Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 15, 2026
Chemical Precipitation Method for the Synthesis of Nb2O5 Modified Bulk Nickel Catalysts with High Specific Surface Area
Published on: February 19, 2018
Researching Borohydride Oxidation on Nickel Catalysts via Synergistic Heteroatom and Strain Engineering at the
Hang Yang1, Caini Yi1, Meilin Chen1
1School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 401331, P. R. China.
None:
Direct borohydride fuel cells (DBFCs) are attractive for high-energy-density power conversion, but anode performance is limited by a trade-off between activity for borohydride oxidation (BOR) and selectivity against hydrogen evolution (HER). Overcoming this trade-off requires precise control of interfacial structure and electronic configuration. Here we present a Ni@Ni-P-N core-shell catalyst synthesized through stepwise electrodeposition, integrating P/N heteroatom incorporation with interfacial strain engineering. P/N codoping and core-shell lattice mismatch induce tensile strain in the Ni shell, shifting the Ni d-band center to lower the activation barrier for BOR while raising that for HER, thereby enhancing both activity and selectivity. Structural and spectroscopic characterization confirms a strained core-shell interface with abundant accessible active sites, increased ECSA and improved charge transfer. In three-electrode tests the catalyst attains 97.5% fuel utilization for BOR; in a DBFC single cell it delivers a peak power density of 606 mW cm-2 and an open-circuit voltage of 1.87 V at 298 K. This work links interfacial strain to selective electro-oxidation and offers a generalizable strategy for designing advanced electrocatalysts.
More Related Videos
08:40Synthesis of Metal Nanoparticles Supported on Carbon Nanotube with Doped Co and N Atoms and its Catalytic Applications in Hydrogen Production
Published on: December 6, 2021
09:35Applying Dynamic Strain on Thin Oxide Films Immobilized on a Pseudoelastic Nickel-Titanium Alloy
Published on: July 28, 2020
Related Concept Videos
02:50Catalysis
02:36Regioselectivity and Stereochemistry of Hydroboration
Hydroboration proceeds in a concerted fashion with the attack of borane on the π bond, giving a cyclic four-centered transition state. The –BH2 group is bonded to the less substituted carbon and –H to the more substituted carbon. The concerted nature requires the simultaneous addition of –H and –BH2 across the same face of the alkene giving syn stereochemistry.
02:47Alkynes to Aldehydes and Ketones: Hydroboration-Oxidation
One of the convenient methods for the preparation of aldehydes and ketones is via hydration of alkynes. Hydroboration-oxidation of alkynes is an indirect hydration reaction in which an alkyne is treated with borane followed by oxidation with alkaline peroxide to form an enol that rapidly converts into an aldehyde or a ketone. Terminal alkynes form aldehydes, whereas internal alkynes give ketones as the final product.
02:17Reduction of Alkenes: Asymmetric Catalytic Hydrogenation
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...
02:24Reduction of Alkynes to cis-Alkenes: Catalytic Hydrogenation
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.
02:13Reduction of Alkenes: 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...