Physical Chemistry Commons^™

The Conquest For Information V The Fermi Paradox, Matthew A. Kramer

PANDION: The Osprey Journal of Research and Ideas

The concepts of intelligent life beyond earth and extraterrestrial civilizations have intrigued scientists and scholars alike. Intellectuals have suggested that extraterrestrial intelligence should be detectable somewhere in the grand universe; however, despite continued effort, no one has reliably documented evidence supporting extraterrestrial life, culminating in the Fermi Paradox. One perspective to solve the Fermi Paradox involves using logic and analytical reasoning skills to deduce the limits of detection based on what is most probabilistically determinable via the Drake equation. However, with information comes costs and these emergent energetic complexities drive civilizations to maximize computing power, converging into a blackhole transcendent …

Metal Oxide Semiconductor Gas Sensors For Exhaled Breath Cancer Biomarker Detection, Guang-Lan Chen, Hui-Hui Luo, Wen-Wen Peng, Shi-Yu Xu, Yu-Ting Li, Hui-Jie Ke, Si-Hui Zhong, Jia-Ao Wei, Tong Chen, Xiao-Kun Li, You-Lin Zhang, Wei Chen

Journal of Electrochemistry

Early cancer screening can significantly improve therapeutic outcomes, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other related gases in exhaled breath, as cancer-specific biomarkers, offer a novel approach for non-invasive diagnosis. Metal oxide semiconductor (MOS)-based gas sensors are pivotal for exhaled breath VOCs detection, featuring compact size, cost-effectiveness, and rapid response. This review summarizes the most recent five-year research advances in cancer biomarker detection, and clarifies the core mechanisms of electrical property changes from sensing material-VOCs interactions and key performance metrics including sensitivity, selectivity, humidity tolerance, response/recovery time, stability, and operating temperature. This review also highlights the optimization strategies of sensing materials …

Electrocatalytic Oxidation Of Ethylene Glycol To Glycolic Acid: From Mechanism And Catalyst Design To Emerging Neutral Electrolyte Systems, Man Zhang, Xue Li, Xin-Yu Peng, Lin Wang, Wen-Wen Chen, Yao-Yue Yang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste represents both an environmental burden and a loss of carbon resources. Alkaline depolymerization of PET yields terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol (EG). Electrocatalytic oxidation of EG to glycolic acid (GA), the monomer of biodegradable polyglycolic acid (PGA), offers a sustainable route driven by renewable electricity. However, the ethylene glycol oxidation reaction (EGOR) involves competing pathways toward C2 products (GA and oxalic acid) and C1 products (formic acid and CO₂), making selective GA production a central challenge. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent progress in selective EG-to-GA electrooxidation from catalyst design, mechanistic understanding, …

Regularization-Based Crystallite Size Distribution Analysis Of Pt/C Catalysts From X-Ray Diffraction, Cheng-Long Ma, Wei-Yu Shi, Zhong-Jun Hou

Journal of Electrochemistry

Accurate determination of the platinum crystallite size distribution in carbon-supported platinum (Pt/C) catalysts is critical for evaluating both the initial performance and long-term durability of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Conventional characterization approaches—including transmission electron microscopy (TEM), small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and the Scherrer equation—are limited by restricted statistical sampling, sensitivity to support interference, or the inability to resolve the full breadth of the size distribution. In this work, we present a regularization-based inversion framework that extracts the volume-weighted crystallite size distribution directly from X-ray diffraction (XRD) line profiles, without requiring any a priori assumption regarding the functional form …

Effect Of Acid Pretreatment On The Adsorption Of Phenol Red By Cellulose Isolated From Sandbox (Hura Crepitans L.): Kinetics, Isotherms And Thermodynamics, Muibat O. Alabi-Abass, Najeem A. Adesola Babarinde, Adeola A. Ibikunle, Nurudeen O. Sanyaolu

Tanzania Journal of Science

The removal of synthetic dyes from wastewater remains an urgent environmental concern due to their persistence and toxicity. This study evaluates cellulose from Hura crepitans (HC) and its acid-modified form (AHC) for the adsorption of phenol red (PR) dye from aqueous solutions. The adsorbents were characterized using FTIR to identify functional groups responsible for dye binding, XRD to determine the crystalline structure, SEM to examine surface morphology, and BET/BJH analyses to measure surface area and pore distribution. Acid modification enhanced surface roughness, porosity, and the abundance of active functional sites, leading to improved adsorption efficiency. Optimal conditions were pH 9.0 …

