Catalysts最新文献

{"title":"Promoted CO2 Desorption in N-(2-Hydroxyethyl)ethylenediamine Solutions Catalyzed by Histidine","authors":"Siming Chen, Xinzhu Zhang, Guangfei Xing, Lei Zhang, Le Chang, Yubing Xu, Yongchun Zhang","doi":"10.3390/catal16010024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/catal16010024","url":null,"abstract":"This study systematically investigates the catalytic effect of histidine (HIS) on CO2 desorption in amine-based solvents, with a primary focus on 30 wt% N-(2-aminoethylamino)ethanol (AEEA) and its blends with N-methyldiethanolamine (MDEA). Experimental results show that the addition of 0.22 wt% HIS significantly enhances both the equilibrium desorption amount and the maximum desorption rate of CO2, particularly at elevated temperatures (e.g., 100 °C). Under optimal conditions, HIS increased the maximum desorption rate by 22.1% and reduced the heat duty to 71.7% compared to the non-catalytic benchmark. The catalytic performance was further confirmed in AEEA-MDEA mixed solvents, with the most pronounced effect observed in the 3:2 molar ratio system, where HIS enhanced both the equilibrium desorption amount and the maximum desorption rate by 15.3% and 20.8%, respectively. Through 13C NMR analysis and pH-dependent speciation monitoring, we revealed that HIS alters the reaction pathway by suppressing the formation of stable carbamate species (AEEA(a)COO−). The protonated (HIS+) and neutral (HIS±) forms were identified as the active species that promote more direct CO2 release from carbamate, while the deprotonated (HIS−) form facilitates proton transfer and amine regeneration. HIS also exhibited excellent catalytic stability over 10 absorption–desorption cycles. These findings highlight HIS as an efficient and stable organocatalyst for energy-efficient CO2 desorption processes.","PeriodicalId":9794,"journal":{"name":"Catalysts","volume":"16 1","pages":"24-24"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147334013","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":"Scalable Electro-Oxidation Engineering of Raney Nickel Toward Enhanced Oxygen Evolution Reaction","authors":"Yutian Ma, Xu Zhang, Tong Li, Quanbin Huang, Junhu Ma, H. GAO, Juan Zhang, Hailong Xi, Yipu Liu, Shiwei Lin","doi":"10.3390/catal16010008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/catal16010008","url":null,"abstract":"The efficiency and durability of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts at industrially relevant current high densities are critical determinants of energy consumption and operating cost of alkaline electrolyzers. However, Raney nickel, widely adopted as a commercial electrode, still lacks sufficient intrinsic activity, leading to excessive energy consumption. Herein, a facile electro-oxidation engineering strategy with strong industrial compatibility is developed, and constructs a high-performance OER electrode Raney Ni–Fe3+ without compromising the inherent stability and scalability. The optimized electrode achieves 100 mA/cm2 at a small overpotential of 265.1 mV with a Tafel slope of 36.17 mV/dec. It further demonstrates exceptional durability, remaining stable for at least 100 h at 300 mA/cm2. By in situ constructing Fe3+-doped NiOOH phases on the Raney Ni framework, the proposed strategy effectively realizes the precise synthesis of high-performance active layers and greatly enhances the intrinsic catalytic activity. This work provides a new perspective for improving alkaline electrolyzer efficiency and contributing to the large-scale advancement of green hydrogen technology.","PeriodicalId":9794,"journal":{"name":"Catalysts","volume":"16 1","pages":"8-8"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4344/16/1/8/pdf?version=1766485521","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147333818","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":"Amorphous Nano Zero-Valent Iron (A-nZVI) Modified by Ethylenediamine for Efficient Dechlorination of Trichloroethylene: Structure, Kinetics, and Mechanism","authors":"Zhidong Zhao, Yuqi Qiu, Baoliang Lei, Chenyang Zhang, Zhihong Liu, Wei Wang, Haitao Wang, Tielong Li","doi":"10.3390/catal15121173","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/catal15121173","url":null,"abstract":"Amorphous nano zero-valent iron (A-nZVI) was synthesized via liquid-phase reduction and ethylenediamine (EDA) modification to enhance trichloroethylene (TCE) dechlorination. A-nZVI showed a cauliflower-like morphology, where 20–50 nm primary particles formed 500–1000 nm secondary agglomerates with a high surface area. Compared with crystalline nZVI (C-nZVI), A-nZVI exhibited higher electron transfer efficiency and stronger reducing capability (potentiodynamic polarization analysis). TCE removal followed a two-stage model: a rapid adsorption–reduction phase (pseudo-second-order; qe = 9.48 mg/g, R2 = 0.998) and a slower degradation phase (pseudo-first-order; k = 0.0125 h−1, R2 = 0.994). No toxic intermediates (e.g., dichloroethylene or vinyl chloride) were detected; products were mainly acetylene, ethylene, and ethane. The electron utilization efficiency increased from 8.47% (C-nZVI) to 15.32% (A-nZVI), while hydrogen evolution decreased by 32%. EDA formed Fe–N coordination bonds that facilitated electron transfer and stabilized the amorphous structure. A-nZVI retained 40% of its activity after four cycles under neutral to alkaline conditions.","PeriodicalId":9794,"journal":{"name":"Catalysts","volume":"15 12","pages":"1173-1173"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4344/15/12/1173/pdf?version=1766050938","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147332246","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":"Boosting Photocatalysis: Cu-MOF Functionalized with g-C3N4 QDs for High-Efficiency Degradation of Congo Red","authors":"Yuhao Wang, Yuan Yang, Xinyue Zhang, Yajie Shi, Qiang Liu, Keliang Wu","doi":"10.3390/catal15121169","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/catal15121169","url":null,"abstract":"In recent years, organic dye contamination has posed a significant threat to water safety. This study presents a novel composite photocatalyst comprising graphitic carbon nitride quantum dots (g-C3N4QDs) supported on a copper-based metal–organic framework (Cu-MOF) for efficient visible-light degradation of organic pollutants. The g-C3N4QDs were synthesized via a facile strategy and subsequently immobilized onto the Cu-MOF support. Comprehensive characterization including SEM, TEM, XRD, BET, UV-Vis DRS, PL, and EIS confirmed the successful formation of a heterostructure, revealing that an optimized loading of g-C3N4QDs significantly enhanced light absorption, facilitated charge separation, and increased the specific surface area, with the optimal composite exhibiting 273 m2/g compared to 112 m2/g for the pristine Cu-MOF. Electrochemical analyses indicated a 2.38-fold enhancement in photocurrent density and a reduced interfacial charge transfer resistance, reflecting superior electron–hole pair separation. Crucially, the optimized g-C3N4QDs/Cu-MOF composite demonstrated exceptional photocatalytic performance, achieving 96.6% degradation of Congo red (100 mg/L) within 30 min under visible light irradiation, substantially outperforming the 77.6% degradation attained by the pristine Cu-MOF. This enhancement is attributed to the synergistic effects of improved light harvesting, efficient interfacial charge transfer across the heterojunction, and an enlarged active surface area. The composite exhibits considerable potential as a high-performance and stable photocatalyst for purifying dye-contaminated wastewater.","PeriodicalId":9794,"journal":{"name":"Catalysts","volume":"15 12","pages":"1169-1169"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4344/15/12/1169/pdf?version=1765878276","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147332256","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":"Ionomer-Regulated Cu/Co Tandem Catalysis for Efficient Electrochemical Nitrate-to-Ammonia Conversion","authors":"Quan Zhou, L. Zhang, Zhong-lie Wang, Qi Wang, Chenyuan Zhu","doi":"10.3390/catal15121156","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/catal15121156","url":null,"abstract":"Electrochemical nitrate reduction to ammonia offers a sustainable route for nitrogen fixation, yet achieving high efficiency and selectivity remains challenging. Here, a Sustainion-enabled Cu/Co tandem catalyst is developed to couple compositional synergy with ionomer-mediated interfacial regulation. The optimized Cu60Co40/Sus/C electrode delivers a Faradaic efficiency of 91.3% and an NH3 yield rate of 2.63 mmol gcat.−1 h−1 at −0.3 V vs. RHE, surpassing Cu-Co/Nafion/C and Cu-Co/C counterparts. Structural analyses confirm that Sustainion prevents nanoparticle aggregation and maintains robust Cu/Co interfaces. Electrochemical and in situ spectroscopic studies reveal that the cationic quaternary ammonium groups of Sustainion electrostatically enrich NO3−/NO2− intermediates, facilitating their adsorption and hydrogenation toward NH3 formation. The combined structural stabilization and intermediate modulation enable efficient tandem catalysis between Cu-driven nitrate activation and Co-mediated hydrogenation. This work provides molecular-level insight into ionomer–catalyst interactions and highlights interfacial engineering as a powerful strategy