Journal of Colloid and Interface Science最新文献

{"title":"Double-emulsion synthesis of reactive epoxy nanospheres for advanced lithium-ion battery binders","authors":"Pingwei Zhu ,&nbsp;Lei Zhao ,&nbsp;Li Liu ,&nbsp;Yudong Huang ,&nbsp;Wei Zheng ,&nbsp;Jun Li","doi":"10.1016/j.jcis.2025.137434","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcis.2025.137434","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The rapid advancement of electric vehicles imposes significant challenges on lithium-ion battery (LIBs) technology. Polymer binders offer a promising low-cost solution. However, for anode materials, the conventional styrene butadiene latex/carboxymethyl cellulose (SBR/CMC) binders exhibit inherent issues, including binder flotation during solvent evaporation and undesired film formation on anode surfaces. Herein, ultra-small reactive epoxy nanospheres (EPS, 70 nm) were successfully synthesized using a customized double emulsion (DE) demulsification method. The structural design of the internal water phase, two consecutive emulsifications and an innovative phase inversion strategy are crucial to achieve ultra-small particle size. By eliminating the binder migration phenomenon and establishing a covalent cross-linked network within the electrode, the EPS bonded electrode achieved a peel strength of 7.03 N cm⁻¹, surpassing the 4.53 N cm⁻¹ observed in the SBR bonded electrode. Furthermore, EPS can optimize the electrode pore structure and increase the electrode’s wettability to the electrolyte, thereby improving the electrode rate performance. At a current density of 10C, the EPS bonded electrode achieved a capacity retention of 50.4 %, which is much higher than that of the SBR bonded electrode (21.2 %). Consequently, reactive EPS presents an effective way to enhance the overall performance of LIBs through the strategic design of polymer binders.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":351,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Colloid and Interface Science","volume":"691 ","pages":"Article 137434"},"PeriodicalIF":9.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143724273","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Co0.7Fe0.3/Co alloy nanoparticles encapsulated in N-doped carbon polyhedrons as efficient catalysts for advanced lithium-sulfur batteries","authors":"Haiyang Xing,&nbsp;Pu Yang,&nbsp;Zhuohui Sun,&nbsp;Lingbing Wu,&nbsp;Xianghua Yao,&nbsp;Youlong Xu","doi":"10.1016/j.jcis.2025.137439","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcis.2025.137439","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The widespread adoption of lithium-sulfur (Li–S) batteries is hindered by several critical challenges, including the inherently poor electrical conductivity of sulfur, the sluggish reaction kinetics arising from the complex multi-step conversion process, and the abominable shuttle effect of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs). Herein, Co_0.7Fe_0.3/Co alloy nanoparticles were in-situ constructed and confined within CNTs-grafted <em>N</em>-doped carbon polyhedrons (Co_0.7Fe_0.3/Co@NC-CNT), and utilized as efficient catalysts for Li–S batteries. Impressively, the electronic modulation of the Co_0.7Fe_0.3/Co alloy nanoparticles not only effectively accelerates the sulfur redox reaction, but also acts as a strong adsorbent to effectively inhibit the shuttling of polysulfides. Additionally, the hierarchical porous carbon structure facilitates the electron transfer and ion transport, while the derived carbon shell protects binary active sites of Co_0.7Fe_0.3/Co core from electrolyte corrosion. Benefiting from the abundant bimetallic active sites and the meticulously engineered structure, the Co_0.7Fe_0.3/Co@NC-CNT/S cathode yields a promising specific capacity of 1355.2 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.1C, and outstanding capacity retention of 552.3 mAh g⁻¹ over 500 cycles at 2C (∼67.6 % of initial capacity).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":351,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Colloid and Interface Science","volume":"691 ","pages":"Article 137439"},"PeriodicalIF":9.