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Catalysis

Catalysis

The presence of a catalyst affects the rate of a chemical reaction. A catalyst is a substance that can increase the reaction rate without being consumed during the process. A basic comprehension of a catalysts’ role during chemical reactions can be understood from the concept of reaction mechanisms and energy diagrams.

Reduction of Alkenes: Asymmetric Catalytic Hydrogenation

Reduction of Alkenes: Asymmetric Catalytic Hydrogenation

Catalytic hydrogenation of alkenes is a transition-metal catalyzed reduction of the double bond using molecular hydrogen to give alkanes. The mode of hydrogen addition follows syn stereochemistry.
The metal catalyst used can be either heterogeneous or homogeneous. When hydrogenation of an alkene generates a chiral center, a pair of enantiomeric products is expected to form. However, an enantiomeric excess of one of the products can be facilitated using an enantioselective reaction or an...

Reduction of Alkenes: Catalytic Hydrogenation

Reduction of Alkenes: Catalytic Hydrogenation

Alkenes undergo reduction by the addition of molecular hydrogen to give alkanes. Because the process generally occurs in the presence of a transition-metal catalyst, the reaction is called catalytic hydrogenation.
Metals like palladium, platinum, and nickel are commonly used in their solid forms — fine powder on an inert surface. As these catalysts remain insoluble in the reaction mixture, they are referred to as heterogeneous catalysts.
The hydrogenation process takes place on the...

Reduction of Alkynes to cis-Alkenes: Catalytic Hydrogenation

Reduction of Alkynes to cis-Alkenes: Catalytic Hydrogenation

Introduction
Like alkenes, alkynes can be reduced to alkanes in the presence of transition metal catalysts such as Pt, Pd, or Ni. The reaction involves two sequential syn additions of hydrogen via a cis-alkene intermediate.

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Synthesis of Platinum-nickel Nanowires and Optimization for Oxygen Reduction Performance

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Published on: April 27, 2018

Efficient Hydrogen Oxidation Catalyzed by Strain-Engineered Nickel Nanoparticles.

Weiyan Ni¹, Teng Wang^1,2, Pascal Alexander Schouwink³

¹Laboratory of Inorganic Synthesis and Catalysis, Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), BCH 3305, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland.

Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in English)

|April 1, 2020

Summary

A new nickel (Ni) catalyst offers the highest activity for the hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) among platinum-group-metal-free (PGM-free) options, advancing hydroxide-exchange membrane fuel cell (HEMFC) technology.

Keywords:

alkaline fuel cells electrocatalysts hydrogen evolution reaction hydrogen oxidation reaction strain effect

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Synthesis of Metal Nanoparticles Supported on Carbon Nanotube with Doped Co and N Atoms and its Catalytic Applications in Hydrogen Production

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Synthesis and Performance Characterizations of Transition Metal Single Atom Catalyst for Electrochemical CO2 Reduction

Synthesis and Performance Characterizations of Transition Metal Single Atom Catalyst for Electrochemical CO2 Reduction

Published on: April 10, 2018

Area of Science:

Electrochemistry
Materials Science
Energy Conversion

Background:

Hydroxide-exchange membrane fuel cells (HEMFCs) are promising for energy conversion.
A key challenge is the lack of efficient platinum-group-metal-free (PGM-free) electrocatalysts for the hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR).

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a novel PGM-free electrocatalyst for the hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) in HEMFCs.
To optimize catalyst performance through controlled synthesis and strain engineering.

Main Methods:

Pyrolysis of a nickel-containing metal-organic framework precursor.
Synthesis under a mixed nitrogen (N2) and hydrogen (H2) atmosphere.
Characterization of carbon-supported nickel nanoparticles with controlled strain levels.

Main Results:

A novel Ni catalyst (Ni-H2-2%) demonstrated the highest reported mass activity for HOR among PGM-free catalysts.
The catalyst also exhibited excellent activity for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER).
Optimized strain in Ni nanoparticles led to ideal hydrogen binding energy and increased active sites.

Conclusions:

The developed Ni-H2-2% catalyst represents a significant advancement for PGM-free HOR electrocatalysis.
Strain engineering of Ni nanoparticles is a viable strategy to enhance catalyst performance for fuel cell applications.