Incorporation Of Cu Research Articles

Optimizing n-heptane isomerization: The role of copper in enhancing the catalytic activity and selectivity of Pt and Cu-Pt/montmorillonite K10 catalysts

The development of efficient catalysts for n-heptane isomerization is essential for enhancing gasoline octane numbers. In this study, Pt and Cu-Pt/Montmorillonite K10 (MMT) catalysts were prepared and evaluated to investigate the effect of copper on catalytic performance and selectivity in the isomerization of n-heptane. Comprehensive characterization techniques, including XRD, BET, FTIR, TEM, and TPR, were used to investigate the structural, chemical, and electronic properties of the catalysts. Catalytic performance was tested in a fixed-bed reactor over a temperature range of 200 °C to 450 °C, with a liquid hourly space velocity (LHSV) of 1 h−1 and an H2/n-heptane ratio of 20 mL−1. The Pt/MMT catalyst exhibited an isomerization yield of 23.5 % and a selectivity of 66.8 % at 350 °C. In contrast, the incorporation of Cu into the Pt catalyst (0.8Cu-0.1Pt/MMT) enhanced its electronic environment, resulting in a higher isomerization yield of 29.6 % and selectivity of 77.5 % at the same temperature. Additionally, the Cu-Pt/MMT catalyst demonstrated robust long-term stability, maintaining an isomer yield of approximately 28.1 % and selectivity of 75.3 % after 50 h of continuous operation at 350 °C. This study highlights the improved performance of the Cu-Pt/MMT catalyst and offers valuable insights for optimizing bimetallic catalysts in hydrocarbon isomerization applications.

Enhanced co-production of H2 and formic acid via Ni-facilitated Cu+/Cu2+ cycling in an industry-level hybrid water splitting system

Replacing the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) with the glucose oxidation reaction (GOR) to produce formic acid (FA) is a promising development in green hydrogen production. However, at high current densities, competition with the OER reduces the Faradaic efficiency (FE) of the GOR, limiting its practical applicability and compromising safety. In this study, NiO/CuO nanocomposites grown on Ni foam (NiCu-O/NF) were prepared by oxidizing NiCu-OH/NF to produce a GOR electrocatalyst. The incorporation of Cu effectively suppressed the OER. Additionally, Cu2+ in CuO can spontaneously oxidize glucose, generating Cu2O. However, the resulting Cu2O fails to sustain a high-rate GOR. Owing to the higher surface work function of NiO than that of Cu2O, high-valence Ni species facilitated the reconversion of Cu2+, as evidenced by characterization before and after the GOR. The robust Cu+/Cu2+ cycling enhanced the GOR catalytic performance and ensured good catalytic stability over 40 h. A potential pathway was proposed for producing FA by the GOR. A two-electrode electrolyzer assembled with Ni1Cu2-O/NF (anode) and Ni1Cu2-OH/NF (cathode) afforded 100 and 600 mA cm−2 at 1.46 and 1.82 V, respectively, without any OER interference. Furthermore, FA was confirmed to be the primary anodic product, achieving a maximum FE of 92.67 % at 1.3 V.

Selective oxidation of emerging contaminants by high-valent cobalt(IV)-Oxo species: Constructing high-spin Co(III) sites in Fenton-like system

In this study, a novel strategy for selectively generating Co(IV)=O species during peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation was proposed, utilizing an optimized Co4Cu1-layered double hydroxide (LDH) material with low-coordination and high-spin-state Co sites. The incorporation of Cu(II), influenced by the Jahn-Teller effect, altered the geometry and coordination at Co(III) sites, optimizing the filling of Co 3d orbitals. The Co4Cu1-LDH/PMS system demonstrated exceptional catalytic activity for degrading emerging contaminants (ECs) across various water matrices, with a high concentration of Co(IV)=O generation. Continuous flow experiments showed an average 97.51 % degradation over 10 hours, indicating significant practical potential. Mechanistically, enhanced performance was attributed to a single electron transfer process and optimized orbital configurations for oxygen ligands at Co(III) sites. This study offers both theoretical insights and practical guidance for developing efficient catalysts targeting Co(IV)=O species in Fenton-like systems.

