Insights into the Multiple Synergies of Supports in the Selective Oxidation of Glycerol to Dihydroxyacetone: Layered Double Hydroxide Supported Au

Improving Redox Activity of Colloidal Plasmonic-Magnetic Nanocrystals by Chemical State Modulation

Controlling the redox ability is crucial for optimizing catalytic processes in clean energy, environmental protection, and CO2 reduction, as it directly influences the reaction efficiency and electron transfer rates, driving sustainable and effective outcomes. Here, we report the plasma-electrified synthesis of composition-controlled FeAu bimetallic nanoparticles, specifically engineered to enhance the redox catalytic performance through precise tuning of their chemical states. Utilizing atmospheric-pressure microplasmas, FeAu nanoparticles were synthesized under ambient conditions without the need for reducing agents or organic solvents, thereby providing a green and sustainable approach. The catalytic activity of the FeAu nanoparticles was significantly influenced by the oxidation states of Au (Au0, Au+, and Au3+), which were carefully modulated by adjusting the precursor concentration. This precise tuning directly affects the oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) of the nanoparticles, driving their superior degradation performance. The FeAu-1.52 sample exhibited the highest normalized rate constant (k=46.3 s-1 g-1), attributed to an optimal Au+/Au0 ratio that facilitates efficient electron transfer and redox cycling during the catalytic reduction of 4-NP to 4-aminophenol (4-AP). Beyond 4-NP, the FeAu nanoparticles demonstrated robust catalytic degradation of multiple dye pollutants, including Congo Red, Rhodamine B, Methyl Blue, and Methylene Blue, showing their versatility and potential for industrial wastewater treatment. This study elucidates the critical role of chemical state tuning in determining redox performance and presents a promising nanotechnology platform for sustainable environmental remediation.

Simultaneous High-Efficiency Photocatalytic Production of H2O2 and Synthesis of 3-HBA Using COFs Broadened by π Conjugate Networks and Photogenerated Charges

The coupling of H2O2 photosynthesis with photogenerated electrons and holes, when used separately, not only realizes the production of value-added products but also maximizes energy utilization. However, achieving this remains a challenge. Here, we report three variations of triazine-based covalent organic frameworks (COFs) featuring phenyl π-π-conjugated structures and furthermore introduce the phenoxy COF with a p-π-conjugated structure as a control to effectively produce hydrogen peroxide. It is found that the strong π-π conjugate network triggers a pronounced optical response and provides channels for charge transfer and electron enrichment. The results showed that the H2O2 yield of TTBA-TP-COF (TTBA = 4,4,4-(1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-triyl) tris (([1,1-biphenyl]-4-amine)), TP = 2,4,6-triformylphloroglucinol) reached an impressive 11,982 μmol/g/h, which was 1.49 times, 8.77 times, and 7.20 times that of TAPT-TP-COF (TAPT = 4,4',4″-(1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-triyl)trianiline), MA-TP-COF (MA = melamine), and TTTT-TP-COF (TTTT = 4,4',4″-((1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-triyl)tris(oxy))trianiline), respectively. Considering the atomic economy, we pioneeringly put forward the strategy of using photogenerated electrons and holes separately. Concurrently, with the photocatalytic production of hydrogen peroxide, acetaldehyde produced by hole oxidation, sacrificial ethanol served as primary feedstock, and aldol condensation of acetaldehyde was successfully catalyzed to produce 3-hydroxybutyraldehyde (3-HBA) under alkaline conditions provided by a small amount of triethylamine. The concentration of 3-HBA produced was confirmed to be 23.84 mmol/L by means of mass spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography.

