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The solid-state behaviour of five ionophore-encapsulated TCNQ complexes: (18-crown-6)K(TCNQ)2.5 (1), ([2.2.2]-cryptand)K(TCNQ)2.5 (2), (benzo-18-crown-6)K(TCNQ)2 (3), (dibenzo-18-crown-6)K(TCNQ)2 (4), and (dicyclohexano-18-crown-6)K(TCNQ)3 (5) has been explored. For both 1 and 2, the TCNQ components assemble as a pentameric repeat unit within infinite TCNQ columns with the cation complex sitting in a cavity between the columns; whereas for 3 and 4, neighbouring (crown ether)K+ complexes form dimers involving K+–π interactions which further assemble into one-dimensional columns sitting between infinite TCNQ stacks. In the solid-state complex 5, the crown ether adopts a chair conformation with the resulting (crown ether)K+ complex assembling into a one-dimensional ladder. Pairs of TCNQ dimers separated by an isolated TCNQ unit form infinite TCNQ columns. IR and Raman spectroscopy reveal the presence of partially charged TCNQ units within all five TCNQ complexes (1–5) and resistivity studies indicate that all five TCNQ complexes (1–5) are more conductive than the corresponding simple KTCNQ salts. Preliminary EPR studies of 1 and 2 indicate typical behaviour of complex TCNQ salts (containing both TCNQ0 and TCNQ˙−).

In situ X-ray absorption and emission spectroscopies (XAS and XES) are used to provide details regarding the role of the accessibility and extent of redox activity of the Mn ions in determining the oxygen reduction activity of LaMnO3 and CaMnO3, with X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) providing the average oxidation state, extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) providing the local coordination environment, and XES providing the population ratios of the Mn2+, Mn3+, and Mn4+ sites as a function of the applied potential. For LaMnO3, XANES and XES show that Mn3+ is formed, but Mn4+ ions are retained, which leads to the 4e- reduction between 0.85 and 0.6 V. At more negative potentials, down to 0.2 V, EXAFS confirms an increase in oxygen vacancies as evidenced by changes in the Mn-O coordination distance and number, while XES shows that the Mn3+ to Mn4+ ratio increases. For CaMnO3, XANES and XES show the formation of both Mn3+ and Mn2+ as the potential is made more negative, with little retention of Mn4+ at 0.2 V. The EXAFS for CaMnO3 also indicates the formation of oxygen vacancies, but in contrast to LaMnO3, this is accompanied by loss of the perovskite structure leading to structural collapse. The results presented have implications in terms of understanding of both the pseudocapacitive response of Mn oxide electrocatalysts and the processes behind degradation of the activity of the materials.

Oxygen electrocatalysis at transition metal oxides is one of the key challenges underpinning electrochemical energy conversion systems, involving a delicate interplay of the bulk electronic structure and surface coordination of the active sites. In this work, we investigate for the first time the structure-activity relationship of A2RuMnO7 (A = Dy3+, Ho3+, and Er3+) nanoparticles, demonstrating how orbital mixing of Ru, Mn, and O promotes high density of states at the appropriate energy range for oxygen electrocatalysis. The bulk structure and surface composition of these multicomponent pyrochlores are investigated by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES), and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS). The materials exhibit high phase purity (cubic fcc with a space group Fd3¯ m) in which variations in M-O bonds length are less than 1% upon replacing the A-site lanthanide. XES and XPS show that the mean oxidation state at the Mn-site as well as the nanoparticle surface composition was slightly affected by the lanthanide. The pyrochlore nanoparticles are significantly more active than the binary RuO2 and MnO2 toward the 4-electron oxygen reduction reaction in alkaline solutions. Interestingly, normalization of kinetic parameters by the number density of electroactive sites concludes that Dy2RuMnO7 shows twice higher activity than benchmark materials such as LaMnO3. Analysis of the electrochemical profiles supported by density functional theory calculations reveals that the origin of the enhanced catalytic activity is linked to the mixing of Ru and Mn d-orbitals and O p-orbitals at the conduction band which strongly overlap with the formal redox energy of O2 in solution. The activity enhancement strongly manifests in the case of Dy2RuMnO7 where the Ru/Mn ratio is closer to 1 in comparison with the Ho3+ and Er3+ analogs. These electronic effects are discussed in the context of the Gerischer formalism for electron transfer at the semiconductor/electrolyte junctions.

