Topics in Catalysis最新文献

{"title":"In-Situ Generation of Superacids for Aqueous Catalytic Cationic Polymerization: Preliminary Results for the Polymerization of Toluene and Dichloromethane Solutions of Styrene/Cs+[CHB11Cl11]− Suspended in HCl(aq)","authors":"Stewart P. Lewis","doi":"10.1007/s11244-026-02311-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11244-026-02311-3","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In order to probe the impact that salts containing weakly coordinating anions might have on electrophilic transformations of industrial significance (e.g., Friedel-Crafts alkylation, nitration) initial studies were conducted on the aqueous cationic polymerization of an easy to handle monomer (styrene). It was hypothesized that the addition of minute quantities of a salt bearing a weakly coordinating anion may enhance the activity of traditional acid catalysts that are employed to effect such reactions. This article details preliminary results for the polymerization of a solution of this olefin, in toluene or dichloromethane, containing a small quantity of a carborane salt (i.e., Cs⁺[CHB₁₁Cl₁₁]⁻) as a catalyst, suspended in a continuous phase of HCl(aq). In the absence of this salt no conversion of neat styrene is obtained even when reaction is conducted in fuming hydrochloric acid at room temperature for a period of one week, whereas explosive polymerization ensues in its presence almost instantly. Likewise, the olefin is stable in the presence of the salt provided that HCl(aq) is absent. This approach is believed to generate small quantities of a hydrophobic superacid (i.e., H⁺[CHB₁₁Cl₁₁]⁻) via a metathetical reaction between the Brønsted acid component of the aqueous phase and the catalytic salt contained in the organic phase where the resultant strong acid then initiates polymerization of the olefin. Addition of a common salt (i.e., CsCl) was found to reduce conversion and argues in favor of the in situ generation of a superacid within the monomer droplet. These reactions produce polymers with molecular weights showing expected dependencies on solvent polarity, chain end functionalities, and Arrhenius plots of <span>({overline {{text{M}}} _{text{w}}})</span>, that are consistent with a cationic mechanism. In the presence of toluene polymerization was found to have two stages, a fast initial reaction followed by a slower second phase. The latter stage was determined to be first order with respect to the monomer. Since the strong acid is continuously regenerated in situ these polymerizations are catalytic and indefinitely active in nature.</p><h3>Graphical Abstract</h3><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":801,"journal":{"name":"Topics in Catalysis","volume":"69 13-14","pages":"1886 - 1897"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148386053","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Methanol Decomposition on Cu-Modified BN, AlN, and TiN Monolayers: A Comparative Study with Cu(111)","authors":"Fatıma Büşra Aslan,&nbsp;Gökberk Çelikel,&nbsp;M. Oluş Özbek","doi":"10.1007/s11244-026-02317-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11244-026-02317-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study investigates methanol decomposition on Cu-modified two-dimensional AlN, BN, and TiN monolayers as potential catalysts using density functional theory (DFT). Two competing reaction pathways were evaluated: (i) methoxy formation via O–H activation and (ii) hydroxymethyl formation via C–H activation; and were compared with those on Cu(111) as a reference. The results show that Cu(111) remains the lower-barrier reference surface for methanol decomposition. Among the investigated Cu-modified monolayer supports, BN provides the most favorable behavior, with methoxy route apparent barriers closest to those of Cu(111) and lower than those obtained for the corresponding TiN and AlN systems. Electronic-structure analysis indicates that the substitution site controls the local Cu environment, with Cu/B doping producing stronger Cu–N coupling near the Fermi level, whereas Cu/N doping shows deeper Cu d-states and weaker near-Fermi Cu–B coupling. Free-energy analysis at 500 K and 1 atm further supports the relevance of the BN–Cu/B model for the methoxy pathway. TiN-supported systems strongly stabilize several reaction intermediates, producing deep energy minima and inhibiting optimum catalytic performance. AlN systems are mechanistically non-viable, with unstable adsorption and high barriers preventing a continuous low-energy reaction pathway. Overall, BN emerges as the most promising Cu-modified monolayer support although Cu(111) remains the lower-barrier surface.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":801,"journal":{"name":"Topics in Catalysis","volume":"69 19","pages":"2548 - 2564"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11244-026-02317-x.