Surface-modified Nafion membranes with mesoporous SiO2 layers via a facile dip-coating approach for direct methanol fuel cells

In this study. Nafion (R) 117 membrane is surface-modified with mesoporous silica layers through in situ surfactant-templated sol-gel reaction. The reaction makes use of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) under acidic condition via dip-coating technique on both sides. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transformation infrared (FTIR), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) are employed to characterize the resultant membranes. Proton conductivity and methanol permeability of the membranes are also studied.

Synthesis, characterization and catalytic properties of chiral BINOL functionalized mesoporous silicas for enantioselective Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction

Several Chiral BINOL functionalized mesoporous silicas were prepared by post grafting of organosilane derivatives of (S)-BINOL (1,1'-bi-2-naphthol) on SBA-15 and characterized by C-13 CP/MAS NMR, FT-IR, UV-visible absorption spectra, elemental analysis, powder XRD, nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms and TEM techniques. Their catalytic properties were demonstrated in enantioselective Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction of 3-phenylpropanal and cyclohexenone.

Synthesis and Characterization of Urea Bridged Hybrid Periodic Mesoporous Organosilica Materials

Urea bridged organic-inorganic hybrid mesoporous SiO2 materials (U-BSQMs) were synthesized through a sol-gel procedure by co-condensation of bis(triethoxysilyl propyl) urea (BSPU) under basic conditions using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as organic template. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed the mesoporous structure of the sample. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), solid state CP-MAS NMR spectroscopy of Si-29 (Si-29, CP-MAS NMR) and C-13 (C-13 CP NMR) indicated that most of the Si-C bonds are unbroken during the synthesis process.

The mechanism of formic acid electro oxidation on iron tetrasulfophthalocyanine-modified platinum electrode

The mechanism of formic acid electrooxidation on iron tetrasulfophthalocyanine (FeTSPc) modified Pt electrode was investigated with electrochemical methods. It was found that a "third-body" effect of FeTSPc on Pt electrode predominates during the electrooxidation process based on unusual electrochemical results. The modification leads formic acid electrooxidation to take place through a desired direct pathway, in which the mechanism is proposed to be the gradual dehydrogenation of formic acid and the reaction of formate with hydroxyl species.

Preparation of Pd/C catalyst for formic acid oxidation using a novel colloid method

A novel colloid method using (WO3)(n)center dot xH(2)O as colloidal source was developed to prepare Pd/C catalyst for formic acid oxidation. Transmission electron microscopy image shows that the Pd/C nanoparticles have an average size of 3.3 nm and a narrow size distribution. Electrochemical measurements indicate that the Pd/C catalyst exhibits significantly high electrochemical active surface area and high catalytic activity with good stability for formic acid oxidation compared with that prepared by common method.

Highly active PtRu catalysts supported on carbon nanotubes prepared by modified impregnation method for methanol electro-oxidation

A simple and rapid synthesis method (denoted as modified impregnation method, MI) for PtRu/CNTs (MI) and PtRu/C (MI) was presented. PtRu/CNTs (MI) and PtRu/C (MI) catalysts were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffractometry. It was shown that Pt-Ru particles with small average size (2.7 nm) were uniformly dispersed on carbon supports (carbon nanotubes and carbon black) and displayed the characteristic diffraction peaks of Pt face-centered cubic structure.

WO3/C hybrid material as a highly active catalyst support for formic acid electrooxidation

The hybrid material based on WO3 and Vulcan XC-72R carbon has been used as the support of Pd nano-catalysts. The resultant Pd-WO3/C catalysts in a large range of WO3 content exhibit excellent catalytic activity and stability for formic acid electrooxidation. The great improvement in the catalytic performance is attributed to the uniform dispersion of Pd with less particle sizes on the WO3/C support and the hydrogen spillover effect which greatly accelerates the dehydrogenation of HCOOH on Pd.

Pd nanoparticles supported on WO3/C hybrid material as catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction

Pd nanoparticles supported on WO3/C hybrid material have been developed as the catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in direct methanol fuel cells. The resultant Pd-WO3/C catalyst has an ORR activity comparable to the commercial Pt/C catalyst and a higher activity than the Pd/C catalyst prepared with the same method. Based on the physical and electrochemical characterizations, the improvement in the catalytic performance may be attributed to the small particle sizes and uniform dispersion of Pd on the WO3/C, the strong interaction between Pd and WO3 and the formation of hydrogen tungsten bronze which effectively promote the direct 4-electron pathway of the ORR at Pd.