Understanding the surface structure of bimetallic nanoparticles is crucial for heterogeneous catalysis. Although surface contraction has been established in monometallic systems, less is known for bimetallic systems, especially of nanoparticles. In this work, the bond length contraction on the surface of bimetallic nanoparticles is revealed by XAS in H2at room temperature on dealloyed Pt-Sn nanoparticles, where most Sn atoms were oxidized and segregated to the surface when measured in air. The average Sn-Pt bond length is found to be ∼0.09 Å shorter than observed in the bulk. To ascertain the effect of the Sn location on the decrease of the average bond length, Pt-Sn samples with lower surface-to-bulk Sn ratios than the dealloyed Pt-Sn were studied. The structural information specifically from the surface was extracted from the averaged XAS results using an improved fitting model combining the data measured in H2and in air. Two samples prepared so as to ensure the absence of Sn in the bulk were also studied in the same fashion. The bond length of surface Sn-Pt and the corresponding coordination number obtained in this study show a nearly linear correlation, the origin of which is discussed and attributed to the poor overlap between the Sn 5p orbitals and the available orbitals of the Pt surface atoms.

An investigation of the solid-state behaviour of five 12-crown-4 alkali metal TCNQ complexes, (12-crown-4)2LiTCNQ (1), (12-crown-4)2NaTCNQ (2), (12-crown-4)2Li(TCNQ)2 (3), (12-crown-4)2Na(TCNQ)2 (4), and (12-crown-4)2K(TCNQ)2 (5), reveals an unusual “cross-stitch” packing motif with the extended face-to-face π-stacked TCNQ˙− columns present in complexes 1 and 2. The effect of the presence of additional neutral TCNQ0 has also been explored.

This glossary provides a formal vocabulary of terms for concepts in surface analysis and gives clear definitions to those who utilize surface chemical analysis or need to interpret surface chemical analysis results but are not themselves surface chemists or surface spectroscopists.

The electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide (CO

The electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) to useful chemical fuels is a promising route toward the achievement of carbon neutral and carbon negative energy technologies. Copper (Cu)- and Cu oxide-derived surfaces are known to electrochemically convert CO2 to high-value and energy-dense products. However, the nature and stability of oxidized Cu species under reaction conditions are the subject of much debate in the literature. Herein, we present the synthesis and characterization of copper-titanate nanocatalysts, with discrete Cu–O coordination environments, for the electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR). We employ real-time in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) to monitor Cu species under neutral-pH CO2RR conditions. Combination of voltammetry and on-line electrochemical mass spectrometry with XAS results demonstrates that the titanate motif promotes the retention of oxidized Cu species under reducing conditions for extended periods, without itself possessing any CO2RR activity. Additionally, we demonstrate that the specific nature of the Cu–O environment and the size of the catalyst dictate the long-term stability of the oxidized Cu species and, subsequently, the product selectivity.

Iridium oxide powders with a surface area of more than 1 m2 g-1 (4 m2 g-2 from the H-UPD charge) and iridium-oxide crystallites less than 10 nm across were synthesized by heat treating gels formed from citric acid, ethylene glycol and dihydrogen hexachloroiridate(iv) in air. The characteristics of the resulting material was found to be strongly dependent on the heat-treatment step in the synthesis. A single heat-treatment of the gel resulted in a material with a substantial fraction of elemental iridium metal, i.e. iridium in oxidation state zero (Ir0). Post-synthesis modification of the powder by potential cycling resulted in oxidation peaks consistent with the conversion of the metal phase to iridium oxide. Linear combination of the near-edge part of the X-ray absorption data (X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy, XANES) collected in situ during potential cycling and an analysis of the extended X-ray fine-structure (EXAFS) part of the spectrum showed that the overall metal fraction was not significantly affected by the cycling. The oxidation of the metal phase is therefore limited to a thin layer of oxide at the metal surface, and a significant part of the iridium is left inactive. A modification of the heat treatment procedure of the sample resulted in iridium oxide containing only insignificant amounts of elemental iridium metal.

Pyrochlore iridates (Na,Ca)2-xIr2O6·H2O are acid-stable electrocatalysts that are candidates for use in electrolysers and fuel cells. Ir LIII-edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy in 1 M H2SO4 at oxygen evolution conditions suggests the involvement of the electrons from the conduction band of the metallic particles, rather than just surface iridium reacting.

The design of a hemofiltration method that minimizes the side effects produced by the accumulation of Pt-based drugs such as cisplatin represents an important technology for cancer treatment. This work establishes the foundation for the development of an efficient platform for the electrochemical hemofiltration and simultaneous sensing of antitumor drugs, such as cisplatin and carboplatin, from physiological medium. The electrochemical filtration system is based on a gold surface-modified electrode using tris(carboxyethyl)phosphine ligands as scavengers of the Pt-based drug complexes. The platinum–phosphine interaction is shown to be more time efficient, as compared to the naturally occurring form of a glutathione–platinum adduct, and displayed a highly cooperative nature of binding. Altogether, we demonstrate that the presence of ligands capable of binding to Pt results in a differential spectroscopic and electrochemical response and the potential to adsorb and monitor the concentration of Pt salts in complex aqueous media.

