalysts (ca. 1.5 nm) highly dispersed in the framework of nitrogen-doped ordered mesoporous carbon (NOMC) for this reaction. We demonstrate that NOMC with either 2D hexagonal (p6m) or 3D cubic (Im3‾ m) structure can be easily synthesized by simply adjusting the polymerization temperature. We also demonstrate that PtCo/NOMC (metal loading: Pt 9.90 wt %; Co 3.31 wt %) is a highly effective catalyst for HDO of phenolic compounds and "real-world" biomass-derived phenolic streams. In the presence of PtCo/NOMC, full deoxygenation of phenolic compounds and a biomass-derived phenolic stream is achieved under conditions of low severity.

Dual-Templated Cobalt Oxide for Photochemical Water Oxidation.

Mesoporous Co3 O4 was prepared using a dual templating approach whereby mesopores inside SiO2 nanospheres, as well as the void spaces between the nanospheres, were used as templates. The effect of calcination temperature on the crystallinity, morphology, and textural parameters of the Co3 O4 replica was investigated. The catalytic activity of Co3 O4 for photochemical water oxidation in a [Ru(bpy)3 ](2+) [S2 O8 ](2-) system was evaluated. The Co3 O4 replica calcined at the lowest temperature (150 °C) exhibited the best performance as a result of the unique nanostructure and high surface area arising from the dual templating. The performance of Co3 O4 with highest surface area was further examined in electrochemical water oxidation. Superior activity over high temperature counterpart and decent stability was observed. Furthermore, CoO with identical morphology was prepared from Co3 O4 using an ethanol reduction method and a higher turnover-frequency number for photochemical water oxidation was obtained.

Highly Ordered Mesoporous Cobalt-Containing Oxides: Structure, Catalytic Properties, and Active Sites in Oxidation of Carbon Monoxide.

Co3O4 with a spinel structure is a very active oxide catalyst for the oxidation of CO. In such catalysts, octahedrally coordinated Co(3+) is considered to be the active site, while tetrahedrally coordinated Co(2+) is assumed to be basically inactive. In this study, a highly ordered mesoporous CoO has been prepared by H2 reduction of nanocast Co3O4 at low temperature (250 °C). The as-prepared CoO material, which has a rock-salt structure with a single Co(2+) octahedrally coordinated by lattice oxygen in Fm3̅m symmetry, exhibited unexpectedly high activity for CO oxidation. Careful investigation of the catalytic behavior of mesoporous CoO catalyst led to the conclusion that the oxidation of surface Co(2+) to Co(3+) causes the high activity. Other mesoporous spinels (CuCo2O4, CoCr2O4, and CoFe2O4) with different Co species substituted with non/low-active metal ions were also synthesized to investigate the catalytically active site of cobalt-based catalysts. The results show that not only is the octahedrally coordinated Co(3+) highly active but also the octahedrally coordinated Co(2+) species in CoFe2O4 with an inverse spinel structure shows some activity. These results suggest that the octahedrally coordinated Co(2+) species is easily oxidized and shows high catalytic activity for CO oxidation.

Controllable Synthesis of Mesoporous Peapod-like Co3O4@Carbon Nanotube Arrays for High-Performance Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Transition metal oxides are regarded as promising anode materials for lithium-ion batteries because of their high theoretical capacities compared with commercial graphite. Unfortunately, the implementation of such novel anodes is hampered by their large volume changes during the Li(+) insertion and extraction process and their low electric conductivities. Herein, we report a specifically designed anode architecture to overcome such problems, that is, mesoporous peapod-like Co3O4@carbon nanotube arrays, which are constructed through a controllable nanocasting process. Co3O4 nanoparticles are confined exclusively in the intratubular pores of the nanotube arrays. The pores between the nanotubes are open, and thus render the Co3O4 nanoparticles accessible for effective electrolyte diffusion. Moreover, the carbon nanotubes act as a conductive network. As a result, the peapod-like Co3O4 @carbon nanotube electrode shows a high specific capacity, excellent rate capacity, and very good cycling performance.

Surface modification of PDMS microfluidic devices by controlled sulfuric acid treatment and the application in chip electrophoresis.