Characterization Of Combined Adsorption Using Fermi Levels, Molecular Dynamics, And Monte Carlo Simulations To Prevent Cu–Zn (111) Alloy Corrosion, Mushtaq Jerri Meften, Ammar Abdul Jabbar Kadhim, Mohammed Shafeeq Abed

Makara Journal of Science

Experimentally developing corrosion inhibitors requires a significant amount of money and time. In silico advancement empowers selecting inhibitor molecules based on their properties derived from theoretical studies, thereby reducing costs. Our main approaches include theoretical studies such as Fermi levels, electrostatic potential surface (EPS), Fukui indices, molecular dynamics stimulations, and Monte Carlo as indispensable tools to investigate the adsorption mechanisms of molecules 6-((5-(((3S,5R)-2-oxo-5-((2-(pyrazin-2-yloxy) thiazol-5-yl) thio) tetrahydro-2H-thiopyran-3-yl) oxy)isothia-zol-3-yl)thio) nicotinic acid (PTT), and (S)-2-((5-((6-((3-(2-thioxoethoxy)-1,2,4-thiadiazol-5-yl)thio)-1,6-dihydropyra-zin-2-yl)oxy)-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl) thio) acetaldehyde (TTD) on the Cu/Zn (111) alloy. We electronically characterized PTT and TTD, which were proven effective inhibitors. Notably, all results suggested that the two exhibited high …

Dense Platinum Nanoparticles Confined In Mn-N-C Nanocages For Robust Heavy-Duty Pemfcs, Lei Zhao, Zhen-Min Cao, Jia-Yu Zuo, Ming-Liang Yang, Hong-Yan Qiao, Jun-Song Chen, Rui Wu

Journal of Electrochemistry

High-loading Pt cathodes are essential for heavy-duty proton exchange membrane fuel cells but suffer from a critical tradeoff between ionomer sulfonate poisoning and nanoparticle instability. Herein, we report a spatial confinement strategy to encapsulate dense Pt nanoparticles (~51.8 wt%) within Mn/N-co-doped mesoporous carbon nanocages (denoted as Pt-MnNC). This architecture excludes bulky ionomers to create an ionomer-shielded environment against sulfonate poisoning, while Mn-N_x-mediated strong metal-support interactions anchor the Pt nanoparticles to prevent agglomeration and further boost durability. In the 5 × 5 cm² membrane electrode assembly tests, the Pt-MnNC catalyst delivers an exceptional power density of 1.26 W·cm …

Efficient Acidic H2O2 Electrosynthesis Over Co Atoms Anchored On Nitrogen-Doped Hierarchical Porous Carbon, Xiao Huang, Zi-Hao Zhan, Hao-Xu Niu, Guan-Yu Luo, Jin-Tao Huang, Bo-Xuan Jin, De-Li Wang

Journal of Electrochemistry

The two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (2e⁻ ORR) presents a promising route for the on-site production of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), offering a green alternative to energy-consuming anthraquinone process. However, the high selectivity toward the competing 4e⁻ ORR over the desired 2e⁻ pathway leads to low Faradaic efficiency for H₂O₂, posing a critical challenge in catalyst design. In this work, a nitrogen-doped hollow hierarchical porous carbon with anchored Co atoms (CoN/HPC) was constructed for high-performance H₂O₂ production. The as-prepared Co-N/HPC catalyst showed excellent 2e⁻ ORR performance, achieving …

Engineering Small-Sized Cations With Strong Solvation For High-Voltage Supercapacitors, Tong Huo, Pan Liu, Hao Chen, Peng Zhang, Zhen-Lei Chen, Guo-Fu Sun, Zhi-Qiang Shi, Jing Wang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Supercapacitors (SCs) have attracted much attention in the field of energy storage due to their high power density and long cycle life. However, their relatively low energy density limits their application in a wider range of fields. Methods to increase energy density include enhancing specific capacitance and extending operating voltage window. Herein, we report a novel electrolyte salt, tetramethylammonium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (TMA-FSI), the resulting electrolyte formed with propylene carbonate (PC), designated as TMF, exhibited a wide electrochemical stability window (ESW) of 5.09 V. On the one hand, we found that the small size of TMA⁺ enables it to enter the …