Understanding the surface structure of bimetallic nanoparticles is crucial for heterogeneous catalysis. Although surface contraction has been established in monometallic systems, less is known for bimetallic systems, especially of nanoparticles. In this work, the bond length contraction on the surface of bimetallic nanoparticles is revealed by XAS in H2 at room temperature on dealloyed Pt-Sn nanoparticles, where most Sn atoms were oxidized and segregated to the surface when measured in air. The average Sn-Pt bond length is found to be ∼0.09 Å shorter than observed in the bulk. To ascertain the effect of the Sn location on the decrease of the average bond length, Pt-Sn samples with lower surface-to-bulk Sn ratios than the dealloyed Pt-Sn were studied. The structural information specifically from the surface was extracted from the averaged XAS results using an improved fitting model combining the data measured in H2 and in air. Two samples prepared so as to ensure the absence of Sn in the bulk were also studied in the same fashion. The bond length of surface Sn-Pt and the corresponding coordination number obtained in this study show a nearly linear correlation, the origin of which is discussed and attributed to the poor overlap between the Sn 5p orbitals and the available orbitals of the Pt surface atoms.

Low cost, high-efficient catalysts for water splitting can be potentially fulfilled by developing earth abundant metal oxides. In this work, surface galvanic formation of Co-OH on K0.45MnO2 (KMO) was achieved via the redox reaction of hydrated Co2+ with crystalline Mn4+. The synthesis method takes place at ambient temperature without using any surfactant agent or organic solvent, providing a clean, green route for the design of highly efficient catalysts. The redox reaction resulted in the formation of ultrathin Co-OH nanoflakes with high electrochemical surface area. X-ray adsorption spectroscopy (XAS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis confirmed the changes in the oxidation state of the bulk and surface species on the Co-OH nanoflakes supported on the KMO. The effect of the anions, chloride, nitrate and sulfate, on the preparation of the catalyst was evaluated by electrochemical and spectrochemical means. XPS and Time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) analysis demonstrated that the layer of CoOxHy deposited on the KMO and its electronic structure strongly depends on the anion of the precursor used during the synthesis of the catalyst. In particular, it was found that Cl favors the formation of Co-OH, changing the rate determining step of the reaction, which enhances the catalytic activity towards the OER, producing the most active OER catalyst in alkaline media.

Pt-Sn bimetallic catalysts, especially Pt-Sn alloys, are considered highly CO-tolerant and are thus candidates for reformate derived hydrogen oxidation and for direct oxidation of fuel cell molecules. However, it remains unclear if this CO-tolerance originates from Sn in the Pt-Sn alloy or whether SnO2, present as a separate phase, also contributes. In this work, a carbon-supported Pt-SnO2 was carefully synthesized to avoid the formation of Pt-Sn alloy phases. The resulting structure was analysed by scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and detailed X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). CO oxidation voltammograms of the Pt-SnO2/C and other SnO2-modified Pt surfaces unambiguously suggest that a bifunctional mechanism is indeed operative at such Pt-SnO2 catalysts for stable CO oxidation at low overpotentials. The results from these studies suggest that the bifunctional mechanism can be attributed to the co-catalysis role of SnO2, in which the surface hydroxide of SnO2 (Sn-OH) reacts with CO adsorbed on Pt surface (Pt-COads) and regenerates via a SnII/SnIV reversible redox couple (−0.2–0.3 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode).

A polymer electrolyte fuel cell has been designed to allow operando x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) measurements of catalysts. The cell has been developed to operate under standard fuel cell conditions, with elevated temperatures and humidification of the gas-phase reactants, both of which greatly impact the catalyst utilisation. X-ray windows in the endplates of the cell facilitate collection of XAS spectra during fuel cell operation while maintaining good compression in the area of measurement. Results of polarisation curves and cyclic voltammograms showed that the operando cell performs well as a fuel cell, while also providing XAS data of suitable quality for robust XANES analysis. The cell has produced comparable XAS results when performing a cyclic voltammogram to an established in situ cell when measuring the Pt LIII edge. Similar trends of Pt oxidation, and reduction of the formed Pt oxide, have been presented with a time resolution of 5 s for each spectrum, paving the way for time-resolved spectral measurements of fuel cell catalysts in a fully-operating fuel cell.

