Submit to Catalysts Review for Catalysts Propose a Special Issue

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Synthesis and Applications of Nano-Catalytic Materials

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2020) | Viewed by 17732

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Kuo-Tseng Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Chemical Engineering, Tunghai University, Taichung, Taiwan
Interests: heterogeneous catalysis

Prof. Dr. Ching-Shiun Chen

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor

1. Center for General Education, Chang Gung University, 259, Wen-Hua 1st Rd., Guishan Dist, Taoyuan City 33302, Taiwan
2. Department of Pathology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, 5 Fusing St., Guishan Dist, Taoyuan City 33302, Taiwan
Interests: catalytic conversion of carbon dioxide; catalysis of sub-nanosized metal particles; removal of volatile organic compounds; prepare metal catalysts using atomic layer deposition; magnetic carbon nanomaterial

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nanoscale materials have a nanometer size range (1–1000 nm), and have widespread applications in catalysis. Nanostructured metallic materials (supported or unsupported) exhibit different catalytic activities or selectivities in heterogeneous reactions, because of the variations of nanocrystal size and shape, which result in the changes of exposed metallic atoms and surface structures. Nanoscale metallic oxides can catalyze acidic/basic reactions, oxidation, dehydrogenation, and photocatalytic reactions (used for pollutant abatements or hydrogen generation from water) with an enhanced performance, because of the increasing surface area/volume ratio with the decreasing particle size. The aim of this Special Issue is to cover the recent advances in the preparation, characterization. and applications of nanoscale materials as catalysts, supports, photocatalysts, and electrocatalysts. Full papers, short communications, reviews, or mini-reviews in these areas are all welcome.

Prof. Dr. Kuo-Tseng Li
Prof. Dr. Ching-Shiun Chen
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 2700 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

nanoscale materials
catalysts
supports
photocatalysts
electrocatalysts

Published Papers (5 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

Jump to: Review

16 pages, 4011 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Tuning the Co Oxidation State in Ba_0.5Sr_0.5Co_0.8Fe_0.2O_3-δ by Flame Spray Synthesis Towards High Oxygen Evolution Reaction Activity

by Dino Aegerter, Mario Borlaf, Emiliana Fabbri, Adam H. Clark, Maarten Nachtegaal, Thomas Graule and Thomas J. Schmidt

Catalysts 2020, 10(9), 984; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/catal10090984 - 1 Sep 2020

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3064

Abstract

The perovskite-type oxide Ba_0.5Sr_0.5Co_0.8Fe_0.2O_3-δ (BSCF) is known as a highly active and stable oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalyst composited out of non-noble metals. The possibility of using the scalable flame spray synthesis (FSS) technique for the production of BSCF nanoparticles intensified the interest in this material for a future application in an alkaline water electrolyzer. A possible scale-up would require the optimization of the synthesis parameters to maximize the production rate. To further understand the influence of the synthesis parameters of the tunable FSS on the OER activity of BSCF, a systematic study was carried out by producing BSCF with different total metal concentrations (C_TM), flow rates of the precursor solution (FR_PS) and of the dispersion gas (FR_DG). This study reveals that all three parameters have a direct impact on the OER activity of BSCF—measured in a rotating disc electrode (RDE) setup—due to the controllability of the initial Co and Fe oxidation state—indicated by X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) measurements—and with that also of the oxygen vacancy concentration in the as-synthesized BSCF. This controllability enables the optimization of the OER activity of BSCF and emphasizes the importance of having Co in a lower initial oxidation state for reaching a high electrocatalytic performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesis and Applications of Nano-Catalytic Materials)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

11 pages, 1901 KiB

Open AccessArticle

“Storage-Discharge” Ethanol Cold Plasma for Synthesizing High Performance Pd/Al₂O₃ Catalysts

by Hongyang Wang, Tengda Zhang, Yufa Zhou, Xiuling Zhang and Lanbo Di

Catalysts 2020, 10(8), 907; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/catal10080907 - 8 Aug 2020

Viewed by 1869

Abstract

Atmospheric pressure cold plasma is an environmentally friendly and novel method to synthesize supported metal catalysts, which usually uses active hydrogen species to reduce metal ions. Ethanol is a hydrogen-rich renewable liquid hydrogen source, and it is more convenient to store and transport than H₂. In this study, a “storage-discharge” ethanol cold plasma was used to prepare Pd/Al₂O₃-EP catalysts, and the obtained catalysts are used for CO oxidation. The complete oxidation of CO temperature (T₁₀₀) over Pd/Al₂O₃-EP was 145 °C, which was comparable to the performance of Pd/Al₂O₃-HP that was synthesized by atmospheric pressure hydrogen cold plasma. Pd/Al₂O₃-EP-C obtained by calcining Pd/Al₂O₃-EP at 450 °C for 2 h in air atmosphere in order to remove residual carbon species showed much higher CO oxidation activity, and T₁₀₀ was 130 °C. The Pd/Al₂O₃ catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron diffraction (XPS), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and the structure-performance relationship was analyzed. The results indicate that the “storage-discharge” ethanol cold plasma can reduce the Pd precursor ions into metallic Pd state, and the dissociation of ethanol forms lots of highly active chemisorbed oxygen species, which can enhance the performance of Pd/Al₂O₃-EP for CO oxidation. In contrast, Pd/Al₂O₃-EP-C shows much higher CO oxidation activity, which is mainly attributed to the removal of the residual carbon species, and the exposure of more Pd active sites and chemisorbed oxygen species. The “storage-discharge” ethanol cold plasma is a safe and efficient novel method for synthesizing supported Pd catalysts, and it has important potential for the preparation and application of supported metal catalysts. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesis and Applications of Nano-Catalytic Materials)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

