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The inert sites of Prussian Blue Analogue (PBA) seriously affected its electrocatalytic activity and application, how to activate inert sites in PBA to fulfill effective oxygen evolution reduction (OER) is a major challenge. Herein, Mo substituted Fe sites and S doped in inert PBA were designed and synthesized by hydrothermal method to enhance structural stability and OER activity. PBA-SMo/NF shows the optimum activity with a low overpotential of 252 and 294 mV for harvesting current density 20 and 100 mA cm−2, respectively, and exhibits excellent durability under high current density. Theoretical calculation of H2O adsorption energy and Bader charges reveals that Mo sites in PBA-SMo possess favourable H2O adsorption kinetics. More important, Gibbs free energy diagram and DOS show PBA-SMo have lower energy barriers for OER and better conductivity. This work provides a kind of guidance for the design and optimization of PBA for broad applications.

The indoor low-concentration formaldehyde (HCHO) removal in cobalt-based catalysts is still a “hot potato”. In this work, metal–organic-frameworks (MOF)-derived and Zinc (Zn)-modulated new cobalt nanoparticles catalyst (CZ-Co@NC-800) was designed and prepared. The CZ-Co@NC-800 performed outstanding elimination activities for ~1 ppm HCHO at 25 °C. In the static test condition, it achieves complete HCHO removal in 3 h at a relative humidity (RH) of ~55%. Moreover, 90.18% HCHO removal ratio is held after five recycle tests. In the dynamic test condition, it remains the characteristic to eliminate around 95.89% of HCHO within 8 h under an RH of ~55% and a gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) of ~150,000 mL·h−1g−1. Such advanced results should be ascribed to large specific surface area bringing about more cobalt active sites; and it is also because residual Zn metal affects the electronic structure of CZ-Co@NC-800 and enhance the surface charge transfer rate, thus the activation and dissociation ability of oxygen is promoted. Besides, a short HCHO reaction path over CZ-Co@NC-800 which was clarified by the In situ DRIFTs is also a reason for excellent catalytic performance. This work represents a crucial addition to expand the family of cobalt-based catalysts for indoor HCHO elimination.

The development of high–efficiency and low–cost bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts is critical to enlarge application of zinc–air batteries (ZABs). However, it still remains challenges due to their uncontrollable factor at atomic level during the catalysts preparation, which requires the precise regulation of active sites and structure engineering to accelerate the reaction kinetics for both oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Herein, a novel Co–doped mixed lanthanum oxide and hydroxide heterostructure (termed as Co–LaMOH|OV@NC) was synthesized by pyrolysis of La–MOF–NH2 with spontaneous cobalt doping. Synergistic coupling of its hollow structure, doping effect and abundant oxygen vacancies creates more active sites and leads to higher electroconductivity, which contribute to the better performance. As employed as a bifunctional oxygen electrocatalyst, the resulting 3Co–LaMOH|OV@NC exhibits superior electrocatalytic activity for both ORR and OER. In assembled ZAB, it also demonstrates an excellent power density of 110.5 mW cm−2, high specific capacity of 810 mAh gZn−1, and good stability over 100 h than those of Pt/C + RuO2. Density functional theory (DFT) calculation reveals that the heterointerfaces coupled with oxygen vacancies lead to an enhanced charge state and electronic structure, which may optimize the conductivity, charge transfer, and the reaction process of catalysts. This study provides a new strategy for designing highly efficient bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts based on rare earth oxide and hydroxides heterointerface.

Single atom catalysts (SACs) with unique structure gain much interest in the field of electrocatalysis and show a broad application prospect in long-life rechargeable Zn-air batteries. However, ingenious design and preparation of bi-metal SACs is still difficult to further enhance the bifunctional electrocatalytic activity. Herein, modified zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (SiO2@Fe-ZIF-8/67) was facilely designed to preparation atomically dispersed Fe and Co doping 3D nitrogen-doped carbon nanosheets (A-FeCo@NCNs). The Fe or Co single atoms are identified to be coordinated with N atoms and form FeN4, CoN4 or N3Fe-CoN3 anchored on 3D defect carbon, which act as reactive sites for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Through synergetic coupling effect, A-FeCo@NCNs exhibits excellent electrochemical performance with ORR/OER potential gap of 0.80 V. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations further indicate the synergistic effect between Fe and Co in A-FeCo@NCNs towards the enhancing ORR activity. The as-prepared catalyst assembled Zn-air battery shows a maximum power density, and superb cycling stability, surpassing that based on commercial Pt/C + IrO2. Results from this study may provide a facile method for precious control of dual-metal single sites doped carbon with highly activity and durability for bifunctional electrocatalysis.

It is a great challenge to simultaneously improve the visible light absorption capacity and enhance photon-generated carrier separation efficiency of photocatalysts. Herein, Zn-doped TiO2 nanoparticles with high exposure of the (001) crystal face were prepared via a one-step hydrothermal decomposition method. A detailed analysis reveals that the electronic structures were modulated by Zn doping; thus, the responsive wavelength was extended to 600 nm, which effectively improved the visible light absorption of TiO2. More importantly, the surface heterojunction of TiO2 was created because of the co-existing specific facets of (101) and (001). Therefore, the surface separation efficiency of photogenerated electron and hole pairs was greatly enhanced. So, the optimal TiO2 photocatalyst exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity, in which the Rhodamine B (RhB) degradation efficiency was 98.7% in 60 min, under the irradiation of visible light. This study is expected to provide guidance for the rational design of TiO2 photocatalysts.

This work proposes a strategy to synthesize N-doped defective carbon (NDC), followed by trapping the FePc precursor. After pyrolysis, the optimized Fe–N–NDC-1-900 exhibits robust anchoring ability to immobilize atomic Fe species with abundant Fe–N4 sites, demonstrating excellent electrocatalytic activity in both the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR, E1/2 = 0.89 V, Eonset = 1.06 V) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER, E10 = 1.58 V). It also shows outstanding stability and delivers faster kinetics in oxygen electrocatalysis. Furthermore, the bifunctional Fe–N–NDC-1-900 is fabricated for a Zn–air battery, which demonstrates a high open-circuit voltage of 1.479 V, power density of 266 mW cm−2, specific capacity of 786 mA h gZn−1, and excellent reversibility with long-term cycling. DFT suggests that the high ORR activity is mainly ascribed to its high electronegativity and small energy barriers, produced by the adjacent pore defects and optimal charge redistribution.