Microplastics are contaminants of increasing global environmental concern. Estuaries are a major transport pathway for land-derived plastics to the open ocean but are relatively understudied compared to coastal and open marine environments. The role of the “estuarine filter”, by which the supply of sediments and contaminants to the sea is moderated by processes including vegetative trapping and particle flocculation, remains poorly defined for microplastics land to sea transfer. Here, we focus on the sea surface microlayer (SML) as a vector for microplastics, and use SML sampling to assess microplastic trapping in a temperate marsh system in Southampton Water, UK. The SML is known to concentrate microplastics relative to the underlying water and is the first part of rising tidal waters to traverse intertidal and upper tidal surfaces. Sampling a salt marsh creek at high temporal resolution allowed assessment of microplastics in-wash and outflow from the salt marsh, and its relationship with tidal state and bulk suspended sediment concentrations (SSC), over spring and neap tides. A statistically significant decrease in microplastics abundance from the flood tide to the ebb tide was found, and a weak positive relationship with SSC observed.

Low cost, high-efficiency catalysts towards water splitting are urgently required to fulfil the increasing demand for energy. In this work, low-loading (

A simple, modified Metal–Organic Chemical Deposition (MOCD) method for Pt, PtRu and PtCo nanoparticle deposition onto a variety of support materials, including C, SiC, B4C, LaB6, TiB2, TiN and a ceramic/carbon nanofiber, is described. Pt deposition using Pt(acac)2 as a precursor is shown to occur via a mixed solid/liquid/vapour precursor phase which results in a high Pt yield of 90–92% on the support material. Pt and Pt alloy nanoparticles range 1.5–6.2 nm, and are well dispersed on all support materials, in a one-step method, with a total catalyst preparation time of ∼10 hours (2.4–4× quicker than conventional methods). The MOCD preparation method includes moderate temperatures of 350 °C in a tubular furnace with an inert gas supply at 2 bar, a high pressure (2–4 bar) compared to typical MOCVD methods (∼0.02–10 mbar). Pt/C catalysts with Pt loadings of 20, 40 and 60 wt% were synthesised, physically characterised, electrochemically characterised and compared to commercial Pt/C catalysts. TEM, XRD and ex situ EXAFS show similar Pt particle sizes and Pt particle shape identifiers, namely the ratio of the third to first Pt coordination numbers modelled from ex situ EXAFS, between the MOCD prepared catalysts and commercial catalysts. Moreover, electrochemical characterisation of the Pt/C MOCD catalysts obtained ORR mass activities with a maximum of 428 A gPt−1 at 0.9 V, which has similar mass activities to the commercial catalysts (80–160% compared to the commercial Pt/C catalysts).

The solid-state behaviour of four alkali metal TCNQ complexes: (15-crown-5)LiTCNQ (1), (15-crown-5)NaTCNQ (2), (15-crown-5)Li(TCNQ)2.H2O (3.H2O) and (15-crown-5)Na(TCNQ)2.H2O (4.H2O) has been explored by single crystal X-ray diffraction, Infrared (IR), Raman and Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) measurements. The presence of a small cation and ionophore leads to subtle changes in behaviour compared with their larger alkali metal analogues and in the hydrated salts water bridges form links between the crown-encapsulated cations and neighbouring TCNQ stacks.

Iridium and ruthenium oxide are active electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution. The relation between preparation method, structure, and behavior of mixed oxides of iridium and ruthenium are of interest in order to obtain active and stable catalysts. In this work the structure of mixed Ru–Ir oxides synthesized by the polymeric precursor method, which involves the formation of a gel containing the metal precursors and subsequent heat-treatment in air, was studied for the IrxRu1−xO2 system. An in-depth analysis of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray absorption (XAS) data, including EXAFS and linear combination of XANES, shows that the polymeric precursor synthesis method is capable of providing an intimate mixing of Ir and Ru in the catalyst. In addition to the oxide phase, metal phases, i.e. with Ru or Ir or both in oxidation state zero (Ir(fcc) and Ru(hcp)), were also found in the product materials. Facing complex structures such as some of those synthesized here, we have shown that a representation of shells with more than one atom type are efficiently represented using mixed sites, i.e. including scattering contributions from several elements in a site corresponding to a partial occupancy of the site by these elements, this method forming a very efficient basis for analyzing EXAFS data.

Iridium oxide powders with a surface area of more than 1 m

The electrokinetic properties of Pt nanoparticles supported on Carbon (Pt/C) and Boron Carbide-Graphite composite (Pt/BC) are compared over a wide potential range. The influence of the support on the electronic state of Pt was investigated via in-situ X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy. Pt d-band filling, determined from XANES white line analysis, was lower and nearly constant between 0.4 and 0.95 V vs. RHE for Pt/BC, indicating more positively charged particles in the double layer region and a delay in the onset of oxide formation by about 0.2 V compared to the Pt/C catalyst, which showed a marked increase in d-band vacancies above 0.8 V vs. RHE. Moreover, Δμ analysis of the XANES data indicated a lack of sub-surface oxygen for the Pt/BC catalyst compared to the Pt/C catalyst above 0.9 V vs. RHE. Additional anion adsorption on the Pt/BC in the double layer region, detected by CO displacement, was also confirmed by XANES analysis of the d-band occupancy. The H2 oxidation activities of electrodes with low catalyst loadings were assessed under high mass transport conditions using the floating electrode methodology. The metal-support interaction between the Pt and BC support improved the maximum hydrogen oxidation current density by 1.4 times when compared to Pt/C.