Neural Network Driven By Electrochemical Performance Data For Predicting The Discharge Termination Time Of Seawater Electrolyte-Based Metal-Air Batteries, Peng-Peng Shen, Yi-Chi Pan, Yu-Rong Liu, Lu-Dan Zhang, Ning Niu, Guan-Jun Wang, De-Kun Yang, Xin-Long Tian, Peng Rao

Journal of Electrochemistry

Seawater electrolyte-based metal-air batteries exhibit great promise for marine energy supply systems. However, conventional statistical analysis methods, though applicable to seawater metal-air battery lifetime prediction, have inherent limitations of insufficient prediction accuracy and large error. Herein, a deep time-series regression framework based on InceptionTime and incorporating prior-biased attention pooling is proposed to construct a nonlinear mapping between electrochemical performance sequences and the discharge termination time of catalysts. Specifically, chronoamperometric profiles are employed to extract long-term stability features, while prior knowledge derived from linear sweep voltammetry is introduced to strengthen the attention weighting over critical potential regions. Under a nested leave-one-catalyst-out …

Microwave-Assisted Synthesis Of Core-Shell Structured Pd@Pdptcufe Recessed Truncated Octahedral Nanocrystals For Multifunctional Electrocatalysis, De-Zhong Hu, Wen-Dan Jiang, Wei Keat Ng, Jun Yang, Xiong-Wu Kang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Developing cost-efficient and durable multifunctional electrocatalysts of hydrogen evolution reaction, oxygen reduction reaction and oxygen evolution reaction is crucial for improving energy conversion efficiency in electrolytic water splitting electrolyzer and advancing rechargeable zinc-air batteries. Polyhedral shaped nanocrystals with well-defined crystal facets represent a type of model catalysts that enables the exploration of structure-activity relationships. However, it is still very challenging to prepare alloy nanocrystals with multiple metal components due to their complicated redox potentials and mixing enthalpy. Herein, we report a rapid microwave-assisted polyol reduction method for syntheses of core-shell Pd@PdPtCu, Pd@PdPtCuNi, Pd@PdPtCuCo and Pd@PdPtCuZn octahedral nanocrystals, and recessed truncated-octahedral …

In Situ Electrochemical Characterization Techniques For Active Hydrogen In Electrocatalytic Nitrate Reduction To Ammonia, Hong-Mei Li, Mei Yi, Zhao-Yu Jin, Ming-Hao Xie, Khalid M. Omer, Yong Guo, Pan-Pan Li

Journal of Electrochemistry

Electrocatalytic nitrate reduction to ammonia (NitRR) represents a sustainable pathway that integrates environmental remediation with the production of high-value ammonia. However, the activity and selectivity of this process are limited by the generation, consumption, and dynamic equilibrium of the key transient intermediate—active hydrogen (*H). Precise modulation of *H necessitates a comprehensive understanding of its behavior, which relies fundamentally on advanced in situ electrochemical characterization techniques. However, a systematic review dedicated to the rational selection and application of in situ electrochemical techniques for the specific characterization of *H in NitRR, with clear definitions of each technique's "detectable targets, quantitative accuracy, and …

Preparation And Performance Study Of In-Situ Self-Assembled Biphasic Smmn2O5-Nimn2O4 Composite Cathode, Neng-Chu Xia, Yu Zhou, Qin Wang, Jia-You Zhang, Chun Yu, Yang Zhang, Wan-Bing Guan, Jian-Xin Wang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Mullite-structured oxides exhibit excellent oxygen reduction reaction activity, possess a low thermal expansion coefficient due to their unique crystal structure, and can eliminate the need for a barrier layer and simplify the preparation process as they contain no alkaline earth elements. Thus, they hold great promise as novel cathode materials for solid oxide fuel cells. In this work, a mullite-spinel-structured SmMn₂O₅-NiMn₂O₄ (SMO-NMO) composite cathode was one-step synthesized via a solid-liquid composite route, and its in-situ self-assembly enabled good compatibility with the electrolyte without any barrier layer. Characterization results showed that the SMO:NMO = …

