Atomically ultrathin rhodium nanosheets obtained by the cyanogel reduction method demonstrate an excellent electrocatalytic activity for the nitrogen reduction reaction.

Highly dispersive carbon-supported octahedral Pt-based catalysts were prepared by an efficient one-pot synthetic strategy without using any bulky capping agents and were demonstrated as promising catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR).

The controllable synthesis of noble metal alloy nanostructures with highly branched morphology has attracted much attention because of their specific physical and chemical properties. This article reports the synthesis of platinum-copper bimetallic alloy nanodendrites (Pt-Cu BANDs) by a facile, one-pot, templateless, and seedless hydrothermal method in the presence of poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) and formaldehyde (HCHO). The morphology, composition, and structure of Pt-Cu BANDs are fully characterized by various physical techniques, demonstrating Pt-Cu BANDs are highly alloying, porous, and self-supported nanostructures. The formation/growth mechanism of Pt-Cu BANDs is explored and discussed based on the experimental observations. The autocatalytic growth and interdiffusion are responsible for the formation of Pt-Cu alloy whereas selective oxidative etching results in dendritic morphology of Pt-Cu alloy nanostructures. In addition, the electrocatalytic activity and stability of Pt-Cu BANDs for the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) are investigated by various electrochemical techniques. The synthesized Pt-Cu BANDs show higher electrocatalytic activity and stability than commercially available Pt black.

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Optimizing the shape, structure, and interface of noble metal bimetallic nanostructures significantly improves their catalytic properties. Recently, Au@Pd core–shell bimetallic nanostructures have attracted considerable interest for fuel cell applications. Regrettably, most of the research mainly focuses on the morphological and structural control whereas interfacial control is neglected. In this work, polyethylenimine (PEI) functionalized Au nanowires@Pd core–shell bimetallic nanohybrids (Au-NWs@Pd@PEI) are synthesized by a chemical reduction method using Au nanowires (Au-NWs) as seeds in the presence of PEI and demonstrate their application toward oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in an alkaline solution. Electrochemical results display that Au-NWs@Pd@PEI with optimal component shows enhanced ORR activity, selectivity, and durability compared to Pt/C electrocatalyst. Physical characterizations demonstrate that the electronic property of Pd shell mainly is affected by PEI polymer rather than Au-NWs core. Relative to PEI functionalized Pd nanowires without Au core, ORR activity enhancement of Au-NWs@Pd@PEI is exclusively ascribed to the surface strain effect. Meanwhile, loose-packed PEI polymer on the Pd surface can work as barrier nanosieves to exclusively prevent the access of methanol to Pd sites, which imparts Au-NWs@Pd@PEI with enhanced methanol tolerance toward ORR in an alkaline solution.

Sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ), ammonia (NH 3 ), hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S), nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), and nitric oxide (NO) are toxic gases from industrial exhaust, which could lead to acid rain, air pollution, health hazards, or corrosion of buildings. Removal of toxic gas is necessary for mitigating damage on human health, improving air quality, conforming to government regulations, and reusing in industry. However, capture of toxic gases with high efficiency, high selectivity, high sustainability, and low cost is still very challenging. Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are novel green and designable solvents with high biocompatibility, high degradability, and low cost. Capturing toxic gases (e.g., SO 2 , NH 3 , H 2 S, NO 2 , and NO) by DESs is promising and environmentally friendly, which has attracted much attention. Here, we review the capture of SO 2 , NH 3 , H 2 S, NO 2 , and NO by DESs. CO 2 capture by DESs is not included because several reviews on that topic have been published.

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