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149176361","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Low Temperature Ammonia Cracking for Hydrogen Production by Layered Double Hydroxide-Based Nickel Catalysts","authors":"Sebastian Kaul,&nbsp;Tobias Wittmann,&nbsp;Christopher Gort,&nbsp;Jan P. Hofmann,&nbsp;Marcus Rose","doi":"10.1007/s11244-026-02314-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11244-026-02314-0","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In this work, various Ni catalysts were tested in the ammonia decomposition for hydrogen generation. Traditional catalyst synthesis methods such as incipient wetness impregnation (IWI), precipitation deposition (PD), wetness impregnation (WI) and commercial catalysts were compared with a Nickel catalyst prepared from a Ni layered double hydroxide (LDH) precursor. The catalysts were characterized by various methods including XRD, XPS, XRF, CO-pulse chemisorption, N₂-physisorption, Raman, TGA and TPR. The LDH-based catalyst showed superior activity to all other catalysts with conversions above 60% at only 400 °C. Additionally, it showed a stable activity over 70 h time on stream (TOS) without any deactivation. The superior activity and stability of the LDH-based catalyst was attributed to a homogeneous distribution of the Ni particles within an alumina-phase, inherited from the LDH precursor. This results in small Ni-particles with strong interactions with the alumina support, yielding a combination of very high activity, high stability of the particles and prevention of sintering.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":801,"journal":{"name":"Topics in Catalysis","volume":"69 19","pages":"2623 - 2633"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11244-026-02314-0.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149176436","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Synergistic Enhancement of Glucose Sensing via Copper Nanowire-biochar Nanocomposites","authors":"Aydan Zeynalova,&nbsp;Ayten Ateş,&nbsp;Kürşad Oğuz Oskay","doi":"10.1007/s11244-026-02297-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11244-026-02297-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Developing sustainable and cost-effective electrode materials are critical for advancing enzyme-free glucose sensing technologies. In this study, a novel hybrid nanocomposite containing copper nanowires (CuNWs) and iron-oxide functionalized biochar (Fe-BC) was synthesized to fabricate a high-performance electrochemical sensor. The Fe-BC was derived from hazelnut shells via phosphoric acid-assisted pyrolysis at 500 °C, followed by iron chloride (FeCl₂) treatment to incorporate redox-active Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles. This porous carbon structure was integrated with highly conductive CuNWs, synthesized through a modified seed-mediated reduction method, and drop-cast onto a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The hybrid interface benefits from the expanded electroactive surface area and the interconnected conductive network of CuNWs. Electrochemical analyses revealed that the CuNWs/Fe-BC electrode provides a linear response range from 5 µM to 4 mM with a detection limit of 2.5 µM at + 0.60 V. The sensor demonstrated reliable selectivity against common interfering species, such as uric acid, maltose, and ascorbic acid. Consequently, the developed sensor provides an eco-friendly and low-cost platform for non-enzymatic glucose monitoring.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":801,"journal":{"name":"Topics in Catalysis","volume":"69 19","pages":"2588 - 2599"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11244-026-02297-y.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149176437","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Green Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles Doped Paramylon Nanocomposites Using Phyllanthus niruri Extract and Their Multifaceted Biological Activity Evaluation","authors":"Vidhya Murugan,&nbsp;N. M. Hariharan,&nbsp;Gomathi Sankar,&nbsp;Muthupandi Sankar,&nbsp;Sarvesh Rustagi,&nbsp;Yugal Kishore Mohanta,&nbsp;Reema M. Almotairi,&nbsp;Muthupandian Saravanan","doi":"10.1007/s11244-026-02309-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11244-026-02309-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study reports the green synthesis of gold nanoparticle/Paramylon (AuNPs/Paramylon) nanocomposites using Phyllanthus niruri extract and evaluates their therapeutic potential. Successful nanocomposite formation was confirmed through characteristic surface plasmon resonance at 560 nm, spherical morphology (SEM), and semi-crystalline architecture with 70.3% crystallinity and 29.7% amorphous content (XRD). EDAX analysis verified 8.4% gold incorporation. The nanocomposites demonstrated multifunctional biological activities at 100 µg/ml, including antibacterial efficacy against Enterococcus faecalis and MRSA, potent antioxidant capacity (69.1% DPPH radical scavenging), remarkable anti-inflammatory activity (79.3% inhibition), and significant cytotoxicity (89% cell death, 11% viability in MTT assays). The semi-crystalline structure establishes a critical structure-activity relationship where crystalline gold cores facilitate ROS-mediated antimicrobial and antioxidant effects, while the amorphous Paramylon matrix enhances biocompatibility and cellular uptake. These findings highlight AuNPs/Paramylon nanocomposites as promising multifunctional therapeutic agents for biomedical applications.