The inherent low activity at room temperature has greatly limited the utilization of Co3O4 in indoor air purification. In this work, an extremely facile and mild method utilizing the strong oxidati...

A novel amphoteric membrane was designed by blending polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) with sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) to fabricate a vanadium redox flow battery. Acid–base pairs were formed by sulfonic acid and heterocyclic nitrogen, and the dense network structures were interwoven by the hydrogen bonds between the acid–base pairs. Vanadium ions were blocked by these network structures such that their penetration was weakened. Compared with Nafion115 and SPEEK membranes, the ion selectivity of SPEEK/PVP (S/P) hybrid membranes of various proportions was improved, of which the S/P-30% membrane performed best (106.1*104 S min cm−3). At the same time, these hybrid membranes showed far superior performances than the single-component membranes in a single-cell system. Most notably, the coulombic efficiency and energy efficiency achieved by the battery with a S/P-30% hybrid membrane were 97.5% and 84.5% at 60 mA cm−2, respectively, with notable stability after 50 cycles. The corresponding open-circuit voltage of the battery was maintained above 0.8 V for more than 73 h. This acid–base hybrid membrane has reached a high level of overall performance in binary non-fluorine proton exchange membranes in recent years.

The Co3O4@CdS double-layered hollow spheres were first prepared by the template-removal method with the assistance of the ZIF-67 material; the structure has been proved by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The Co3O4@CdS hollow spheres calcinated at 400 °C exhibited the highest photodegradation activity. Nearly 90% phenol was degraded after 2 h of visible-light irradiation. More than 80% rhodamine-B (RhB) was degraded within the first 30 min and nearly eliminated after 1 h of irradiation. The mechanism of the photodegradation reaction was investigated. Based on the analysis of electron spin resonance (ESR) spectra and radical trapping test, it was found that superoxide radicals are the major oxidative species for dye degradation and holes and hydroxyl radicals are the major oxidative species for phenol degradation. These results may be used in industrial wastewater treatment. The reaction obeys first-order reaction kinetics, and the rate constant of the Co3O4@CdS hollow sphere in dye degradation is 0.05 min–1 and that in phenol degradation is 0.02 min–1, which is three times higher than that of CdS nanoparticles. These results indicated the high oxidizing ability of the samples.

Defect modulation usually has a great influence on the electronic structures and activities of photocatalysts. Here, atomically layered g-C3N4 modified via defect engineering with nitrogen vacancy ...

To obtain the electrocatalyst with an improved electrocatalytic performance towards formic acid electro-oxidation (FAEO), a simple impregnation method is used to prepare Pt3Ni nanoparticles loaded on carbon black, assisted with electrochemically dealloying process. The X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) results as well as transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis of as-synthesized electrocatalyst demonstrates that the reduction temperature has a great influence on the FAEO activity of the dealloyed Pt3Ni nanoparticles. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses confirm the variation in the electronic structure of platinum by incorporation of nickel atoms which reduces chemisorption of toxic carbon monoxide and promotes the dehydrogenation pathway of FAEO. The size of the dealloyed Pt3Ni nanoparticles remains within the range of about 2.7 nm. All electrochemical results illustrate that the performance of the as-obtained electrocatalyst towards the FAEO is significantly enhanced. Moreover, the carbon black content, incorporation of Ni atoms, and reduction temperature conditions have been proven to be the key factors for modification of the crystal structure and morphology which leads to enhanced catalytic performance.

Background The objectives of this study were to assess the maintenance of effect of duloxetine 60 mg once-daily (QD) in Chinese patients with chronic pain due to osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee or hip and to provide additional long-term safety data. Methods This was an open-label, extension phase of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Eligible patients were outpatients who met the American College of Rheumatology clinical and radiographic criteria for OA with a rating ≥4 on Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) 24-h average pain. After completing the 13-week placebo-controlled phase, patients originally assigned to placebo were titrated to duloxetine 60 mg QD (PLA_DLX), whereas patients originally assigned to duloxetine 60 mg QD remained on the same dose of duloxetine (DLX_DLX) for another 13 weeks. The maintenance effect of duloxetine 60 mg QD during the extension phase was evaluated by a 1-sided 97.5% confidence interval (CI) of the baseline-to-endpoint change in the extension phase for patients who took duloxetine and reported ≥30% reduction in BPI average pain at the end of placebo-controlled phase (placebo-controlled phase duloxetine responders). Other BPI severity and interference items, as well as safety and tolerability, were assessed. Results Of 342 patients entering the extension phase, 162 (97.6%) DLX_DLX-treated patients and 157 (89.2%) PLA_DLX-treated patients completed this phase. Most patients (76.0%) were female. Mean age was 60.6 years. Mean BPI average pain was 5.5 at baseline of the placebo-controlled phase. Among 113 placebo-controlled phase duloxetine responders, mean change in BPI average pain during the extension phase was − 0.59 (from 2.47 to 1.88); the upper bound of the 1-sided 97.5% CI was − 0.31 and less than the pre-specified non-inferiority margin of a 1.5-point increase (p

Developing efficient and cost-effective oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts for fuel cells is quite necessary but still full of challenges. In this study, tungsten nitride nanosheets (WN NSs) decorated with nitrogen-containing carbon dots hybrid materials are developed using a facile two-step route. Specifically, a sandwich-like porous electrode, which contains a N-doped carbon layer encapsulated with uniform carbon dots (N-CDs) and a sheet-like WN for both-side formation of N-CDs, is obtained and designed as a novel type of ORR catalysts (denoted as N-CDs@WN). The N-CDs@WN hybrid shows superior catalytic activity via a four-electron pathway and demonstrates excellent stability over long periods of time and resistance to methanol. The excellent electrocatalytic properties of N-CDs@WN hybrids benefited from a hierarchical structure with large specific area, numerous active sites, and synergistic effect between CDs and WN that can facilitate the conductivity and mass transfer during the ORR process. Compared to other carbon dots-based nanocomposites, our facile synthetic route for N-CDs@WN not only presents the advantages of being relatively green, simple, and cost-effective but also is an attractive alternative for the electrocatalyst in the non-precious ORR.

