Graphene
oxide (GO) contains randomly distributed nonconductive
sp3-C domains with planar acidity, making it simultaneously
an electrical insulator and a proton conductor. GO’s ability
for in-plane and through-plane cationic transport together with its
impermeability to molecular fuels projected them as inexpensive and
sustainable membranes for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs).
Nevertheless, the room-temperature proton transport in bulk GO is
at least an order lower than that of the state of the art Nafion membrane,
challenging the construction of a practical energy conversion device
with the former. We show that the proton flux in GO along the H-bonded
network projected outward of the carbon planes can be significantly
amplified by thinning the 2D carbon layer stacking of carbon nanosheets
in GO. The noticeably higher room-temperature fuel cell performance
metrics of a thin-layer GO proton conductor compared to the commercial
Nafion membrane with ∼410 mW/cm2 of peak power at
∼1300 mA/cm2 of peak current demonstrates distinct
progress in the sustainable energy landscape.
Interconversion of acid-base neutralization energy as electrical driving force can spontaneously desalinate saline water during electric power production without a net redox reaction. This entropically favorable chemistry performs desalination by reversible redox reactions involving only gases, water, H + , and OH À such that the products and reactants of the reaction will not contaminate the desalinated water.
The role of electrocatalysts in energy storage/conversion,
biomedical
and environmental sectors, green chemistry, and much more has generated
enormous interest in comprehending their structure–activity
relations. While targeting the surface-to-volume ratio, exposing reactive
crystal planes and interfacial modifications are time-tested considerations
for activating metallic catalysts; it is primarily by substitution
in molecular electrocatalysts. This account draws the distinction
between a substituent’s chemical identity and isomerism, when
regioisomerism of the −NO2 substituent is conferred
at the “α” and “β” positions
on the macrocycle of cobalt phthalocyanines. Spectroscopic analysis
and theoretical calculations establish that the β isomer accumulates
catalytically active intermediates via a cumulative influence of inductive
and resonance effects. However, the field effect in the α isomer
restricts this activation due to a vanishing resonance effect. The
demonstration of the distinct role of isomerism in substituted molecular
electrocatalysts for reactions ranging from energy conversion to biosensing
highlights that isomerism of the substituents makes an independent contribution to electrocatalysis
over its chemical identity.
We utilize proton-coupled electron transfer in hydrogen storage molecules to unlock a rechargeable battery chemistry based on the cleanest chemical energy carrier molecule, hydrogen. Electrochemical, spectroscopic, and spectroelectrochemical analyses evidence the participation of protons during charge-discharge chemistry and extended cycling. In an era of anthropogenic global climate change and paramount pollution, a battery concept based on a virtually nonpolluting energy carrier molecule demonstrates distinct progress in the sustainable energy landscape.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.