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Bismuth-based materials have attracted broad research interest as catalysts for electrocatalytic CO2 reduction (ECR) to formate in recent years. Most studies have been focused on exploring materials with high activity, selectivity, and durability, while little attention has been paid to the catalysts structure stability especially under working conditions of CO2 electrolysis. Here, starting from the precursor of bismuth oxide formate nanowires (BiOCOOH NWs), it was found that BiOCOOH NWs were easy to electrochemically evolve into two-dimensional sheet structure in CO2-saturated KHCO3 solution and would further reconstitute into larger ultrathin bismuth nanosheets covered with amorphous oxide thin layer (Bi/BiOx NSs). However, in Ar-saturated HCOONa solution, the one-dimensional structure could be maintained and reconstructed into rough porous bismuth nanowires (Bi NWs). Bi NWs showed less stability during ECR, which also generated surface amorphous oxide layer and further fragmentated into nanoparticles or nanosheets. Bi/BiOx NSs showed better activity, selectivity, and stability than Bi NWs, thanks to the high exposing active sites, enhancing CO2 adsorption and charge transfer. The demonstrated electrolyte dependence of structure evolution for bismuth-based catalysts and their performance for CO2 electroreduction could provide guidance for the design and synthesis of efficient catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical reduction of CO2 to formate in aqueous electrolyte is a potentially effective route for energy storage and resource utilization of CO2. Pd is known as excellent catalyst for CO2 electrochemical reduction, however, the selectivity to formate on Pd catalysts was limited to narrow potential window which may restrict their applications. Herein, N, B‐doped TiO2 nanotube arrays (TNTA) were designed and synthesized to reveal the metal‐support interaction and its effects on the electrochemical reduction of CO2. The N, B doped TNTA supported Pd catalysts were found to highly enhance the activity with 3.7 and 4.6 times and the selectivity with 2 and 2.6 times comparing respectively to undoped one for CO2 electrochemical reduction to formate at −1.0 V vs SCE. The enhancement of formate production can be attributed to the modification of electron structure facilitating the stabilization of active Pd hydride phase and suppressing the CO formation. This study will shed light on strategies to improve the performance of catalysts via the functionalization of supports in field of CO2 selective electrochemical reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Gold supported on CeO2 nanocrystals of rod, cubic and polyhedral shapes were used for CO preferential oxidation (CO-PROX) in H2-rich gas. The catalytic activity ranked by CeO2 nanocrystals as follows: rods>polyhedra>cubes. The results of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, temperature-programmed reduction/desorption and in situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy indicated that the surface gold species and also the adsorption/desorption properties for CO and oxygen species were closely related to the nature of exposed crystal planes of CeO2 nanocrystals. The gold catalyst on CeO2-rods with {100}/{110}-dominant surfaces showed the best CO-PROX performance. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Purpose: With advancements in minimally invasive techniques, oblique lumbar interbody fusion (OLIF) has gained widespread acceptance and is now commonly performed for adult degenerative scoliosis (ADS). The objective of this research paper is to evaluate three-dimensional (3D) intervertebral motions in EOS models before and after surgery and subsequently assess the efficacy of the 3D correction achieved through staged OLIF., Methods: In this retrospective study, 29 consecutive patients diagnosed with ADS were included, with a mean age of 63.6 years, who underwent staged OLIF surgery between 2018 and 2021. Spinopelvic parameters were assessed using EOS images, and 3D models were reconstructed to measure intervertebral motion angles (IMAs) in 70 surgical intervertebral segments, comprising wedge, lordosis, and axial rotation angles. Regression analysis was conducted to compare IMAs in different planes before and after the staged OLIF surgery., Results: Significant three-dimensional correction was observed in 70 intervertebral segments following the first-stage OLIF. The wedge angles decreased from 5.2°± 4.2° to 2.7°± 2.4° ( P  < 0.001). The lordosis angles increased from 5.1°± 5.9° to 7.8°± 4.6° ( P  = 0.014), while the axial rotation angles decreased from 3.8°± 2.6° to 2.3°± 2.1° ( P  < 0.001). Linear regression analysis revealed a positive correlation between wedge angles and axial angles preoperatively ( P  < 0.001, r  = 0.43), as well as between corrected wedge angles and corrected axial angles ( P  < 0.001, r  = 0.42)., Conclusion: This study demonstrated that intervertebral motions had a correlation between coronal and axial planes in lumbar degenerative scoliosis. First-stage OLIF was efficient at correcting segmental scoliosis by inserting cages while correcting rotation deformity simultaneously, as well as improving the sagittal spinopelvic parameters., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (© 2023 Xu, Ge, Li, Cai, Wu and Sun.)