The chemical looping reforming (CLR) process, which utilizes a transition metal oxide based redox catalyst to partially oxidize methane to syngas, represents a potentially efficient approach for methane valorization. The CLR process inherently avoids costly cryogenic air separation by replacing gaseous oxygen with regenerable ionic oxygen (O(2-)) from the catalyst lattice. Our recent studies sh...

Introduction Bulk gold is a chemically inert metal, and had previously been disregarded as a candidate for catalytic applications [1]. Haruta’s pioneering work [2] showed exceptional reactivity on gold nanoparticles of 2-5 nm in diameter. Among reactions, the low temperature CO oxidation [3] on Au has created a strong interest. Model catalyst samples, which consist of planar metal oxide surface...

Nitrogen (5.61 at%) doped reduced graphene oxide synthesized via a facile method was demonstrated as a superior metal-free catalyst for activation of peroxymonosulfate. Codoping with boron would further enhance the catalytic activity and the stability, providing a promising green material for environmental remediation.

Amorphous thin film oxygen evolving catalysts, OECs, of first-row transition metals show promise to serve as self-assembling photoanode materials in solar-driven, photoelectrochemical `artificial leaf' devices. This report demonstrates the ability to use high-energy X-ray scattering and atomic pair distribution function analysis, PDF, to resolve structure in amorphous metal oxide catalyst films...

We present a new concept for homogeneous spinel nanocrystal-coating on high crystalline pristine-carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for efficient and durable oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Oxidized CNTs have widely been used to functionalize with metal or metal oxides since the defect sites act as anchoring for metal oxide binding. However, such defects on the tubes c...

An efficient photoanode is a prerequisite for a viable solar fuels technology. The challenges to realizing an efficient photoanode include the integration of a semiconductor light absorber and a metal oxide electrocatalyst to optimize corrosion protection, light trapping, hole transport, and photocarrier recombination sites. To efficiently explore metal oxide coatings, we employ a high-throughp...

Vertical arrays of single walled carbon nanotubes (VA-SWNTs) were grown using bi-metallic nanoparticle pro-catalysts. Iron oxide particles were doped with varying quantities of first row transition metals (Mn, Co, Ni, and Cu) for a comparative study of the growth of nanotubes. VA-CNT samples were verified using scanning electron microscopy, and characterized using resonance Raman spectroscopy. ...

An Fe group ternary nanoalloy (NA) catalyst enabled selective electrocatalysis towards CO2-free power generation from highly deliverable ethylene glycol (EG). A solid-solution-type FeCoNi NA catalyst supported on carbon was prepared by a two-step reduction method. High-resolution electron microscopy techniques identified atomic-level mixing of constituent elements in the nanoalloy. We examined ...

All conventional piston-driven combustion engines emit metal oxide particles. The main sources are the abrasion between piston-ring and cylinder, abrasion in the bearings, catalyst coating, lube-oil additives, and fuel additives for promoting the exhaust-gas after-treatment. Metal oxides, especially from transition metals, are very toxic when they are very fine. These particles have a high BET ...

Metal chalcogenides, and doped molybdenum sulfides in particular, have considerable potential as earthabundant electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction. This is especially true in the case of solar-tohydrogen devices, where an ability to deposit these materials on transparent substrates is therefore desirable. Hydrothermal methods are perhaps the most common route by which metal cha...