In Situ Stm Visualization Of Molecular Structural Evolution During Electrochemical Oxidation Coupling Of Para-Aminothiophenol On Au(111), Zi-Wei Ma, Tai-Rui Wu, An-Ni Zheng, Lai-Ke Chen, Yuan-Hui Xiao, Zhao-Bin Chen, Qing-Na Zheng, Jian-Zhang Zhou, Jia-Wei Yan, De-Yin Wu

Journal of Electrochemistry

Para-aminothiophenol (PATP) is not only a widely-used probe molecule in the field of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), but also an important model molecule for interfacial reactions, exhibiting distinct photo- and electro-oxidation pathways, so that PATP is selectively activated under different external fields. The evolution of products and intermediates during electrochemical oxidative coupling remains unknown. In this study, we have investigated the dynamic electrochemical oxidation process of PATP on the Au(111) surface using cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical (EC)-SERS, and in situ electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy (EC-STM). The results showed that PATP forms an unsaturated adsorption coverage on Au(111) in an acidic solution. …

Dynamic Reconstruction Engineering Of Anti-Corrosion Ni-Based Anodes For Alkaline Seawater Electrolysis, Yi-Gang Zhang, Wen-Wen Xu, Tian-Yu Zhang, Zhi-Yi Lu

Journal of Electrochemistry

Green hydrogen production via alkaline seawater electrolysis offers an environmentally sustainable and potentially cost-effective route to address both energy and climate challenges. Achieving long-term anode stability under complex ionic environments and industrial current densities remains a central bottleneck. Specifically, Ni-based anodes exhibit intense surface reconstruction during the oxygen evolution reaction, necessitating dynamic anti-corrosion strategies. This mini review systematically summarizes reconstruction engineering approaches to develop anti-corrosion Ni-based anodes of alkaline seawater electrolysis across increasingly complex ionic environments from simulated seawater to real seawater: (i) Cl^– dominated; (ii) Cl^– with co-existing oxyanions, and (iii) Cl^–  with co-existing Br^{– …}

Distinct Co2 Electroreduction Behaviors Over Planar And Non-Planar Cobalt Molecular Catalysts, Ru Jia, Cheng-Biao Zhu, Zi-Mo Zhang, Tuo Wang, Kai-Cong Yang, Guang-Zhe Wang, Yang Hu, Ting-Ting Zhang, Zhen-Wei Wei, Li Xiao, Gong-Wei Wang, Lin Zhuang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Molecular catalysts serve as ideal platforms for studying electrocatalytic reaction mechanisms. While current research mainly focuses on modulating central metals or surrounding ligands, the influence of molecular spatial configuration remains largely unexplored. Herein, we synthesized two cobalt complexes with similar ligand environments but distinct spatial geometries, a planar cobalt hexaazamacrocyclic complex (CoHAM) and a non-planar acyclic Co(phen)₂Cl₂, and evaluated their performance in CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR). The planar CoHAM exhibited dramatically superior CO₂RR performance compared to the non-planar Co(phen)₂Cl₂. Through a series of combined analyses using in-situ …

Li+/Na+ Hybrid Ion Conduction Mechanism In The Superionic Conductor Li3–XNaXZr2Si2Po12, Yi-Hong Wu, Xia Xie, Lei Zhu, Mu-Ran Yu, Guo-Tai Zhang, Jun-Chao Chen, Shu-Ying Sun, You-Wei Wang, Wei-Ping Tang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Hybrid ion conductors that transport multiple ionic conductive species provide a useful platform for understanding how mixed-ion transport governs ionic conductivity within a single phase. However, the controlled introduction of multiple mobile ions into solid-state electrolytes and a mechanistic understanding of their migration within the framework remain challenging. Herein, a skeleton-retained Li⁺↔Na⁺ cationic exchange was used to simultaneously induce Li⁺ and Na⁺ cations into the NASICON-type framework of Li_3–xNa_xZr₂Si₂PO₁₂ (0 < x < 3). We show that the interpenetration of NaO₆ and NaO₈ coordination polyhedra significantly influences the ionic conductivity of hybrid ion conductors. Computational …

Distribution And Transport Of Lithium Ions At Interfaces Between Graphite And Carboxymethyl Celluloses, Zi-Jun Huang, Zhen-Ying Zheng, Hua-Wei Cao, Jian Wang, Qing-Feng Zhang, Sheng-Li Chen