Mechanistic Insights into Glycerol Oxidation to High-Value Chemicals via Metal-Based Catalysts

The oxidation of glycerol offers a valuable route for producing high-value chemicals. This review provides an in-depth analysis of the current advancements and mechanistic insights into novel metal-based catalysts for glycerol oxidation. We discuss the catalytic roles of both precious metals (e.g., Pt, Pd, Au), noted for their high efficiency and selectivity, and cost-effective alternatives, such as Ni, Cu, and Fe. Bimetallic and metal oxide catalysts are highlighted, emphasizing synergistic effects that enhance catalytic performance. This review elucidates the key mechanism involving selective adsorption and oxidation, providing detailed insights from advanced spectroscopic and computational studies into the activation of glycerol and stabilization of key intermediates, including glyceraldehyde and dihydroxyacetone. Additionally, selective carbon-carbon bond cleavage to yield smaller, valuable molecules is addressed. Finally, we outline future research directions, emphasizing the development of innovative catalysts, deeper mechanistic understanding, and sustainable process scale-up, ultimately advancing efficient, selective, and environmentally friendly catalytic systems for glycerol valorization.

Preparation and Catalytic Properties of Gold Single-Atom and Cluster Catalysts Utilizing Nanoparticulate Mg-Al Layered Double Hydroxides

Au single atoms and clusters were stabilized on Mg-Al layered double hydroxide nanoparticles (LDH NPs), and the obtained Au@LDH NPs were supported on SiO2 and CeO2. After hydrogen reduction, Au single atoms were found together with Au clusters on LDH/SiO2. In contrast to Au single-atom catalysts which are deposited in metal vacancies of oxide supports, the LDH NPs stabilize very small Au species despite the absence of metal vacancies. The obtained Au(0)@LDH/SiO2 catalyzed aerobic oxidation of alcohols, and Au single atoms maintained after the reaction. Given that only Au NPs were observed on bulk LDH, the abundant surface OH group of LDH NPs would contribute to stabilize Au, resulting in higher activity than Au/LDH-bulk. After calcination to transform LDH to mixed metal oxide (MMO), the obtained Au(0)@MMO/SiO2 also exhibited high catalytic activity. Moreover, Au(0)@LDH/CeO2 exhibited higher activity and excellent selectivity for hydrogenation of 4-nitrostyrene to 4-aminostyrene than conventional Au catalysts such as Au/CeO2 and Au/TiO2. We demonstrated that Au size can be minimized using LDH NPs, exhibiting high catalytic performance. The basic surface OH groups of LDH would be also beneficial for deprotonation of alcohols and heterolytic dissociation of H2 in the catalytic reactions.

Non-catalytic glycerol dehydrogenation to dihydroxyacetone using needle-in-tube dielectric barrier discharge plasma

Glycerol, a by-product of biodiesel production, could be converted into various value-added products. This work focuses on its dehydrogenation to dihydroxyacetone (DHA), which is mainly used in the cosmetics industry. While several methods have been employed for DHA production, some necessitate catalysts and involve harsh reaction conditions as well as long reaction times. A needle-in-tube type dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma technique for catalyst-free and environmentally-friendly glycerol conversion into DHA via dehydrogenation process was investigated using 0.1 M glycerol dissolved in deionized (DI) water at ambient temperature and pressure. The optimal condition was 60 W input power, 5 mm gap distance between the end of the needle and the liquid surface, and 0.5 L/min He flow rate. The highest DHA yield of 29.3% was obtained at 3 h with a DHA selectivity of 51.6% and glycerol conversion of 56.9%. Although the system allowed over 80% of glycerol to transform after 5 h, the DHA yield decreased after 3 h because the DHA product could further react with the reactive species in the plasma. The catalyst-free DBD plasma technique offers a simple and environmentally conscious method for DHA production via the dehydrogenation of glycerol.

