An invited paper on “Direct Conversion of Methane to Value-Added Chemicals over Heterogeneous Catalysts: Challenges and Prospects” (DOI: 10.1021/ acs. Chemrev.6b00715) was just published by Chemical Reviews, coauthored by Dr. Pierre Schwach, Prof. Xiulian Pan and Prof. Xinhe Bao from Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics.
　　The increasing demands on high value-added chemicals such as olefins and aromatics and the recently discovered large reserves and resources of methane, such as shale gas, coal bed methane and methane hydrate have prompted worldwide research interest on methane conversion. However, the methane molecule is the most stable organic molecule and its selective activation and directed conversion is long considered as the "Holy Grail" in the field of chemistry. Therefore, this paper reviews the latest development on various direct conversion technologies to olefins and aromatics, including oxidative coupling of methane, methane dehydroaromatization and the newly emerging technology methane-to-olefins-aromatics-and-hydrogen (MTOAH). The MTOAH technology was developed by DICP (Science, 2014, 344, 616-619), which represents an atom-economical transformation process and has been enabled by the iron single sites embedded within the lattice of silica. Since the challenge of methane conversion lies in controlled dehydrogenation of the highly stable CH4 and selective C?C coupling, the paper focuses mainly on the fundamentals of C?H activation and analyze the pathways toward selective activation of methane. This review intends to provide some insights into their reaction mechanisms and implications for future development of highly selective catalysts for direct conversion of methane to high value-added chemicals.
　　These works are supported by Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Natural Science Foundation of China, National Basic Research Program of China. (Text/ Xiumei Jiang, Image/ Pierre Schwach)
　　

　　An invited paper on “Direct Conversion of Methane to Value-Added Chemicals over Heterogeneous Catalysts: Challenges and Prospects” (DOI: 10.1021/ acs. Chemrev.6b00715) was just published by Chemical Reviews, coauthored by Dr. Pierre Schwach, Prof. Xiulian Pan and Prof. Xinhe Bao from Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics.
　　The increasing demands on high value-added chemicals such as olefins and aromatics and the recently discovered large reserves and resources of methane, such as shale gas, coal bed methane and methane hydrate have prompted worldwide research interest on methane conversion. However, the methane molecule is the most stable organic molecule and its selective activation and directed conversion is long considered as the "Holy Grail" in the field of chemistry. Therefore, this paper reviews the latest development on various direct conversion technologies to olefins and aromatics, including oxidative coupling of methane, methane dehydroaromatization and the newly emerging technology methane-to-olefins-aromatics-and-hydrogen (MTOAH). The MTOAH technology was developed by DICP (Science, 2014, 344, 616-619), which represents an atom-economical transformation process and has been enabled by the iron single sites embedded within the lattice of silica. Since the challenge of methane conversion lies in controlled dehydrogenation of the highly stable CH4 and selective C?C coupling, the paper focuses mainly on the fundamentals of C?H activation and analyze the pathways toward selective activation of methane. This review intends to provide some insights into their reaction mechanisms and implications for future development of highly selective catalysts for direct conversion of methane to high value-added chemicals.
　　These works are supported by Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Natural Science Foundation of China, National Basic Research Program of China. (Text/ Xiumei Jiang, Image/ Pierre Schwach)
　　

　　The 2017 Chengdu Global Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fair (CGIEF) for artificial intelligence, black technology and other world's cutting edge products and innovative technology, is open in Chengdu Century Metro International Convention and Exhibition Center on May 10, 2017. Entrepreneurial teams,guests and visitors from 47 countries and region, including four Nobel Prize winners, 14 academicians and 58 heads of world-renowned universities attend and visit the exhibition during three day. The portable chemicals on-site detection mass spectrometer and non-radioactive ion source ion mobility spectrometer (IMS) set up by the Laboratory for Rapid Separation and Detection of DICP, CAS, are exhibited in this CGIEF.
　　With the socio-economic development, more and more illegal drugs (such as: stimulants, drugs, fake and shoddy drugs, etc.) appear in people's lives, the use of these illicit drugs not only endanger personal health, but also threaten the community stability and economic development. Portable ion trap mass spectrometer based on miniaturization of mass spectrometry technology to promote the on-site qualitative and quantitative analysis of illegal drugs, providing a powerful weapon for illegal drugs on-site inspection and evidence. The instrument uses a variety of innovative technologies (such as thermal desorption sample introduction technology, reagent-assisted VUV soft ionization technology, non-continuous atmospheric pressure interface technology and tandem mass spectrometry technology), to ensure the accuracy of detection while achieving the instrument portable Integrated (volume of 35 * 32 * 30 cm3, weight of 16.2 kg). At present, the instrument has passed the "China New Era Certification Center" GB/T1900-2008/ISO9001:2008 quality management certification, and the Portable ion trap mass spectrometer was used for on-site demonstration applications in De Hong County, Mu Kang checkpoint, Yu Xi City Public Security Bureau, Qing Long Chang checkpoint and other places of Yunnan Province, the it also was selected to participate "the second military and civilian integration exhibition" held in Beijing in 2016.
　　 
　　The non-radioactive ion source ion mobility spectrometry technology for 0n-site rapid detection of explosives, drugs and drug analysis, is closely tracking the security requirements for various dangerous substances detection. The portable single-tube dual-mode and dual-tube dual-mode ion mobility spectrometry can detect, analysis, identification of explosives, illegal drugs and medical drugs, including the common black powder explosives and the international new type of peroxide explosives, with high sensitivity and specificity. Based on patents and our own intellectual properties, a variety of products have successfully passed the certification of China Certification Center for Security and Protection. The IMS products have been used in Tianjin, Xi'an, Lanzhou, Beijing, Nanjing and other places, contributing to maintain social security and stability, and participate in the handling of emergencies.
　　On the first day of the exhibition, the portable ion trap mass spectrometer and the portable explosives drug detector were introduecd to Li Yin, the deputy secretary of provincial committee and governor of Sichuan province and other leaders. They watched the demonstration of the instrument, and fully affirmed the contribution made by the on-site rapid detection equipment in the field of national social security. During the three-day fair, a number of domestic enterprises consulted with the delegates of group 102 on the on-site detection of illegal drugs, soil explosives and new peroxide explosives, exchange and learning, and reached some preliminary cooperation intentions for the relevant technology transfer. (By LI Jinghua and WANG Shuang) 