Journal of Electrochemistry

Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) is a water-processable binder widely used for graphite anodes. However, a microscopic understanding of why the identity of CMC counterions (Li⁺/Na⁺/K⁺) strongly affects electrode performance remains limited. Here, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are used to track Li⁺ transport accessibility across electrolyte/CMC/graphite three-phase interfaces, comparing pure CMC-Li, CMC-Na, CMC-K, and mixed-counterion CMC binders. We find that CMC-Li sustains a continuous Li⁺ transport pathway from the electrolyte through the binder phase toward graphite. In contrast, in CMC-Na and CMC-K, Na⁺/K⁺ ions preferentially enrich at the graphite/binder interface, forming …

Lafe0.925ti0.075o3 Perovskite Coated With Ethyl Cellulose: A High-Stability, Low-Hysteresis Platform For Advanced Humidity Sensing, Akhmad Futukhillah Fataba Alaih, Djoko Triyono, Rifqi Almusawi Rafsanjani

Makara Journal of Science

Humidity sensors are pivotal in numerous sectors, such as environmental monitoring, industrial automation, and health-care. This study presents the fabrication and detailed evaluation of an advanced humidity sensor using ethyl cellulose (EC)-coated LaFe_0.925Ti_0.075O₃ (LFTO) perovskite nanoparticles synthesized via the sol-gel method. The LFTO nanopar-ticles exhibited a mesoporous structure with an enhanced surface area, which significantly improved their moisture adsorption capabilities. The innovative application of EC coating addresses critical substrate adhesion issues, enhancing mechanical stability without compromising sensor sensitivity. Comprehensive performance evaluations revealed minimal hysteresis (