Tailored Engineering of Layered Double Hydroxide Catalysts for Biomass Valorization: A Way Towards Waste to Wealth

Layered double hydroxides (LDH) have significant attention in recent times due to their unique characteristic properties, including layered structure, variable compositions, tunable acidity and basicity, memory effect, and their ability to transform into various kinds of catalysts, which make them desirable for various types of catalytic applications, such as electrocatalysis, photocatalysis, and thermocatalysis. In addition, the upcycling of lignocellulose biomass and its derived compounds has emerged as a promising strategy for the synthesis of valuable products and fine chemicals. The current review focuses on recent advancements in LDH-based catalysts for biomass conversion reactions. Specifically, this review highlights the structural features and advantages of LDH and LDH-derived catalysts for biomass conversion reactions, followed by a detailed summary of the different synthesis methods and different strategies used to tailor their properties. Subsequently, LDH-based catalysts for hydrogenation, oxidation, coupling, and isomerization reactions of biomass-derived molecules are critically summarized in a very detailed manner. The review concludes with a discussion on future research directions in this field which anticipates that further exploration of LDH-based catalysts and integration of cutting-edge technologies into biomass conversion reactions hold promise for addressing future energy challenges, potentially leading to a carbon-neutral or carbon-positive future.

Enabling Specific Benzene Oxidation by Tuning the Adsorption Behavior on Au Loaded MgAl Layered Double Hydroxides

Direct and selective oxidation of benzene to phenol is a long-term goal in industry. Although great efforts have been made in homogenous catalysis, it still remains a huge challenge to drive this reaction via heterogeneous catalysts under mild conditions. Herein, a single-atom Au loaded MgAl-layered double hydroxide (Au1 -MgAl-LDH) with a well-defined structure, in which the Au single atoms are located on the top of Al3+ with Au-O4 coordination as revealed by extended x-ray-absorption fine-structure (EXAFS)and density-functional theory (DFT)calculation is reported. The photocatalytic results prove the Au1 -MgAl-LDH is capable of driving benzene oxidation reaction with O2 in water, and exhibits a high selectivity of 99% for phenol. While contrast experiment shows a ≈99% selectivity for aliphatic acid with Au nanoparticle loaded MgAl-LDH (Au-NP-MgAl-LDH). Detailed characterizations confirm that the origin of the selectivity difference can be attributed to the profound adsorption behavior of substrate benzene with Au single atoms and nanoparticles. For Au1 -MgAl-LDH, single Au-C bond is formed in benzene activation and result in the production of phenol. While for Au-NP-MgAl-LDH, multiple AuC bonds are generated in benzene activation, leading to the crack of CC bond.

Photoassisted Strategy to Promote Glycerol Electrooxidation to Lactic Acid Coupled with Hydrogen Production

Electrocatalytic oxidation of glycerol (GLY; from a biodiesel byproduct) to lactic acid (LA; the key monomers for polylactic acid; PLA) is considered a sustainable approach for biomass waste upcycling and is coupled with cathodic hydrogen (H₂) production. However, current research still suffer from issues of low current density and low LA selectivity. Herein, we reported a photoassisted electrocatalytic strategy to achieve the selective oxidation of GLY to LA over a gold nanowire (Au NW) catalyst, attaining a high current density of 387 mA cm^-2 at 0.95 V vs RHE, together with a high LA selectivity of 80%, outperforming most of the reported works in the literature. We reveal that the light-assistance strategy plays a dual role, which can both accelerate the reaction rate through the photothermal effect and also promote the adsorption of the middle hydroxyl of GLY over Au NWs to realize the selective oxidation of GLY to LA. As a proof-of-concept, we realized the direct conversion of crude GLY that was extracted from cooking oil to attain LA and coupled it with H₂ production using the developed photoassisted electrooxidation process, revealing the potential of this strategy in practical applications.

Selective Valorization of Glycerol to Formic Acid on a BiVO4 Photoanode through NiFe Phenolic Networks