　　The 2017 Chengdu Global Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fair (CGIEF) for artificial intelligence, black technology and other world's cutting edge products and innovative technology, is open in Chengdu Century Metro International Convention and Exhibition Center on May 10, 2017. Entrepreneurial teams,guests and visitors from 47 countries and region, including four Nobel Prize winners, 14 academicians and 58 heads of world-renowned universities attend and visit the exhibition during three day. The portable chemicals on-site detection mass spectrometer and non-radioactive ion source ion mobility spectrometer (IMS) set up by the Laboratory for Rapid Separation and Detection of DICP, CAS, are exhibited in this CGIEF.
　　With the socio-economic development, more and more illegal drugs (such as: stimulants, drugs, fake and shoddy drugs, etc.) appear in people's lives, the use of these illicit drugs not only endanger personal health, but also threaten the community stability and economic development. Portable ion trap mass spectrometer based on miniaturization of mass spectrometry technology to promote the on-site qualitative and quantitative analysis of illegal drugs, providing a powerful weapon for illegal drugs on-site inspection and evidence. The instrument uses a variety of innovative technologies (such as thermal desorption sample introduction technology, reagent-assisted VUV soft ionization technology, non-continuous atmospheric pressure interface technology and tandem mass spectrometry technology), to ensure the accuracy of detection while achieving the instrument portable Integrated (volume of 35 * 32 * 30 cm3, weight of 16.2 kg). At present, the instrument has passed the "China New Era Certification Center" GB/T1900-2008/ISO9001:2008 quality management certification, and the Portable ion trap mass spectrometer was used for on-site demonstration applications in De Hong County, Mu Kang checkpoint, Yu Xi City Public Security Bureau, Qing Long Chang checkpoint and other places of Yunnan Province, the it also was selected to participate "the second military and civilian integration exhibition" held in Beijing in 2016.
　　 
　　The non-radioactive ion source ion mobility spectrometry technology for 0n-site rapid detection of explosives, drugs and drug analysis, is closely tracking the security requirements for various dangerous substances detection. The portable single-tube dual-mode and dual-tube dual-mode ion mobility spectrometry can detect, analysis, identification of explosives, illegal drugs and medical drugs, including the common black powder explosives and the international new type of peroxide explosives, with high sensitivity and specificity. Based on patents and our own intellectual properties, a variety of products have successfully passed the certification of China Certification Center for Security and Protection. The IMS products have been used in Tianjin, Xi'an, Lanzhou, Beijing, Nanjing and other places, contributing to maintain social security and stability, and participate in the handling of emergencies.
　　On the first day of the exhibition, the portable ion trap mass spectrometer and the portable explosives drug detector were introduecd to Li Yin, the deputy secretary of provincial committee and governor of Sichuan province and other leaders. They watched the demonstration of the instrument, and fully affirmed the contribution made by the on-site rapid detection equipment in the field of national social security. During the three-day fair, a number of domestic enterprises consulted with the delegates of group 102 on the on-site detection of illegal drugs, soil explosives and new peroxide explosives, exchange and learning, and reached some preliminary cooperation intentions for the relevant technology transfer. (By LI Jinghua and WANG Shuang) 

