1,721,118 research outputs found
A holistic approach to the separation, storage, and transportation of crude hydrogen
No full textIn this Nature Energy article, Ding Ma, Yifeng Zhu, and colleagues design a Cu/Al2O3 inverse catalysts for the interconversion between γ-butyrolactone and 1,4-butanediol. The precisely controlled catalyst structure and catalytic conditions result in a notable efficiency of the catalytic cycle and ultimately offer a promising strategy toward green hydrogen economy
Updates on the Roadmap for Photocatalysis
Full text linkIntroduction:
“Here comes the sun, and I say it’s alright”. The line from the famous and comforting Beatles’ song sounds like a perfect slogan for today’s crusade toward a more sustainable world. A never-tiring memento that, as long as the Sun shines in the sky, there will always be hope to heal a world suffering from an impressive increase in energetic demand. Sunlight brings a gigantic energy pack, and modern scientists are investing a huge amount of time, resources, and intellectual exercise into best exploiting it. Therefore, the fast-growing number of discoveries on photocatalysis comes as no surprise, and quite obviously they are accompanied by a ballistic number of publications (Figure 1). However, is this latter number truly justified or is the chain of events pining for sustainability and clean energy generating an overpopulation of contributions to the topic? Assuming that all such publications always reach a minimum standard of quality and novelty, the question for now must remain unanswered, because research is an unpredictable animal that can feed from any little fruit. However, a different but relevant question could be possibly answered: is it possible to establish a common protocol, set of rules, that makes all these publications useful for moving forward in a harmonized fashion the knowledge on photocatalysis
Catalysis by Ceria and Related Materials, 2nd Edition: Volume 12
No full textThis book follows the 2002 edition of Catalysis by Ceria and Related Materials, which was the first book entirely devoted to ceria and its catalytic properties. In the ten years since the first edition a massive amount of work has been carried out in the field, and ceria has gained a prominent position in catalysis as one of the most valuable material for several applications. This second edition covers fundamental and applied aspects of the latest advances in ceria-based materials with a special focus on structural, redox and catalytic features. Special emphasis is given to nano-engineered and nano-shaped systems which are a key factor in the predictive and rational design of ceria with novel properties. In addition, the book presents recent advances in emerging and traditional large-scale applications of ceria in catalysis, such as the treatment of emissions from mobile sources (including diesel and gasoline engines). The primary readership includes catalysis and material science researchers from academy and industry and postdoctorate and graduate students in chemistry, chemical engineering and physics
What Is to Be Expected from Heterogeneous Catalysis in the Pipeline to Circular Economy?
Full text linkModern society requires a change in the philosophy of doing science, which faces the enormous challenge of being compatible with the new sustainability principles. Inorganic chemistry holds the keys to accelerate the transition given that most chemical processes or technology devices rely on the use or integration of inorganic materials. In particular, heterogeneous catalysis has a central role in promoting the transition from a linear economy to a circular one. To accomplish this, it is imperative that the modern schemes for catalysis will adopt a holistic approach based on sensible choice of raw materials, reliance on clean energy inputs and establishment of a robust framework of resource use and recovery. Some of these concepts are analysed here and discussed in Ref. [to a few selected examples
Synthesis and properties of cerium oxide-based materials
No full textBeing the most abundant rare-earth metal (about 0.0046wt% of the Earth’s crust), cerium is certainly an element of industrial relevance. Cerium dioxide (CeO2), also called ceria, is the most famous cerium compound, in the wake of its unmatched redox properties and the ability to guarantee an excellent oxygen mobility. It is a powerful oxidant, used in catalysis and in medicine, although ceria-based materials find a central position also in energy devices such as fuel cells and in automotive industry where it is a key component in three-way catalysts in exhaust
Preface: Morphological, Compositional, and Shape Control of Materials for Catalysis
No full textnon present
Opportunities and Challenges in the Synthesis, Characterization, and Catalytic Properties of Controlled Nanostructures
No full textCatalysis is a pillar of green chemistry and a crucial technology in achieving sustainability and reducing environmental concerns while still maintaining a high standard of living. Better catalytic materials, showing improved activity, selectivity, and stability, are at the core of future sustainable processes at the nexus of food, water, and energy. Fundamental understanding of catalyst operation is key for the preparation of improved heterogeneous systems for several catalytic applications. In order to develop fundamental knowledge about catalytic processes that would allow us to better design and tune catalytic materials, well-defined catalytic structures are important. Materials with well-defined morphologies can indeed facilitate and accelerate the discovery and description of active sites, which is the first, crucial step in better understanding catalytic systems. Once the active sites are known, it is then possible to build materials where the density of active sites is maximized, leading to improved systems with appropriate morphologies for best catalytic results. In this chapter, we will provide the fundamental basis and rationale for the development of controlled nanostructures in heterogeneous catalysis. We will briefly summarize synthetic procedures to achieve high control over catalytic nanostructures and illustrate important cases where this control resulted crucial for the final catalytic application. This material will lead us to a discussion of the opportunities and challenges in the field, with a positive look into the future of the catalysis field where controlled nanomaterials will play an increasingly important role
Structure-activity relationship in Pd/CeO2 methane oxidation catalysts
No full textPalladium based catalysts are the most active for methane oxidation. The tuning of their composition, structure and morphology at macro and nanoscale can alter significantly their catalytic behavior and robustness with a strong impact on their overall performances. Among the several combinations of supports and promoters that have been utilized, Pd/CeO2 has attracted a great attention due to its activity and durability coupled with the unusually high degree of interaction between Pd/PdO and the support. This allows the creation of specific structural arrangements which profoundly impact on methane activation characteristics. Here we want to review the latest findings in this area, and particularly to envisage how the control (when possible) of Pd-CeO2 interaction at nanoscale can help in designing more robust methane oxidation catalysts
Carbon-Based Single-Atom Catalysts for Advanced Applications
No full textCarbon-based materials are widely employed as metal-free catalysts or supports in catalysis, energy, and ecological applications because of their interesting properties. Generally, their high surface areas, size, shape, porosity, and the possibility of incorporating additional moieties through chemical functional designs are believed to be essential for enriching the catalytic activity of carbon-containing materials. Lately, the new field of single-atom catalysts (SACs) has emerged as the finest alternative for not only homogeneous but also heterogeneous catalysts used in various kinds of catalytic applications. Among a variety of SACs, carbon-based SACs are widely investigated catalysts because of their extraordinary features such as tunable morphologies, ordered porosity, and effortless immobilization through various metals (noble and non-noble), making them highly efficient single-atom catalysts for numerous important catalytic applications. Herein, we intend to report on the progress achieved in researching carbon-based single-atom catalysts, including primarily metals such as Co, Cu, Zn, Pd, Ni, Pt, among others, embedded in carbon matrices and applied to applications in organic catalysis, photocatalysis, and electrocatalysis. It is important to point out that the main focus of this Review is directed to the activity and applications of single-atom catalysts, which are discussed in detail; thus, characterization and rationalization are excluded. Finally, we provide a future perspective on the development and progress made on a carbon-based single metal atom for catalysis
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