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":801,"journal":{"name":"Topics in Catalysis","volume":"69 17-18","pages":"2336 - 2347"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149098308","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Natural Sunlight Driven Degradation of Crystal Violet Using α-Fe2O3/MXene Nanocomposite Photocatalyst","authors":"Anjali Badola,&nbsp;Surla Manikanta Prasad,&nbsp;Bibekananda Bhoi,&nbsp;Jayeshkumar Prajapati,&nbsp;Priyanjana Roy,&nbsp;Vimlesh Chandra","doi":"10.1007/s11244-026-02312-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11244-026-02312-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Crystal violet (CV) is a widely used synthetic dye known for its high environmental toxicity and persistence in aquatic systems, highlighting the need for efficient removal strategies. In this study, a hematite (α-Fe₂O₃) nanorod–decorated two-dimensional MXene (Ti₃C₂) sheet nanocomposite was successfully synthesized and evaluated for its photocatalytic degradation performance toward CV dye under natural sunlight. The prepared nanocomposites were comprehensively characterized using structural (XRD, FTIR, XPS), optical, morphological (FESEM, TEM), and electrochemical techniques. FTIR analysis confirmed the presence of functional groups such as C=O, C–O, C–F, and O–H on the MXene surface, indicating successful surface modification. High-resolution TEM images revealed clear lattice fringes with an interplanar spacing of 0.242 nm, corresponding to the (104) crystallographic plane of α-Fe₂O₃, confirming the effective decoration of MXene sheets with hematite nanorods. The influence of various operational parameters, including photocatalyst composition, catalyst dosage, reaction kinetics, solution pH, radical scavengers, and coexisting ions, was systematically investigated. Under optimized conditions, the nanocomposite achieved a remarkably high degradation efficiency of 98% within 60 min. Reusability tests further confirmed the nanocomposite’s excellent stability, retaining high performance even after five successive cycles. Kinetic analysis indicated a pseudo-first-order with rate constants 0.0187 min^− 1 and 0.0441 min^− 1 for α-Fe₂O₃ and α-Fe₂O₃/MXene nanocomposite. Overall, the α-Fe₂O₃/MXene nanocomposite exhibits strong potential as an efficient, stable, and sunlight-driven photocatalyst for the removal of toxic crystal violet dye from wastewater. Synthesis of α-Fe₂O₃ nanorod–decorated two-dimensional Ti₃C₂ sheet nanocomposite for Crystal Violet degradation.</p><h3>Graphical Abstract</h3><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div><p>Synthesis of α-Fe₂O₃ nanorod–decorated two-dimensional Ti₃C₂ sheet nanocomposite for Crystal Violet degradation.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":801,"journal":{"name":"Topics in Catalysis","volume":"69 15-16","pages":"1899 - 1914"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148695386","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"In-situ Fabrication of Lanthanides Decorated Porous Graphitic Carbon Nitride Nanosheets for Visible light Assisted Photocatalytic Breakdown of Refractory Pollutant","authors":"Chinnu R. Thara,&nbsp;Beena Mathew","doi":"10.1007/s11244-026-02310-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11244-026-02310-4","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Antibiotics are a significant developing contaminant due to improper disposal in sewage and industrial effluent and their indiscriminate usage. These contaminants cannot be effectively treated in wastewater treatment facilities using the currently available methods. One of the most significant technologies, photocatalysis, is valuable in many environmental applications, including wastewater remediation. The advantages of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) nanosheets over bulk g-C₃N₄ include more active sites with increased specific surface area, faster mobility, and separation of the photogenerated electron-hole pairs. Upconversion (UC) particles doped with lanthanides have recently been used in research to see if it is possible to boost the utilization of NIR light for photocatalysis. Lanthanides are an excellent choice for producing effective photon UC due to the rich energy level pattern that results from their split 4f electronic structures by electronic repulsion and spin-orbit coupling. The current work details the quick synthesis of porous g-C₃N₄ nanosheets doped with three different concentrations of each of the four lanthanides, including La, Eu, Tb, and Sm. Levofloxacin, a fluoroquinolone antibiotic, was photocatalytically degraded using these nanomaterials. The materials had nearly identical photocatalytic activity, with the best degradation efficiency being 100% levofloxacin elimination in 120 min.