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Plasma for Energy and Catalytic Nanomaterials
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Plasma for Energy and Catalytic Nanomaterials

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy and Catalysis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 August 2019) | Viewed by 56326

Printed Edition Available!
A printed edition of this Special Issue is available here.

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Lanbo Di

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Physical Science and Technology, Dalian University, Dalian 116622, China
Interests: cold plasma; nanomaterials; plasma chemistry; supported metal catalysts
Prof. Dr. Feng Yu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Key Laboratory for Green Processing of Chemical Engineering of Xinjiang Bingtuan, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832003, China
Interests: micro/nano-structured nanomaterials and catalysts such as metal oxide, carbon materials, layered double hydroxides, metal–organic frameworks, etc.; building blocks in complex two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) integrated assemblies and regular architectures with porous structures; advanced catalytic nanomaterials in high-tech catalytic technology—especially for carbon neutralization, denitration, water splitting, etc.

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nanomaterials preparation is gaining increasing interest for energy and catalytic applications, such as methane reforming, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), VOCs removal and CO preferential oxidation (PROX), etc. The plasma method allows thermodynamically and dynamically difficult reactions to proceed at low temperatures due to the activation of energetic electrons. Compared to conventional preparation methods, it has been proven to be a fast, facile and environmentally-friendly method for synthesizing highly-efficient nanomaterials. The synthesized nanomaterials generally show enhanced metal-support interactions, small sizes of metal nanoparticles, specific metal structures, abundant oxygen vacancies, etc. Therefore, they exhibit high catalytic activity and stability in energy and catalytic applications.  In spite of the growing interest in plasma for energy and catalytic nanomaterials, synthesis mechanisms of nanomaterials using plasma still remains obscure due to the complicated physical and chemical reactions during plasma preparation. A great deal of research is needed to better understand the controllable preparation mechanisms of the plasma method and widen its application scope in synthesizing energy and catalytic nanomaterials. Submissions to this Special Issue are welcome in the form of original research papers or short reviews that cover the synthesis and applications of energy and catalytic nanomaterials by plasma.

Prof. Dr. Lanbo Di
Prof. Dr. Feng Yu
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. Nanomaterials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2900 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

  • Plasma
  • Nanomaterials
  • Catalytic applications
  • Energy applications
  • Dielectric barrier discharge

Published Papers (13 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research, Review

4 pages, 167 KiB  
Editorial
Plasma for Energy and Catalytic Nanomaterials
by Feng Yu and Lanbo Di
Nanomaterials 2020, 10(2), 333; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano10020333 - 15 Feb 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1859
Abstract
This Special Issue “Plasma for Energy and Catalytic Nanomaterials” of Nanomaterials is focused on advancements in synthesis and applications of energy and catalytic nanomaterials by plasma [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plasma for Energy and Catalytic Nanomaterials)

