Chemical Engineering Journal最新文献

{"title":"Achieving high-efficiency Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 solar cells by Ag doping in Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 and substituting annealed In0.01Cd0.99S for CdS","authors":"Ding Ma, Mengge Li, Bin Yao, Yongfeng Li, Zhanhui Ding, Hongmei Luan, Chengjun Zhu, Jiayong Zhang, Chunkai Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.cej.2024.158736","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2024.158736","url":null,"abstract":"To improve the performance of Cu₂ZnSn(S, Se)₄ (CZTSSe) solar cells, a strategy is proposed to replace CdS in traditional CZTSSe solar cells with In-doped CdS (In_xCd_1−xS) unannealed and annealed and to substitute Ag doped CZTSSe (CAZTSSe) for CZTSSe in this work. It is found that In doping in CdS can increase the electron density (<em>n_e</em>) of CdS and incident light passing through the buffer layer (I_(buffer)) when doping atomic ratio x = 0.01. When replacing the CdS buffer layer with In_0.01Cd_0.99S, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of CAZTSSe solar cell increased from 10.21 % to 10.62 % without an anti-reflection layer. The improvement in the PCE is mainly attributed to the increase in photogenerated current density (<em>J_L</em>), which results from the In doping increase I_(buffer) and expands the width of the depletion region (<em>W_d</em>) by increasing <em>n_e</em> of CdS. When replacing the CdS with annealed In_0.01Cd_0.99S, the PCE of CAZTSSe solar cell increases further from 10.62 % to 12.12 % without an anti-reflection layer. The enhancement in PCE is mainly due to the decrease in reverse saturated current density (<em>J₀</em>) and series resistance (<em>R_s</em>). It is demonstrated that the decrease in <em>J₀</em> stems from that the annealing promotes the migration of In of In_0.01Cd_0.99S towards the CAZTSSe surface, which passivates defects at the In_0.01Cd_0.99S/CAZTSSe interface, thereby decreasing interface recombination. While the decrease in <em>R_s</em> is attributed to that the diffusion of the In improves the crystallinity of CAZTSSe. It is also found that PCE increase from CZTSSe solar cells to CAZTSSe solar cells when the buffer layer is CdS is smaller than PCE increase when the buffer layer is annealed In_0.01Cd_0.99S.","PeriodicalId":270,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Engineering Journal","volume":"19 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":15.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142840773","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fabrication of highly efficient Ni/Al2O3 catalysts for the CO2 methanation reaction using atomic layer deposition technology","authors":"Shu-nan Yin, Jinxian Zhao, Shiping Wu, Xiaoxia Han, Jun Ren","doi":"10.1016/j.cej.2024.158723","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2024.158723","url":null,"abstract":"Ni/Al₂O₃ catalysts with lower Ni loading have been fabricated using atomic layer deposition (ALD) technology and applied toward CO₂ methanation reaction. The Ni250/Al₂O₃-ALD catalyst exhibits a remarkably high CH₄ selectivity of 93.7 % and comparable CO₂ conversion of 90.2 % at 360 °C and 0.5 MPa when compared to Ni/Al₂O₃-IMP with an identical Ni loading prepared via the impregnation method. The abundant Ni-Al₂O₃ interface caused by the ultrahigh uniform dispersion of Ni provided an adequate number of adsorption sites for CO₂. More importantly, the single Ni atoms and small Ni nano-clusters (ca. 1.7 nm) strongly adsorbed the key CO* intermediates, which resulted in the highly selective production of CH₄ on the Ni250/Al₂O₃-ALD catalyst. Moreover, the higher concentration of oxygen vacancies and moderate basic sites also played pivotal roles toward enhancing the hydrogenation activity during the CO₂ methanation reaction. Our results provided a convenient strategy for the construction of promising Ni-based catalysts for CO₂ abatement.","PeriodicalId":270,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Engineering Journal","volume":"42 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":15.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142840774","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Defect-rich α-MoC supported on nitrogen doped porous carbon for transformation of quinoline to aromatics","authors":"Zegang Qiu, Yuanzhe Wang, Zhiqin Li, Bo Ma, Chaoqiu Chen, Shuai Chen, Junqing Wen","doi":"10.1016/j.cej.2024.158728","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2024.158728","url":null,"abstract":"The challenge for the conversion of alternative crude sources to aromatics is to retain aromatic rings in the hydrotreating process. The design of unique catalyst with low damage to the aromatic rings but with high ability to break C-N and C-C bonds is essential. Herein, defect-rich α-MoC supported on nitrogen-doped carbon (NC) was constructed to transform quinoline-like N-heterocyclic compounds to aromatics. The incorporation of NC increased the content of highly active coordination unsaturated Mo sites related to C