Enhanced gaseous benzene degradation by bimetallic MIL-101(Fe, Cu) activated persulfate system: Efficiency and mechanism

Persulfate oxidation is a promising technology for air pollution control but still suffers from degrading refractory volatile organic compounds (VOCs) under mild conditions. Metal-doped metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) offer a novel strategy to enhance persulfate activation and VOCs degradation. Herein, a novel bimetallic MIL-101 (Fe, Cu) is prepared for more effective degradation of gaseous benzene via persulfate activation. Under optimal conditions (Fe/Cu ratio of 1:4, persulfate concentration of 7 mM/L, pH of 5, and reaction temperature of 70 °C), the MIL-101(Fe1, Cu4) activated persulfate system achieves a benzene degradation efficiency of 79.1 %, a value significantly higher than that of MIL-101(Fe) (20.1 %). The enhanced performance can be attributed to the synergistic effect of Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺ and Cu²⁺/Cu⁺ redox interactions facilitating the activation of persulfate and generation of radical species. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate an increase in the adsorption energy of MIL-101(Fe) in the presence of Cu doping from −3.46 eV to −5.92 eV along with a rise in the Fermi energy level from 0.5 eV to 1.33 eV, enhancing the electron density and mobility. A reaction energy diagram is provided to illustrate the reaction pathways and transition states involved in the degradation of benzene. Overall, the incorporation of Cu in MOFs significantly enhances the efficiency of persulfate-based oxidation systems toward VOCs degradation.

A 3D Macroporous Carbon NiCu Single‐Atom Catalyst for High Current Density CO2 Electroreduction

AbstractTransition metal and nitrogen co‐decorated carbon materials are promising platforms for CO2 electroreduction. A hard‐template 2‐step pyrolysis method is proposed for the fabrication of highly dispersed Ni and Cu atomic active sites on a 3D macroporous carbon matrix. The pyrrolic N‐type Ni−Nx sites serve as dominant active sites toward selective CO2 electroreduction to CO. The incorporation of Cu alters the distribution of N species and simultaneously optimizes the electronic state and geometric structure of the Ni−Nx moiety, thereby improving its adsorption and activation capacity for CO2. Moreover, the isolated Cu atomic sites enhance the resistance of corresponding gas‐diffusion electrodes against electrolyte flooding. The optimal catalyst 3D NiCu‐69 achieves nearly exclusive production of CO with a Faraday efficiency (FECO) of 98% at a current density of −700 mA cm−2 in a CO2‐gas‐fed flow‐through electrolyzer and delivers a CO production rate of 1363 mol(m2s)−1, which is exceeding most reported electrocatalysts. The FECO remained as high as 94% after electrolyzing at a current density of −100 mA cm−2 for 22 h. 3D NiCu‐69 exhibits a favorable performance in both acidic and neutral conditions, with a high FECO of ≈90.2% within the current density range of −100 to −500 mA cm−2.

Copper Versatility in Hydroxyapatite: Valence States, Clusters, and Optical Absorption Properties.

The solid-state reaction between a stoichiometric hydroxyapatite (HA) and CuO at temperatures above 1100 °C produces pure Cux-HA phases for x ≤ 0.7 with the general formula Ca10CuIx(PO4)6(OH)2-xOx. The Cu atoms are located at the center of the hexagonal tunnels between two hydroxyl ligands, as determined by Fourier analysis based on XRD data. During heat treatment, the reduction of Cu2+ ions into Cu+ is concomitant with the stabilization of copper in HA in the hexagonal tunnel. The incorporation of monovalent copper within the apatite, as revealed by XANES spectroscopy, explains the violet color of the samples. The incorporation of Cu+ ions, by substitution of a hydrogen atom by copper(I), results in the formation of linear O-Cu-O chains where the majority of which are isolated for x ≤ 0.3. In addition, the EXAFS investigation showed, thanks to the linear geometry of these clusters that results in multiple diffusion effects, the existence of [CuO]n chains with n ≥ 2, which only appear clearly for higher copper contents x ≥ 0.5. The strong covalency of the Cu-O bond in such a dumbbell configuration would lead to strong hybridization between the 3d and 4s orbitals of copper and the 2p orbitals of oxygen, as illustrated by ESR signals. In the case of Cu-doped HA prepared by coprecipitation and annealed at a lower temperature (T ≤ 600 °C), copper substitutes calcium according to the theoretical formula Ca10-xCux(PO4)6(OH)2, mainly at the Ca(2) site. This local environment is in line with the Jahn-Teller distortion induced by the Cu2+ ion (as evidenced by UV-vis-NIR, XPS, and XANES-EXAFS spectroscopy analyses) and also allows copper-copper interactions from one site to another, as observed by ESR spectroscopy. This versatility of copper in HA gives it optical properties that change from a violet color with near-IR absorption to a blue hue. In all cases, Cu-O-Cu interactions persist whatever the valence state, and heat treatment induces a redox phenomenon, with copper exchanging between two sites close to each other.