Research

Jump to: Editorial, Review

12 pages, 4471 KiB  
Article
Cobalt Nanoparticles on Plasma-Controlled Nitrogen-Doped Carbon as High-Performance ORR Electrocatalyst for Primary Zn-Air Battery
by Seonghee Kim, Hyun Park and Oi Lun Li
Nanomaterials 2020, 10(2), 223; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano10020223 - 28 Jan 2020
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3787
Abstract
Metal–air batteries and fuel cells have attracted much attention as powerful candidates for a renewable energy conversion system for the last few decades. However, the high cost and low durability of platinum-based catalysts used to enhance sluggish oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) at air [...] Read more.
Metal–air batteries and fuel cells have attracted much attention as powerful candidates for a renewable energy conversion system for the last few decades. However, the high cost and low durability of platinum-based catalysts used to enhance sluggish oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) at air electrodes prevents its wide application to industry. In this work, we applied a plasma process to synthesize cobalt nanoparticles catalysts on nitrogen-doped carbon support with controllable quaternary-N and amino-N structure. In the electrochemical test, the quaternary-N and amino-N-doped carbon (Q-A)/Co catalyst with dominant quaternary-N and amino-N showed the best onset potential (0.87 V vs. RHE) and highest limiting current density (−6.39 mA/cm2). Moreover, Q-A/Co was employed as the air catalyst of a primary zinc–air battery with comparable peak power density to a commercial 20 wt.% Pt/C catalyst with the same loading, as well as a stable galvanostatic discharge at −20 mA/cm2 for over 30,000 s. With this result, we proposed the synergetic effect of transitional metal nanoparticles with controllable nitrogen-bonding can improve the catalytic activity of the catalyst, which provides a new strategy to develop a Pt-free ORR electrocatalyst. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plasma for Energy and Catalytic Nanomaterials)
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14 pages, 4772 KiB  
Article
DBD Plasma Combined with Different Foam Metal Electrodes for CO2 Decomposition: Experimental Results and DFT Validations
by Ju Li, Xingwu Zhai, Cunhua Ma, Shengjie Zhu, Feng Yu, Bin Dai, Guixian Ge and Dezheng Yang
Nanomaterials 2019, 9(11), 1595; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano9111595 - 11 Nov 2019
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3176
Abstract
In the last few years, due to the large amount of greenhouse gas emissions causing environmental issue like global warming, methods for the full consumption and utilization of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) have attracted great attention. In this [...] Read more.
In the last few years, due to the large amount of greenhouse gas emissions causing environmental issue like global warming, methods for the full consumption and utilization of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) have attracted great attention. In this study, a packed-bed dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) coaxial reactor has been developed and applied to split CO2 into industrial fuel carbon monoxide (CO). Different packing materials (foam Fe, Al, and Ti) were placed into the discharge gap of the DBD reactor, and then CO2 conversion was investigated. The effects of power, flow velocity, and other discharge characteristics of CO2 conversion were studied to understand the influence of the filling catalysts on CO2 splitting. Experimental results showed that the filling of foam metals in the reactor caused changes in discharge characteristics and discharge patterns, from the original filamentary discharge to the current filamentary discharge as well as surface discharge. Compared with the maximum CO2 conversion of 21.15% and energy efficiency of 3.92% in the reaction tube without the foam metal materials, a maximum CO2 decomposition rate of 44.84%, 44.02%, and 46.61% and energy efficiency of 6.86%, 6.19%, and 8.85% were obtained in the reaction tubes packed with foam Fe, Al, and Ti, respectively. The CO2 conversion rate for reaction tubes filled with the foam metal materials was clearly enhanced compared to the non-packed tubes. It could be seen that the foam Ti had the best CO2 decomposition rate among the three foam metals. Furthermore, we used density functional theory to further verify the experimental results. The results indicated that CO2 adsorption had a lower activation energy barrier on the foam Ti surface. The theoretical calculation was consistent with the experimental results, which better explain the mechanism of CO2 decomposition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plasma for Energy and Catalytic Nanomaterials)
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17 pages, 5779 KiB  
Article
Aqueous Gold Nanoparticles Generated by AC and Pulse-Power-Driven Plasma Jet
by Pengcheng Xie, Yi Qi, Ruixue Wang, Jina Wu and Xiaosen Li
Nanomaterials 2019, 9(10), 1488; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano9101488 - 18 Oct 2019
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 4243
Abstract
In this study, we developed a simple-to-use approach based on an atmospheric pressure plasma jet to synthesize aqueous Au nanoparticles (AuNP). Special attention was paid to the different reaction dynamics and AuNP properties under AC and pulse-power-driven plasma jets (A-Jet and P-Jet, respectively). [...] Read more.
