An Fe group ternary nanoalloy (NA) catalyst enabled selective electrocatalysis towards CO 2 -free power generation from highly deliverable ethylene glycol (EG). A solid-solution-type FeCoNi NA catalyst supported on carbon was prepared by a two-step reduction method. High-resolution electron microscopy techniques identified atomic-level mixing of constituent elements in the nanoalloy. We examined the distribution of oxidised species, including CO 2 , produced on the FeCoNi nanoalloy catalyst in the EG electrooxidation under alkaline conditions. The FeCoNi nanoalloy catalyst exhibited the highest selectivities toward the formation of C 2 products and to oxalic acid, i.e., 99 and 60%, respectively, at 0.4 V vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), without CO 2 generation. We successfully generated power by a direct EG alkaline fuel cell employing the FeCoNi nanoalloy catalyst and a solid-oxide electrolyte with oxygen reduction ability, i.e., a completely precious-metal-free system. T he consumption of finite fossil fuel energy resources has inadvertently increased the CO 2 concentration in the atmosphere, and increased concerns regarding climate issues due to CO 2 emissions have spurred the development of alternative and sustainable energy cycle systems 1,2 . This research has recently expanded to energy conversion applications via the development of fuel cells (FCs) that utilise fuels such as hydrogen or alcohol with high conversion efficiency 3 . Hydrogen, which yields water as the product of its oxidation, is regarded as an environmentally feasible fuel. However, industrial hydrogen is mainly produced by fossil fuel reforming 4 , resulting in the release of large quantities of CO 2 . The use of alcohols as alternative fuels is also anticipated due to their ability to be directly used for power generation without reforming and their high energy density. For example, the volumetric energy densities of ethanol, methanol and ethylene glycol (EG) (6.34, 4.82 5 and 5.9 kW h?L 21 6 , respectively) are higher than that of gaseous hydrogen (0.53 kWh?L 21 at 20 MPa) 5 . Among alcohols, EG is of particular interest because it has a high boiling point (197.3uC), low vapour pressure (8 Pa at 20uC) and lower toxicity 6 , essential characteristics for facilitating fuel distribution 7. EG can be produced from biomass-derived resources, e.g., cellulose, and is thus considered a promising environmentally friendly alternative fuel 8,9 . Therefore, an effective EG electrooxidation catalyst is of great interest and has been the subject of intensive study in recent decades [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28] . Pt-based materials are the major group of anodic electrode catalysts in direct-EG FCs. However, the precious metal dependence of these materials is a major impediment to the commercialisation of such energy-generating devices from a cost perspective 29 . EG is oxidised to several products via multiple electron oxidations (Fig. 1), with ultimate production of CO 2 , a 10-electron oxid...

essential oil of Homalomena pineodora inhibits diabetic pathogens; however, the activity was not sustainable when applied as wound dressing. this study aims to synthesise the essential oil nanoparticle using chitosan. The nanoparticles were synthesised with ion gelation method, confirmed by spectroscopic analysis. The spherical nanoparticles display a size of 70 nm, with strong surface charge of +24.10 mV. The nanoparticles showed an initial burst release followed by a slow release pattern for 72 h, following the first order of kinetic. the release behaviour was ideal for wound dressing. the antimicrobial activity was broad spectrum. the formation of nanoparticle enhanced the antimicrobial efficacy of the essential oil. The nanoparticle also showed a concentration-dependent killing behaviour on time-kill assay. In the 3D collagen wound models, the nanoparticles reduced the microbial growth by 60-80%. In conclusion, H. pineodora nanoparticles showed pharmaceutical potential in inhibiting microbial growth on diabetic ulcers.

We demonstrate electric power generation via the electrooxidation of ethylene glycol (EG) on a series of Fe-group nanoalloy (NA) catalysts in alkaline media. A series of Fe-group binary NA catalysts supported on carbon (FeCo/C, FeNi/C, and CoNi/C) and monometallic analogues (Fe/C, Co/C, and Ni/C) were synthesized. Catalytic activities and product distributions on the prepared Fe-group NA catalysts in the EG electrooxidation were investigated by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry, and compared with those of the previously reported FeCoNi/C, which clarified the contributory factors of the metal components for the EG electrooxidation activity, C2 product selectivity, and catalyst durability. The Co-containing catalysts, such as Co/C, FeCo/C, and FeCoNi/C, exhibit relatively high catalytic activities for EG electrooxidation, whereas the catalytic performances of Ni-containing catalysts are relatively low. However, we found that the inclusion of Ni is a requisite for the prevention of rapid degradation due to surface modification of the catalyst. Notably, FeCoNi/C shows the highest selectivity for oxalic acid production without CO2 generation at 0.4 V vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), resulting from the synergetic contribution of all of the component elements. Finally, we performed power generation using the direct EG alkaline fuel cell in the presence of the Fe-group catalysts. The power density obtained on each catalyst directly reflected the catalytic performances elucidated in the electrochemical experiments for the corresponding catalyst. The catalytic roles and alloying effects disclosed herein provide information on the design of highly efficient electrocatalysts containing Fe-group metals.