Integrating experimental and machine learning approaches for predictive analysis of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution using Cu/g-C3N4

This study addresses environmental issues like global warming and wastewater generation by exploring waste-to-energy strategies that produce renewable hydrogen and treat wastewater simultaneously. Cu/g-C3N4 is used to evolve hydrogen from sucrose solution and the impact of reaction parameters such as pH (3, 5, and 7), Cu loading (5, 10, and 15 wt%), catalyst amount (0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 g/L), and oxidant (H2O2) concentration (0, 10, and 20 mM) on the evolved hydrogen amount is examined. Characterization study confirmed successful incorporation of Cu without significantly altering g-C3N4 properties. The highest hydrogen production (1979.25 μmol g−1·h−1) is achieved with 0.3 g/L catalyst, 20 mM H2O2, 5 % Cu loading, and pH 3. The experimental study concludes that Cu/g-C3N4 is an effective photocatalyst for renewable hydrogen production. In addition to the experimental investigations, various machine learning (ML) models, including Random Forest, Decision Tree, XGBoost, among others, are employed to analyze the impact of reaction parameters and forecast the quantities of produced hydrogen. Alongside these individual models, an ensemble approach is proposed and utilized. The R2 values of these ML models ranged from 0.9454 to 0.9955, indicating strong predictive performance across the board. Additionally, these models exhibited low error rates, further confirming their reliability in predicting hydrogen evolution.

A novel dissimilar resistance spot welding of Ti6Al4V alloy and 316L stainless steel via copper as interlayer by using optimal electrodes

A novel dissimilar resistance spot welding of Ti6Al4V alloy and 316L stainless steel was performed via copper as interlayer by using optimal electrodes. A significant improvement in nugget morphology being of less defects was achieved with increasing the copper interlayer thickness from 50 μm to 400 μm. Thinner interfacial reaction layers at both the nugget/titanium interface and the nugget/stainless steel interface and finer equiaxed dendritic grained structure at the inner nugget were formed with copper interlayer thickness of 300 μm compared with those without interlayer. The formation of TiCu and Ti2Cu was facilitated with the incorporation of Cu into the nugget, which effectively inhibited the formation of the brittle Ti–Fe intermetallic compounds including Fe2Ti. The nugget in the welded joint with copper interlayer in 300 μm thickness exhibited a far lower microhardness than that of the interlayer-free welded joint, and the average microhardness reduced to 604 HV in the inner nugget, which was about 36% lower than that of the interlayer-free welded joint. The tensile shear load of the welded joint exhibited an increased tendency with increasing interlayer thicknesses from 50 μm to 300 μm, and the maximum tensile shear load of 6.3 kN was obtained with the interlayer thickness of 300 μm, which was ∼97% higher than that of the interlayer-free welded joint. The welded joint with copper interlayer exhibited hybrid ductile and fragile fractured characteristics. The work would provide a facile and cost-effective method to achieve a reliable welded joint of Ti alloy and stainless steel.