Du Undergraduate Showcase Abstracts: Research, Scholarship, And Creative Works, Sophia Wismar, Henry Staats, Allison Metzler, Chloe Puckett, Rachel Levine, Christa Kilpatrick, Scott Wolf, Joe Walsh, Grace Doolittle, John Engebreston, Zoe Lopez, Christopher Aaby, Audrey Duff, Timothy Sisk, Katelyn Lamberton, Angela Narayan, Gilkah Argueta, Habiba Samir, Girena Tesfazghi, Genet Kenore, Sinit Tesfamariam, Effley Brooks, Abi Newell, Megan Doherty, Natalie Baer, Lexi Blood, Talya Riciputi, Jessica Jimenez, Devin Hernandez, Lynn Clark, Taj Kumar, Sunil Kumar, Allen Rutman, Mira Pronobis, Tess Carson, Anna Sher, Frankie Stroud, Tamra Pearson D'Estree, Alyssa Wilson, Emily Melnick, Jenalee Doom, Yihang Gao, Gwendolyn Geiger, Noah Gettle, Scott Nichols, Clare Ayoub, Cara Dienno, Sunny Walker, Zoe Hansen, Maya Wheeler, Addison Rice, Patrick Martin, Sanjana Acharya, Daniel Mcintosh, Amanda Mckellips, Calli Cain, Justin Blake, Peter Sokol-Hessner, Natalie Miller, Max Weisbuch, Sophia Dellota, John Macikas, Charlotte Snow, Mark Siemens, Zoe Lynch, Alex Huffman, Prachi Shah, Jason Roney, Halcyon Levi, Nicole Herzog, Andrea Koly, Daniel Linseman, Annie London, Xi Yang, Avery Zwisler, Jane Smith, Chaz Contag, Michael Kerwin, Lucy Rand, Grace Schroeder, Michelle Rozenman, Nissa Tapper, Guiming Zhang, Mateo Mazariego-Halpern, Keith Meyer, Julie Do, Dakota Park-Ozee, Travis Herink, Kara Neu, Jonathan Plomin, Eve-Odine Duchaufour, Debbie Gale Mitchell, Tennyson Anderson-Stricklin, Lily Treitz, Samantha Rosenberger, Sierra Griffith, Finley Joseph, Daniel Sampson, Emmy Davis, Skyler Kasnoff, Evon Lopez, Vivian Nguyen, Cassy Young, Franklin Sellner, Martin Tobon, Ila Graham, Zach Billings, Holden Hedit, Decatur Boland, Paul Kosempel, Cory Chandler, Jay Mahoney, Sam Dragan, Susan Dagget, Yarrow Ator, Heidi Vuletich, Owen Weber, Andrew Kloeppel, Petersen Gray, Mandi Schaeffer-Fry, Razleen Bassra, Bryanna Rodriguez, Christina Blue, Taubie Sanders, Rachel Epstein, Luke Milburn, Camryn Evans, Ezra Martinez, Mary Westwood, Gabri Notov, Robin Tinghitella, Lilou Cabrol, Eli Barbour, Juliet Mendik, Selma Myers, Zac Wise, Noah Fahlin, Michelle Knowles, Abigail Hopper, Michael Greenberger, Romi Laclair, Sarah Watamura, Sabrina Efroymson, Casey Barker, Sydney Seltzer, Bryn Yehle, Jennifer Hoffman, Sara Garcia, Ryuka Nagamine, Trevor Briggs, Remy Le Boeuf, Elena Krone, Eileen Farrell, Regan O'Rourke, Elena Roel, Greg Mortimer, Ali Ayoub, Stefani Langehennig, Caitlin Turk, Logan Scmid, Stefan Chavez-Norgaard, Karen Kim, Tatiana Peccedi, Courtney Cassidy, John Sebesta, Rhianna Lewis, Janice Bening-Lacek, Vivian Lawless, Mckenna Hanson, Jeffrey Amidon, Riya Joshi, Ram Ambre, Brady Worrell, Perrin Schneider, Ali Azadani, Brooke Agulnek, Lyndsie Salvagio, Elise Siemanowki, Yan Qin, Andre Allen, Melodie Nguyen, Megan Livengood, Abby Reams, Saffron Hartreeve, Bri Wylie, Sarah Brookman, Mariah Loiacono, Green Russo, Abhia Lodhi, Gabrielle Welsh, Nika Spehar, Shahked Levin, Evrim Baykal, Kimberly Chiew, Jocelyn Torres, Kailey Hicks, Mykaela Tanino-Springsteen, Audrey Bellows, Akam Chahal, Madeline Tepper, Shannon Murphy, Alexa Fonseca, Deborah Han, Cassandra Perez, Oluwatoyin Alaba, Julia Roncoroni, Vy Nguyen, Nana Burn, Sarah Sasse, Rubin Tuder, Anthony Gerber, Nancy Lorenzon, Christine Vohwinkel, Camryn Gunter, Tristan Weber, Sam Rommel, Brian Michel, Muskan Fatima, Alannah Oleson, Kira Frey, Edward Garrido, Beckett Morris, Kerstin Haring, Drew Middleton, Abigail Walpert, Liam Dee, Gabby Ishaw, Cole Carnes, Maddie Weiser, Claire Fox, Valeriia Vlasenko, Kateri Mcrae, Riley Smith, Abigail Templin, Kushani Rajapaksha

DU Undergraduate Research Journal Archive

Abstracts from the DU Undergraduate Research Showcase.

Modulating Electronic Structure With Linearly Fused Pyrazine Units For High-Voltage And Stable Zinc-Organic Batteries Cathode, Min-Jian Zhao, Li-Bin Zhang, Jin-Tao Wang, Kun Ding, Hai-Mei Liu, Yong-Gang Wang

Journal of Electrochemistry

High-voltage n-type organic cathode materials are critical for constructing zinc-organic batteries (ZOBs) with high energy density and long cycle life. However, the intrinsically unfavorable electronic structures and relatively high LUMO energy levels of most n-type materials often lead to sluggish kinetics, high solubility, and suboptimal discharge voltages (< 0.8 V). Here, we design a small molecule, quinoxalino[2’,3’:5,6]pyrazino[2,3-f][1,10]phenanthroline (DPQP), as a ZOB cathode by introducing locally electron-deficient motifs into the conjugated backbone of aromatic compounds. The linearly fused pyrazine units extending the pyrazine–benzene framework effectively optimize the electronic structure, thereby significantly enhancing the discharge voltage. Meanwhile, the expanded π-conjugated plane suppresses dissolution and accelerates charge-transfer kinetics. Benefiting from these features, the DPQP electrode exhibits an exceptional increase in average operating voltage from 0.61 V to 1.07 V (vs. Zn²⁺/Zn) at 0.1 A·g^–1, with an overpotential of only 140 mV. Notably, no discernible voltage decay occurs as the current density increases, indicating rapid and highly reversible redox kinetics. Furthermore, the DPQP cathode delivers outstanding cycling stability, maintaining over 2000 h of continuous operation at 0.1 A·g^{–1 …}