　　The electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) is powered by renewable electricity or surplus nuclear electricity. It can be used to prepare carbon monoxide, formic acid, hydrocarbon, alcohol, other high value fuel and chemicals in one step under relatively mild reaction conditions. The process can simultaneously achieve efficient CO2 conversion and clean energy storage. At present, designing efficient catalysts to decrease the overpotential and enhance reaction selectivity is the challenging research focus for CO2RR.
　　Prof. BAO Xinhe's research team in the State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, has recently made research progress in metal-oxide interface enhanced CO2 electroreduction.
　　Based on the previous CO2RR studies and the understanding of the metal-oxide interfacial confinement catalysis, they design and prepare carbon supported Au-CeOx catalyst with metal-oxide interface structure. They also investigate the relationship between the Au-CeOx interface and catalytic performance of CO2RR. The CO Faradaic Efficiency reaches 89.1% over Au-CeOx/C at -0.89 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE). The result is significantly higher than 59.0% and 9.8% over Au/C and CeOx/C at the same potential. The CO geometric current density over Au-CeOx/C (12.9 mA cm-2) is about 1.6 times of that over Au/C (8.3 mA cm-2) at -0.89 V vs. RHE. In situ scanning tunnelling microscopy and synchrotron-radiation photoemission spectroscopy show that the Au-CeOx interface is dominant in enhancing CO2 adsorption and activation. It can be further promoted by the presence of hydroxyl groups. Density functional theory calculations indicate that the Au-CeOx interface is the active site for CO2 activation and the reduction to CO. The synergy between Au and CeOx promotes the stability of key carboxyl intermediate (*COOH), thus facilitates CO2RR. Similar interface-enhanced CO2RR is further observed on Ag-CeOx, demonstrating the generality of the strategy for enhancing CO2RR. The research results may provide a new way to regulate the CO2RR performance, and enrich and expand the concept of nano-confined catalysis proposed by the research team.
　　Enhancing CO2 Electroreduction with the Metal-Oxide Interface(Image by GAO Dunfeng, ZHANG Yi and ZHOU Zhiwen)
　　The results are published in Journal of the American Chemical Society (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017, 139, 5652). This work was financially supported by Natural Science Foundation of China, National Key R&D Program of China and Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. (Text and Image by GAO Dunfeng, ZHANG Yi and ZHOU Zhiwen)
　　Dr. LU Xinyi
　　Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences,
　　457 Zhongshan Road, Dalian, 116023, China,
　　Tel: 86-411-84379201
　　E-mail: luxinyi@dicp.ac.cn 

　　The electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) is powered by renewable electricity or surplus nuclear electricity. It can be used to prepare carbon monoxide, formic acid, hydrocarbon, alcohol, other high value fuel and chemicals in one step under relatively mild reaction conditions. The process can simultaneously achieve efficient CO2 conversion and clean energy storage. At present, designing efficient catalysts to decrease the overpotential and enhance reaction selectivity is the challenging research focus for CO2RR.
　　Prof. BAO Xinhe's research team in the State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, has recently made research progress in metal-oxide interface enhanced CO2 electroreduction.
　　Based on the previous CO2RR studies and the understanding of the metal-oxide interfacial confinement catalysis, they design and prepare carbon supported Au-CeOx catalyst with metal-oxide interface structure. They also investigate the relationship between the Au-CeOx interface and catalytic performance of CO2RR. The CO Faradaic Efficiency reaches 89.1% over Au-CeOx/C at -0.89 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE). The result is significantly higher than 59.0% and 9.8% over Au/C and CeOx/C at the same potential. The CO geometric current density over Au-CeOx/C (12.9 mA cm-2) is about 1.6 times of that over Au/C (8.3 mA cm-2) at -0.89 V vs. RHE. In situ scanning tunnelling microscopy and synchrotron-radiation photoemission spectroscopy show that the Au-CeOx interface is dominant in enhancing CO2 adsorption and activation. It can be further promoted by the presence of hydroxyl groups. Density functional theory calculations indicate that the Au-CeOx interface is the active site for CO2 activation and the reduction to CO. The synergy between Au and CeOx promotes the stability of key carboxyl intermediate (*COOH), thus facilitates CO2RR. Similar interface-enhanced CO2RR is further observed on Ag-CeOx, demonstrating the generality of the strategy for enhancing CO2RR. The research results may provide a new way to regulate the CO2RR performance, and enrich and expand the concept of nano-confined catalysis proposed by the research team.
　　Enhancing CO2 Electroreduction with the Metal-Oxide Interface(Image by GAO Dunfeng, ZHANG Yi and ZHOU Zhiwen)
　　The results are published in Journal of the American Chemical Society (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017, 139, 5652). This work was financially supported by Natural Science Foundation of China, National Key R&D Program of China and Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. (Text and Image by GAO Dunfeng, ZHANG Yi and ZHOU Zhiwen)
　　Dr. LU Xinyi
　　Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences,
　　457 Zhongshan Road, Dalian, 116023, China,
　　Tel: 86-411-84379201
　　E-mail: luxinyi@dicp.ac.cn