Effect of Cu content on the mechanical, corrosion and antibacterial properties of porous NiTi-xCu alloys for biomedical application

Porous NiTi alloys are widely used as hard tissue replacement materials due to their excellent corrosion resistance and biocompatibility. However, the lack of antibacterial ability may lead to bacterial infection after surgery. Therefore, enhancing the antibacterial ability of porous NiTi alloys by incorporating Cu is of significant value. In this paper, porous NiTi-xCu alloys (x = 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5 at%) were prepared via powder metallurgy and the influence of Cu content on their properties were investigated. The results demonstrate that the compressive strength and antibacterial activity of the alloys increase with increasing Cu content. The NiTi-1.5Cu sample exhibits the highest compressive strength of 48.7 MPa and antibacterial rate of 99.6 %. Furthermore, the addition of Cu improves the corrosion resistance of the alloys, and the NiTi-1Cu specimen exhibits the lowest corrosion rate of 0.123 mm year−1. It is concluded that the incorporation of Cu effectively enhances the compressive strength, corrosion resistance and antibacterial properties of the porous NiTi alloys, making them promising candidates for hard tissue replacement applications.

Investigation of the Electrical Properties of Cu-doped CoOx/n-Si Structures Fabricated by the Sol-Gel Method

The sol-gel spin coating technique was employed for the deposition of thin films comprising CoOx, Cu-doped CoOx, and CuOx onto n-Si substrates. Subsequently, an exhaustive examination of the electrical properties of the resultant heterojunction structures was conducted. The outcomes unequivocally indicate that the incorporation of Cu through doping exerts a pronounced influence on the electrical attributes of the CoOx/n-Si diode. Notably, all diodes exhibit rectifying behavior, a discernible feature in their dark current-voltage (I-V) characteristics. The I-V data was further utilized to ascertain pivotal junction parameters, encompassing series resistance (Rs), rectification ratio (RR), ideality factor (n), and barrier height (ΦB). The values of the ideality factor for CoOx/n-Si, Cu doped CoOx/n-Si and CuOx/n-Si are obtained to be 3.19, 1.99 and 2.19 eV, respectively. Furthermore, the capacitance-voltage (C-V) characteristics of diodes were performed within the frequency range of 10 kHz to 1 MHz. These findings underscore that judicious manipulation of the copper doping concentration can serve as an effective means to modulate the electrical properties of CoOx/n-Si diodes.

Synergistic effect of Cu doped ZnO nanoparticles for enhanced electrochemical sensor and photocatalytic activity

As the population increases, water scarcity has become a major concern. Therefore, the removal and detection of heavy metals and dyes are essential in modern society. This investigation aimed to authenticate the augmented photocatalytic and sensing capabilities of synthesized ZnO and Cu-doped ZnO (Cu–ZnO) nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were synthesized using a simple precipitation technique. The structural and morphological charecteristics of ZnO and Cu–ZnO nanoparticles were assessed through a comprehensive characterization techniques (XRD, XPS, HRTEM). According to the characterization findings, the average crystallite size was determined to be 10 nm for ZnO and 12.8 nm for Cu–ZnO, exhibiting a well-defined crystalline structure. The investigation of photocatalytic activity conducted by varying concentrations of synthesized nanomaterials, demonstrates an improved decomposition of Amaranth dye 93.32%, attributed to the presence of Cu as a dopant. The effectiveness of the synthesized nanomaterials in detecting lead has been demonstrated through multiple electrochemical studies by utilizing a three-electrode system. The electrochemical investigations revealed that the incorporation of Cu into ZnO nanoparticles effectively enhanced the sensing capacity for detecting lead when compared to the sensing capacity of ZnO nanoparticles.

Improving ammonia oxidation to nitrogen across wide potential range via synergistic effect over Cu and Ni anchored Metal‐Organic Frameworks

