An egg-shell Pd/Al2O3 catalyst showed higher activity than a regular Pd/Al2O3 catalyst in the partial oxidation of methane to syngas, but a common problem of this reaction is the catalyst deactivation on stream. We attempted to modify the egg-shell catalyst via impregnation with some metal oxide additives. Although the addition of MgO did not show any beneficial effect, the addition of CaO and/...

The splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen molecules using sunlight is an attractive method for solar energy storage. Until now, photoelectrochemical hydrogen evolution is mostly studied in acidic solutions, in which the hydrogen evolution is more facile than in alkaline solutions. Herein, we report photoelectrochemical hydrogen production in alkaline solutions, which are more favorable th...

Metallic contamination was key to the discovery of semiconductor nanowires, but today it stands in the way of their adoption by the semiconductor industry. This is because many of the metallic catalysts required for nanowire growth are not compatible with standard CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) fabrication processes. Nanowire synthesis with those metals that are CMOS compatible,...

As a potential solution to concerns on sustainable energy, the wide spread commercialization of fuel cell has long been hindered by limited reserves and relatively high costs of metal catalysts. 3D graphene, a carbon-only catalyst prepared by reduction of carbon monoxide with lithium oxide, is found to electrochemically catalyze carbohydrazide oxidation reaction efficiently. A prototype of a co...

Porous graphene oxide can be used as a metal-free catalyst in the presence of air for oxidative coupling of primary amines. Herein, we explore a GO-catalyzed carbon-carbon or/and carbon-heteroatom bond formation strategy to functionalize primary amines in tandem to produce a series of valuable products, i.e., α-aminophosphonates, α-aminonitriles, and polycyclic heterocompounds. Furthermore, whe...

Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) is normally carried out with either a cobalt or iron-based catalyst depending on the ratio of H2/CO in the feed. As a step in gas-to-liquids (GTL) technology, cobalt catalysts are often preferred [1,2] due to the low intrinsic water-gas shift (WGS) activity of cobalt. While in many typical supported-metal catalysts, a low metal loading is preferable for obtaining...

The effect of transition metal doping on Pt/Al2O3 catalyst used in propane dehydrogenation reaction at 500 ̊C was studied. The preparation methods investigated were sequential impregnation (Pt followed by the 2 metal or the 2 metal followed by Pt) and co-impregnation. The metal contents of these catalysts were fixed as the weight ratio of Pt per the 2 metal of around 0.075. These catalysts were ...

Mesoporous noble metals are an emerging class of cutting-edge nanostructured catalysts due to their abundant exposed active sites and highly accessible surfaces. Although various noble metal (e.g. Pt, Pd and Au) structures have been synthesized by hard- and soft-templating methods, mesoporous rhodium (Rh) nanoparticles have never been generated via chemical reduction, in part due to the relativ...

We pursue the goal of providing fundamental atomistic understanding of metal oxide and metal sulfide nanostructures supported on metal substrates. Such systems are important as model systems for heterogeneous catalysts and allow better understanding of epitaxial 2D materials, such as MoS2 in contact with a metal. By focusing on what happens on the atomiclevel we can for example evaluate the rol...

Graphene oxide, a two-dimensional aromatic scaffold decorated by oxygen-containing functional groups, possesses rich chemical properties and may present a green alternative to precious metal catalysts. Graphene oxide-based carbocatalysis has recently been demonstrated for aerobic oxidative reactions. However, its widespread application is hindered by the need for high catalyst loadings. Here we...