for sustainable ammonia synthesis.","PeriodicalId":9794,"journal":{"name":"Catalysts","volume":"15 12","pages":"1156-1156"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4344/15/12/1156/pdf?version=1765263951","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147332207","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":"A Comparative Electrochemical Study of Pt and Ni–Oxide Cathodes: Performance and Economic Viability for Scale-Up Microbial Fuel Cells","authors":"Azim Khan, Kh. Rostami, Mehdi Sedighi, Saba Khan, Mostafa Ghasemi","doi":"10.3390/catal15121153","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/catal15121153","url":null,"abstract":"The expensive nature and limited availability of platinum (Pt) cathodes pose a significant challenge for the widespread adoption of microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology. Although many alternatives have been studied, very few reports provide a systematic head-to-head comparison of different Ni–oxide cathodes under the same operational conditions. This research investigates cost-effective nickel-based metal oxide composites (Ni–TiO2, Ni–Cr2O3, Ni–Al2O3) as catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), using Pt as a reference point. The performance of the MFC was thoroughly evaluated in terms of power output, chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal, and Coulombic efficiency (CE). The Pt cathode exhibited the highest performance (275 mW m−2, 87% COD removal, 35% CE), confirming its catalytic advantages. Among the alternative materials, the Ni–TiO2 composite yielded the best outcomes (224 mW m−2, 79% COD removal, 17.7% CE), markedly surpassing the performances of Ni–Cr2O3 (162 mW m−2, 72%, 24% CE) and Ni–Al2O3 (134 mW m−2, 64%, 11.6% CE). Koutecký–Levich analysis clarified the mechanisms at play: Pt facilitated a direct 4-electron ORR process, while the composites operated through a 2-electron mechanism. Notably, the semiconductor properties of Ni–TiO2 resulted in a higher electron transfer number (n = 2.8) compared to the other composites (n ≈ 2.3), which accounts for its increased efficiency. With its low production cost, Ni–TiO2 presents an exceptional cost-to-performance ratio. By linking catalytic performance directly to the electronic nature of the oxide supports, this study offers clear design guidelines for selecting non-precious cathodes. The dual evaluation of electrochemical efficiency and cost-to-performance distinguishes this study from prior reports and underscores its practical significance and originality. This study highlights Ni–TiO2 as a highly sustainable and economically viable catalyst, making it a strong candidate to replace Pt for practical MFC applications that focus on simultaneous power generation and wastewater treatment.","PeriodicalId":9794,"journal":{"name":"Catalysts","volume":"15 12","pages":"1153-1153"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4344/15/12/1153/pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147330970","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":"Boosting Furaldehyde Hydrogenation to Furfuryl Alcohol: Role of Ni in Cu5Nix/SiO2 Bimetallic Catalysts","authors":"Yuanyuan Gao, Jieqiong Wang, Zhongyi Liu, Shuaihui Li, Qiaoyun Liu","doi":"10.3390/catal15121151","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/catal15121151","url":null,"abstract":"Furfural (FAL), an important biomass-derived platform molecule, plays a vital role in bridging biorefineries and the production of high-value chemicals through its selective hydrogenation to furfuryl alcohol (FOL). In this work, a series of Cu-based bimetallic catalysts (Cu5Nix/SiO2) were prepared by a simple impregnation method and exhibited outstanding catalytic performance for the hydrogenation of furfural under the mild conditions. When the loading of Ni was 2 wt%, the optimal catalytic activity was obtained at 150 °C and 1 MPa H2, achieving a furfural conversion of 97.3%. This catalyst also showed excellent stability, maintaining high activity and selectivity toward FOL after five consecutive reaction cycles. Structural characterizations using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Hydrogen temperature-programmed reduction (H2-TPR), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) revealed strong electronic interactions between Cu and Ni species. The introduction of Ni promoted the reduction of Ni2+ and improved the dispersion of Cu, which in turn increased the number of accessible active sites and facilitated the hydrogenation process. This synergistic effect between Cu and Ni provides an efficient and low-cost strategy for the selective hydrogenation of biomass-derived furfural to