Ammonia is a safe and efficient hydrogen carrier, and electrocatalytic ammonia oxidation reaction (AOR) is a pivotal anodic process for ammonia decomposition to produce hydrogen. Although previous works have devoted to reducing the reaction potential, concurrently achieving a high Faradaic efficiency (FE) for nitrogen (N2) remains a substantial challenge, particularly across a broad potential range. Here, Ni and Cu nanoparticles anchored nickel metal–organic framework (Ni-NDC) electrocatalyst is successfully synthetized. During the AOR process, the surface catalyst could be evolved into stable NiOOH. The well-dispersed Ni and Cu nanoparticles on the Ni-NDC facilitate a unique interaction between Cu and both the Ni nanoparticles and the Ni-NDC framework. With the incorporation of Cu, the adsorption of hydroxyl (*OH) is impaired to suppress the formation of oxygen-containing by-products (such as NO3– and NO2–) across a wide potential range. Consequently, the FE(N2) is markedly high (approximately 90%). Additionally, the reaction kinetic is also improved, resulting in a lower reaction potential for AOR. This work provides an effective method for synthesizing high-performance AOR electrocatalysts.

Insight into the Structural and Performance Correlation of Photocatalytic TiO2/Cu Composite Films Prepared by Magnetron Sputtering Method

Photocatalysis technology, as an efficient and safe environmentally friendly purification technique, has garnered significant attention and interest. Traditional TiO2 photocatalytic materials still face limitations in practical applications, hindering their widespread adoption. The research prepared TiO2/Cu films with different Cu contents using a magnetron sputtering multi-target co-deposition technique. The incorporation of Cu significantly enhances the antibacterial properties and visible light response of the films. The effects of different Cu contents on the microstructure, surface morphology, wettability, antibacterial properties, and visible light response of the films were investigated using an X-ray diffractometer, X-ray photoelectron spectrometer, field emission scanning electron microscope, confocal laser scanning microscope, Ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometer, and contact angle goniometer. The results showed that the prepared TiO2/Cu films were mainly composed of the rutile TiO2 phase and face-center cubic Cu phase. The introduction of Cu affected the crystal orientation of TiO2 and refined the grain size of the films. With the increase in Cu content, the surface roughness of the films first decreased and then increased. The water contact angle of the films first increased and then decreased, and the film exhibited optimal hydrophobicity when the Cu target power was 10 W. The TiO2/Cu films showed good antibacterial properties against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The introduction of Cu shifted the absorption edge of the films to the red region, significantly narrowed the band gap width to 2.5 eV, and broadened the light response range of the films to the visible light region.

Boosting oxygen reduction performance by copper-iron co-doped on ZIF-derived N-doped carbon nanotubes

Developing high-efficiency non-noble metal catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is paramount for sustainable energy conversion. In this study, we proposed a Cu, Fe co-doped zeolite imidazole framework (ZIF)-derived nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes catalyst (Cu–Fe@CNTs/NC) obtained by hydrothermal method and pyrolysis. The electrochemical results showed that Cu–Fe@CNTs/NC exhibited favorable oxygen reduction performance and good stability under alkaline electrolyte. The incorporation of Cu and Fe bimetallic dopants promoted the carbon nanotubes growth on ZIF nanosheets, and the collaborative action of Cu and Fe enhanced its ORR catalytic activity. These findings provide an innovative way to prepare high active non-platinum ORR catalysts.

Efficient broadband near-infrared emission based on copper-alloyed metal halides

Recently, metal halides have shown broad application prospects due to excellent electronic and optical properties. Although significant developments have been realized, the spectra range of their photoluminescence (PL) emission is mainly limited to the visible region. Near-infrared (NIR) emitting materials are widely used in the fields of night vision, biomedical imaging, non-destructive food inspection, etc. On this occasion, extending the luminescence scope of metal halides to NIR region is of great significance. Generally, NIR-emitted metal halides are realized through rare earth (RE) ions doping. However, RE luminescence usually have narrow-band characteristics, which makes it difficult to realize broadband NIR emission. In this study, we present an efficient broadband NIR-emitted metal halide CsAgBr2 through copper ions alloying, its emission locates at 830 nm with a large FWHM (full width at half maximum) of 332 nm. Theoretical calculations suggest that the incorporation of Cu+ could effectively modulate the density of states and enhance the localized characterization, which is beneficial to boost the PL efficiency. Furthermore, this material displays favorable structure stability under ambient conditions. This study demonstrates the great application potential of Cu+-alloyed CsAgBr2 in the field of NIR optical electronics.