Synthesis of Pd/C catalysts with designed lattice constants for the electro-oxidation of formic acid

Pd/C catalysts with designed lattice constants were synthesized for the electro-oxidation of formic acid. By changing the solvents in the preparation procedure, it was demonstrated that the different lattice constants of Pd crystallites could be controlled as desired. The varied lattice constants may be attributed to the difference in the interactions between solvents and PdCl2. it was found that the lattice constant had an obvious effect on the electro-catalytic performance of Pd.

High-quality hydrogen from the catalyzed decomposition of formic acid by Pd-Au/C and Pd-Ag/C

Pd-Au/C and Pd-Ag/C were found to have a unique characteristic of evolving high-quality hydrogen dramatically and steadily from the catalyzed decomposition of liquid formic acid at convenient temperature, and further this was improved by the addition of CeO2(H2O)(x).

Hydrogen Vanadate as an Effective Stabilizer of Pd Nanocatalysts for Formic Acid Electroxidation

In this paper, a simple chemical reduction route is discussed that results in small size, uniform dispersion of Pd nanoparticles supported on carbon black. HVO42-, the tridentate oxoanion with its O-O distance of 2.76 angstrom, closely matching with the Pd-Pd distance (2.75 angstrom), is expected to be an effective stabilizer for Pd according to the lattice size-matching binding model (Finke, R. G.; Ozkar, S. Coord. Chem. Rev. 2004, 248, 135). Because it has never been tested, HVO42- is exploited and found to be a very simple and effective stabilizer.

Length dependence of electron conduction for oligo(1,4-phenylene ethynylene)s: A conductive probe-atomic force microscopy investigation

The dependence of electron conduction of oligo(1,4-phenylene ethynylene)s (OPEs) on length, terminal group, and main chain structure was examined by conductive probe-atomic force microscopy (CP-AFM) via a metal substrate-molecular wire monolayer-conductive probe junction. The electron transport in the molecular junction was a highest occupied molecule orbital (HOMO)-mediated process following a coherent, non-resonant tunneling mechanism represented by the Simmons equation.

Probing Charge Transport of Ruthenium-Complex-Based Molecular Wires at the Single-Molecule Level

A ruthenium(II) bis(sigma-arylacetylide)-complex-based molecular wire functionalized with thiolacetyl alligator clips at both ends (OPERu) was used to fabricate gold substrate-molecular wire-conductive tip junctions. To elucidate the ruthenium-complex-enhanced charge transport, we conducted a single-molecule level investigation using the technique-combination method, where electronic delay constant, single-molecular conductance, and barrier height were obtained by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) apparent height measurements, STM break junction measurements, and conductive probe-atomic force microscopy (CP-AFM) measurements, respectively.

Synthesis, Spectroscopic Properties, and Stabilities of Ternary Europium Complex in SBA-15 and Periodic Mesoporous Organosilica: A Comparative Study

Ternary europium complex Eu(tta)(3)phen was covalently bonded with the general mesoporous. material SBA-15 and SBA-15-type of periodic mesoporous organosilica (PMO) material via impregnation of Eu(tta)(3)center dot 2H(2)O into phen-S15 and phen-PMO, respectively, through a ligand exchange reaction. The parent materials of phen-S15 and phen-PMO were synthesized by co-condensation of tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) or 1,2-bis(triethoxysilyl)ethane (BTESE) and the functionalized chelate ligand 5-(N,N-bis(3-triethoxysilyl)propyl)ureyl-1,10-phenanthroline (phen-Si) in the presence of Pluronic P123 surfactant as template, which were confirmed by SEM, XRD, FTIR, Si-29 CP-MAS NMR, and N-2 adsorption measurements.

High activity PtRu/C catalysts synthesized by a modified impregnation method for methanol electro-oxidation

A modified impregnation method was used to prepare highly dispersive carbon-supported PtRu catalyst (PtRu/C). Two modifications to the conventional impregnation method were performed: one was to precipitate the precursors ((NH4)(2)PtCl6 and Ru(OH)(3)) on the carbon support before metal reduction: the other was to add a buffer into the synthetic solution to stabilize the pH. The prepared catalyst showed a much higher activity for methanol electro-oxidation than a catalyst prepared by the conventional impregnation method. even higher than that of current commercially available, state-of-the-art catalysts. The morphology of the prepared catalyst was characterized using TEM and XRD measurements to determine particle sizes, alloying degree, and lattice parameters. Electrochemical methods were also used to ascertain the electrochemical active surface area and the specific activity of the catalyst.