Titanium nitride hollow spheres (TiN HSs) consisting of TiN nanosheets have been developed with a carbon-template-assisted strategy. The residual carbon is activated during the removal of the carbo...

IntroductionResveratrol, a polyphenol extracted from many plant species, has emerged as a promising pro-apoptotic agent in various cancer cells. However, the role of resveratrol in cell proliferation and apoptosis of fibroblast-like synoviocytes in rheumatoid arthritis (RA-FLS) is not fully understood. The study was aimed at elucidating the role of resveratrol in cell proliferation and apoptosis of RA-FLS and the underlying molecular mechanism.Material and methodsCultured RA-FLSs were subjected to tumour necrosis factor  (TNF-). The cell proliferation was measured by Cell Counting Kit-8 assay. Cell apoptosis and cell cycle of RA-FLSs were determined by flow cytometry. The levels of apoptosis or autophagy or cell cycle-related protein were detected by immunoblot analysis.ResultsIn our study, we confirmed that resveratrol reversed TNF- mediated cell proliferation in RA-FLS. Meanwhile, resveratrol blocked cells at the G2/M stage and reduced the ratio of S phase cells through upregulation of p53 and consequently led to apoptotic cell death. Quite interestingly, we found that resveratrol reversed TNF--induced autophagy. Inhibition of autophagy by resveratrol or autophagy inhibitor or Beclin-1 siRNA suppressed TNF- mediated cell survival and promoted cell apoptosis. However, the autophagy inducer rapamycin (RAPA) reversed the effect of resveratrol on autophagy and cell proliferation. Mechanistic studies revealed that resveratrol inhibited the activation of the phosphoinositide 3-kinases/serine-threonine kinase (PI3K/AKT) pathway. Inhibition of PI3K/AKT pathway by inhibitor LY294002 or resveratrol increased the expression of p53 and decreased the expression of cycle protein (cyclin B1), which further led to block cells in the G2/M arrest.ConclusionsOur preliminary study indicated that resveratrol may suppress RA-FLS cell survival and promote apoptosis at least partly through regulation of autophagy and the AKT-p53 axis.

This work proposes an extraction process for thorough removal of various impurities in crude bismuth. In the process, crude bismuth was pickled with nitric acid, and then the bismuth in the filtrate was extracted into the organic phase by TBP. After scrubbing with a saturated NaNO3 solution, stripping was carried out by NaOH solution, and a rod-shaped α-Bi2O3 precipitate was obtained. Increasing the concentration of NO3− and TBP and the ratio of Vo/Va could greatly increase the extraction efficiency of bismuth or the separation factor of impurities. Bismuth is extracted in the form of Bi(NO3)3·TBP, and the results of quantum chemical calculations indicated that both intermolecular forces and chemical bonds exist between the Bi(NO3)3 and TBP molecules. Thermodynamic analysis based on the Debye-Huckel equation under large ionic strength conditions showed that the extraction reaction is exothermic and proceeds spontaneously. Under the optimized extraction conditions, the extraction efficiency, elution efficiency, and stripping efficiency of bismuth were 98.5%, 0.55%, and 96.2%, respectively. All of the impurity elements were thoroughly removed after extraction. In particular, the separation factor βBi/M of M = Te, As, Cu, and Sb, which are prone to codeposition with bismuth during electrodeposition, were 160, 183, 982, and 359, respectively. The purity of α-Bi2O3 obtained by this method was as high as 99.95%

A facile synthetic strategy was developed for in-situ preparation of two-dimensional (2D) highly crystalline tungsten nitride (WN) nanosheets with controllable morphology as oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts. The dependence of the crystal structure and morphology of WN on K2SO4 content, pH, and pyrolysis temperature was thoroughly examined. The electrocatalytic performance of WN toward ORR in an alkaline electrolyte indicated that K+ plays an important role in the control of size and shape in the hydrothermal and nitridation process, thereby promoting the formation of plate-like WO3 and 2D WN nanosheets. The WN nanosheets, with largely exposed edge sites, provide abundant catalytic active sites and allow fast charge transfer. Furthermore, they exhibit high stability for ORR and methanol tolerance.

Aiming to further promote the performance of PdNi for formic acid electro-oxidation (FAEO), ternary Pd-Ni-Ir/C nanocatalyst was synthesized via an ethylene glycol-assisted NaBH4 reduction process. The physical characterizations show that the PdNiIr nanoparticles with a small mean size are well dispersed on carbon support. The electrochemical measurements demonstrate that the PdNiIr/C catalyst exhibits the highest activity for FAEO. The onset and peak potential of FAEO on PdNiIr/C is about 70 mV more negative than that on the Pd/C and PdNi/C catalysts. The mass activity of Pd in PdNiIr/C at 0.14 V is 2830 mA mg−1Pd, which is about 1.65, 1.82, and 2.2 times as high as that of PdIr/C, PdNi/C, and Pd/C, respectively. The enhancement should be attributed to the electronic effect and bi-functional mechanism.

A novel fluorinated acid-base sulfonated polyimide membrane (s-f-SPI) with trifluoromethyl (-CF3), side-chain-type-SO3H and benzimidazole groups was synthesized by a 2-step method for vanadium redox flow battery applications. A series of physico-chemical properties of s-f-SPI membrane were researched systematacially. The acid-base pairs between the side-chain-type -SO3H and protonated imidazole groups provided more channels for proton-transport, enhancing the proton conductivity (0.51×10−1 S cm−1 at ∼25 °C), and Donnan effect of the imidazole groups impeded the penetration of vanadium-ion (3.95×10−7 cm2 min−1). In VRFB tests, s-f-SPI membrane exhibited a coulombic efficiency (CE) of 98.1% and an energy efficiency (EE) of 81.2% at a current density of 100 mA cm−2, higher than those of Nafion 212 (CE: 94.1%, EE: 76.5%). Furthermore, the VRFB with s-f-SPI membrane showed a stable performance in the 500 cycles charging-discharging test at 100 mA cm−2, and the morphology and structure remained unchanged after the cycle test. These results demonstrate that the s-f-SPI membrane has great potential for VRFB applications.