The integration of the glycerol oxidation reaction (GOR) with the hydrogen evolution reaction in photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells is a desirable alternative to PEC water splitting since a large quantity of glycerol is easily accessible as the byproduct from the biodiesel industry. However, the PEC valorization of glycerol to the value-added products suffers from low Faradaic efficiency and selectivity, especially in acidic conditions, which is beneficial for hydrogen production. Herein, by loading bismuth vanadate (BVO) with a robust catalyst composed of phenolic ligands (tannic acid) coordinated with Ni and Fe ions (TANF), we demonstrate a modified BVO/TANF photoanode for the GOR with a remarkable Faradaic efficiency of over 94% to value-added molecules in a 0.1 M Na₂SO₄/H₂SO₄ (pH = 2) electrolyte. The BVO/TANF photoanode achieved a high photocurrent of 5.26 mA·cm^-2 at 1.23 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode under 100 mW/cm² white light irradiation for formic acid production with 85% selectivity, equivalent to 573 mmol/(m²·h). Transient photocurrent and transient photovoltage techniques and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy along with intensity-modulated photocurrent spectroscopy indicated that the TANF catalyst could accelerate hole transfer kinetics and suppress charge recombination. Comprehensive mechanistic investigations reveal that the GOR is initiated by the photogenerated holes of BVO, while the high selectivity to formic acid is attributed to the selective adsorption of primary hydroxyl groups in glycerol on TANF. This study provides a promising avenue for highly efficient and selective formic acid generation from biomass in acid media via PEC cells.

Catalytic Oxidation of Glycerol over Pt Supported on MOF-Derived Carbon Nanosheets

A series of nitrogen-doped porous carbon nanosheets (NPCNs) doped with transition-metal-supported Pt catalysts were prepared by colloidal deposition and evaluated for the selective oxidation of glycerol to glyceric acid (GLYA) under nonalkaline conditions. The transition metal contained in the catalyst was found to affect its performance and selectivity for GLYA, with the Pt/Zr@NPCN catalyst showing the highest catalytic activity and selectivity. These materials were characterized using Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area analysis, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and CO₂ temperature-programmed desorption. The results showed that the small size of the Pt nanoparticles, the interaction between the Pt nanoparticles and the support, and the unique textural properties of the catalyst all promoted glycerol conversion and GLYA selectivity. A Zr concentration of 1.5 wt % and a support preparation temperature of 800 °C were found to provide a catalyst with the optimal performance that exhibited a glycerol conversion and selectivity for GLYA of 68.62 and 77.29%, respectively, at an initial O₂ pressure of 10 bar and 60 °C after 6 h. Even after being recycled five times, this material provided a GLYA selectivity of approximately 75%, although the glycerol conversion decreased from 68 to 50%. The insights may provide new suggestions on the design of efficient support for the selective oxidation of polyols.

Pt1 enhanced C-H activation synergistic with Ptn catalysis for glycerol cascade oxidation to glyceric acid

The selective oxidation of glycerol to glyceric acid, an important value-added reaction from polyols, is a typical cascade catalytic process. It is still of great challenge to simultaneously achieve high glycerol activity and glyceric acid selectivity, suffering from either deep oxidation and C-C cleavage or poor oxidation efficiency from glyceraldehyde to glyceric acid. Herein, this work, inspired by nature, proposes a cascade synergistic catalysis strategy by atomic and low-coordinated cluster Pt on well-defined Cu-CuZrO_x, which involves enhanced C-H activation on atomic Pt₁ and O-H activation on cluster Pt_n in the oxidation of glycerol to glyceraldehyde, and cluster Pt_n for C=O activation followed by O-H insertion and atomic Pt₁ for C-H activation in the tandem oxidation of glyceraldehyde to glyceric acid. The enhanced C-H activation in the cascade process by atomic Pt₁ is revealed to be essential for the high glycerol activity (90.0±0.1%) and the glyceric acid selectivity (80.2±0.2%).

The selective oxidation of glycerol to glyceric acid is an important value-added cascade catalytic process. Here the authors report a cascade synergistic catalysis strategy by atomic and low-coordinated cluster Pt on well-defined Cu-CuZrOx to simultaneously achieve high activity and selectivity.