(Invited) Efficient Ternary Nicuw Hydrogen Oxidation Catalysts for Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

Anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs) offer prospective approaches to replace proton exchange membrane fuel cells via cost-effective catalysts and membranes. While significant progress has been made in efficient nonnoble electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction in alkaline media, the hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) in the alkaline condition still relies on high platinum loadings to compensate for its sluggish kinetics. Therefore, developing efficient non-noble metal electrocatalysts with Pt-like HOR performances in alkaline electrolytes is highly desired but a great challenge.The hydrogen binding energy (HBE) has been identified as the primary descriptor for the HOR. Additionally, an unfavorable hydroxide binding energy (OHBE) is considered the rate-determining step in the Volmer reaction to generate water. Therefore, an ideal catalyst for HOR should achieve a balance between HBE and OHBE. However, despite being a promising non-noble metal, nickel exhibits excessively high HBE and lacks active sites for hydroxide adsorption, which hinders its further application in the real fuel cell.In this work, NiW was successfully deposited onto Cu to form a ternary Ni-Cu-W alloy catalyst by a chemical reduction method. Through XPS spectra, we found the charge transfer from Ni to W to give Ni a higher valence state, contributing to a weakened hydrogen binding energy. Electrochemical measurements observed Ni-Cu-W exhibit an kinetic activity with 117.9 mA/mgNi at η= 50 mV, which is the highest among the reported platinum group metal-free catalysts. Ni-Cu-W alloy showcased robust stability, with no activity degradation during an accelerated long-term durability test between a low overpotential (-0.1 ~ 0.1 V, vs RHE) with 10,000 cyclic voltammetry scans and only a 5.7% activity loss at η= 50 mV when applying more larger overpotential (-0.1 ~ 0.2 V) with the same cycles. When assembled with this catalyst as anode and Pt/C as cathode, it delivered a peak power density of 289 mW/cm2. Both experimental and theoretical studies were conducted to gain insights into the catalyst's enhanced performance. Our findings revealed that the incorporation of Cu into the catalyst significantly weakened the adsorption of hydrogen species, while simultaneously lowering the energy barrier required for the absorption of hydroxide ions. These key observations might shed light on the underlying mechanisms responsible for the catalyst's improved activity and stability.

Na+ doped CuO: A new paradigm electrode material for high performance supercapacitors

This study investigates the influence of sodium doping on the properties of cupric oxide (CuO) thin films synthesized via spray pyrolysis. Comprehensive characterization was conducted using X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Raman spectroscopy, Hall effect measurements, and electrochemical studies. All films exhibited p-type conductivity, with an optical band gap variation from 1.53 to 1.73 eV. XRD analysis confirmed the dominance of monoclinic CuO, with minor phases of Cu2O and Cu4O3. EDAX and XPS verified the incorporation of Cu, O, and Na elements. FESEM revealed a densely packed morphology with uniform particle distribution and rough surfaces in the electrically optimized film. The Raman spectra of doped samples showed increased intensity and sharpness, attributed to Na + ion-induced polarizability enhancement. Hall effect measurements indicated a tenfold decrease in carrier concentration and a more than tenfold increase in mobility upon sodium doping. Films doped with 4 at.% sodium exhibited the lowest resistivity. Additionally, Na doping enhanced the electrochemical performance of CuO. These findings demonstrate that sodium doping significantly enhances the electrical, optical and electrochemical properties of CuO thin films, making them suitable for applications in optoelectronic devices and supercapacitors.

Regulating cobalt-nitrogen function centers via Cu incorporation enhances ciprofloxacin destruction through peroxymonosulfate activation