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143714583","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Regulation of P2/O3 layered-oxide cathode by cation potential and dual-site doping provides excellent electrochemical performance","authors":"Qian Meng,&nbsp;Qiming Liu,&nbsp;Kai Wang,&nbsp;Xiaoting Xu,&nbsp;Wentong Li,&nbsp;Ting Hu","doi":"10.1016/j.jcis.2025.137437","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcis.2025.137437","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Enhancing the cycle stability of sodium-ion battery cathode materials at high current rates remains a critical challenge. Although layered oxides exhibit high capacity, their long-term stability requires improvement. In this study, we present a low-Ni, Co-free P2/O3-Na_0.8K_0.05Ca_0.05Ni_0.2Fe_0.2Mn_0.55Mg_0.05O₂ layered oxide, engineered through dual-site doping and cation potential to create a stable two-phase structure The synergistic effects of K-Ca-Mg co-doping and the P2/O3 hybrid structure effectively suppress detrimental phase transitions and Na⁺/vacancy ordering at high voltage, enhancing both rate capability and cycle stability. The material exhibits a high reversible discharge capacity of 143 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.1C, and maintains over 80 % capacity retention after 250 cycles at 1C and excellent rate performance (96 mA h g⁻¹ at 5C and 82 mA h g⁻¹ at 10C. Even after 600 cycles at 10C, the capacity retention remains 80 %). Galvanostatic intermittent titration technique (GITT) analysis also confirms superior Na⁺ diffusivity compared to conventional Ni-Fe-Mn layered oxides and density functional theory (DFT) calculations further validate the feasibility of the dual-position doping strategy, demonstrating its effectiveness in enhancing electrochemical performance through the synergistic effect of K-Ca-Mg. In conclusion, these findings highlight the potential of P/O-KCNFMM as a high-performance cathode material, leveraging the combined advantages of dual-site doping and the P2/O3 hybrid structure, thus providing new insights into the design of sodium-ion battery cathodes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":351,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Colloid and Interface Science","volume":"691 ","pages":"Article 137437"},"PeriodicalIF":9.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143714472","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The effect of phosphate buffered saline and osmotic stress on phosphatidylcholine vesicles","authors":"Alice Piccinini ,&nbsp;Andrew E. Whitten ,&nbsp;Anja Winter ,&nbsp;Sylvain Prévost","doi":"10.1016/j.jcis.2025.137363","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcis.2025.137363","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Lipid vesicles are often used as models for biological membranes in soft matter studies, with an experimental environment often chosen as water. However, to simulate biologically relevant environments, the use of aqueous buffers such as phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) would be more appropriate. In this work, we study the effect of PBS on simplified membrane models with different chain lengths and saturation states, DOPC (PC C_18:1, 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine) and DMPC (PC C_14:0, 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine), by employing small-angle neutron scattering. We compare the structure of PC vesicles when hydrated in pure water or PBS (using heavy water), and investigate structural changes when these vesicles undergo osmotic stress exerted by different PBS concentrations and its constituent salts, with a comparison to the neutral osmolytes polyethylene glycol (PEG-400) and glucose. We furthermore explored the effects of the different constituent salts of PBS on DMPC vesicles in different thermodynamic states, at <figure><img></figure>, <figure><img></figure> and <figure><img></figure>. Our results highlight that vesicles hydrated in PBS are multilamellar whereas when hydrated in <figure><img></figure> they are unilamellar. When PBS is employed to induce osmotic shock, the formation of elongated vesicles is observed. The analysis of each salt as a constituent of PBS revealed that sodium chloride (<figure><img></figure>) is chiefly responsible for the PBS effect, probably due to its higher concentration and ionic strength. Thirdly, when osmotic stress is induced in DMPC vesicles in their gel state, a strong membrane correlation together with aggregation was induced, which was not observed when its membrane transition phase (T_m) is crossed, indicating that osmotic stress is well tolerated in fluid phase. Interestingly, the behaviour of DMPC vesicles in their fluid phase in response to osmotic stress is different from DOPC vesicles in their fluid phase, highlighting the importance of unsaturation and chain length regarding tolerance to osmotic stress. Our findings highlight the critical influence of PBS, and its method of addition, on the structure of lipid vesicles, revealing how osmotic stress shapes their morphology. This should be taken into account when vesicles are prepared for experiments and as drug delivery vehicles, and can be used to tune the lamellarity and shape of vesicles.