Engineering the elemental composition and structure of manganese-based cathode materials offer an effective strategy for the development of aqueous zinc ion batteries (AZIBs) with greatly enhanced specific capacity and good stability. In this work, a manganese monoxide (MnO) composite with MnO as the core and some organic intermediate with the active functional group as the outer layer was derived from Mn metal–organic framework (Mn-MOF). Benefiting from the unique structure, active functional groups, and the synergetic effect of core–shell, the obtained MnO-C display superior electrochemical performance, demonstrating specific capacity (727.7 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1) in the (CF3O3S)2Zn aqueous electrolyte and good rate performance (413.8 mAh g−1 at 1.0 A g−1), which is higher than that of MnO2 (331.7 mAh g−1) and commercial MnO (234.5 mAh g−1). Furthermore, the Zn-storage mechanism in MnO-C is systematically studied and discussed via multiple analytical methods. This work provides an idea for the development of electrochemical activation strategies for advanced cathodes of high-performance zinc ion batteries.

Pt-based catalysts are widely used in polymer electrolyte fuel cells. However, it still exists tremendous challenge on improving the activity and durability of electrocatalysts. Herein, Pt nanoparticles (NPs) are supported on the dispersed MoO3-modified carbon nanotubes (CNTs) via an atomic layer deposition (ALD) technology. In the resulting Pt-MoO3/CNT-ALD, Pt NPs are selectively anchored on the interface of MoO3 and CNTs to increase the Pt-O bonds and strengthen the metal-metal oxide interaction (MMOI). The regulated electronic structure of Pt can remarkably enhance the intrinsic catalytic activity. For methanol oxidation reaction, Pt-MoO3/CNT-ALD exhibits high activity with a mass activity of 1221.1 mA·mgPt−1 at 0.9 V which represents a 4.2-fold improvement over the corresponding activities of commercial Pt/C. And for oxygen reduction reaction, it shows the onset potential and half potential of 1.04 V and 0.87 V, respectively. Most importantly, Pt-MoO3/CNT-ALD exhibits excellent long-term stability without distinct degradation (98.9% retention of electrochemical surface area and 92.4% retention of mass activity) after 10,000 cycles. In single cell test, the maximum power density and durability of the Pt-MoO3/CNT-ALD is achieved to be 589 mW·cm−2 and 94.8% retention after 3000 cycles. The Pt-MoO3/CNT-ALD with high activity and durability is attributed to the increased Pt-O bonds, optimized electronic structure and strengthened MMOI. A strategy in this work is approved to facilitate the development of high-performance Pt-based electrocatalysts.

The primary task to improve the performance of vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) is to develop the membranes with high proton conductivity. Herein, a string of sulfonated polyimide (SPI) blend with poly [bis (4,4′-diaminobenzidine-2,2′-disulfonic acid) phosphazene] (PDAP) membranes were designed and prepared. The introduction of PDAP containing amphoteric functional groups not only provides more proton transport groups (–SO3H), but also reach the purpose to prevent the migration of vanadium ions, which is caused by the Donnan repulsion to vanadium ions from N-protonation. Therefore, the prepared membrane exhibits high proton conductivity (up to 1.33 × 10−1 S cm−1 at room temperature) and low vanadium permeability (1.37 × 10−8 cm2 s−1). The performance of VRFB with SPI/0.5% PDAP membrane exhibits a voltage efficiency (VE) of 87.02% and an energy efficiency (EE) of 84.04% at 100 mA cm−2, which were better than that of Nafion 212 (VE: 82.04%, EE: 76.99%). In addition, the VRFB with SPI/0.5% PDAP membrane can be cycled continuously and perfectly for 500 times at 100 mA cm−2 with stable efficiencies. After cycling, the membrane was intact without any defects, and the FTIR spectra and morphology of the membrane did not change significantly. These results prove that the SPI/0.5% PDAP membrane is an ideal membrane in VRFB applications.

Intermetallic nanoparticles are one of promising electrocatalysts in fuel cells for controllable component and structure. Herein we discussed the optimal annealing temperature for synthesis of platinum-tellurium catalysts with combination of dealloying process. Compared with previous work about PtTe intermetallic nanoparticles, as-prepared dealloyed nanoparticles showed superior performance by tuning formic acid oxidation to occur through dehydrogenation pathway after electrochemical dealloying process. The dealloyed platinum-tellurium nanoparticles annealed at 700 °C possessed best acidic tolerance with only 19% decline of mass activities after 1000 cycles potential cycling in 0.5 M H2SO4. The meliorative durability was ascribed with well-structured Pt-Te nanoparticles and Pt-increase skin generated from dealloying process.

In order to obtain the catalyst with Pt isolated-atom surface and high performance towards formic acid electro-oxidation (FAEO), cyclic potential dealloying method was employed for preparing dealloyed PtCu/C (D-PtCu/C) catalysts, and the effect of dealloying parameters on the activity of D-PtCu/C catalysts also were investigated. XRD results show that both of PtCu and D-PtCu catalysts are face-centered cubic (fcc) structure. TEM, XPS and ICP results demonstrate the dissolution of Cu atoms and the formation of core-shell structure. And HRTEM results further exhibit the etched surface of D-PtCu/C catalyst which should be made up of isolated atom and atomic clusters of Pt. By electro-chemical analysis, the performance towards FAEO is extremely enhanced. The onset potential of FAEO on D-PtCu/C is at − 0.1 V (vs. SCE) and only one peak is confirmed at 0.5 V which negatively shifts about 0.19 V compared with the peak of commercial Pt/C (at 0.69 V). The mass activity of optimized D-PtCu/C reaches up to 1253.89 mA mg− 1 Pt at 0.5 V, which is 6.20 times as high as that of Pt/C (202.40 mA mg− 1 Pt). And the specific activity (2.36 mA cm− 2) is 8.43 times of Pt/C (0.28 mA cm− 2). The increased activity should be ascribed to the electronic effect and ensemble effect, which reduce the chemisorption of CO and promote the dehydrogenation process.