In this study, we developed a simple-to-use approach based on an atmospheric pressure plasma jet to synthesize aqueous Au nanoparticles (AuNP). Special attention was paid to the different reaction dynamics and AuNP properties under AC and pulse-power-driven plasma jets (A-Jet and P-Jet, respectively). The morphology of the AuNP, optical emissions, and chemical reactions were analyzed. Further, a copper mesh was placed above the reaction cell to evaluate the role of electrons and neutral species reduction. A visible color change was observed after the A-Jet treatment for 30 s, while it took 3 min for the P-Jet. The A-Jet treatment presented a much higher AuNP growth rate and a smaller AuNP diameter compared with the P-Jet treatment. Further analysis revealed an increase in chemical concentrations (Cl− and H2O2) and liquid conductivity after plasma treatment, with a higher increased amplitude for the A-Jet case. Moreover, the electrons alone had little effect on AuNP generation, while neutral species showed a clear Au+ reduction effect, and a unique coupling effect between both reactions was observed. The different reaction dynamics between the A-Jet and P-Jet were attributed to their different local heating effects and different discharge power during the reaction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plasma for Energy and Catalytic Nanomaterials)
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15 pages, 4390 KiB  
Article
Enhanced Breakdown Strength and Thermal Conductivity of BN/EP Nanocomposites with Bipolar Nanosecond Pulse DBD Plasma Modified BNNSs
by Yan Mi, Jiaxi Gou, Lulu Liu, Xin Ge, Hui Wan and Quan Liu
Nanomaterials 2019, 9(10), 1396; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano9101396 - 30 Sep 2019
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 2852
Abstract
Filling epoxy resin (EP) with boron nitride (BN) nanosheets (BNNSs) can effectively improve the thermal conductivity of BN/EP nanocomposites. However, due to the few hydroxyl groups on the surface of BNNSs, silane coupling agent (SCA) cannot effectively modify BNNSs. The agglomeration of BNNSs [...] Read more.
Filling epoxy resin (EP) with boron nitride (BN) nanosheets (BNNSs) can effectively improve the thermal conductivity of BN/EP nanocomposites. However, due to the few hydroxyl groups on the surface of BNNSs, silane coupling agent (SCA) cannot effectively modify BNNSs. The agglomeration of BNNSs is severe, which significantly reduces the AC breakdown strength of the composites. Therefore, this paper uses atmospheric pressure bipolar nanosecond pulse dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) Ar+H2O low temperature plasma to hydroxylate BNNSs to improve the AC breakdown strength and thermal conductivity of the composites. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) shows that the hydroxyl content of the BNNSs surface increases nearly two fold after plasma modification. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) show that plasma modification enhances the dehydration condensation reaction of BNNSs with SCA, and the coating amount of SCA on the BNNSs surface increases by 45%. The breakdown test shows that the AC breakdown strength of the composites after plasma modification is improved under different filling contents. With the filling content of BNNSs increasing from 10% to 20%, the composites can maintain a certain insulation strength. Meanwhile, the thermal conductivity of the composites increases by 67% as the filling content increases from 10% (SCA treated) to 20% (plasma and SCA treated). Therefore, the plasma hydroxylation modification method used in this paper can provide a basis for the preparation of high thermal conductivity insulating materials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plasma for Energy and Catalytic Nanomaterials)
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15 pages, 4409 KiB  
Article
Discharge Regimes Transition and Characteristics Evolution of Nanosecond Pulsed Dielectric Barrier Discharge
by Li Zhang, Dezheng Yang, Sen Wang, Zixian Jia, Hao Yuan, Zilu Zhao and Wenchun Wang
Nanomaterials 2019, 9(10), 1381; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano9101381 - 26 Sep 2019
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 2893
Abstract
Discharge regime transition in a single pulse can present the breakdown mechanism of nanosecond pulsed dielectric barrier discharge. In this paper, regime transitions between streamer, diffuse, and surface discharges in nanosecond pulsed dielectric barrier discharge are studied experimentally using high resolution temporal–spatial spectra [...] Read more.
Discharge regime transition in a single pulse can present the breakdown mechanism of nanosecond pulsed dielectric barrier discharge. In this paper, regime transitions between streamer, diffuse, and surface discharges in nanosecond pulsed dielectric barrier discharge are studied experimentally using high resolution temporal–spatial spectra and instantaneous exposure images. After the triggering time of 2–10 ns, discharge was initiated with a stable initial streamer channel propagation. Then, transition of streamer-diffuse modes could be presented at the time of 10–34 ns, and a surface discharge can be formed sequentially on the dielectric plate. In order to analyze the possible reason for the varying discharge regimes in a single discharge pulse, the temporal–spatial distribution of vibrational population of molecular nitrogen N2 (C3Πu, v = 0,1,2) and reduced electric field were calculated by the temporal–spatial emission spectra. It is found that at the initial time, a distorted high reduced electric field was formed near the needle electrode, which excited the initial streamer. With the initial streamer propagating to the dielectric plate, the electric field was rebuilt, which drives the transition from streamer to diffuse, and also the propagation of surface discharge. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plasma for Energy and Catalytic Nanomaterials)