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":351,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Colloid and Interface Science","volume":"691 ","pages":"Article 137363"},"PeriodicalIF":9.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143724339","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"MnO/MnS nanoparticles encapsulated in Lycopodium spores derived nitrogen-doped porous carbon as a cost-effective peroxymonosulfate activator for pollutant decontamination: Insight into the mechanism of electron transfer-dominated non-radical pathway","authors":"Wenning Yang ,&nbsp;Jie Yang ,&nbsp;Erkang Liu ,&nbsp;Ningning Xing ,&nbsp;Dong Wang ,&nbsp;Hua Yang ,&nbsp;Yongfei Li ,&nbsp;Pengfang Zhang ,&nbsp;Jianmin Dou","doi":"10.1016/j.jcis.2025.137428","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcis.2025.137428","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The rational design and exploitation of cost-effective and robust catalysts for peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation is of great significance. Herein, MnO/MnS nanoparticles encapsulated in Nitrogen-doped porous carbon skeleton (abbreviated as MnO/MnS@NPC) were first constructed through an easy two-step of impregnation along with subsequent pyrolysis technique and utilized to activate PMS for the elimination and mineralization of tetracycline (TC). Benefiting from the strong coupling of transition metal Mn with carbon-based material, the co-doping of heteroatom N and S, the enhanced electrical conductivity, and the hierarchical porous microarchitecture, the obtained MnO/MnS@NPC composite has been expected to present superior PMS activation capacity and pollutant elimination efficiency to its benchmark NPC and MnO@NPC, with 92.5 % degradation rate of TC within 60 min. Comprehensive investigations, involving quenching experiments, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) studies, <em>in situ</em> Raman identification, and electrochemical tests, jointly indicated that the non-radical pathways including electron-transfer, single oxygen (¹O₂) and the high-valent Mn-oxo species, especially the electron transfer process (ETP) from TC molecule to the metastable MnO/MnS@NPC-PMS* complex were dominantly responsible for PMS activation and further decomposition of TC, which greatly enhanced the selective removal of TC and the anti-interference capacity of the PMS system. Furthermore, the possible TC degradation routes were predicted by Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculation and the toxicity of degradation intermediates were also analyzed by toxicity assessment software. In addition, the heterogeneous catalyst displayed outstanding stability and reusability owing to the shield effect of NPC framework to MnO/MnS nanoparticles. Overall, this work proposed a prospective strategy for rationally designing and exploring heterogeneous PMS activator towards wastewater purification.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":351,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Colloid and Interface Science","volume":"691 ","pages":"Article 137428"},"PeriodicalIF":9.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143705628","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Pt nanoparticles for improving the performance and durability of Fe-N-C based materials towards oxygen reduction reaction in alkaline direct methanol fuel cells","authors":"G. Alemany-Molina ,&nbsp;C. Lo Vecchio ,&nbsp;V. Baglio ,&nbsp;A.S. Aricò ,&nbsp;E. Morallón ,&nbsp;D. Cazorla-Amorós","doi":"10.1016/j.jcis.2025.137426","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcis.2025.137426","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pt-alloy nanoparticles have been reported to enhance the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) durability and boost Pt methanol tolerance. In this work, we have studied two different Pt-Fe-N-C based materials, where one of the carbon materials is derived from a biomass residue (almond shell), prepared by standard impregnation and NaBH₄ reduction or one-pot high-temperature treatment. The materials were characterized in terms of methanol tolerance, accelerated durability tests, power density in membrane electrode assembly (MEA) configuration, and stability (100 h). The results showed that, although the particle size distribution obtained for the one-pot synthesis was wider, an effective modification of the Pt structure was observed, which was translated into a higher methanol tolerance. When a small amount of platinum was incorporated in the biomass-derived Fe-N-C catalysts, and tested for the first time (to the best of our knowledge) in alkaline direct methanol fuel cell (ADMFC), significant improvement in durability under ORR conditions was achieved, which finally resulted in superior performance in MEA configuration.