Herein, we present a straightforward surface modification technique for PDMS-based microfluidic devices. The method takes advantage of the high reactivity of concentrated sulfuric acid to enhance the surface properties of PDMS bulk material. This results in alteration of the surface morphology and chemical composition that is in-depth characterized by ATR-FTIR, EDX, SEM, and XPS. In comparison to untreated PDMS, modified substrates exhibit a significantly reduced diffusive uptake of small organic molecules while retaining its low electroosmotic properties. This was demonstrated by exposing the channels of a microfluidic device to concentrated rhodamine B solution followed by fluorescence microscopy. The surface modification procedure was used to improve chip-based electrophoretic separations. Separation efficiencies of FITC-labeled amines/amino acids obtained in treated and untreated PDMS-devices as well as in glass chips were compared. We obtained higher efficiencies in H2 SO4 treated PDMS chips compared to untreated ones but lower efficiencies than those obtained in commercial microfluidic glass devices.

A polyphenylene support for Pd catalysts with exceptional catalytic activity.

We describe a solid polyphenylene support that serves as an excellent platform for metal-catalyzed reactions that are normally carried out under homogeneous conditions. The catalyst is synthesized by palladium-catalyzed Suzuki coupling which directly results in formation of palladium nanoparticles confined to a porous polyphenylene network. The composite solid is in turn highly active for further Suzuki coupling reactions, including non-activated substrates that are challenging even for molecular catalysts.

Design criteria for stable Pt/C fuel cell catalysts.

Platinum and Pt alloy nanoparticles supported on carbon are the state of the art electrocatalysts in proton exchange membrane fuel cells. To develop a better understanding on how material design can influence the degradation processes on the nanoscale, three specific Pt/C catalysts with different structural characteristics were investigated in depth: a conventional Pt/Vulcan catalyst with a particle size of 3-4 nm and two Pt@HGS catalysts with different particle size, 1-2 nm and 3-4 nm. Specifically, Pt@HGS corresponds to platinum nanoparticles incorporated and confined within the pore structure of the nanostructured carbon support, i.e., hollow graphitic spheres (HGS). All three materials are characterized by the same platinum loading, so that the differences in their performance can be correlated to the structural characteristics of each material. The comparison of the activity and stability behavior of the three catalysts, as obtained from thin film rotating disk electrode measurements and identical location electron microscopy, is also extended to commercial materials and used as a basis for a discussion of general fuel cell catalyst design principles. Namely, the effects of particle size, inter-particle distance, certain support characteristics and thermal treatment on the catalyst performance and in particular the catalyst stability are evaluated. Based on our results, a set of design criteria for more stable and active Pt/C and Pt-alloy/C materials is suggested.

Platinum-cobalt bimetallic nanoparticles in hollow carbon nanospheres for hydrogenolysis of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural.

The synthesis of 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF) from 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is a highly attractive route to a renewable fuel. However, achieving high yields in this reaction is a substantial challenge. Here it is described how PtCo bimetallic nanoparticles with diameters of 3.6 ± 0.7 nm can solve this problem. Over PtCo catalysts the conversion of HMF was 100% within 10 min and the yield to DMF reached 98% after 2 h, which substantially exceeds the best results reported in the literature. Moreover, the synthetic method can be generalized to other bimetallic nanoparticles encapsulated in hollow carbon spheres.

Fabrication of magnetic yolk-shell nanocatalysts with spatially resolved functionalities and high activity for nitrobenzene hydrogenation.

In cracking from: Highly engineered bifunctional yolk-shell nanocatalysts with tailored structural configuration, that is, hollow carbon spheres as the matrix, entrapped magnetite nanoparticles in the core, and in situ formed and highly dispersed noble metal nanoparticles within the carbon shells as active catalytic sites, were prepared. These nanocatalysts show high activity, reusability, and good magnetic separation properties.

Toward highly stable electrocatalysts via nanoparticle pore confinement.

The durability of electrode materials is a limiting parameter for many electrochemical energy conversion systems. In particular, electrocatalysts for the essential oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) present some of the most challenging instability issues shortening their practical lifetime. Here, we report a mesostructured graphitic carbon support, Hollow Graphitic Spheres (HGS) with a specific surface area exceeding 1000 m(2) g(-1) and precisely controlled pore structure, that was specifically developed to overcome the long-term catalyst degradation, while still sustaining high activity. The synthetic pathway leads to platinum nanoparticles of approximately 3 to 4 nm size encapsulated in the HGS pore structure that are stable at 850 °C and, more importantly, during simulated accelerated electrochemical aging. Moreover, the high stability of the cathode electrocatalyst is also retained in a fully assembled polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). Identical location scanning and scanning transmission electron microscopy (IL-SEM and IL-STEM) conclusively proved that during electrochemical cycling the encapsulation significantly suppresses detachment and agglomeration of Pt nanoparticles, two of the major degradation mechanisms in fuel cell catalysts of this particle size. Thus, beyond providing an improved electrocatalyst, this study describes the blueprint for targeted improvement of fuel cell catalysts by design of the carbon support.