Electrochimica acta 262, 27 - 38 (2018). doi:10.1016/j.electacta.2017.12.161, n situ EXAFS and XRD have been used to study the electrochemical formation of hydride phases, H$_{abs}$, in 0.5 M H$_2$SO$_4$ for a Pd/C catalyst and a series of Pd@Pt core-shell catalysts with varying Pt shell thickness, from 0.5 to 4 monolayers. Based on the XRD data a 3% lattice expansion is observed for the Pd/C core catalyst upon hydride formation at 0.0 V. In contrast, the expansion was ≤0.6% for all of the core-shell catalysts. The limited extent of the lattice expansion observed suggests that hydride formation, which may occur during periodic active surface area measurements conducting during accelerated aging tests or driven by H$_2$ crossover in PEM fuel cells, is unlikely to contribute significantly to the degradation of Pd@Pt core-shell electrocatalysts in contrast to the effects of oxide formation., Published by Elsevier, New York, NY [u.a.]

Catalysts made of Pt nanoparticles and Pt alloys are considered state-of-the-art catalysts for the anodic and cathodic reactions involved in hydrogen fuel cells. The optimal size of such nanoparticles for each chemical reaction is an unsolved problem, which depends on environmental variables, such as reactant concentration, solvent, temperature, etc. From a theoretical point of view, this problem has been tackled mainly by observing how single key adsorbates react with different nanoparticles in controlled conditions. In this work, we use large-scale DFT calculations to examine the interplay between the Pt nanoparticle size and O coverage effects. We examine single O adsorptions for three adsorption sites on cuboctahedral platinum nanoparticles with different sizes. As we grow the nanoparticle size, the binding strength decreases and we observed a quick convergence of the adsorption energies with increasing nanoparticle size, which correlates with the calculated d-band centre for (111) Pt facets on such nanoparticles. We also carried out a detailed study of the effect of oxygen coverage with varying fractions of O monolayer coverage, computing adsorption energies per O atom for Pt 55 , Pt 147, and Pt309 nanoparticles with several O coverages. In general, the increase of O coverage led to weaker adsorption energies per O atom, and when analysing the results in terms of oxygen monolayers, this effect is more pronounced for larger nanoparticles. The O coverage dependency of the adsorption energy per O atom is analysed in terms of the O distribution for each nanoparticle size and electronic changes that the adsorbed oxygen causes to the Pt nanoparticle. In studying nanoparticle size and oxygen coverage effects simultaneously, we offer insights with DFT accuracy to help on heterogeneous catalyst design

Electrochemical oxidation of four different alcohol molecules (methanol, ethanol, n-butanol and 2-butanol) at electrodeposited Pt film and carbon-supported Pt catalyst film electrodes, as well as the effect of mass transport on the oxidation reaction, has been studied systematically using the rotating disk electrode (RDE) technique. It was shown that oxidation current decreased with an increase in the rotation rate (ω) for all alcohols studied over electrodeposited Pt film electrodes. In contrast, the oxidation current was found to increase with an increase in the ω for Pt/C in ethanol and n-butanol-containing solutions. The decrease was found to be nearly reversible for ethanol and n-butanol at the electrodeposited Pt film electrode ruling out the possibility of intermediate COads poisoning being the sole cause of the decrease and was attributed to the formation of soluble intermediate species which diffuse away from the electrode at higher ω. In contrast, an increase in the current with an increase in ω for the carbon supported catalyst may suggest that the increase in residence time of the soluble species within the catalyst layer, results in further oxidation of these species. Furthermore, the reversibility of the peak current on decreasing the ω could indicate that the surface state has not significantly changed due to the sluggish reaction kinetics of ethanol and n-butanol. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s11244-018-0893-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The electrochemical oxidation of ethanol results in the formation of strongly adsorbed intermediates. Pt–Rh catalysts are proposed as alternatives since they easy the C[sbnd]C bond breaking. However, the effect of the Pt–Rh structure on the catalytic activity and selectivity to CO 2 is not well understood. Here, we synthesised Pt/C and two different Pt–Rh/C catalyst architectures, an alloy (Pt 3 Rh/C)and a bimetallic mixture (Pt 3 –Rh/C)to study the effect of catalyst structure on its catalytic activity and on the products formed during the ethanol oxidation in acid media. The nanoparticles were prepared by a modified polyol reduction method using ethylene glycol as a co-reducing agent and Pb as a material of sacrifice, to obtain very small and well-dispersed nanoparticles on the carbon support. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and derivative voltammetry was used to give insights about the ethanol oxidation mechanism occurring at the developed catalysts. The samples characterised by X-ray diffraction analysis showed distortions in the Pt lattice parameters for the Pt-Rh alloy structure due to the presence of Rh in the catalyst's composition. Transmission electron microscopy analyses indicate that nanoparticles were well-dispersed on a carbon support, with spherical shapes and small particle sizes (2–3 nm). in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy data evidence that Pt–Rh interactions produce changes in the Pt 5d band vacancy. The electronic effect is maximized when Pt forms an alloy with Rh, resulting in the highest d-band vacancy of the Pt 3 Rh/C. The Pt 3 Rh/C catalyst showed the highest activity towards ethanol oxidation, presenting current densities in a quasi-steady-state condition (measured at 600 mV)around 5.2 times higher than the commercial Pt/C (Alfa Aesar). Moreover, the onset potential for ethanol oxidation shifts to more negative potentials (110 mV lower taken at 1 mA cm –2 )was also observed. In situ FTIR data revealed that Pt/C catalyst favours the formation of acetic acid. The synergistic effect between Rh and the alloy structure results in an easier C[sbnd]C bond breaking for Pt 3 Rh/C, in comparison to Pt 3 –Rh mixture, thus favouring CO 2 formation at lower potentials.