Aiming to improve the activity of Pt-based catalysts for formic acid electro-oxidation, dealloyed PtxTey/C catalysts were prepared via electrochemical leaching process. The dealloyed-Pt3Te/C catalyst presented superior activity and stability for formic acid electro-oxidation. The mass activities of dealloyed-Pt3Te/C at 0.25 V and 0.4 V vs. SCE were about 10.6 and 16.5 times as high as that of commercial Pt/C, respectively. It is found that the FAEO on D-Pt3Te/C is mainly through dehydrogenation pathway. The weak CO adsorption, increased electrochemical specific area and ensemble effect are suggested as reasons for the remarkable enhancement.

Summary Objective We assessed the efficacy and safety of duloxetine (60 mg, once daily), compared with placebo, during a 13-week treatment period in Chinese patients with chronic pain due to osteoarthritis (OA). Design Patients were at least 40 years old (male or female) who met American College of Rheumatology clinical and radiographic criteria for the diagnosis of OA of the knee or hip. The primary efficacy measure in this phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was assessment of pain severity by the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) 24-h Average Pain rating. The clinical trial was conducted at 17 study centers. Statistical approaches included mixed-effects model repeated measures and analysis of covariance. A Fisher exact test was applied to categorical variables. Results Of 407 patients randomized (duloxetine: N = 205; placebo: N = 202), 166 (81.0%) patients from the duloxetine group and 176 (87.1%) patients from the placebo group completed the 13-week treatment phase. The majority (76.4%) of patients was female; mean age was 60.5 years. Duloxetine-treated patients reported significant pain reduction, compared with placebo treatment, on the BPI 24-h Average Pain rating (least-squares mean (LS Mean) change from baseline to endpoint [95% confidence interval (CI)], duloxetine: −2.23; placebo: −1.73; difference = −0.50 [−0.80, −0.20]; P = 0.001). The incidence of discontinuations due to adverse events was 9.0% in duloxetine-treated patients and 4.5% in placebo-treated patients ( P = 0.109). Conclusions This study demonstrated the efficacy of duloxetine in Chinese patients with chronic pain due to OA. The safety profile of duloxetine observed in this study was consistent with that in previous duloxetine trials. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01931475).

Apple-derived porous carbon (denoted as APC) is successfully prepared and analyzed as a potential carbon material by hydrothermal carbonization and pyrolysis, which exhibits a high specific surface area and porous structure. Furthermore, nickel–cobalt double hydroxide (Ni–Co DH) is synthesized by design of hybrid nanowires on APC for supercapacitors via a simple hydrothermal process. The fabricated electrode produces a capacitance of 1519 F g−1 at 1 A g−1, and 90.2% of the capacitance is retained after 2000 cycles at a high current density. An asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) is assembled using the Ni–Co DH@APC as the positive electrode and active carbon as the negative electrode. The ASC exhibits a prominent energy density of 61.2 Wh kg−1 and high power density of 14,400 W kg−1 at 5 A g−1. The desirable electrochemical performance can be attributed to the suitability of APC as a support and the Ni–Co nanostructure constructed on the surface of APC as an effective active material for high-energy and long-life cycling supercapacitor applications. The fabricated composite provides a potential design of low-cost functional carbon materials that can be produced in large scale by using biomass as starting materials.

A novel three-dimensional (3D) electrocatalyst composite was successfully prepared through a facile hydrothermal method, consisting of tungsten nitride nanosheets with flower-like morphology (WN FNs) and nitrogen-doped carbon black (N–C). Highly crystalline WN FNs were observed to be uniformly distributed in N–C, and remarkably promoted the catalytic activities toward oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) of the N–C. Moreover, the electrochemical results proved that, WN FNs/N–C composite shows a significantly higher ORR activity with a 4-electron transfer pathway and limiting current density of 5.8 mA cm−2 in alkaline solutions. The stability test of the nanocomposite showed less degradation after 5 h and its methanol tolerance also was enhanced compared with Pt/C. The improved performance of the WN FNs/N–C composite can be attributed to its unique configuration and the increased exposure of active sites, which suggests that it could serve as an ideal candidate for developing high performance ORR catalysts.

Background There is heterogeneity in the clinical manifestations and responses to drugs in RA patients due to variety of factors such as genes and environment. Despite advances in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), approximately 40% of RA patients still do not achieve primary clinical outcomes in randomized trials, and its low remission rate and high economic consumption remain unresolved, especially in developing countries. Iguratimod (IGU) is a new disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD) with a low price that has demonstrated good efficacy and safety in clinical trials and was approved for active RA in China and Japan. As the most populous country in the Western Pacific region, it is warranted to conduct a study with a large scale of patients in a real-life setting. Our study confirms the new option for RA patients, which is potentially benificial for public health in developing countries. Methods This was a nationwide, prospective real-world study of IGU. Eligible subjects were active adult RA patients who aged 18 to 85 with or without multiple comorbidities such as hypertension and diabetes with DMARDs at a stable dosage for at least 12 weeks, or without ongoing DMARDs. A two-stage design was used for this study. In the first stage (the first 12 weeks), IGU 25 mg bid was added as monotherapy or to the background therapy, and in the second stage (the latter 12 weeks), adjustment of RA medicines other than IGU was allowed according to the participants’ disease activity. The primary endpoints were American College of Rheumatology 20% response (ACR20) 24 weeks and adverse events during 24 weeks. The secondary endpoints were ACR50 and ACR70 over 24 weeks, the changes of DAS28 and Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) at week 12 and week 24 from baseline. The trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01554917. Findings Between March 2012 and January 2015, 1759 participants were enrolled, of whom 81•5% (1433/1759) completed the study. Notably, 1597 patients in the full analysis set were assessed for the effectiveness and 1751 patients were in the safety analysis set; 71•9% (1148/1597) of the patients achieved the primary endpoint of ACR20 response at week 24, and 51•7% (906/1751) patients had at least 1 adverse event (AE). The incidence of the clinical significant AE (grade≥3) of special interest was 3•4% (54 patients for grade 3 and 6 patients for grade 4), and 0•7% (13/1751) of patients developed SAEs associated with IGU. The most common clinical significant AEs were infection in 0•6% (10/1751) of the patients, abdominal discomfort in 0•5% (9/1751) of the patients including 0•2% (3/1751) gastric ulcer, fracture in 0•4% (7/1751), and increased alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in 0•2% (3/1751) of the patients. The secondary endpoint of ACR50 and ACR70 response rates at week 24 were 47•4% (757/1597) and 24•0% (384/1597). DAS28 was 4•11±1•27 and 3•75±1•32 at week 12 and 24, which was significantly decreased -1•40±1•10 and -1•75±1•26 compared with baseline (P

