MnxCo3‐x[Co(CN)6]2 Prussian blue analogues were synthesized with Mn : Co ratios in the range from 7 : 10 to 1 : 11 and pyrolyzed at 600 °C to obtain a highly nitrogen‐ and oxygen‐functionalized carbon matrix with embedded reduced Mn and Co species. These catalyst precursors were applied in the CO hydrogenation to higher alcohols at 260 °C and a pressure of 60 bar using a H2/CO ratio of 1. Metallic Co0 formed during pyrolysis was partially transformed into Co2C under reaction conditions. With increasing Co content CO conversion increased up to 10.6 % reaching a total alcohol selectivity of 19 %. Gas chromatograms revealed the expected formation of primary short‐chain alcohols, but also of secondary alcohols, acetic acid and propionaldehyde indicating olefin hydration, carbonylation and hydroformylation as reaction pathways, respectively. The obtained hydrocarbon fractions had a very high olefinicity, which is beneficial for both olefin hydration to secondary alcohols catalyzed by adsorbed carboxylic acids and for hydroformylation. Whereas the carbide‐based reaction pathway and the reductive hydroformylation are assumed to occur at the Co2C/Co0 interface, carbonylation is presumably catalyzed by an additional Co‐based active site. Thus, a unique class of multifunctional catalysts was obtained with highly promising properties bridging the gap between heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysis.

While zwitterionic interfaces are known for their excellent low-fouling properties, the underlying molecular principles are still under debate. In particular, the role of the zwitterion orientation at the interface has been discussed recently. To elucidate the effect of this parameter, self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on gold were prepared from stoichiometric mixtures of oppositely charged alkyl thiols bearing either a quaternary ammonium or a carboxylate moiety. The alkyl chain length of the cationic component (11-mercaptoundecyl)-N,N,N-trimethylammonium (MUDTMA), which controls the distance of the positively charged end group from the substrate's surface, was kept constant. In contrast, the anionic component, and, correspondingly, the distance of the negatively charged carboxylate groups from the surface, was varied changing the alkyl chain length in the thiol molecules from seven (MOA) via 11 (MDDA) to 15 (MHDA). In this way, the charge neutrality of the coating was maintained, but the charged groups exposed at the interface to water were varied, and thus, the orientation of the dipoles in the SAMs was altered. In model biofouling studies, protein 3 adsorption, diatom accumulation and the settlement of zoospores were all affected by the altered charge distribution. This demonstrates the importance of the dipole orientation in mixed charged SAMs for their inertness to non-specific protein adsorption and the accumulation of marine organisms. Overall, biofouling was lowest when both the anionic and the cationic groups were placed at the same distance from the substrate's surface.

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Using high-pressure methanol and methyl formate pulses as a surface-sensitive operando method for high-pressure methanol synthesis over Cu/ZnO/Al2O3, the recently found autocatalytic pathway was confirmed. The autocatalytic effect is assumed...