In situ vibrational spectroscopy can provide molecular-level mechanistic insights missing from purely electrochemical measurements. Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is a particularly promising method and is used in aqueous and nonaqueous studies of a variety of electrode reactions. Enhancement of the weak Raman signal is achieved by structuring the electrode surface or by use of SERS probes. This review article highlights the recent use of SERS to study several important electrode reactions: oxygen reduction and evolution, carbon monoxide oxidation and carbon dioxide reduction and the electrocatalytic oxidation of small organic molecules such as formic acid.

The bifunctional mechanism is well-acknowledged for the promoted CO oxidation on Pt-based bimetallic electrocatalysts. However, the direct identification of the active oxygenated species and the nature and electrochemistry of the second component are still a matter of debate. Herein, Snad-Pt/C catalysts, where Sn ad-atoms are exclusively on the surface of Pt nanoparticles at low coverages ranging from 0.0033 to 0.2 monolayers to avoid sub-surface Sn and alloy formation, were prepared as a model system to resolve these issues using a surface organometallic chemistry approach. Effects of the Sn ad-atoms on CO oxidation were studied by CO stripping voltammograms as a function of Sn coverage. Using in situ XAS measurements, the Sn average oxidation state is estimated to increase from +0.2 to +3.1 as the potential increases from 0 to 0.8 VRHE, with the number of the oxygen neighbours increasing stepwise. Pt4.5-Sn-(OH)1.5 is revealed as the active species responsible for the bifunctional mechanism at low overpotentials and is generated via a redox couple corresponding to Pt4.5-Sn*/Pt4.5-Sn-(OH)1.5.

In situ and operando techniques providing information regarding adsorbate bonding and atomic arrangements on the electrode surface along with pure electrochemical measurements are needed to more fully understand the detailed mechanism of electrocatalytic reactions on high surface areas/nanoparticle electrocatalysts. X-ray adsorption spectroscopy (XAS) is a powerful tool to interrogate the electronic structure and local coordination environment of such electrocatalysts under working conditions, but it should be acknowledged that standard XAS methods are not intrinsically surface sensitive. This review will present recent in situ XAS studies on single-atom, metal, and metal oxide electrocatalysts, highlighting the approaches taken to achieve surface sensitivity by careful designing of the sample under investigation.

Pt nanoparticles dispersed over carbonaceous supports are widely used as catalysts for different applications, making studies on the interplay between size and support effects indispensable for rational catalyst design. Here, we use DFT calculations to simulate the interaction between O, CO, and ethanol with free platinum cuboctahedral nanoparticles with up to 147 atoms and with the same Pt nanoparticles supported on a single layer of graphene with up to 720 carbon atoms. We compute adsorption energies for each adsorbate on different adsorption sites for supported and unsupported Pt nanoparticles. We show that as the Pt nanoparticle grows the adsorption energy decreases, and that the size effect is more important for O and CO adsorption than for ethanol. We observe that the generalized coordination number of each adsorption site controls the interaction strength for O and CO to a much larger extent than for ethanol. Electronic charge redistributions and density of states projected on the d band of the interacting Pt facets are used to obtain a better understanding of the differences between the electronic interactions for each adsorbate. For Pt nanoparticles supported on graphene, the support effects weaken the adsorption energies for all the adsorbates, but this effect rapidly decreases with larger nanoparticles, and it is only significant for our smallest nanoparticle Pt13. By demonstrating that the effects of nanoparticle size and support are different for ethanol as compared with O and CO, we conclude that it should be possible to modify different parameters in the catalyst design in order to tune the Pt nanoparticle to interact with specific adsorbates.

