Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Heterogeneous Catalysis01:22

Heterogeneous Catalysis

Heterogeneous catalysis involves a catalyst in a different phase from the reactants. It is a process where the catalyst and the reactants are in distinct phases, typically solid and gas or liquid.Most heterogeneous catalysts are metals, metal oxides, or acids. The list includes transition metals like iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), palladium (Pd), platinum (Pt), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), tungsten (W), silver (Ag), and copper (Cu). These metals possess partially vacant d orbitals that...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Hypercapnia is associated with an increased risk of ICU admission and reduced inflammatory responses in AECOPD patients with severe pneumonia.

Therapeutic advances in respiratory disease·2026
Same author

A bibliometric analysis of patient-centred digital healthcare services studies.

Technology and health care : official journal of the European Society for Engineering and Medicine·2026
Same author

Environmental awareness and perceived utility shape the value-intention gap in green consumption.

Scientific reports·2026
Same author

Targeted Therapy and Oral Chemotherapy as Maintenance Treatment in Pediatric Very-High-Risk and High-Risk Rhabdomyosarcoma: A Retrospective Study of Efficacy and Safety.

International journal of cancer·2026
Same author

Reversing the Hofmeister Response in Hydrogels via Anion Affinity Chemistry.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026
Same author

Deciphering Angiogenic Drivers in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: From Prognostic Signature Construction to Genistein-Mediated Inhibition.

Journal of cellular and molecular medicine·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 11, 2026

Synthesis and Performance Characterizations of Transition Metal Single Atom Catalyst for Electrochemical CO2 Reduction
10:57

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

Published on: April 10, 2018

19.4K

Spin-Selective Water Rejection in Fe-N-C Catalysts via Graphitic Macro-Ligand Engineering.

Yixuan Yin1,2, Lina Hou1,3, Zhechen Fan1,2

  • 1State Key Laboratory of Precision and Intelligent, Chemistry and School of Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.

Journal of the American Chemical Society
|April 15, 2026
PubMed
Summary

Researchers developed a new iron-nitrogen-carbon (Fe-N-C) catalyst for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). This advanced catalyst enhances oxygen reduction and suppresses water flooding, significantly boosting fuel cell performance.

More Related Videos

Multiscale Sampling of a Heterogeneous Water/Metal Catalyst Interface using Density Functional Theory and Force-Field Molecular Dynamics
10:52

Multiscale Sampling of a Heterogeneous Water/Metal Catalyst Interface using Density Functional Theory and Force-Field Molecular Dynamics

Published on: April 12, 2019

13.5K
Tuning the Acidity of Pt/ CNTs Catalysts for Hydrodeoxygenation of Diphenyl Ether
09:21

Tuning the Acidity of Pt/ CNTs Catalysts for Hydrodeoxygenation of Diphenyl Ether

Published on: August 17, 2019

9.6K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 11, 2026

Synthesis and Performance Characterizations of Transition Metal Single Atom Catalyst for Electrochemical CO2 Reduction
10:57

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

Published on: April 10, 2018

19.4K
Multiscale Sampling of a Heterogeneous Water/Metal Catalyst Interface using Density Functional Theory and Force-Field Molecular Dynamics
10:52

Multiscale Sampling of a Heterogeneous Water/Metal Catalyst Interface using Density Functional Theory and Force-Field Molecular Dynamics

Published on: April 12, 2019

13.5K
Tuning the Acidity of Pt/ CNTs Catalysts for Hydrodeoxygenation of Diphenyl Ether
09:21

Tuning the Acidity of Pt/ CNTs Catalysts for Hydrodeoxygenation of Diphenyl Ether

Published on: August 17, 2019

9.6K

Area of Science:

  • Electrochemistry
  • Materials Science
  • Catalysis

Background:

  • Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) require efficient catalysts to overcome performance limitations.
  • Iron-nitrogen-carbon (Fe-N-C) materials are promising alternatives to platinum, but suffer from sluggish kinetics and mass-transport issues.
  • Suboptimal catalyst/water interfacial chemistry, leading to active-site poisoning and pore flooding, is an underestimated cause of performance decline.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To design a novel Fe-N-C catalyst that addresses interfacial water management and enhances oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) kinetics.
  • To reconstruct the electronic structure of Fe-N4 active sites using a graphitized host as a macro-ligand.
  • To investigate the role of electronic spin state transitions in catalyst performance and water interactions.

Main Methods:

  • Synthesis of a Fe-N-C catalyst using a highly graphitized host material.
  • Characterization of the catalyst's electronic structure and Fe-N4 site reconstruction.
  • Operando magnetic field imaging to assess water management within the catalyst layer.
  • Electrochemical testing under H2-air conditions to evaluate performance metrics like power density and current density.

Main Results:

  • The engineered catalyst exhibits a low-spin to intermediate-spin transition (S = 0 → S = 1) at Fe-N4 sites.
  • This spin transition acts as a 'spin gate,' suppressing water adsorption and enhancing O2 activation.
  • Operando magnetic field imaging indicated improved water rejection and homogeneous current distribution.
  • The catalyst achieved a record peak power density of 1.02 W cm-2 and 402 mA cm-2 at 0.80 V iR-free.

Conclusions:

  • Controlling catalyst/water interfacial chemistry is crucial for high-performance Fe-N-C PEMFCs.
  • The designed Fe-N-C catalyst demonstrates superior ORR activity and water management capabilities.
  • This work sets a new benchmark for M-N-C catalysts in PEMFC applications.