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12 pages, 3608 KiB  
Article
Effective Oxygen Reduction Reaction Performance of FeCo Alloys In Situ Anchored on Nitrogen-Doped Carbon by the Microwave-Assistant Carbon Bath Method and Subsequent Plasma Etching
by Mincong Liu, Feng Yu, Cunhua Ma, Xueyan Xue, Haihai Fu, Huifang Yuan, Shengchao Yang, Gang Wang, Xuhong Guo and Lili Zhang
Nanomaterials 2019, 9(9), 1284; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano9091284 - 08 Sep 2019
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 4085
Abstract
Electrocatalysts with strong stability and high electrocatalytic activity have received increasing interest for oxygen reduction reactions (ORRs) in the cathodes of energy storage and conversion devices, such as fuel cells and metal-air batteries. However, there are still several bottleneck problems concerning stability, efficiency, [...] Read more.
Electrocatalysts with strong stability and high electrocatalytic activity have received increasing interest for oxygen reduction reactions (ORRs) in the cathodes of energy storage and conversion devices, such as fuel cells and metal-air batteries. However, there are still several bottleneck problems concerning stability, efficiency, and cost, which prevent the development of ORR catalysts. Herein, we prepared bimetal FeCo alloy nanoparticles wrapped in Nitrogen (N)-doped graphitic carbon, using Co-Fe Prussian blue analogs (Co3[Fe(CN)6]2, Co-Fe PBA) by the microwave-assisted carbon bath method (MW-CBM) as a precursor, followed by dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma treatment. This novel preparation strategy not only possessed a fast synthesis rate by MW-CBM, but also caused an increase in defect sites by DBD plasma treatment. It is believed that the co-existence of Fe/Co-N sites, rich active sites, core-shell structure, and FeCo alloys could jointly enhance the catalytic activity of ORRs. The obtained catalyst exhibited a positive half-wave potential of 0.88 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) and an onset potential of 0.95 V vs. RHE for ORRs. The catalyst showed a higher selectivity and long-term stability than Pt/C towards ORR in alkaline media. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plasma for Energy and Catalytic Nanomaterials)
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14 pages, 4760 KiB  
Article
A Novel Route to Manufacture 2D Layer MoS2 and g-C3N4 by Atmospheric Plasma with Enhanced Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalysis
by Bo Zhang, Zhenhai Wang, Xiangfeng Peng, Zhao Wang, Ling Zhou and QiuXiang Yin
Nanomaterials 2019, 9(8), 1139; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano9081139 - 08 Aug 2019
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 5341
Abstract
An atmospheric plasma treatment strategy was developed to prepare two-dimensional (2D) molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) and graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) nanosheets from (NH4)2MoS4 and bulk g-C3N4, respectively. The moderate [...] Read more.
An atmospheric plasma treatment strategy was developed to prepare two-dimensional (2D) molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) and graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) nanosheets from (NH4)2MoS4 and bulk g-C3N4, respectively. The moderate temperature of plasma is beneficial for exfoliating bulk materials to thinner nanosheets. The thicknesses of as-prepared MoS2 and g-C3N4 nanosheets are 2–3 nm and 1.2 nm, respectively. They exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity on account of the nanosheet structure, larger surface area, more flexible photophysical properties, and longer charge carrier average lifetime. Under visible light irradiation, the hydrogen production rates of MoS2 and g-C3N4 by plasma were 3.3 and 1.5 times higher than the corresponding bulk materials, respectively. And g-C3N4 by plasma exhibited 2.5 and 1.3 times degradation rates on bulk that for methyl orange and rhodamine B, respectively. The mechanism of plasma preparation was proposed on account of microstructure characterization and online mass spectroscopy, which indicated that gas etching, gas expansion, and the repulsive force of electron play the key roles in the plasma exfoliation. Plasma as an environmentally benign approach provides a general platform for fabricating ultrathin nanosheet materials with prospective applications as photocatalysts for pollutant degradation and water splitting. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plasma for Energy and Catalytic Nanomaterials)
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12 pages, 6180 KiB  
Article
A Surface Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma for Preparing Cotton-Fabric-Supported Silver Nanoparticles
by Zhiyuan Fan, Lanbo Di, Xiuling Zhang and Hongyang Wang
Nanomaterials 2019, 9(7), 961; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano9070961 - 01 Jul 2019
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 4636
Abstract
Cotton-fabric-supported silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) have aroused great attention due to their remarkable physical and chemical properties and excellent broad-spectrum antibacterial performance.In this work, a surface dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma method is developed and employed to prepare cotton fabric supported Ag NPs [...] Read more.