LaMnO3 has been identified as one of the most active systems towards the 4‐electron oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) under alkaline conditions, although the rationale for its high activity in comparison to other perovskites remains to be fully understood. LaMnO3 oxide nanoparticles are synthesised by an ionic‐liquid based method over a temperature range of 600 to 950 °C. This work describes a systematic study of the LaMnO3 properties, from bulk to the outermost surface layers, as a function of the synthesis temperature to relate them to the ORR activity. The bulk and surface composition of the particles are characterised by transmission electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, X‐ray absorption and X‐ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS), as well as low‐energy ion scattering spectroscopy (LEIS). The particle size and surface composition are strongly affected by temperature, although the effect is non‐monotonic. The number density of redox active Mn sites is obtained from electrochemical measurements, and correlates well with the trends observed by XPS and LEIS. ORR studies of carbon‐supported LaMnO3 employing rotating ring‐disk electrodes show a step increase in the mean activity of individual surface Mn sites for particles synthesised above 700 °C. Our analysis emphasises the need to establish protocols for quantifying turn‐over frequency of single active sites in these complex materials to elucidate appropriate structure‐activity relationships.

Methods standardisation in microplastics research is needed. Apart from reagent-dependent effects on microplastics, varying target particle sizes can hinder result comparison between studies. Human health concerns warrant recovery of small microplastics. We compared existing techniques using hydrogen peroxide, Proteinase-K, Trypsin and potassium hydroxide to digest bivalve tissue. Filterability, digestion efficacy, recoverability of microplastics and subsequent polymer identification using Raman spectroscopy and a matching software were assessed. Only KOH allowed filtration at ≤25 μm. When adding a neutralisation step prior to filtration, KOH digestates were filterable using 1.2-μm filters. Digestion efficacies were >95.0% for oysters, but lower for clams. KOH destroyed rayon at 60 °C but not at 40 °C. Acrylic fibre identification was affected due to changes in Raman spectra peaks. Despite those effects, we recommend KOH as the most viable extraction method for exposure risk studies, due to microplastics recovery from bivalve tissues of single-digit micrometre size.

Nanoparticle catalysts comprising two PtSn alloys with different Pt:Sn atomic ratios and a Sn modified Pt catalyst were prepared in order to study the effect of the particle nanostructures on the activity towards the ethanol electrooxidation and the selectivity to CO 2 . An accurate model of the electronic and structural properties, obtained by ex situ analysis, was established. Alloying of Sn with Pt causes the expansion of the lattice parameter of Pt and modifies its electronic structure. In contrast, the deposition of Sn on the Pt surface has neither effect. The activity of the catalysts towards ethanol oxidation was established voltammetrically and the CO 2 selectivity via in situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIRS). Results indicated that the modification of the electronic environment of Pt in Pt-Sn alloys results in a weaker adsorption of the intermediates (acetaldehyde and acetic acid), which desorb easily from the surface of the catalyst resulting in incomplete oxidation to CO 2 . In contrast, when the electronic structure is not perturbed (Sn modified Pt sample), the amount of CO 2 produced increases. The stability of the different nanostructures under working conditions was investigated by in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) measurements, which show that initially both the Sn modified Pt and Pt-Sn alloy nanostructures are stable under applied potential in the potential window studied and in presence of ethanol. Accelerated aging studies showed that the Sn modified Pt nanostructure remained stable, whereas a significant structural change was observed for the Pt-Sn alloys.

The mechanism of O2 reduction at the spinels, Co3O4 and NiCo2O4, in KOH electrolyte is probed using voltammetry at rotating disc and rotating ring-disc electrodes by examination of the rotation rate dependent limiting currents. The analysis shows that the products and mechanisms at the two spinels are quite different. At the cobalt spinel, a substantial amount of the 2e? reduction product, H2O2, is formed while at NiCo2O4 the 4e? reduction strongly predominates. In terms of both the overpotential for reduction and its limiting current density, the mixed spinel is a substantially better electrocatalyst. It is proposed that the differences arise from an enhanced rate of O-O bond cleavage early in the reduction process at NiCo2O4.

The mean activity of surface Mn sites at LaxCa1-xMnO3 nanostructures towards the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline solution is assessed as a function of the oxide composition. Highly active oxide nano-particles were synthesised by an ionic liquid-based route, yielding phase-pure nanoparticles, across the entire range of compositions, with sizes between 20 and 35 nm. The bulk vs. surface composition and structure are investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES). These techniques allow quantification of not only changes in the mean oxidation state of Mn as a function of x, but also the extent of A-site surface segregation. Both trends manifest themselves in the electrochemical responses associated with surface Mn sites in 0.1 M KOH solution. The characteristic redox signatures of Mn sites are used to estimate their effective surface number density. This parameter allows comparing, for the first time, the mean electrocatalytic activity of surface Mn sites as a function of the LaxCa1-xMnO3 composition. The ensemble of experimental data provides a consistent picture in which increasing electron density at the Mn sites leads to an increase in the ORR activity. We also demonstrate that normalisation of electrochemical activity by mass or specific surface area may result in inaccurate structure–activity correlations.

