Themed collection Global Energy Challenges: Hydrogen Energy

Platinum model-surface and nanoparticle catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction are enhanced by the presence of concave sites.

We propose the great potential of single atom catalysts (SACs) for CO₂ electroreduction with high activity and selectivity predictions over a competitive H₂ evolution reaction. We find the lack of an atomic ensemble for adsorbate binding and unique electronic structure of the single atom catalysts play an important role.

Highly-oriented Fe₂O₃ nanoarrays with a gradient phosphorus concentration result in enhanced charge separation in the bulk for photoelectrochemical water oxidation.

Low-crystalline Ru nano-layers and the strong basicity of Ru/Pr₂O₃ synergistically accelerated the rate-determining step of ammonia synthesis.

Development of non-noble metal catalysts with similar activity and stability to noble metals is of significant importance in the conversion and utilization of clean energies.

We provide a complete and computationally detailed picture of the mechanism of the initial stages of the electrocatalytic reduction of CO₂ in water catalysed by cobalt porphyrin complexes.

Barium-modified Ta₃N₅ for the promotion of proton reduction is first employed as a H₂-evolving photocatalyst for visible-light-driven Z-scheme overall water splitting.

A novel synthetic method is used to prepare metalloporphyrin-modified gallium phosphide photocathodes for solar-driven hydrogen evolution from water.

We show that under vacuum various metalloporphyrins break the scaling relation between the adsorption energies of *OH and *OOH, which can potentially boost oxygen reduction and evolution. In aqueous solution, however, such scaling relation is restored.

Two ruthenium-protein-cobaloxime biohybrids produce photocatalytic hydrogen through different catalytic pathways characterized by EPR and transient optical spectroscopies.

Trinuclear Re(I)-rings were applied as redox photosensitizers in visible light-driven CO₂ reduction in tandem with various catalysts, i.e., Re(I)-, Ru(II)- and Mn(I)-diimine metal complex. The quantum yields for the Ru(II) and Mn(I) catalysts were the among highest reported.

Volcano plots, which generally describe only thermodynamics, are expanded to include kinetics that markedly influence the performance of homogeneous catalysts.

Controlled layered structures fabricated by thin film transfer enhance the photoelectrochemical water splitting on Ta₃N₅ photoanodes.

Layer-by-layer assembly of a Ru dye and Ni catalyst on a p-type NiO photocathode enables photoelectrochemical H₂ generation in water.

Ruthenium-loaded metal hydrides with hydrogen vacancies function as efficient catalysts for ammonia synthesis under low temperature and low pressure conditions.

A hybrid photocatalytic system consisting of a Ru(II) binuclear complex and Ag-loaded TaON can reduce CO₂ to HCOOH by visible light irradiation even in aqueous solution (TON_HCOOH = 750, Φ_HCOOH = 0.48%).

Splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen with 3d transition metal molecular catalysts and light has been accomplished.

This paper describes the design and synthesis of porous single-crystalline AuPt@Pt bimetallic nanocrystals with excellent mass activities for the oxygen reduction reaction and formic acid oxidation.

Direct splitting of pure water into H₂ and O₂ in a stoichiometric molar ratio of 2 : 1 by conjugated polymers via a 4-electron pathway was established for the first time, as demonstrated here using a g-C₃N₄ polymer and redox co-catalysts of Pt and Co species.

In this paper, we report an efficient strategy for the synthesis of Cu/Co double-doped CeO₂ nanospheres (Cu_xCo_1−x–CeO₂–Pt, 0 ≤ x ≤ 1), which were fabricated via a simple water–glycol system.

The selectivity of CO₂ electrochemical reduction can be tuned for N-doped graphene/CNT catalysts after active sites are determined.

Non-covalent binding of water reduction catalysts and photosensitizers to hydrophobic silica particles represents a general approach for heterogenizing molecular water splitting components.

The reduction of borazine-type heterocycles has been a challenge in the area of chemical hydrogen storage. Coordination to low valent metal carbonyls activates borazine for reduction by both 1 e⁻ and 2 e⁻ pathways.

Photocatalytic reduction of CO₂ to formic acid with high efficiency, durability, and rate.

A new solar-microbial hybrid device based on oxygen-deficient Nb₂O₅ anodes for sustainable hydrogen generation without external bias was demonstrated.

A galvanic replacement strategy has been successfully adopted to design Ag_xAu_1−x@CeO₂ core@shell nanospheres derived from Ag@CeO₂ ones.

In this work, novel Pt/Ni(OH)₂–NiOOH/Pd multi-walled hollow nanorod arrays are successfully synthesized.

Penta-twinned Cu nanowires have a strain-tunable low overpotential for CO₂ electroreduction.

An ultrasensitive Mo-doped BiVO₄ composite was used to engineer a photoelectrochemical platform for the direct analysis of the global antioxidant capacity. Using this principle, an integrated device was successfully exploited for the “smart” monitoring of antioxidant-rich foodstuffs.

Solar light driven hydrogen production with a heterogenised hydrogenase on a carbon nitride–TiO₂ hybrid is reported that sets a new benchmark for photo-H₂ production.

The current theory of catalyst activity in heterogeneous catalysis is mainly obtained from the study of catalysts with mono-phases, while most catalysts in real systems consist of multi-phases, the understanding of which is far short of chemists' expectation.

We designed and successfully fabricated a ZnS/CdS 3D mesoporous heterostructure with a mediating Zn_1−xCd_xS interface.

La₅Ti₂CuS₅O₇ embedded into the surface of Au and Ti substrates shows a photocurrent attributable to HER and OER.

The electron-donating ability of the sacrificial agent and the protonation of the catalyst determine the optimum pH for hydrogen production.

Open-mouthed, yolk–shell Au@AgPd nanoparticles are successfully produced via galvanic replacement reaction in water at room temperature.

The non-stoichiometric lithium imide–amide system effectively decomposes ammonia to its constituents, hydrogen and nitrogen. Isotopic studies show that this bulk catalytic reaction has the potential to generate high-purity hydrogen for future energy and transport applications.

Design principles for reducible metal nitride catalysts are developed and demonstrated for ambient-pressure solar-driven N₂ reduction into NH₃.

Optimality of Pt : Ni 30 : 70 fully dealloyed nanoporous Pt particles in terms of size and coordination environment.

Self-supporting PtP nanotube arrays composed of interconnected PtP alloy nanocrystals exhibited excellent activity and durability for the ORR in acidic medium.

H₂ oxidation by a molecular electrocatalyst is dramatically improved by controlling proton movement from iron to the outer coordination sphere.

Electrochemical analysis of a nickel compound that degrades permitted a peek into the decomposition mechanism.

Rational ligand design was employed to improve the proton reduction activity of an immobilised cobalt diimine–dioxime catalyst.

Understanding the activity and selectivity of molecular catalysts for CO₂ reduction to fuels is an important scientific endeavour in addressing the growing global energy demand.

A ruthenium complex of the tripodal ligand tris(2-pyridyl)phosphine oxide exhibits rapid water oxidation electrocatalysis over a wide pH range.

A new mechanistic model is developed for the sequence of events by which oxygen-tolerant [NiFe] hydrogenase enzymes respond to O₂.

The multilayer structure enhances the hydrogen evolution from water under simulated sunlight.

Well-defined mass-selected Ru and RuO₂ nanoparticles exhibit an order of magnitude improvement in the oxygen evolution activity, relative to the state-of-the-art, with a maximum at around 3–5 nm.