In order to obtain the advanced photocatalyst with high performance for removing the gaseous formaldehyde, a new strategy with amination of titanium dioxide (TiO2) and combination with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) is proposed in this work. TiO2 was first aminated into amino-TiO2 and then combined with rGO by an electrostatic self-assembly process to form the amino-TiO2/rGO photocatalysts. The structure and morphology were characterized by XRD, FTIR, and SEM, respectively. Physicochemical properties were measured by EIS, XPS, ESR, PL, and photocurrent measurements. The mechanism of the photocatalytic reaction was studied. Optimal amino-TiO2/rGO catalyst exhibits high catalytic activity and recyclability. The reaction rate constant of HCHO over this catalyst is approximately 9.8 × 10−3 L mol−1 ·min−1, which is 10.5 times higher than that of the commercial Degussa P25 TiO2. The analysis results from XPS and ESR indicates that the high catalytic activity could be mainly attributed to the imine formed by chemisorption of amino and HCHO. The reaction speed of formaldehyde photolysis increases as the concentration of HCHO on the photocatalyst surface increased. In addition, the introduction of graphene enhances carrier separation efficiency so that leads to more reactive radicals such as hydroxyl radicals (·OH) and superoxide radicals (·O2−), leading to improved performance on formaldehyde photolysis. This could provide a useful method for highly efficient formaldehyde photocatalysis.

The weaker interlayer Van der Waals force of polymeric carbon nitride (PCN) increases the potential barrier of electron transfer between layers, which greatly inhibits the carrier separation efficiency of PCN. Herein, we designed and prepared Van der Waals homojunction of PCN (VHPCN), which the interlayer Van der Waals force forces were instead by Coulomb force. DFT calculated reveals that the equilibrium distance and the interface adhesion energy of VHPCN were significantly decreased and enhanced, respectively, under the function of Coulomb force. The equilibrium distance decreased from 3.27 A to 2.49 A and the interface adhesion energy enhanced from −0.35 eV to −1.78 eV. This structure not only the transfer distance of electrons at the interface is effectively decreased, but also the transfer barrier of electrons at the interface is reduced. Thus, the electrons/holes pairs in the VHPCN photocatalyst present the phenomenon of oriented interlayer transfer and ultrahigh carrier separation efficiency under the synergistic effect between the built-in electric field and the interlayer Coulomb force of the Van der Waals homojunction. The optimal VHPCN exhibited the photocatalytic H2 evolution rate and apparent quantum yield (AQY), which are 7.9 mmol·g−1·h−1 and 32.4% (>420 nm), respectively. This work put forward a promising strategy to construct novel Van der Waals homojunction within 2D materials for the desirable photogeneration carrier spatially distribution controlling, which could be generalized to other 2D materials for photocatalytic applications in the advanced energy and environmental field.

To improve SPI stability, poly[bis(4-methylphenoxy) phosphazene] (PMPP) was designed and synthesized using polyphosphazene's unique and strong flexibility. A novel sulfonated polyimide (SPI) composite membrane embedded with flexible PMPP chains was prepared for all vanadium redox flow battery applications. SPI/PMPP composite membrane characterizations, such as proton conductivity, vanadium ion permeability, stability, and single cell performance, were thoroughly investigated. PMPP's unique properties not only allow the membrane to exhibit excellent anti-hydrolysis and anti-oxidation stability, but also maintain high proton conductivity and low vanadium ion permeability (as low as 4.81 × 10−7 cm2 min−1). It can also form a rigidity-flexibility network with SPI to improve membrane mechanical properties. It can be deduced that introducing PMPP has achieved many things in one stroke. Results show that the hydrolysis and oxidation stabilities of SPI/PMPP membrane were significantly improved. The SPI/2% PMPP membrane exhibits higher columbic efficiency (CE: 97.52%), voltage efficiency (VE: 84.88%), and energy efficiency (EE: 82.21%) than that of the N212 membrane (CE: 94.97%, VE: 82.04%, EE: 76.99%) at a high current density of 100 mA cm−2. In addition, the charging capacity loss of a battery with a SPI/2% PMPP membrane has also significantly decreased by about 206.70 mAh after 110 cycles at 100 mA cm−2 with the same electrolyte volume compared to a pristine SPI. Meanwhile, the high temperature resistance of SPI/PMPP membrane also shows the possibility of being applied with fuel cells.

This work presents a type of hybrid catalyst prepared through an environmental and simple method, combining a pyrolysis of transition metal precursors, a nitrogen-containing material, and a tungsten source to achieve a one-pot synthesis of N-doping carbon, tungsten carbides, and iron/cobalt carbides (Fe/Co/WC@NC). The obtained Fe/Co/WC@NC consists of uniform Fe3C and Co3C nanoparticles encapsulated in graphitized carbon with surface nitrogen doping, closely wrapped around a plate-like tungsten carbide (WC) that functions as an efficient oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalyst. The introduction of WC is found to promote the ORR activity of Fe/Co-based carbide electrocatalysts, which is attributed to the synergistic catalysts of WC, Fe3C, and Co3C. Results suggest that the composite exhibits comparable electrocatalytic activity, higher durability, and ability for methanol tolerance compared with commercial Pt/C for ORR in alkaline electrolyte. These advantages make Fe/Co/WC@NC a promising ORR electrocatalyst and a cost-effective alternative to Pt/C for practical application as fuel cell.