Cotton-fabric-supported silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) have aroused great attention due to their remarkable physical and chemical properties and excellent broad-spectrum antibacterial performance.In this work, a surface dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma method is developed and employed to prepare cotton fabric supported Ag NPs (Ag/cotton) for the first time. UV-Vis and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results confirm the formation of Ag NPs. TEM images show that the size of Ag NPs is in the range 4.8–5.3 nm. Heat-sensitive cotton fabrics are not destroyed by surface DBD plasma according to FTIR and XRDresults. Wash fastness of the Ag/cotton samples is investigated using ultrasonic treatment for 30 min and it is shown that the Ag NPs possess good adhesion to the cotton fabric according to UV-Vis spectra. Antibacterial activity of the Ag/cotton samples shows that obvious bacteriostasis loops are observed around the samples with the appearance of both Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis). The average diameter of the bacteriostasis loops against both E. coli and B. subtilis becomes larger with an increasing silver loading amount.This work provides a universal, fast, simple, and environmentally-friendly cold plasma method for synthesizing Ag NPs on heat-sensitive materials at atmospheric pressure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plasma for Energy and Catalytic Nanomaterials)
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16 pages, 25051 KiB  
Article
High-Resolution SEM and EDX Characterization of Deposits Formed by CH4+Ar DBD Plasma Processing in a Packed Bed Reactor
by Mohammadreza Taheraslani and Han Gardeniers
Nanomaterials 2019, 9(4), 589; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano9040589 - 10 Apr 2019
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 5794
Abstract
The deposits formed during the DBD plasma conversion of CH4 were characterized by high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM) and energy dispersive X-ray elemental analysis (EDX) for both cases of a non-packed reactor and a packed reactor. For the non-packed plasma reactor, a [...] Read more.
The deposits formed during the DBD plasma conversion of CH4 were characterized by high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM) and energy dispersive X-ray elemental analysis (EDX) for both cases of a non-packed reactor and a packed reactor. For the non-packed plasma reactor, a layer of deposits was formed on the dielectric surface. HRSEM images in combination with EDX and CHN elemental analysis of this layer revealed that the deposits are made of a polymer-like layer with a high content of hydrogen (60 at%), possessing an amorphous structure. For the packed reactor, γ-alumina, Pd/γ-alumina, BaTiO3, silica-SBA-15, MgO/Al2O3, and α-alumina were used as the packing materials inside the DBD discharges. Carbon-rich agglomerates were formed on the γ-alumina after exposure to plasma. The EDX mapping furthermore indicated the carbon-rich areas in the structure. In contrast, the formation of agglomerates was not observed for Pd-loaded γ-alumina. This was ascribed to the presence of Pd, which enhances the hydrogenation of deposit precursors, and leads to a significantly lower amount of deposits. It was further found that the structure of all other plasma-processed materials, including MgO/Al2O3, silica-SBA-15, BaTiO3, and α-alumina, undergoes morphological changes. These alterations appeared in the forms of the generation of new pores (voids) in the structure, as well as the moderation of the surface roughness towards a smoother surface after the plasma treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plasma for Energy and Catalytic Nanomaterials)
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11 pages, 2219 KiB  
Article
Atmospheric-Pressure Cold Plasma Activating Au/P25 for CO Oxidation: Effect of Working Gas
by Jingsen Zhang, Lanbo Di, Feng Yu, Dongzhi Duan and Xiuling Zhang
Nanomaterials 2018, 8(9), 742; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano8090742 - 19 Sep 2018
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3884
Abstract
Commercial TiO2 (P25) supported gold (Au/P25) attracts increasing attention. In this work, atmospheric-pressure (AP) cold plasma was employed to activate the Au/P25-As catalyst prepared by a modified impregnation method. The influence of cold plasma working gas (oxygen, argon, hydrogen, and air) on [...] Read more.
Commercial TiO2 (P25) supported gold (Au/P25) attracts increasing attention. In this work, atmospheric-pressure (AP) cold plasma was employed to activate the Au/P25-As catalyst prepared by a modified impregnation method. The influence of cold plasma working gas (oxygen, argon, hydrogen, and air) on the structure and performance of the obtained Au/P25 catalysts was investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray spectroscopy (XPS) were adopted to characterize the Au/P25 catalysts. CO oxidation was used as model reaction probe to test the Au/P25 catalyst. XRD results reveal that supporting gold and AP cold plasma activation have little effect on the P25 support. CO oxidation activity over the Au/P25 catalysts follows the order: Au/P25-O2P > Au/P25-As > Au/P25-ArP ≈ Au/P25-H2P > Au/P25-AirP. Au/P25-AirP presents the poorest CO oxidation catalytic activity among the Au/P25 catalysts, which may be ascribed to the larger size of gold nanoparticles, low concentration of active [O]s, as well as the poisoning [NOx]s. The poor catalytic performance of Au/P25-ArP and Au/P25-H2P is ascribed to the lower concentration of [O]s species. 100% CO conversion temperatures for Au/P25-O2P is 40 °C, which is 30 °C lower than that over the as-prepared Au/P25-As catalyst. The excellent CO oxidation activity over Au/P25-O2P is mainly attributed to the efficient decomposition of gold precursor species, small size of gold nanoparticles, and the high concentration of [O]s species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plasma for Energy and Catalytic Nanomaterials)
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Review