or O defects and promoted the desorption and spillover of H₂. Moreover, the introduction of NC strengthened the electron donating ability of Mo and enhanced the adsorption strength of quinoline on catalyst surface. Consequently, the ability of molybdenum carbide to break C-N and C-C bonds was enhanced. The selectivity of products from C-N bonds breaking reached to 99.5%, and the selectivity of aromatic products from C-C bonds breaking reached to 58.1%. Meanwhile, the aromatic ring was highly preserved. The selectivity of aromatics achieved an impressive level of 85.1% over α-MoC/NC-0.2. The processing capacity of α-MoC/NC-0.2 was 1.3 times that of α-MoC. The stability of α-MoC/NC remained exceptional even when subjected to high liquid hourly space velocity.","PeriodicalId":270,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Engineering Journal","volume":"52 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":15.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142849222","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Phase and sulfur vacancy engineering in cadmium sulfide for boosting hydrogen production from catalytic plastic waste photoconversion","authors":"Thanh Tam Nguyen, Jacqueline Hidalgo-Jiménez, Xavier Sauvage, Katsuhiko Saito, Qixin Guo, Kaveh Edalati","doi":"10.1016/j.cej.2024.158730","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2024.158730","url":null,"abstract":"Cadmium sulfide (CdS) is a well-known low-bandgap photocatalyst, but its efficiency is often hindered by rapid photo-generated carrier recombination and a limited number of active catalytic sites. To overcome these challenges, this study introduces an efficient CdS photocatalyst through a novel strategy combining metastable-to-stable phase transformation and sulfur vacancy generation. This strategy integrates hydrothermal treatment and a high-pressure process to create sulfur vacancies, which serve as active catalytic sites, within a thermodynamically stable wurtzite (hexagonal) phase known for its superior photocatalytic properties. The resulting CdS photocatalyst demonstrates exceptional performance in photoreforming for hydrogen production and the conversion of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic into valuable materials. Compared to commercial CdS catalysts, this new material shows a 23-fold increase in both hydrogen production and plastic degradation without the need for co-catalysts. Quenching experiments reveal that holes and hydroxyl radicals play crucial roles in the photoreforming process of this vacancy-rich CdS. First-principles calculations via density functional theory (DFT) indicate that the hexagonal phase possesses a lower bandgap and it exhibits further bandgap narrowing with the introduction of sulfur vacancies. These findings not only present an innovative approach to CdS processing but also highlight the critical role of sulfur vacancies as effective defects for the catalytic photoreforming of microplastics.","PeriodicalId":270,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Engineering Journal","volume":"64 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":15.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142840775","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Extension of phosphorescence and delayed fluorescence lifetime of carbon dots using substrate-assisted method","authors":"Minjuan Cai, Huakai Qiu, Xiaoping Chen, Xudong Wang, Zhixiong Cai","doi":"10.1016/j.cej.2024.158747","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2024.158747","url":null,"abstract":"Enhancing excitons utilization efficiency is critical for luminescent materials, particularly concerning the harvesting of triplet excitons. Controlling the excited-state dynamics thus plays a pivotal role in modulating room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) and thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emissions. In this work, six similar carboxylic acids were selected as precursors to synthesize six kinds of carbon dots (CDs) via simple hydrothermal method. Subsequently, CD-based borate composites were developed through a matrix-assisted method using boric acid (BA), resulting in electron-transfer-enhanced afterglows with varying lifetimes, attributed to the inorganic electronic defects within the matrix. By fine-tuning the precursor structure in conjunction with the BA matrix, the interplay between TADF and RTP was effectively modulated. Notably, the CDs@BA composites exhibited quite different afterglow emission properties, due to the confinement effects of physical immobilization, enabling differentiation between TADF and RTP. These results provide a model for fabricating multimodal afterglow materials based on CDs.","PeriodicalId":270,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Engineering Journal","volume":"31 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":15.