Metal-nitrogen (M-N) coupling has shown promise as a catalytic active component for various reactions. However, the regulation of heterogeneous catalytic materials with M-N coupling for peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation to enhance the degradation efficiency and reusability of antibiotics remains a challenge. In this study, an efficient modulation of M-N coupling was achieved through the incorporation of Cu into Co4N to form a Cu-Co4N composite with sea urchin-like morphology assembled by numerous nano-needles using hydrothermal and nitriding processes. This modulation led to enhanced PMS activation for ciprofloxacin (CIP) degradation. The Cu-Co4N/PMS system demonstrated exceptional removal efficiency with a degradation rate of 95.85% within 30 min and can be reused for five time without obvious loss of its initial activity. Additionally, the catalyst displayed a high capacity for degrading various challenging organic pollutants, as well as remarkable stability, resistance to interferences, and adaptability to pH changes. The synergistic effect between Co and Cu facilitated multiple redox cycles, resulting in the generation of reactive oxidized species. The primary active species involved in the catalytic degradation process included 1O2, SO4•-, O2•-, •OH, and e−, with 1O2 and SO4•- playing the most significant roles. The degradation pathways and toxicity of the intermediates for CIP were unveiled. This study offers valuable insights into the regulation of M-N centers for degrading antibiotics through PMS activation.

Hierachical Aerogel-Supported Cu-Sn-Ox Solid Solutions for Highly Selective CO2 Electroreduction and Zn-CO2 Batteries.

The electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) into high-value carbon compounds such as CO and HCOOH is a promising strategy for the utilization and conversion of emitted CO2. However, the selectivity of the CO2RR for HCOOH is typically less than 90% and operates within a narrow voltage range, which limits its practical application. Herein, we propose a novel heterostructural aerogel as a highly efficient electrocatalyst for CO2RR to HCOOH. This catalyst consists of Cu-Sn-Ox solid solutions embedded in a reduced graphene oxide matrix (Cu-Sn-Ox/rGO). The incorporation of Cu2+ into the SnO2 matrix enhances HCOOH production by improving the adsorption of the *OCHO intermediate and inhibiting H2 evolution, as confirmed by in situ measurements and computational studies. As a result, Cu-Sn-Ox/rGO achieves a remarkable Faradaic efficiency (FE) of up to 91.4% for HCOOH and maintains high selectivity over a broad operating voltage range (-0.8 to -1.1 V). Additionally, the assembled Zn-CO2 batteries demonstrated an excellent power density of 1.14 mW/cm2 and exceptional stability for over 25 h.

Investigation of structural, morphological, optical and electronic properties of Cu-doped PbS thin films: a comparative experimental and theoretical study

Thin film technology has emerged as a cornerstone in optoelectronics, enabling the fabrication of compact, lightweight devices with enhanced performance and efficiency through precise control of the nanoscale thicknesses of functional materials. The current study explores the impact of copper (Cu) doping (3.125%, 6.25%, and 12.5%) on lead (Pb) sites in PbS to examine the structural, morphological, electronic, optical, and thermoelectric characteristics, employing both experimental and theoretical approaches. Polycrystalline thin films of PbS are deposited by spin coating technique on glass substrates. The XRD study discloses the cubic crystal structure of pristine and Cu-doped PbS with nominal variation in d-spacing. Surface morphological investigations reveal that Cu-doping transforms the coffee beans like grains to nanoplates that significantly affect the surface homogeneity and porosity. The tuning of band structure in the visible range, 1.64–2.21 eV is witnessed in the band structure analysis. Moreover, the experimental results are complemented by a theoretical study using WIEN2k software. Theoretical study exhibits the direct bandgap nature and with the incorporation of Cu, it increases from 0.89 to 2.11 eV. The density of states spectra for Cu-doped PbS exhibits strong hybridization between p-states of Pb and S, and d-states of Cu. Optical findings demonstrate significant variations in the absorption spectrum, which result in modifications in the optical energy band gap and peculiar optical parameters of doped samples. At room temperature, the increase in electrical conductivity (σ/τ) from 0.2 × 1020 (Ω.m.s)−1 for PbS to 0.3 × 1020, 3.1 × 1020 and 7.8 × 1020 (Ω.m.s)−1, thermal conductivity from 0.25 × 1014 W m.K.s−1 to 0.30 × 1014, 2.4 × 1014 and 5.2 × 1014 W m.K.s−1 and decrease in Seebeck coefficient from 72 to 35, 13 and 8 μV/K with the inclusion of Cu up to 3.125, 6.25 and 12.5% offer the potential for advancing thermoelectric technology. This could lead to improved efficiency and practical utilization in energy harvesting and waste heat recovery.