Jump to: Editorial, Research

42 pages, 9725 KiB  
Review
A Review on the Promising Plasma-Assisted Preparation of Electrocatalysts
by Feng Yu, Mincong Liu, Cunhua Ma, Lanbo Di, Bin Dai and Lili Zhang
Nanomaterials 2019, 9(10), 1436; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano9101436 - 10 Oct 2019
Cited by 31 | Viewed by 6387
Abstract
Electrocatalysts are becoming increasingly important for both energy conversion and environmental catalysis. Plasma technology can realize surface etching and heteroatom doping, and generate highly dispersed components and redox species to increase the exposure of the active edge sites so as to improve the [...] Read more.
Electrocatalysts are becoming increasingly important for both energy conversion and environmental catalysis. Plasma technology can realize surface etching and heteroatom doping, and generate highly dispersed components and redox species to increase the exposure of the active edge sites so as to improve the surface utilization and catalytic activity. This review summarizes the recent plasma-assisted preparation methods of noble metal catalysts, non-noble metal catalysts, non-metal catalysts, and other electrochemical catalysts, with emphasis on the characteristics of plasma-assisted methods. The influence of the morphology, structure, defect, dopant, and other factors on the catalytic performance of electrocatalysts is discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plasma for Energy and Catalytic Nanomaterials)
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34 pages, 6775 KiB  
Review
A Review of Recent Advances of Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma in Catalysis
by Ju Li, Cunhua Ma, Shengjie Zhu, Feng Yu, Bin Dai and Dezheng Yang
Nanomaterials 2019, 9(10), 1428; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano9101428 - 09 Oct 2019
Cited by 83 | Viewed by 6647
Abstract
Dielectric barrier discharge plasma is one of the most popular methods to generate nanthermal plasma, which is made up of a host of high-energy electrons, free radicals, chemically active ions and excited species, so it has the property of being prone to chemical [...] Read more.
Dielectric barrier discharge plasma is one of the most popular methods to generate nanthermal plasma, which is made up of a host of high-energy electrons, free radicals, chemically active ions and excited species, so it has the property of being prone to chemical reactions. Due to these unique advantages, the plasma technology has been widely used in the catalytic fields. Compared with the conventional method, the heterogeneous catalyst prepared by plasma technology has good dispersion and smaller particle size, and its catalytic activity, selectivity and stability are significantly improved. In addition, the interaction between plasma and catalyst can achieve synergistic effects, so the catalytic effect is further improved. The review mainly introduces the characteristics of dielectric barrier discharge plasma, development trend and its recent advances in catalysis; then, we sum up the advantages of using plasma technology to prepare catalysts. At the same time, the synergistic effect of plasma technology combined with catalyst on methanation, CH4 reforming, NOx decomposition, H2O2 synthesis, Fischer–Tropsch synthesis, volatile organic compounds removal, catalytic sterilization, wastewater treatment and degradation of pesticide residues are discussed. Finally, the properties of plasma in catalytic reaction are summarized, and the application prospect of plasma in the future catalytic field is prospected. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plasma for Energy and Catalytic Nanomaterials)
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