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142849648","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhancing the sintering stability of NiCo/CeO2-Al2O3 catalyst in dry reforming of methane by shaping the Ostwald ripening diffusion path","authors":"Feiyang Yu, Xuyingnan Tao, Haoran Yu, Tingting Zhao, Ming Li, Lvdan Liu, Haiqian Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.cej.2024.158725","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2024.158725","url":null,"abstract":"Dry reforming of methane (DRM) is attractive for producing value-added syngas by consuming the CH₄ and CO₂ greenhouse gases, but the catalysts are challenged by sintering and coking. A series of NiCo/CeO₂-Al₂O₃ catalysts with the nominal composition of (Ni_0.5Co_0.5)Al_xCe_10-xO_y (x = 0–10) were prepared by sol–gel method. This work demonstrates that the formation of (NiCo)Al_xO_y spinel (or spinel-like) phase enhanced the metal-support interaction (MSI) and plays a crucial role in the catalyst’s performance. Small (NiCo)Al_xO_y grains reside in the holes and along the grain boundaries of the CeO₂ matrix in the fresh catalysts. (NiCo)Al_xO_y becomes amorphous under DRM conditions and exhibits a high affinity to both NiCo NPs and the CeO₂ grains, keeping the MSI strong enough to direct the sintering of metal NPs to the Ostwald ripening pathway. We proposed that the sintering of NiCo NPs in the x ≥ 2 catalysts follows the Ostwald ripening pathway: (NiCo)Al_xO_y serves as the diffusion path for the metal atoms while CeO₂ serves as the spacer shaping the length and cross-section of the diffusion path. A proper Al₂O₃/CeO₂ ratio makes the inter-grain diffusion path long and narrow, which effectively hinders the sintering of NiCo NPs. The NiCo/CAO-2 catalyst with the stoichiometric Ni_0.5Co_0.5Al₂O₄ spinel composition exhibits the best DRM performance. The CH₄ and CO₂ conversions at 700 ℃ achieved 76 % and 84 %, respectively. The catalyst was stable during the 100-hour DRM test, and the carbon deposition rate was small. The present work provides a new strategy for developing anti-sintering catalysts for high-temperature reactions.","PeriodicalId":270,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Engineering Journal","volume":"201 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":15.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142849649","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Heteronuclear interactions of Pd-M (M = Ni, Cu, Fe, In) bimetallic on hollow dodecahedron nickel cobalt oxide for enhanced low-temperature CO2 hydrogenation to formate","authors":"Songqi Li, Kai Zhang, Jundie Hu, Bailing Zhong, Xiaogang Yang, Yahui Cai, Chang Ming Li, Qiming Sun, Jiafu Qu","doi":"10.1016/j.cej.2024.158722","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2024.158722","url":null,"abstract":"Amidst the global energy crisis and escalating CO₂ levels, developing efficient catalysts for converting CO₂ into sustainable energy sources is paramount. Here, we focus on Pd-M (M = Ni, Cu, Fe, In) bimetallic catalysts supported on hollow dodecahedron nickel cobalt oxide (h-NCO) for low-temperature CO₂ hydrogenation to formate. The catalytic evaluation of Pd_xM_y/h-NCO samples emphasized formate production, demonstrating significant enhancement from heteronuclear interactions between Pd and secondary metal species. Notably, Pd₈Ni₂/h-NCO achieved the highest formate production rate (187.07 mol_formate mol_Pd⁻¹h⁻¹) at relatively low temperatures (333 K). Experimental and density functional theory calculations unveiled that heteronuclear interactions induced charge polarization, reducing the reaction energy and facilitating CO₂ hydrogenation to formate. Additionally, the unique hollow dodecahedron NCO structure offered a substantial surface area and facilitated the effective dispersion of metal species, contributing to the enhanced catalytic performance. This work highlights the significance of heteronuclear interactions in bimetallic catalysts for CO₂ conversion, offering insights for catalyst system advancement.","PeriodicalId":270,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Engineering Journal","volume":"114 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":15.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142849227","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Poisoning mechanism of ammonia on proton transport and ionomer structure in cathode catalyst layer of PEM fuel cells","authors":"Yichao Huang, Zhen Zeng, Tianyou Wang, Zhizhao Che","doi":"10.1016/j.cej.2024.158543","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2024.158543","url":null,"abstract":"Ammonia has strong poisoning effects on cathode catalyst layers of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells, but the poisoning mechanism is still unclear. In this study, all-atom molecular dynamics simulations are employed to investigate the poisoning mechanisms of ammonia. The results show that ammonium can replace the hydronium ions at the charged sites of sulfonic acid group of the ionomer side chain, and the adsorption of ammonium to sulfonic acid group can be attributed to van der Waals force and electrostatic interaction. Furthermore, other ammonia derivatives, amino and imino ions, can capture