Leveraging Pt/Ce1-xLaxO2-δ To Elucidate Interfacial Oxygen Vacancy Active Sites for Aerobic Oxidation of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural

The interfacial oxygen-defective sites of oxide-supported metal catalysts are generally regarded as active centers in diverse redox reactions. Identification of their structure-property relationship at the atomic scale is of great importance but challenging. Herein, a series of La³⁺-doped three-dimensionally ordered macroporous CeO₂ (3D-Ce_1-xLa_xO_2-δ) were synthesized and applied as supports for Pt nanoparticles. The pieces of evidence from a suite of in-situ/ex-situ characterizations and theoretical calculations revealed that the La³⁺-mono-substituted La-□(-Ce)₂ sites (where □ represents an oxygen vacancy) exhibited superior charge transfer ability, behaving as trapping centers for Pt nanoparticles. The resulting interfacial Pt^δ+/La-□(-Ce)₂ sites served as the reversible active species in the aerobic oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural to boost catalytic performance by simultaneously promoting oxygen activated capacity and the cleavage of O-H/C-H bonds of adsorbed hydroxymethyl groups. Consequently, the Pt/3D-Ce_0.9La_0.1O_2-δ catalyst possessing the highest number of Pt^δ+/La-□(-Ce)₂ sites showed the best catalytic performance with 99.6% yield to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid in 10 h. These results offer more insights into the promoting mechanism of interfacial oxygen-defective sites for the liquid-phase aerobic oxidation of aldehydes and alcohols.

Semi-quantitative design of synergetic surficial/interfacial sites for the semi-continuous oxidation of glycerol

Qualitatively identifying the dominant catalytic site for each step of a semi-continuous reaction and semi-quantitatively correlating such different sites to the catalytic performance is of great significance toward the integration of multiple well-optimized sites on a heterogeneous catalyst. Herein, a series of structurally defined TiOx-based catalysts were synthesized to provide a feasible approach to investigate the aforementioned issues using the semi-continuous oxidation of glycerol as a model reaction. Detailed investigations have verified the simultaneous presence of two kinds of Pt active sites: 1) Negatively charged Pt bound to the oxygen vacancies of modified TiOx in the form of Ptδ--Ov-Ti3+ sites and 2) metallic Pt (Pt0 site) located away from the interface. Meanwhile, the proportion of surficial and interfacial sites varies over this series of catalysts. Combined in situ FTIR experiments revealed that the reaction network was well-tuned via a site cooperation mechanism: The surficial Pt0 sites dissociatively adsorb the OH group of glycerol with a monodentate bonding geometry and the Ptδ--Ov-Ti3+ sites dissociate the C=O bond of the aldehyde group in a bidentate form. Furthermore, CO-FTIR spectroscopy confirmed a correlation between the reaction rate/product selectivity and the fraction of surficial/interfacial sites. A rational proportion of surficial and interfacial sites is key to enabling a high yield of glyceric acid. The most active catalyst with 32% surface sites and 68% interfacial sites exhibited 90.0% glycerol conversion and 68.5% GLYA selectivity. These findings provide a deeper understanding of the structure-activity relationships using qualitative identification and semi-quantitative analysis.

Selective Photoelectrocatalytic Glycerol Oxidation to Dihydroxyacetone via Enhanced Middle Hydroxyl Adsorption over a Bi2O3-Incorporated Catalyst

Photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) glycerol oxidation offers a sustainable approach to produce dihydroxyacetone (DHA) as a valuable chemical, which can find use in cosmetic, pharmaceutical industries, etc. However, it still suffers from the low selectivity (≤60%) that substantially limits the application. Here, we report the PEC oxidation of glycerol to DHA with a selectivity of 75.4% over a heterogeneous photoanode of Bi₂O₃ nanoparticles on TiO₂ nanorod arrays (Bi₂O₃/TiO₂). The selectivity of DHA can be maintained at ∼65% under a relatively high conversion of glycerol (∼50%). The existing p-n junction between Bi₂O₃ and TiO₂ promotes charge transfer and thus guarantees high photocurrent density. Experimental combined with theoretical studies reveal that Bi₂O₃ prefers to interact with the middle hydroxyl of glycerol that facilitates the selective oxidation of glycerol to DHA. Comprehensive reaction mechanism studies suggest that the reaction follows two parallel pathways, including electrophilic OH* (major) and lattice oxygen (minor) oxidations. Finally, we designed a self-powered PEC system, achieving a DHA productivity of 1.04 mg cm^-2 h^-1 with >70% selectivity and a H₂ productivity of 0.32 mL cm^-2 h^-1. This work may shed light on the potential of PEC strategy for biomass valorization toward value-added products via PEC anode surface engineering.

