Recently, a research group led by Prof. XU Jie from Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences reported a green modified manganese oxide surface with carboxylates. It could tune the selectivity of ammoxidation toward the desired products. Their results were published in Nature Communications.
　　Achieving the selectivity-tunable aerobic ammoxidation of hydroxyaldehyde by an organic carboxylic acid-modified MnOx catalyst. (Image by JIA Xiuquan)
　　Nitriles are key compounds for the synthesis of materials like polyamides, which are widely used in chemical industry. They are traditionally produced from fossil resources.
　　Biomass as a renewable resource provides the next generation feedstocks for the synthesis of biomass-based nitriles. However, precisely controlling the reaction selectivity remains a challenge.
　　Researchers focused on the design and the preparation of organic modified catalysts and their applications in oxidation reactions. In this work, researchers showed that the green modification of the manganese oxide surface with carboxylates could be used to tune the ammoxidation selectivity toward the desired products.
　　For example, the ammoxidation conversion of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural over manganese oxide catalyst usually afforded the derivatives of 2,5-dicyanofuan. A green modified manganese oxide catalyst surface with carboxylates improved the ammoxidation selectivity for hydroxynitrile to 92%.
　　The self-assembled modification of metal oxides can potentially serve as a complement to recent efforts aimed at controlling the selectivity of oxidation and ammoxidation reactions. (Text by JIA Xiuquan)

　　Recently, a research group led by Prof. XU Jie from Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences reported a green modified manganese oxide surface with carboxylates. It could tune the selectivity of ammoxidation toward the desired products. Their results were published in Nature Communications.
　　Achieving the selectivity-tunable aerobic ammoxidation of hydroxyaldehyde by an organic carboxylic acid-modified MnOx catalyst. (Image by JIA Xiuquan)
　　Nitriles are key compounds for the synthesis of materials like polyamides, which are widely used in chemical industry. They are traditionally produced from fossil resources.
　　Biomass as a renewable resource provides the next generation feedstocks for the synthesis of biomass-based nitriles. However, precisely controlling the reaction selectivity remains a challenge.
　　Researchers focused on the design and the preparation of organic modified catalysts and their applications in oxidation reactions. In this work, researchers showed that the green modification of the manganese oxide surface with carboxylates could be used to tune the ammoxidation selectivity toward the desired products.
　　For example, the ammoxidation conversion of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural over manganese oxide catalyst usually afforded the derivatives of 2,5-dicyanofuan. A green modified manganese oxide catalyst surface with carboxylates improved the ammoxidation selectivity for hydroxynitrile to 92%.
　　The self-assembled modification of metal oxides can potentially serve as a complement to recent efforts aimed at controlling the selectivity of oxidation and ammoxidation reactions. (Text by JIA Xiuquan)

　　Recently, Dr. SUN Jian and Dr. YU Jiafeng from Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences developed a new technology to freeze lattice oxygen atoms into metastable state in order to enhance their activity in redox cycle. The CO oxidation reaction rate was accelerated by 10 times compared to the conventional catalysts. Their results were published in Chemical Science.
　　Oxygen release in redox cycle is enhanced due to the formation of disordered lattice oxygen in the quenching process. (Image by YU Jiafeng)
　　The redox cycle, including lattice oxygen release and oxygen exchange with vacancies, is an important process in catalytic oxidation reactions.
　　Generally, the rate-determining step of this process is lattice oxygen release. Therefore, the enhancement of lattice oxygen activity to accelerate redox cycle is one of the efficient methods to improve catalytic oxidation reactions.
　　Researchers disturbed the lattice oxygen atoms of Ce-Zr solid solution via quenching the as-prepared oxides from high temperature in the flame spray pyrolysis method, weakening the metal-oxygen interactions.
　　The metastable lattice oxygen atoms could stay stable in fresh catalysts, as well as release in relatively mild conditions, such as reduction at room temperature, vacancy treatment and metal deposition.
　　The results showed that the produced oxygen vacancies on FSP made oxides are 19 times more than that made by coprecipitation.
　　This strategy can be applied in the design and the fabrication of improved oxygen storage materials. And this new concept is expected to be widely employed in many oxygen activation reactions in heterogenous catalysis. (Text by YU Jiafeng)