16 pages, 4320 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ru Nanoparticles Embedded in Cubic Mesoporous Silica SBA-1 as Highly Efficient Catalysts for Hydrogen Generation from Ammonia Borane

by Juti Rani Deka, Diganta Saikia, Kuo-Shu Hsia, Hsien-Ming Kao, Yung-Chin Yang and Ching-Shiun Chen

Catalysts 2020, 10(3), 267; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/catal10030267 - 26 Feb 2020

Cited by 24 | Viewed by 3346

Abstract

Cubic mesoporous silica SBA-1 functionalized with carboxylic acid (-COOH), namely S1B-C10, is used as a support to fabricate and confine Ru nanoparticles (NPs). The uniformly dispersed organic functional groups in SBA-1 are beneficial in attracting Ru cations, and as a result, homogenously distributed small sized Ru NPs are formed within the mesopores. The prepared Ru@S1B-C10 is utilized as a catalyst for H₂ generation from the hydrolysis of ammonia borane (AB). The Ru@S1B-C10 catalyst demonstrates high catalytic activity for H₂ generation (202 mol H₂ mol_Ru min⁻¹) and lower activation energy (24.13 kJ mol⁻¹) due to the small sized Ru NPs with high dispersion and the support’s interconnected mesoporous structure. The nanosized Ru particles provide abundant active sites for the catalytic reaction to take place, while the interconnected porous support facilitates homogenous transference and easy dispersal of AB molecules to the active sites. The catalyst demonstrates good recycle ability since the accumulation and leaking of NPs throughout catalysis can be effectively prevented by the support. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesis and Applications of Nano-Catalytic Materials)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

16 pages, 6743 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Galvanic Exchange as a Novel Method for Carbon Nitride Supported CoAg Catalyst Synthesis for Oxygen Reduction and Carbon Dioxide Conversion

by Roshan Nazir, Anand Kumar, Sardar Ali, Mohammed Ali Saleh Saad and Mohammed J. Al-Marri

Catalysts 2019, 9(10), 860; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/catal9100860 - 16 Oct 2019

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3239

Abstract

A bimetallic alloy of CoAg nanoparticles (NPs) on a carbon nitride (CN) surface was synthesized using a galvanic exchange process for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and carbon dioxide electrocatalytic conversion. The reduction potential of cobalt is ([Co²⁺(aq) + 2e⁻ → Co(s)], −0.28 eV) is smaller than that of Ag ([Ag⁺(aq) + e⁻ → Ag(s)], 0.80 eV), which makes Co(0) to be easily replaceable by Ag⁺ ions. Initially, Co NPs (nanoparticles) were synthesized on a CN surface via adsorbing the Co²⁺ precursor on the surface of CN and subsequently reducing them with NaBH₄ to obtain Co/CN NP. The Co NPs on the surface of CN were then subjected to galvanic exchange, where the sacrificial Co atoms were replaced by Ag atoms. As the process takes place on a solid surface, only the partial replacement of Co by Ag was possible generating CoAg/CN NPs. Synthesized CoAg/CN bimetallic alloy were characterized using different techniques such as powder x-ray diffraction (PXRD), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and electron diffraction spectroscopy (EDS) to confirm the product. Both the catalysts, Co/CN and CoAg/CN, were evaluated for oxygen reduction reaction in 1M KOH solution and carbon dioxide conversion in 0.5 M KHCO₃. In the case of ORR, the CoAg/CN was found to be an efficient electrocatalyst with the onset potential of 0.93 V, which is comparable to commercially available Pt/C having E_onset at 0.91 V. In the electrocatalytic conversion of CO₂, the CoAg/CN showed better performance than Co/CN. The cathodic current decreased dramatically below −0.9V versus Ag/AgCl indicating the high conversion of CO₂. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesis and Applications of Nano-Catalytic Materials)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

20 pages, 6320 KiB

Open AccessReview

Recent Advances in the Catalyst Design and Mass Transport Control for the Electrochemical Reduction of Carbon Dioxide to Formate

by Muhammad Alfath and Chan Woo Lee

Catalysts 2020, 10(8), 859; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/catal10080859 - 2 Aug 2020

Cited by 29 | Viewed by 5762

Abstract

Closing the carbon cycle by the electrochemical reduction of CO₂ to formic acid and other high-value chemicals is a promising strategy to mitigate rapid climate change. The main barriers to commercializing a CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR) system for formate production are the chemical inertness, low aqueous solubility, and slow mass transport characteristics of CO₂, along with the low selectivity and high overpotential observed in formate production via CO₂ reduction. To address those problems, we first explain the possible reaction mechanisms of CO₂RRs to formate, and then we present and discuss several strategies to overcome the barriers to commercialization. The electronic structure of the catalyst can be tuned to favor a specific intermediate by adjusting the catalyst composition and tailoring the facets, edges, and corners of the catalyst to better expose the active sites, which has primarily led to increased catalytic activity and selectivity. Controlling the local pH, employing a high-pressure reactor, and using systems with three-phase boundaries can tune the mass transport properties of reactants at the catalyst surface. The reported electrocatalytic performances are summarized afterward to provide insight into which strategies have critical effects on the production of formate. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesis and Applications of Nano-Catalytic Materials)

► Show Figures