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":351,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Colloid and Interface Science","volume":"691 ","pages":"Article 137426"},"PeriodicalIF":9.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143714471","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Interface-tailored iridescent nanocellulose films with retentive antifouling and recyclable multi-environmental responsive properties","authors":"Huawei Xu ,&nbsp;Yuzhen Zhou ,&nbsp;Mengxing Yan ,&nbsp;Hanqi Dong ,&nbsp;Jiaqi Guo ,&nbsp;Qihui Gu ,&nbsp;Lingfeng Long ,&nbsp;Xianzhi Meng ,&nbsp;Arthur J. Ragauskas ,&nbsp;Chen Huang ,&nbsp;Zhe Ling","doi":"10.1016/j.jcis.2025.137427","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcis.2025.137427","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) with distinctive chiral nematic structures and attractive iridescent structural color after evaporation-induced-assembly have induced much interest. However, the hydrophilic nature and rigidity of CNCs materials greatly hindered their application in various environmental conditions. Herein, nature-derived xylose (Xyl) was introduced to regulate the chiral nematic structure of CNCs so as to improve their mechanical strength and flexibility. Facile solvent immersion strategy of materials in hydrophobic 1H,1H,2H,2H-Perfluorodecyltriethoxysilane (C₁₆H₁₉F₁₇O₃Si, PFDTS) solution with various concentration was performed to endow hydrophobicity, as well as remaining their original cholesteric arrangements of the nanoparticles. Chemical and morphological characterizations proved the well distribution and intercalation of Xyl and PFDTS molecules into the chiral structures. The films after tailored interfacial modification exhibited satisfying hydrophobicity with highest water contact angle of ∼ 103°, and retentive anti-fouling capabilities were achieved for the films. Moreover, repeatable and highly sensitive humidity and acid response <em>via</em> iridescent change was fulfilled, well maintaining high mechanical strength (∼70 MPa) after recycling. Besides, excellent biocompatibility was confirmed for the modified materials via cell viability (&gt;90 %) determination. Therefore, the proposed chiral CNCs-based hydrophobic films may greatly widen the application of cellulosic nanomaterials in areas of electrical devices, environmental protection and biomedical treatments, etc.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":351,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Colloid and Interface Science","volume":"691 ","pages":"Article 137427"},"PeriodicalIF":9.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143714577","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A two-in-one strategy to enhance intrinsic activity and accessibility of active sites of Ag3PO4-based photocatalysts for degrading environmental pollutants","authors":"Qing Wang ,&nbsp;Jiamin Wei ,&nbsp;Shiye Xu ,&nbsp;Jiajie Li ,&nbsp;Tinghai Yang ,&nbsp;Guangyu He ,&nbsp;Haiqun Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.jcis.2025.137424","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcis.2025.137424","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Intrinsic activity and accessibility of active sites are two fundamental descriptors for enhancing Ag₃PO₄-based photocatalysts. However, simultaneously optimizing both parameters poses a significant challenge for Ag₃PO₄-based heterojunction photocatalysts prepared by a conventional ion exchange precipitation method. This study demonstrates that Ag₃PO₄/In₂O₃ Z-scheme heterojunction prepared by pre-fabrication and post calcination method not only increases the electron transfer rate (boosts intrinsic activity) by introducing oxygen vacancies and constructing heterojunctions, but also obtains highly dispersed Ag₃PO₄ particles on the surface of hollow tubular In₂O₃ after calcination treatment (enhances accessibility of active sites). Remarkably, the optimized Ag₃PO₄/In₂O₃-2 Z-scheme heterojunction demonstrates an exceptional catalytic efficiency (0.113 min⁻¹) in facilitating the photocatalytic decomposition of tetracycline (TC), significantly outperforming the catalyst synthesized via the conventional ion exchange precipitation technique (0.036 min⁻¹). In addition, three-dimensional excitation emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy, high-resolution mass spectrometry, photoelectrochemical testing, free radical capture experiments, and electron spin resonance techniques were conducted to elucidate the possible degradation pathways for TC. Importantly, a systematic investigation was conducted to assess the practical application potential of Ag₃PO₄/In₂O₃-2 composites, encompassing the degradation activity in actual wastewater, different dyes and antibiotics, as well as the calculation of toxicity of degradation products and exploration of antibacterial activity. This study provides a “two-in-one” strategy from the perspective of synchronously enhancing the intrinsic activity of catalysts and the accessibility of active sites.