　　Recently, Dr. SUN Jian and Dr. YU Jiafeng from Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences developed a new technology to freeze lattice oxygen atoms into metastable state in order to enhance their activity in redox cycle. The CO oxidation reaction rate was accelerated by 10 times compared to the conventional catalysts. Their results were published in Chemical Science.
　　Oxygen release in redox cycle is enhanced due to the formation of disordered lattice oxygen in the quenching process. (Image by YU Jiafeng)
　　The redox cycle, including lattice oxygen release and oxygen exchange with vacancies, is an important process in catalytic oxidation reactions.
　　Generally, the rate-determining step of this process is lattice oxygen release. Therefore, the enhancement of lattice oxygen activity to accelerate redox cycle is one of the efficient methods to improve catalytic oxidation reactions.
　　Researchers disturbed the lattice oxygen atoms of Ce-Zr solid solution via quenching the as-prepared oxides from high temperature in the flame spray pyrolysis method, weakening the metal-oxygen interactions.
　　The metastable lattice oxygen atoms could stay stable in fresh catalysts, as well as release in relatively mild conditions, such as reduction at room temperature, vacancy treatment and metal deposition.
　　The results showed that the produced oxygen vacancies on FSP made oxides are 19 times more than that made by coprecipitation.
　　This strategy can be applied in the design and the fabrication of improved oxygen storage materials. And this new concept is expected to be widely employed in many oxygen activation reactions in heterogenous catalysis. (Text by YU Jiafeng)

　　A research term led by Prof. LI Can in Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences constructed a highly efficient artificial photosynthesis system by mimicking natural photosynthesis. This biomimetic strategy opens up new ways for the rational design and the assembly of highly efficient artificial photosynthesis systems for solar to fuel conversion. This work was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society and was invited as the cover paper.
　　Mimicking the Key Functions of Photosystem II in Artificial Photosynthesis for Photoelectrocatalytic Water Splitting. (Image by YE Sheng)
　　Researchers assembled a photoelectrocatalytic system by mimicking the functions of photosystem II (PSII). In this system, BiVO4 semiconductor was used as a light-harvester protected with a layered double hydroxide (NiFeLDH) as a hole storage layer (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., Energy Environ. Sci.). A partially oxidized graphene (pGO) was considered as biomimetic tyrosine for charge transfer, and molecular Co cubane was considered as oxygen evolution complex.
　　The integrated system exhibited an unprecedentedly low onset potential (0.17 V) and a high photocurrent (4.45 mA cm-2), with a 2.0% solar to hydrogen efficiency. Spectroscopic studies revealed that this PEC system exhibits superiority in charge separation and transfer, benefiting from mimicking the key functions of PSII.
　　In their previous work, researchers reported a hybrid system composed of semiconductors and molecular catalysts for photocatalysis (J. Catal., J. Am. Chem. Soc.). This work further paved the way for photoelectrocatalytic water splitting.
　　The above work was financially supported by 973 National Basic Research Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials (iChEM). (Text by YE Sheng)

　　A research term led by Prof. LI Can in Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences constructed a highly efficient artificial photosynthesis system by mimicking natural photosynthesis. This biomimetic strategy opens up new ways for the rational design and the assembly of highly efficient artificial photosynthesis systems for solar to fuel conversion. This work was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society and was invited as the cover paper.
　　Mimicking the Key Functions of Photosystem II in Artificial Photosynthesis for Photoelectrocatalytic Water Splitting. (Image by YE Sheng)
　　Researchers assembled a photoelectrocatalytic system by mimicking the functions of photosystem II (PSII). In this system, BiVO4 semiconductor was used as a light-harvester protected with a layered double hydroxide (NiFeLDH) as a hole storage layer (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., Energy Environ. Sci.). A partially oxidized graphene (pGO) was considered as biomimetic tyrosine for charge transfer, and molecular Co cubane was considered as oxygen evolution complex.
　　The integrated system exhibited an unprecedentedly low onset potential (0.17 V) and a high photocurrent (4.45 mA cm-2), with a 2.0% solar to hydrogen efficiency. Spectroscopic studies revealed that this PEC system exhibits superiority in charge separation and transfer, benefiting from mimicking the key functions of PSII.
　　In their previous work, researchers reported a hybrid system composed of semiconductors and molecular catalysts for photocatalysis (J. Catal., J. Am. Chem. Soc.). This work further paved the way for photoelectrocatalytic water splitting.
　　The above work was financially supported by 973 National Basic Research Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials (iChEM). (Text by YE Sheng)