(Co,Ni,Mn,Cu,Zn)O High-Entropy Oxide Nanotubes As Efficient Bifunctional Electrocatalyst For Oxygen Evolution And Hydrazine Oxidation Reactions, Pan-Yan Chen, Wan-Wan Wu, Heng Bian, Wei-Wei Li, Xin-Sheng Zhao, Lu Wei

Journal of Electrochemistry

High-entropy oxides (HEOs) present significant scientific challenges in both design and synthesis due to their multielement and high-entropy nature, which involves complex combinations of multiple metal cations and oxygen anions, typically arranged in equimolar ratios to achieve structural stability. Herein, one-dimensional (Co,Ni,Mn,Cu,Zn)O high-entropy oxide nanotubes (HEO-NTs) are fabricated by means of a gradient electrospinning strategy with a tailored polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) molecular weight distribution and controlled pyrolysis. Benefiting from the HEO features and the synergistic effect of multicomponent sites, the as-synthesized (Co,Ni,Mn,Cu,Zn)O HEO-NTs exhibit exceptional bifunctional electrocatalytic activity for the oxygen evolution and hydrazine oxidation reactions (OER/HzOR). This study offers …

Insertion Of Noble Metal Free Cathodic Catalyst Layer With Fe-N-C Catalyst For Boosted Performance Of Pemfc, Shi Zhou, Muhammad Tariq, Asif Nadeem Tabish, Muhammad Salman, Fan-Di Ning, Muhammad Rayyan Tayyab, Ran-Ran Peng, Meng-Geng Hao, Wen-Mu Li, Xiao-Chun Zhou

Journal of Electrochemistry

Economical Fe-N-C catalysts are considered as promising alternatives to platinum group metal catalysts for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Despite exhibiting robust activity on rotating disk electrodes, their performance within membrane electrode assemblies often experiences limitations, such as decreased O₂ diffusion, high H₂O₂ formation, low proton conduction, and a lower electron transfer number. In this study, key factors, including proton transport, electron conduction, and gas diffusion within air-breathing PEMFCs, have been investigated by adjusting cathode catalyst layer (CCL) compositions. From the experimental results, the optimal peak power density was obtained when the loading of Fe-N-C …

Molecular Catalysts For Electrochemical Nitrogen Activation Toward Sustainable Ammonia Synthesis, Jin-Xiu Han, Hao Xue, Xian-Biao Fu

Journal of Electrochemistry

Homogeneous electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) provides a powerful framework to interrogate molecular nitrogen-fixation pathways under mild conditions. By tuning the metal center, ligand architecture, and reaction medium, these systems enable capturing key intermediates and delivering mechanistic insight at the molecular-level resolution. Nevertheless, advances remain constrained by highly reduced operating potentials, intense competition from the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), limited durability in turnover, and inadequate long-term stability.

In this review, we take electron delivery to the molecular active site as the guiding principle for organizing homogeneous electrochemical N₂ activation and transformation. We classify reported systems into direct electron transfer …

Water-Driven Solid Electrolyte Interphase Governs Continuous-Flow Ammonia Electrosynthesis, Peng-Bo Liu, Sheng-Liang Zhai, Ji Huang, Zhong-Shuo Zhang, Jie Zeng, Shao-Feng Li

Journal of Electrochemistry

Flow-cell architectures have emerged as a powerful platform for continuous and stable lithium-mediated nitrogen reduction (Li-NRR), enabling ambient-condition electrochemical ammonia synthesis and offering a promising alternative to Haber-Bosch processes. However, Li-NRR is exceptionally sensitive to trace water, and even minor variations in water content can profoundly alter interfacial chemistry. Here, we systematically investigate how initial water concentration affects Li-NRR performance in a continuous-flow cell. Excess water drives the formation of a thick solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer, which may impede nitrogen access to metallic lithium and hinder lithium-ion transport. As a result, the ammonia Faradaic efficiency collapses from ~61% to …