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":351,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Colloid and Interface Science","volume":"691 ","pages":"Article 137424"},"PeriodicalIF":9.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143697300","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Single yttrium atom coordinated by nitrogen and oxygen with an asymmetric 4d orbit as efficient oxygen reduction electrocatalyst","authors":"Cunhuai Yu,&nbsp;Wanling Xiao,&nbsp;Ji Huang,&nbsp;Chao Hao,&nbsp;Pei Kang Shen,&nbsp;Zhi Qun Tian","doi":"10.1016/j.jcis.2025.137425","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcis.2025.137425","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Developing transition metal-nitrogen-carbon (M<img>N<img>C) with the inert metal-atom center for the Fenton reaction is crucial to achieving precious metal-free electrocatalysis of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Herein, we report a new structure of Y<img>N<img>C nanosheets for efficient ORR, which was synthesized by pyrolyzing the Y ion-containing self-polymerized compound of 2, 4, 6-triaminopyrimidine (TAP) as a new precursor. Results demonstrate that the precursor of TAP with high N content is capable of forming atomically dispersed specific YN₄O moieties anchoring in <em>N</em>-rich carbon nanosheets, exhibiting excellent ORR performance with a higher half-wave potential of 0.88 V and 0.78 V in 0.1 M KOH and 0.5 M H₂SO₄ than Fe<img>N<img>C synthesized by the same strategy. Meanwhile, the zinc-air battery and proton exchange membrane fuel cell tests also verify its feasibility for practical application with a maximum power output density of 151 mW cm⁻² and 496 mW cm⁻² respectively. Theoretical calculations further reveal that the axial O coordination in YN₄ moiety causes an symmetry breaking of the d-orbital electrons of yttrium and weakens the spin polarization, which can shift the rate-limiting step from the *OH step to the *OOH step with a lower ORR overpotential than the classic Fe<img>N<img>C. This work proves that Y<img>N<img>C with single yttrium atom holds a great promise as a substitute for the conventional Fe<img>N<img>C with active Fenton effect as a none-precious metal ORR electrocatalyst.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":351,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Colloid and Interface Science","volume":"691 ","pages":"Article 137425"},"PeriodicalIF":9.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143705630","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Self-activated oxophilic surface of porous molybdenum carbide nanosheets promotes hydrogen evolution activity in alkaline environment","authors":"Yong Li ,&nbsp;Weining Song ,&nbsp;Teng Gai ,&nbsp;Lipeng Wang ,&nbsp;Zhen Li ,&nbsp;Peng He ,&nbsp;Qi Liu ,&nbsp;Lawrence Yoon Suk Lee","doi":"10.1016/j.jcis.2025.137423","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcis.2025.137423","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Molybdenum carbides are promising alternatives to Pt-based catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) due to their similar <em>d</em>-band electronic configuration. Notably, Mo_xC exhibits superior HER kinetics in alkaline media compared to acidic conditions, contrasting with Pt-based catalysts. Herein, we present 3D porous β-Mo₂C nanosheets, achieving an overpotential of 111 mV at 10 mA cm⁻² in 1 M KOH, significantly lower than in acidic environments. Simulations on pristine Mo₂C surface reveal that water dissociation poses a higher energy barrier in alkaline media, suggesting that crystal structure alone does not dictate kinetics. <em>Operando</em> attenuated total reflection surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy shows that Mo₂C activates interfacial water, generating liquid-like and free water, and facilitates hydroxyl species adsorption, reducing activation energy to below 38.43 ± 0.19 kJ/mol. Our findings on the self-activation effect offer insights into the HER mechanism of Mo-based electrocatalysts and guide the design of highly active HER catalysts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":351,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Colloid and Interface Science","volume":"691 ","pages":"Article 137423"},"PeriodicalIF":9.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143705629","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}