Catalytic Conversion of Glycerol to Methyl Lactate over Au-CuO/Sn-Beta: The Roles of Sn-Beta

The production of methyl lactate as a degradable polymer monomer from biomass was an important topic for a sustainable society. In this manuscript, glycerol was oxidated to methyl lactate catalyzed by the combination of Au-CuO and Sn-Beta. The influence of Sn content, Sn source, and the preparation conditions for Sn-β was studied. The Au content in Au/CuO was also investigated by varying the Au content in Au/CuO. The catalysts were characterized by XRD, FTIR spectroscopy of pyridine adsorption, and TEM to study the role of Sn and the influence of different parameters for catalyst preparation. After the optimization of reaction parameters, the yield of methyl lactate from glycerol reached 59% at 363 K after reacting in 1.6 MPa of O2 for 6 h.

A Heterostructured FeNi Hydroxide for Effective Electrocatalytic Oxygen Evolution

Hydrogen production technology by water splitting has been heralded as an effective means to alleviate the envisioned energy crisis. However, the overall efficiency of water splitting is limited by the effectiveness of the anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) due to the high energy barrier of the 4e⁻ process. The key to addressing this challenge is the development of high-performing catalysts. Transition-metal hydroxides with high intrinsic activity and stability have been widely studied for this purpose. Herein, we report a gelatin-induced structure-directing strategy for the preparation of a butterfly-like FeNi/Ni heterostructure (FeNi/Ni HS) with excellent catalytic performance. The electronic interactions between Ni²⁺ and Fe³⁺ are evident both in the mixed-metal “torso” region and at the “torso/wing” interface with increasing Ni³⁺ as a result of electron transfer from Ni²⁺ to Fe³⁺ mediated by the oxo bridge. The amount of Ni³⁺ also increases in the “wings”, which is believed to be a consequence of charge balancing between Ni and O ions due to the presence of Ni vacancies upon formation of the heterostructure. The high-valence Ni³⁺ with enhanced Lewis acidity helps strengthen the binding with OH⁻ to afford oxygen-containing intermediates, thus accelerating the OER process. Direct evidence of FeNi/Ni HS facilitating the formation of the Ni–OOH intermediate was provided by in situ Raman studies; the intermediate was produced at lower oxidation potentials than when Ni₂(CO₃)(OH)₂ was used as the reference. The Co congener (FeCo/Co HS), prepared in a similar fashion, also showed excellent catalytic performance.

A butterfly-like FeNi/Ni HS featuring a “torso” of Ni-doped FeOOH and two “wings” of Ni₂(CO₃)(OH)₂ showed excellent activity in electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction attributable to the increase of higher-valance Ni³⁺ in the heterostructure.

β-Cyclodextrin-Calcium Complex Intercalated Hydrotalcites as Efficient Catalyst for Transesterification of Glycerol

β-cyclodextrin derivative intercalated MgAl-hydrotalcites (β-CD-Ca/LDH) was synthesized to convert glycerol into high value-added glycerol carbonate(GC) by transesterification of dimethyl carbonate (DMC) and glycerol in this paper. β-cyclodextrin-metal complexes and β-CD-Ca/LDH was characterized by XRD, FT-IR, SEM, XPS and nitrogen adsorption-desorption. The enrichment of organic reactants in the hydrophobic cavity of β-cyclodextrin improved the collision probability of reactants. The intercalation of β-cyclodextrin-calcium complex (β-CD-Ca) increased the pore size and basic strength of catalyst. The experiment results showed that the glycerol conversion was 93.7% and the GC yield was 91.8% catalyzed by β-CD-Ca/LDH when the molar ratio of DMC and glycerol was 3:1, the catalyst dosage was 4 wt.%, the reaction temperature was 75 °C and the reaction time was 100 min while the glycerol conversion was 49.4% and the GC yield was 48.6% catalyzed by MgAl-LDH under the same conditions.