hydronium ions to form ion clusters. These ion clusters have strong capability to absorb hydronium ions, and their structures change with ammonia content and temperature. The main mechanism of formation of these clusters is due to the formation of relatively stable hydrogen bonds between ions within the clusters. These mechanisms significantly reduce the efficiency of proton transport, thereby decreasing the catalyst layer’s performance in electrochemical reactions. We also discover that the increase in temperature leads to the dissociation of large ion clusters, the blockage in the ionomer layer can be alleviated, and the proton transport efficiency can be restored. The understanding of the poisoning mechanisms obtained in this study is helpful for subsequent research aimed at resolving ammonia poisoning and enhancing the anti-poisoning performance of catalyst layers.","PeriodicalId":270,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Engineering Journal","volume":"29 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":15.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142849225","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An intelligent water production strategy: Controllable enhancement of evaporation rate through shape memory Janus foam","authors":"Wenqing Cao, Ye Tian, Yue Liu, Na Liu, Shuaiheng Zhao, Yingqi Qiu, Lin Feng","doi":"10.1016/j.cej.2024.158715","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2024.158715","url":null,"abstract":"Solar-driven interfacial evaporation is an eco-friendly and promising approach to address freshwater shortage. However, the intricate preparation process and low evaporation rate of evaporators limit its further practical applications. Herein, an ingenious design strategy is proposed for a shape memory Janus (SMJ) foam to controllably increase the evaporation rate. By sequentially adhering <em>trans</em>-1,4-Polyisoprene (TPI) and selectively modifying sodium alginate (SA) / AlCl₃ on PU substrate, a three-dimensional (3D) porous foam structure is conveniently constructed, which features a hydrophobic layer with efficient photothermal conversion and a superhydrophilic layer with sufficient water supply. Under varying light intensities, the evaporation rate of optimized SMJ foam exhibits a linear escalation through shape memory compression, specifically from 1.8 kg m⁻²h⁻¹ to 3.2 kg m⁻²h⁻¹ as the compression ratio increases from 0 to 80 % under one solar irradiation. Due to its large-pore porosity, the photothermal layer increases surface area density and gradually generates analogous vertical channels to enhance absorbance during compression, thereby improving the photothermal conversion effect and optimizing thermal management. Moreover, thanks to the Janus structure, the self-floating and salt-resisting properties of SMJ foam guarantee stable and efficient evaporation in complicated environments. This work introduces a novel strategy for promoting the evaporation rate, intelligence, and industrial application of solar-driven interfacial evaporators.","PeriodicalId":270,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Engineering Journal","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":15.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142840797","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Highly durable porous NiO-derived electrodes with superior bifunctional activity for scalable alkaline water electrolysis","authors":"Shukai Diao, Tianwen Wang, Wen Kuang, Su Yan, Xiaotian Zhang, Mingxuan Chen, Ying Liu, Aidong Tan, Tianrang Yang, Jianguo Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.cej.2024.158738","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2024.158738","url":null,"abstract":"Alkaline water electrolysis (AWE) is a leading “green hydrogen” production technology. Industrial electrodes use alkaline leaching to remove Al from NiAl alloy, creating pores and increasing specific surface area (SSA) but still suffer from poor electrode performance. This study presents a method for fabricating an efficient bifunctional electrode. The process involves creating a porous Ni layer with high SSA on nickel mesh (NM) by reducing NiO, which facilitates the formation of Ni(OH)₂ nanosheets. The resulting Ni/Ni(OH)₂@NM electrode features a hydrophilic, gas-repellent and highly electrochemically active surface. It achieves low overpotentials for hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions (164 mV and 337 mV at 100 mA/cm², respectively). The electrolyzer using Ni/Ni(OH)₂@NM electrodes only requires 1.695 V to achieve 300 mA/cm² at 80 °C after a 2000 h durability test. The electrode also demonstrates excellent stability under frequent start-stop cycles, making it well-suited for integration with intermittent renewable energy sources.","PeriodicalId":270,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Engineering Journal","volume":"49 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":15.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142840793","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}