A novel sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK)/TiO2 double-deck membrane which consists of a layer of SPEEK and a layer of TiO2 was prepared and investigated for vanadium redox flow battery (VRB) application for the first time. The physicochemical properties of the SPEEK/TiO2 membrane, including the water uptake, swelling ratio, ion exchange capacity, proton conductivity, VO2 + permeability and ion selectivity are evaluated in detail, compared to the pristine SPEEK membrane and Nafion 117 membrane. The scanning electron microscopy images reveal its double-deck structure and the structural stability with no delamination, and thermogravimetric analysis (TG) identifies its thermal stability. Among all membranes, the SPEEK/TiO2 double-deck membrane possesses lowest vanadium ion permeability (6.66 × 10− 7 cm2 min− 1) and highest ion selectivity (9.46 × 104 S min cm− 3). The VRB single cell with SPEEK/TiO2 double-deck membrane shows higher coulombic efficiency (97.0% vs 93.3%) and energy efficiency (85.8% vs 83.7%) compared to that with Nafion 117 membrane at 60 mA cm− 2. Furthermore, the SPEEK/TiO2 double-deck membrane exhibits highly stable cell performance after 60 times of cycling tests at 60 mA cm− 2 and lower capacity decay rate than that of Nafion 117 membrane. Therefore, the SPEEK/TiO2 double-deck membrane exhibits good potential usage in VRB systems.

Sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone)/poly(vinylidene fluoride)/graphene (S/P/G) composite membrane was prepared through a solution-casting method for a vanadium redox flow battery (VRB), and the weight ratio of high sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), and graphene was optimized. The preferred S/P/G-7 composite membrane showed the lowest VO2+ permeability and highest ion selectivity compared with other four kinds of cation exchange membranes SPEEK75, heterogeneous PSSA-PE, Nafion 117, and recast Nafion (r-Nafion). The VRB with S/P/G-7 membrane exhibited the higher coulombic efficiency of ∼8% and energy efficiency of ∼4%, but lower capacity loss and self-discharge than that of VRB with Nafion117 membrane during cycling tests, which further indicated the promising prospects of S/P/G-7 composite membrane in VRB application.

A blend membrane consisting of sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone), poly(vinylidene fluoride), and tungstophosphoric acid (denoted as SPEEK/PVDF/TPA membrane) has been fabricated and firstly used as ion exchange membrane for vanadium (V) redox flow battery (VRB) application. This composite membrane is characterized by physical and electrochemical methods. The results show that the SPEEK/PVDF/TPA membrane possesses significantly high ion selectivity and low permeability of V(IV) compared with the Nafion 117 membrane. Also VRB single cells with SPEEK/PVDF/TPA membrane show significantly lower capacity loss, higher coulombic efficiency (CE > 93%) and higher energy efficiency (EE > 80%) than that with Nafion 117 membrane. In the self-discharge test, the cells with the SPEEK/PVDF/TPA membrane show better durability. With all the good properties and low cost, the SPEEK/PVDF/TPA membrane shows promising prospects for application in VRB.

Several organic amines with –NH2 functional groups and inorganic ammoniums with –NH4+ functional groups have been comparatively investigated as stabilizers of the V(V) electrolyte for vanadium redox flow battery (VRB) to improve its stability and electrochemical performance. Thermal stability tests showed that chitosan (CTS) and nonionic-type polyacrylamide (NPAM) additives with –NH2; ammonium thiocyanate (ATC), ferrous ammonium sulfate (FAS) and ammonium ferric sulfate (AFS) additives with –NH4+ could significantly improve the thermal stability of the V(V) electrolyte over a wide temperature range of − 5 °C to 45 °C. The electrochemical behavior of the V(V) electrolyte with these preferred additives was further studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV), steady state polarization, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and charge–discharge test. The results indicated that the electrochemical activity and reversibility for the V(V) electrolyte with the best additive CTS with –NH4+ was significantly improved compared with the additives with –NH2 and pristine one. In addition, the VRB employing the positive electrolyte with CTS exhibited excellent cycling stability and charge–discharge behavior with a high energy efficiency of 82.5%. The N-containing and O-containing functional groups of CTS in the V(V) electrolyte could modify the electrode and further improve the electrochemical performance and cycling stability of VRB.

Pt and metal oxide hybrid catalysts based on strong metal support interactions have been proved to be an effective way to improve oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) performance of Pt. In this work, Pt/CeO2/CNT-A triple junction interface catalyst was obtained by atomic layer deposition. Compared with Pt/CeO2/CNT-W (wet chemical method) and Pt/C, Pt/CeO2/CNT-A shows the highest catalytic activity and stability for ORR. As expected, the enhanced ORR performance can be attributed to unique triple junction interface structure which Pt has contact with CNT and ultra-small CeO2. Therefore, ALD method could be a promising strategy to construct effective triple junction interface.

Anode slime and its processing residue contains a variety of valuable elements, which are the main source of tellurium and bismuth. A systematic study on the extraction of tellurium and bismuth from processing residue of zinc anode slime and electrodeposition to obtain high purity bismuth was carried out. Sulfation roasting thermodynamics, leaching thermodynamics, and reduction potential involved in the extraction were calculated and used as theoretical guidance for the experiment. In the process of extracting tellurium and bismuth: the minimum amount of sulfuric acid and the appropriate low temperature of sulfation roasting conditions for processing residue of zinc anode slime are explained that the ratio of sulfuric acid to anode slime was 0.54:1, and the temperature was 435 °C. The leaching process of the roasting product was optimized. The optimal water leaching conditions were a liquid to solid ratio of 6:1 and a reaction time of 0.5 h at 25 °C. The optimal alkali leaching condition is 10% NaOH liquid to solid ratio of 6:1 and reaction time of 0.5 h at 25 °C. Tellurium and bismuth were separated, and tellurium was enriched from a low content of anode slime raw materials. The recovery rate of tellurium and bismuth were 84.9% and 97.1%, respectively. The reduced deposition process of bismuth ions on the cathode was characterized by cyclic voltammetry in the nitric acid. In the stable deposition state, electrodeposition overpotential of the bismuth ion on the titanium plate was 0.1068 V. Tributyl phosphate (TBP) was used as extraction solvent and nitric acid solution was used as stripping solution to purify the impurities in the basic bismuth sulfate. After extraction process, the removal rates of tellurium (Te), arsenic (As), copper (Cu), and antimony (Sb) were 96.5%, 93.3%, 99.1% and 100%, respectively. The content of other impurity elements also reduced greatly. The electrical separation process further reduced the content of impurities in the electrolyte, in which the concentration of tellurium was reduced to less than 1 ppm. A standard-compliant high purity elemental bismuth was obtained by electrodeposition from purified electrolyte.