Designing Ru-doped Zn3V3O8 bifunctional OER and HER catalysts through a unified computational and experimental approach

Developing stable and cost-effective catalysts is the key to the next-generation renewable energy conversion technology. Here we unify computational and experimental approaches to use the Zn₃V₃O₈ (001) surface supporting noble metal Ru as a bifunctional catalyst for the OER and HER in alkaline media. In particular, different reaction sites have been studied at four surface terminations along the [001] orientation: the A-layer with V atoms at octahedral sites, the C-layer with V and Zn atoms at octahedral sites, and with additional Zn atoms at tetrahedral sites (B-layer and D-layer, respectively). The first-principles density functional theory (DFT) results indicate that the B-layer termination with V and tetrahedrally coordinated Zn on the top showed the best OER catalytic effect, while the HER favored the D-layer termination with extra Zn atoms at the octahedral sites on the top layer. Our DFT results also suggest that Ru doping by substituting V and Zn atoms at the octahedral site could dramatically enhance the catalytic activities for the OER and HER, respectively. In particular, compared to undoped Zn₃V₃O₈, Ru doping could reduce the calculated OER overpotential from 0.58 V to 0.30 V, which has been confirmed by our experimental results that the OER overpotential decreased from 480 mV to 260 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm^-o. Moreover, the experimental results show that Ru doping could reduce the HER overpotential from 152 mV to 70 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm^-r. The new insights into the underlying catalytic mechanisms may be further extended to many similar electrocatalytic processes.

Disordered Assembly of Donors and Acceptors on Layered Double Hydroxides for High-Efficiency Chemiluminescence Resonance Energy Transfer

High-efficiency chemiluminescence (CL) resonance energy transfer (CRET) can be obtained by shortening the donor-acceptor distance and/or improving the luminescence efficiency of CRET acceptors. However, careful design and stringent experimental conditions are usually required for the ordered assembly of CRET acceptors on support materials to avoid aggregation-caused quenching problems. In this work, an aggregation-induced emission (AIE)-active fluorophore was disorderly adsorbed on the surface of layered double hydroxides (LDHs), which could exhibit high-efficiency luminescence. On the other hand, the positively charged LDHs can further adsorb peroxynitrite (ONOO^-) on the surface of LDHs. Therefore, the LDH-supported AIE fluorophore could dramatically amplify weak CL signals from ONOO^- donors as a result of ultra-high CRET efficiency by coupling the shorter donor-acceptor distance with efficient CRET acceptors. The proposed CL system has been successfully applied for the detection of NaNO₂ in the concentration range from 1.0 to 100 μM with a detection limit as low as 0.5 μM. Satisfactory recoveries (98-106%) and good accuracy were achieved for sausage samples. Our success will open new avenues for the convenient design of high-efficiency CRET systems.

Coordinately unsaturated O2c–Ti5c–O2c sites promote the reactivity of Pt/TiO2 catalysts in the solvent-free oxidation of n-octanol

Coordination unsaturated O_2c–Ti_5c–O_2c of TiO₂ (001) facets promote the formation of low-coordinate Pt metal clusters, which enhances catalytic performance in aerobic 1-octanol oxidation.

A proof of concept for cooperation from the quinone groups adjacent to N sites during the metal-free oxidation of glycerol by nitrogen-rich graphene oxide

A catalytic active site already present in an organic molecule was chemically tagged on the GO surface to prove the role of quinone groups adjacent to N sites in nitrogen-rich carbon materials for the metal-free oxidation of glycerol.