Spinel-type LiMn1.5Ni0.5O4 has been paid temendrous consideration as an electrode material because of its low cost, high voltage, and stabilized electrochemical performance. Here, we demonstrate the mechanism of iron (Fe) integration into LiMn1.5Ni0.5O4 via solution methods followed by calcination at a high temparature, as an efficient electrocatalyst for water splitting. Various microscopic and structural characterizations of the crystal structure affirmed the integration of Fe into the LiMn1.5Ni0.5O4 lattice and the constitution of the cubic LiMn1.38Fe0.12Ni0.5O4 crystal. Local structure analysis around Fe by extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) showed Fe3+ ions in a six-coordinated octahedral environment, demonstrating incorporation of Fe as a substitute at the Mn site in the LiMn1.5Ni0.5O4 host. EXAFS also confirmed that the perfectly ordered LiMn1.5Ni0.5O4 spinel structure becomes disturbed by the fractional cationic substitution and also stabilizes the LiMn1.5Ni0.5O4 structure with structural disorder of the Ni2+ and Mn4+ ions in the 16d octahedral sites by Fe2+ and Fe3+ ions. However, we have found that Mn3+ ion production from the redox reaction between Mn4+ and Fe2+ influences the electronic conductivity significantly, resulting in improved electrochemical oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity for the LiMn1.38Fe0.12Ni0.5O4 structure. Surface-enhanced Fe in LiMn1.38Fe0.12Ni0.5O4 serves as the electrocatalytic active site for OER, which was verified by the density functional theory study.

Unraveling the origins of the electrocatalytic activity of composite nanomaterials is crucial but inherently challenging. Here, we present a comprehensive investigation of the influence of different orbitals’ interaction in the AuAgCu nanobowl model electrocatalyst during the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). According to our theoretical study, AgAuCu exhibits a lower energy barrier than AgAu and AgCu bimetallic systems for the HER, suggesting that the trimetallic AgAuCu system interacts optimally with H*, resulting in the most efficient HER catalyst. As we delve deeper into the HER activity of AgAuCu, it was observed that the presence of Cu allows Au to adsorb the H* intermediate through the hybridization of s orbitals of hydrogen and s, d x 2 –y 2, and d z 2 orbitals of Au. Such orbital interaction was not present in the cases of AgAu and AgCu bimetallic systems, and as a result, these bimetallic systems exhibit lower HER activities.

The dichalcogenide ligated molecules in catalysis to produce molecular hydrogen through electroreduction of water are rarely explored. Here, a series of heterometallic [Ag 4 (S 2 PFc(OR) 4 ] [where Fc = Fe(η 5 -C 5 H 4 )(η 5 -C 5 H 5 ), R = Me, 1; Et, 2; n Pr, 3; iso Amyl, 4] clusters were synthesized and characterized by IR, absorption spectroscopy, NMR ( 1 H, 31 P), and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The molecular structures of 1, 2, and 3 clusters were established by single-crystal X-ray crystallographic analysis. The structural elucidation shows that each triangular face of a tetrahedral silver(I) core is capped by a ferrocenyl dithiophosphonate ligand in a trimetallic triconnective (η 3 ; μ 2 , μ 1 ) pattern. A comparative electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction of 1−5 (R = i Pr, 5) was studied in order to demonstrate the potential of these clusters in water splitting activity. The experimental results reveal that catalytic performance decreases with increases in the length of the carbon chain and branching within the alkoxy (-OR) group of these clusters. Catalytic durability was found effective even after 8 h of a chronoamperometric stability test along with 1500 cycles of linear sweep voltammetry performance, and only 15 mV overpotential was increased at 5 mA/cm 2 current density for cluster 1. A catalytic mechanism was proposed by applying density functional theory (DFT) on clusters 1 and 2 as a representative. Here, a μ 1 coordinated S-site between Ag 4 core and ligand was found a reaction center. The experimental results are also in good accordance with the DFT analysis.

The preparation of high-nuclearity silver nanoclusters in quantitative yield remains exclusive and their potential applications in the catalysis of organic reactions are still undeveloped. Here, we have synthesized a quantum dot (QD)-based catalyst, [Ag62S13(SBu t )32]­(PF6)4 (denoted as Ag62S12-S) in excellent yield that enables the direct synthesis of pharmaceutically precious 3,4-dihydroquinolinone in 92% via a decarboxylative radical cascade reaction of cinnamamide with α-oxocarboxylic acid under mild reaction conditions. In comparison, a superatom [Ag62S12(SBu t )32]­(PF6)2 (denoted as Ag62S12) with identical surface anatomy and size, but without a central S2– atom in the core, gives an improved yield (95%) in a short time and exhibits higher reactivity. Multiple characterization techniques (single-crystal X-ray diffraction, nuclear magnetic resonance (1H and 31P), electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis) confirm the formation of Ag62S12-S. The BET results expose the total active surface area in supporting a single e– transfer reaction mechanism. Density functional theory reveals that leaving the central S atom of Ag62S12-S leads to higher charge transfer from Ag62S12 to the reactant, accelerates the decarboxylation process, and correlates the catalytic properties with the structure of the nanocatalyst.

The catalytically active configuration of ZnO/Cu in the commercial ZnO/Cu/Al 2 O 3 catalyst for methanol synthesis from CO 2 is still not clear. In this study, we employ density functional theory based methods to shed light on the structure and stoichiometry of ZnO clusters both free in the gas phase and also deposited on the Cu(111) surface under methanol synthesis conditions. Specifically, we investigate the structural evolution of ZnO clusters in the presence of hydrogen and water. We find that the stability of ZnO clusters increases with the concentration of water until the ratio of Zn and OH in the clusters reaches 1:2, with a morphological transition from planar to 3D configurations for clusters containing more than 4 Zn atoms. These clusters exhibit weak interaction with CO 2 , and water is predicted to block the active center. The Cu(111) surface plays an important role in enhancing the adsorption of CO 2 on the ZnO/Cu(111) systems. We infer that ZnO nanostructures covered with OH species may be the morphology of the ZnO during the methanol synthesis from the hydrogenation of CO 2 on the industrial catalyst.