How recombinant swollenin from Kluyveromyces lactis affects cellulosic substrates and accelerates their hydrolysis.

BACKGROUND: In order to generate biofuels, insoluble cellulosic substrates are pretreated and subsequently hydrolyzed with cellulases. One way to pretreat cellulose in a safe and environmentally friendly manner is to apply, under mild conditions, non-hydrolyzing proteins such as swollenin - naturally produced in low yields by the fungus Trichoderma reesei. To yield sufficient swollenin for industrial applications, the first aim of this study is to present a new way of producing recombinant swollenin. The main objective is to show how swollenin quantitatively affects relevant physical properties of cellulosic substrates and how it affects subsequent hydrolysis. RESULTS: After expression in the yeast Kluyveromyces lactis, the resulting swollenin was purified. The adsorption parameters of the recombinant swollenin onto cellulose were quantified for the first time and were comparable to those of individual cellulases from T. reesei. Four different insoluble cellulosic substrates were then pretreated with swollenin. At first, it could be qualitatively shown by macroscopic evaluation and microscopy that swollenin caused deagglomeration of bigger cellulose agglomerates as well as dispersion of cellulose microfibrils (amorphogenesis). Afterwards, the effects of swollenin on cellulose particle size, maximum cellulase adsorption and cellulose crystallinity were quantified. The pretreatment with swollenin resulted in a significant decrease in particle size of the cellulosic substrates as well as in their crystallinity, thereby substantially increasing maximum cellulase adsorption onto these substrates. Subsequently, the pretreated cellulosic substrates were hydrolyzed with cellulases. Here, pretreatment of cellulosic substrates with swollenin, even in non-saturating concentrations, significantly accelerated the hydrolysis. By correlating particle size and crystallinity of the cellulosic substrates with initial hydrolysis rates, it could be shown that the swollenin-induced reduction in particle size and crystallinity resulted in high cellulose hydrolysis rates. CONCLUSIONS: Recombinant swollenin can be easily produced with the robust yeast K. lactis. Moreover, swollenin induces deagglomeration of cellulose agglomerates as well as amorphogenesis (decrystallization). For the first time, this study quantifies and elucidates in detail how swollenin affects different cellulosic substrates and their hydrolysis.

Structurally designed synthesis of mechanically stable poly(benzoxazine-co-resol)-based porous carbon monoliths and their application as high-performance CO2 capture sorbents.

Porous carbon monoliths with defined multilength scale pore structures, a nitrogen-containing framework, and high mechanical strength were synthesized through a self-assembly of poly(benzoxazine-co-resol) and a carbonization process. Importantly, this synthesis can be easily scaled up to prepare carbon monoliths with identical pore structures. By controlling the reaction conditions, porous carbon monoliths exhibit fully interconnected macroporosity and mesoporosity with cubic Im3m symmetry and can withstand a press pressure of up to 15.6 MPa. The use of amines in the synthesis results in a nitrogen-containing framework of the carbon monolith, as evidenced by the cross-polarization magic-angle-spinning NMR characterization. With such designed structures, the carbon monoliths show outstanding CO(2) capture and separation capacities, high selectivity, and facile regeneration at room temperature. At ~1 bar, the equilibrium capacities of the monoliths are in the range of 3.3-4.9 mmol g(-1) at 0 °C and of 2.6-3.3 mmol g(-1) at 25 °C, while the dynamic capacities are in the range of 2.7-4.1 wt % at 25 °C using 14% (v/v) CO(2) in N(2). The carbon monoliths exhibit high selectivity for the capture of CO(2) over N(2) from a CO(2)/N(2) mixture, with a separation factor ranging from 13 to 28. Meanwhile, they undergo a facile CO(2) release in an argon stream at 25 °C, indicating a good regeneration capacity.

Very low temperature CO oxidation over colloidally deposited gold nanoparticles on Mg(OH)2 and MgO.

The colloidal deposition method was used to prepare Au/Mg(OH)(2) (0.7 wt % gold) catalysts with gold particle sizes between 1.5 to 5 nm which exhibited very high activity for CO oxidation with specific rates higher than 3.7 mol(CO) x h(-1) x g(Au)(-1) even at temperatures as low as -89 degrees C.