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":801,"journal":{"name":"Topics in Catalysis","volume":"69 15-16","pages":"1960 - 1971"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148695384","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Comprehensive Insight into the DFT Based Mechanical and Thermodynamic Performances of MgX (X = Lu, Hf) Intermetallics","authors":"Nitika,&nbsp;Lakshita Sehgal,&nbsp;V. Revathi,&nbsp;Vipul Srivastava","doi":"10.1007/s11244-026-02308-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11244-026-02308-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The present paper unveils the mechanical and thermodynamic properties of intermetallic compounds at elevated temperature and pressure. The study is accomplished by incorporating Charpin method and Debye quasi harmonic model in the framework of density functional theory. Both intermetallic compounds are found stable in CsCl-prototype structure with non-magnetic phase. The calculated values of bulk modulus 44.7 and 76.6 GPa for MgLu and MgHf, respectively indicate that MgHf is structurally stiffer and less compressible than MgLu under hydrostatic pressure, likely due to stronger atomic bonding. Further, different elastic moduli, bulk to shear modulus ratio, Cauchy pressure are determined and it is found that MgLu and MgHf show ductile and brittle nature, respectively. Furthermore, thermodynamic parameters are estimated for considered intermetallic compounds at elevated temperature upto 700 K and pressure upto 20 GPa. The anharmonic effect in the considered materials has been discussed. Debye temperatures are estimated to be 221 K and 280 K for MgLu and MgHf, respectively at room temperature and zero pressure. Our reported results are in agreement with the other reported binary intermetallic materials. These materials have potential to be used in temperature resistant devices, aerospace, automotive fields.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":801,"journal":{"name":"Topics in Catalysis","volume":"69 17-18","pages":"2521 - 2534"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149099202","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Nickel Ferrite-Supported Palladium(0) Nanoparticles: Highly Active and Reusable Catalyst for Hydrogen Generation From the Hydrolysis of Ammonia Borane","authors":"Serdar Akbayrak,&nbsp;Saim Özkar","doi":"10.1007/s11244-026-02299-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11244-026-02299-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>We report the development of a novel magnetically separable palladium(0) nanocatalyst for hydrogen generation from the hydrolysis of ammonia borane. Palladium(0) nanoparticles become magnetically separable when supported on the surface of magnetic nickel ferrite (NiFe₂O₄) nanospheres. The borohydride reduction of palladium(II) ions, impregnated on the nickel ferrite, yields the Pd⁰/NiFe₂O₄ nanoparticles which are easily separated from the reaction medium by an exterior magnet and characterized by a combination of advanced analytical techniques. The Pd⁰/NiFe₂O₄ nanocatalyst with a 0.25% wt. Pd content has highly dispersed Pd⁰ nanoparticles of ∼4 nm mean size on the surface of NiFe₂O₄ nanopowder. Pd⁰/NiFe₂O₄ nanoparticles are found to have superb activity providing a turnover frequency value of 2270 min^− 1 in releasing dihydrogen (H₂) from the hydrolysis of ammonia borane (AB) at 25.0 °C. Thanks to their magnetic isolability Pd⁰/NiFe₂O₄ nanoparticles also provide outstanding reusability as they retain the complete initial activity even after tenth run of hydrolysis of AB releasing 3 equivalent H₂ gas per mole of AB; that is, 100% conversion. The high activity and outstanding stability of the magnetically isolable Pd⁰/NiFe₂O₄ nanoparticles are ascribed to the favorable interaction of palladium with the oxide surface of NiFe₂O₄, as elucidated by the X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy. The strong interaction of palladium with the oxide support can keep the nanoparticles tightly bound on the NiFe₂O₄ surface. More importantly, such a metal-support interaction facilitates the charge transfer from palladium nanoparticles to oxide surface, which causes a significant enhancement in catalytic activity.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":801,"journal":{"name":"Topics in Catalysis","volume":"69 19","pages":"2537 - 2547"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-05-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149176448","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Special Issue Based on the 1st Edition of International Conference on Catalysis and Reaction Engineering","authors":"Mannar R. Maurya,&nbsp;V. S. R. Rajasekhar Pullabhotla","doi":"10.1007/s11244-026-02298-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11244-026-02298-x","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":801,"journal":{"name":"Topics in Catalysis","volume":"69 13-14","pages":"1771 - 1771"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-05-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148386046","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}