A novel sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone)/triphenylamine hybrid membrane with various triphenylamine loadings (1%, 2% and 5%) has been successfully fabricated. Optimum triphenylamine loading was confirmed by exploring the physicochemical properties and morphology of different membranes. The hybrid membrane exhibited lower vanadium permeability than pristine SPEEK membranes due to the acid–base interaction between amine groups and sulfonated groups. Introduction of triphenylamine also improved the proton conductivity because the nitrogen atom of triphenylamine can be protonated and contribute to the proton transfer. As the result, the hybrid membrane demonstrated higher ion selectivity compared with SPEEK and Nafion115 membranes. The VRFB single cell with SPEEK/TPAM-1% membrane showed better performance compared to a Nafion115 membrane at the current density of 60 mA cm−2. The SPEEK/TPAM hybrid membrane has great potential for VRFB application.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the principal cause of the greenhouse effect which is due to the excessive consumption of fossil fuels. Several methods have been proposed for reducing CO2 emissions in the atmosphere but none has been completely successful. Recently, a novel technique called the CO2-mineralization cell (CMC) technique, based on CO2 mineralization and utilization (CMU), was proposed by our group. This converts chemical energy from the CO2 mineralization reaction into electricity while also producing highly valuable chemical products. However, some confusion and doubts still exist about its theoretical feasibility. Herein, a thermodynamics study and analysis of the CMC were conducted and the feasibility of generating electricity by CO2-mineralization reaction confirmed theoretically. The corresponding theoretical electromotive force and the maximum electric energy production per 1t carbon dioxide completely consumed under standard conditions were also calculated, and their influential factors fully discussed.

In order to obtain a loaded Pt-based catalyst with enhanced high activity and stability towards formic acid electro-oxidation (FAO), PtTe nanoparticles loaded on graphene oxide (GO) were fabricated by a facile and scalable method. XRD and HRTEM results show that the morphology of PtTe particles could be affected by the additive amount of GO and Te. It is observed that the supported PtTe particles are cubic. The XPS results show the change in the Pt electronic structure after the incorporation of Te, which impedes the chemisorption of the CO intermediate and promotes the dehydrogenation pathway of FAO. By electrochemical analysis, the performance towards FAO is greatly enhanced. The mass activity of PtTe/GO-67 is [Formula: see text] at 0.45 V (versus SCE), which is 11.5 times as high as that of Pt/C [Formula: see text] The incorporation of Te atoms and the content of GO are two major parameters for tuning the crystal structure and morphology and enhancing catalytic activity.

Several acid compounds have been employed as additives of the V(V) electrolyte for vanadium redox flow battery (VRB) to improve its stability and electrochemical activity. Stability of the V(V) electrolyte with and without additives was investigated with ex-situ heating/cooling treatment at a wide temperature range of −5 °C to 60 °C. It was observed that methanesulfonic acid, boric acid, hydrochloric acid, trifluoroacetic acid, polyacrylic acid, oxalic acid, methacrylic acid and phosphotungstic acid could improve the stability of the V(V) electrolyte at a certain range of temperature. Their electrochemical behaviors in the V(V) electrolyte were further studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV), steady state polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The results showed that the electrochemical activity, including the reversibility of electrode reaction, the diffusivity of V(V) species, the polarization resistance and the flexibility of charge transfer for the V(V) electrolyte with these additives were all improved compared with the pristine solution.

Iron selenide (FeSe) is a promising anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), with high specific capacity, high tap-density and good electrical conductivity. However, the rapid decay of specific capacity seriously impedes its practical application, which results from the large volume change during charge-discharge cycles damaging electrode structure. Here, the yolk-shell FeSe@C nanobox is successfully synthesized via a novel method of selenization to the core after carbonization to the shell with chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The space between the core and the shell helps to release the volume expansion during lithiation/delithiation processes, and FeSe is kept inside the carbon microboxes without breaking the shell. Therefore, the yolk-shell FeSe@C displays outstanding electrochemical performance as the anode of lithium-ion batteries, which remained a specific capacity of 871.6 mAh g−1 after 250 cycles at a current density of 1 A g−1 and at a large current density, 10 A g−1, the specific capacity can still reach 430.4 mA h g−1. This novel yolk-shell structure and the synthesis strategy could be employed in other anode materials for high-performance lithium-ion batteries and other electrochemical devices.

A core–shell like Ir/C@Pd catalyst with ultrahigh activity toward formic acid electro-oxidation (FAEO) was prepared by decorating Pd shell on the Ir NPs for the first time. The structure has been demonstrated by XRD, XPS, TEM, EDS and electrochemical techniques. The mass-normalized current density at 0.08 V (vs. SCE) of Ir/C@Pd for FAEO is 3756 mA mg−1Pd, which is about 3.38 and 4.16 times higher than that of the PdIr/C and commercial Pd/C, respectively. The remarkable performance of Ir/C@Pd should be attributed to its unique core–shell like structure and the enhanced electronic coupling between the Ir and Pd, which was confirmed by XPS results. Keywords: Direct formic acid fuel cell, Electro-oxidation, Palladium, Iridium, Core–shell structure

It was reported for the first time that the surface treated multi-walled carbon nanotubes supported PdIr (PdIr/CNT-SCP) catalyst presents remarkable electrocatalytic activity and stability for formic acid electro-oxidation (FAEO). The surface of CNTs was functionalized by a sonochemical process for the deposition of PdIr nanoparticles (NPs). The XRD and TEM characterizations show that the prepared PdIr/CNT-SCP catalyst has small mean size and good dispersion of PdIr NPs on CNTs. The electrochemical measurements show that the onset and anodic peak potentials of FAEO on PdIr/CNT-SCP catalyst are 60 and 50 mV more negative than that on the commercial Pd/C catalyst. The mass-normalized peak current density of PdIr/CNT-SCP is 3365 mA mg−1Pd, which is 4.5, 1.4 and 2.7 times higher than that of PdIr/CNT-Untreated, PdIr/C-SCP and commercial Pd/C, respectively. It demonstrates the promotion of Ir and functionalized CNTs to Pd for FAEO.