Data from experiments with both rotating disc electrodes (RDEs) and gas diffusion electrodes (GDEs) are used to investigate the properties of the spinels, Co3O4 and NiCo2O4, as bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts. Emphasis is placed on catalyst compositions and electrode structures free of carbon. Oxygen evolution and reduction occur at surfaces where the transition metals are in different oxidation states but the surface can be repeatedly cycled between these two states without significant change. It is shown that carbon-free, NiCo2O4 catalysed GDEs can be fabricated using structures based on stainless steel cloth or nickel foam. Those based on nickel foam can be cycled extensively and allow both O2 evolution and reduction at current densities up to 100 mA cm?2.

A controlled surface reaction (CSR) technique has been successfully employed to prepare a series of CeOx modified Pt/Al2O3 catalysts, offering a unique system to specifically probe the relationship between Ce and Pt without any bulk CeO2 present. Ce L3 edge X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) analysis was used to ascertain the oxidation state of the Ce in the catalyst materials in atmospheres of air, H2 (g), and CO (g) at room temperature. The XANES data showed that the Ce was present as both Ce3+ and Ce4+ oxidation states in an atmosphere of air, becoming predominantly present as Ce3+ in H2 and CO. The results indicate the role of Pt in the process, and show that with the absence of bulk CeO2, changes in Ce oxidation state can be observed at non-elevated temperatures. The CeOx/Pt/Al2O3 catalysts were tested for their performance toward the water gas shift (WGS) reaction and showed improved performance compared to the unmodified Pt/Al2O3, even at very low concentrations of Ce (∼0.35 wt-%).

A series of perovskite-type manganites AMnO3 (A = Sr, La, Ca and Y) particles were investigated as electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction. AMnO3 materials were synthesized by means of an ionic-liquid method, yielding phase pure particles at different temperatures. Depending on the calcination temperature, particles with mean diameter between 20 and 150 nm were obtained. Bulk versus surface composition and structure are probed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and extended X-ray absorption fine structure. Electrochemical studies were performed on composite carbon-oxide electrodes in alkaline environment. The electrocatalytic activity is discussed in terms of the effective Mn oxidation state, A:Mn particle surface ratio and the Mn–O distances. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s11244-018-0886-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Comprehensive identification of the phases and atomic configurations of bimetallic nanoparticle catalysts are critical in understanding structure-properties relationships in catalysis. However, control of the structure, whilst retaining the same composition, is challenging. Here, the same carbon supported Pt3Sn catalyst is annealed under air, Ar and H2 resulting in variation of the extent of alloying of the two components. The atmosphere-induced extent of alloying is characterised using a variety of methods including TEM, XRD, XPS, XANES, and EXAFS and is defined as the fraction of Sn present as Sn0 (XPS and XANES) or the ratio of the calculated composition of the bimetallic particle to the nominal composition according to the stoichiometric ratio of the preparation (TEM, XRD, and EXAFS) . The values obtained depend on the structural method used, but the trend air < Ar < H2 annealed samples is consistent. These results are then used to provide insights regarding the electrocatalytic activity of Pt3Sn catalysts for CO, methanol, ethanol, and 1-butanol oxidation and the roles of alloyed Sn and SnO2.

Elemental reorganisation and oxidation state changes of key active sites in Co-Fe spinels are investigated by in situ X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) and operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) under oxygen evolution operating conditions. The combination of the two techniques allows identifying both the surface and bulk modifications on the oxides and relating them to the activity loss during extended cycling. The results show that Co-Fe spinels experience a surface irreversible phase evolution under oxygen evolution reaction (OER) conditions, resulting in the formation of an amorphous layer composed of new stable Co(iii) and Fe(iii) species. Accelerated ageing tests show that the durability, intended as the performance loss during cycling treatments, is not directly related to the structural/chemical stability of the spinels but to the new species formed at the surface due to the electrochemical work. Thus, the material that experienced more significant changes was also the most durable one, demonstrating that the understanding of the chemical and/or structural evolution of the materials during the catalytic process can be the key for the design of highly active and stable catalysts.

The pyrochlore solid solution (Na0.33Ce0.67)(2)-(Ir1-xRux)(2)O-7 (0

National Natural Science Fundation of China [20603008, 20873037, 91027037]; University of Southampton; China Scholarship Council