high-valued chemicals.","PeriodicalId":9794,"journal":{"name":"Catalysts","volume":"15 12","pages":"1151-1151"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4344/15/12/1151/pdf?version=1764925997","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147331936","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":"Rational Designing and Stepwise Cascade for Efficient Biosynthesis of Raspberry Ketone","authors":"Yang Yang, Kangkang Shang, Xiangdong Gao, Xingmiao Zhu, Mengying Ling, Pu Zheng, Shichao Xu, Pengcheng Chen","doi":"10.3390/catal15121148","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/catal15121148","url":null,"abstract":"Raspberry ketone (RK) is the primary aromatic compound in raspberry fruit, which is widely utilized in perfume, cosmetics, and food additive industries. Currently, RK is predominantly produced chemically. RK biosynthesis through enzyme or whole cell has garnered significant attention due to the mild reaction conditions and the process being regarded as ‘natural’. This study proposed a ‘dual-microorganism, two-phase’ stepwise cascade strategy to produce RK from an economical precursor, 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde (4-HBD). An acetone-tolerant deoxyribose-phosphate aldolase DERAEc (S238D) mutant was obtained through a site-specific rigidification strategy for converting 4-HBD to 4-hydroxybenzylaceton (4-HBA). Then, an engineered E. coli co-expressing isocitrate dehydrogenase and raspberry ketone synthase RiRZS1 with a citrate-sodium citrate buffer to recycle nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) was constructed for the conversion of 4-HBA to RK. The final concentration of RK was 50.00 ± 1.92 mmol·L−1 with a yield of 86.96%. This strategy provides a scalable coenzyme self-recycling and two-phase catalysis platform for high-value phenolic compounds.","PeriodicalId":9794,"journal":{"name":"Catalysts","volume":"15 12","pages":"1148-1148"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4344/15/12/1148/pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147331355","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":"Recyclable Magnetic Fe3O4-Supported Copper Oxide as Efficient Catalyst for Oxidation of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural to 2,5-Furanediformic Acid","authors":"Peng Yang, Hualei Hu, Yong Yang, Guojun Lan, Soliman I. El-Hout, Qianquan Fang, Guowen Lu, Chunlin Chen, Jian Zhang","doi":"10.3390/catal15121120","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/catal15121120","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":9794,"journal":{"name":"Catalysts","volume":"15 12","pages":"1120"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147333372","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":"Cobalt Nanoparticle-Modified Boron Nitride Nanobelts for Rapid Tetracycline Degradation via PMS Activation","authors":"Pengcheng Dai, Xiangjian Wang, Yongxin Zhao, Hailin Chen, Huijun Zhao, Liwei Cheng, Lianyong Xu, Zeyu Zhang","doi":"10.3390/catal15121117","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/catal15121117","url":null,"abstract":"Tetracycline (TC), a widely used antibiotic, persists in aquatic environments due to its chemical stability, bioaccumulation potential, and role in promoting antimicrobial resistance, posing significant ecological and public health risks. To address the pressing need for effective wastewater treatment technologies, a cobalt nanoparticle-embedded boron nitride nanocomposite (Co/BN) was developed for efficient peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation. Among the synthesized catalysts, Co/BN-1 exhibited outstanding performance, achieving near-complete TC degradation within 5 min under mild conditions, along with excellent stability and reusability over four consecutive cycles, accompanied by minimal cobalt leaching. Mechanistic studies combining radical scavenging assays and LC-MS analysis revealed the involvement of both radical species (SO4− and OH) and non-radical pathways (1O2), highlighting a synergistic effect between Co nanoparticles and the BN matrix. This work demonstrates the feasibility of Co/BN composites as highly efficient, stable, and eco-friendly catalysts for sulfate radical-based advanced oxidation processes (SR-AOPs), providing a promising strategy for the rapid and sustainable removal of antibiotic pollutants from water systems.","PeriodicalId":9794,"journal":{"name":"Catalysts","volume":"15 12","pages":"1117-1117"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4344/15/12/1117/pdf?version=1764555767","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147333089","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}