Eco-Assisted Ultrasonic Synthesis, Characterization, And Electrical Conductivity Study Of Polyaniline/ Silica@Fe3o4 Q1 Nanocomposites, Ali Salim Shaway, Kholoud Dham Khamkheem, Jawad Kadhim Abaies, Athra G. Sager

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

وفي هذه الدراسة الصوتية، أصبحت السيليكا المُنتجة بأكسيد الحديد (Fe₃O₄) ومركبات نانوية قائمة على البولي أنيلين مُطعّم بنسبة 5-15% من السيليكا المُعزز للحديد (Fe₃O₄). وأكملت نهائيا ماء أنيلين والمركبات العلمية المتنوعة الارتباط باستخدام تقنيات FT-IR وUV-Vis وXRD وSEM وTEM. وأحدثت نتائج XRD أن حجم جسيمات البولينج أنيلين الناي (PANI) يبلغ 55.5. مكثف هذا الحجم إلى 45.2 عند تطعيم بولي أنيلين بنسبة 15% وزناً من السيليكا المُغلفة بأكسيد الحديد (Fe₃O₄) مُحضّرة بطريقة جيدة بشكل جيد، مما يميل إلى التمدد بشكل ثابت في تشكيل المركب المتباين المنظم. ضاقت النطاق البصري من 3.2 إلى 2.5 إلكترون فولت مع زيادة نسبة المطعّم، مما يشير …

Anthrone-Based Dummy Molecularly Imprinted Polymer For The Selective Detection Of Fluorene And Phenanthrene In Simulated River Water, Aria Pinandita, Nurrahmi Handayani, Muhammad Iqbal, Untung Triadhi, Rusnadi Rusnadi, Samitha Dewi Djajanti, Muhammad Bachri Amran, Muhammad Ali Zulfikar

Makara Journal of Science

A dummy-template molecularly imprinted polymer (DMIP) was synthesized via precipitation polymerization using anthrone as a template analog for the selective analysis of low-molecular-weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), specifically fluorene and phenanthrene. Styrene, benzoyl peroxide, and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate were employed as the functional monomer, radical initiator, and crosslinking agent, respectively. The synthesized polymers were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and particle size analysis. The imprinting factors were 1.16 and 1.09 for fluorene and phenanthrene, respectively, indicating enhanced affinity of the imprinted sites. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis following DMIP-based solid-phase extraction yielded recoveries of 91.49% ± 3.87% for …

Axial Sulfur-Coordination Engineering Boosting Fe–N–C Catalysts For High-Performance Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells, Lin Lin, Xiu-Xuan Hou, Zhe-Chen Fan, Yi-Xuan Yin, Wei-Yi Zhao, Kai Wei, Yu-Die Zhou, Li-Na Hou, Ying Wang, Hao Wan, Jun-Jie Ge

Journal of Electrochemistry

Fe-N-C catalysts have long suffered from kinetically sluggish oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) due to excessive adsorption strength toward oxygen intermediates and low site utilization. Heteroatom doping effectively accelerates ORR reaction kinetics through electronic structure modulation of metal sites for optimal intermediate adsorption, while chemical vapor deposition (CVD) enhances the turnover frequency (TOF) of active sites. Herein, we developed an FeSNC catalyst featuring abundant FeS₁N₄ sites via a dual-precursor CVD strategy. Experimental and theoretical analyses revealed that S incorporation disrupts the symmetric coordination of active sites, which optimizes OH* adsorption energies from 0.212 eV to 1.194 eV. Moreover, …

Deciphering The Role Of Binder Reaction Exothermicity In Thermal Runaway Of Lithium-Ion Cells, Wen Wen, Jing-Hong Zhou, Hao-Tian Lu, Xing-Gui Zhou

Journal of Electrochemistry

Thermal safety associated with lithium-ion cells as power sources remains a critical industry concern. A comprehensive understanding of how internal exothermic side reactions contribute to temperature rise is fundamental for accurately analyzing thermal runaway processes and predicting the thermal safety of lithium-ion cells. While various side-reactions, such as decomposition of solid electrolyte interphase layer, reaction between anode materials and electrolyte, reaction between cathode materials and electrolyte, and electrolyte decomposition, have been identified as heat generation sources in previous studies, the quantification of these reactions remains insufficiently standardized. Particularly, the impact of heat generation from binder decomposition (most commonly polyvinylidene difluoride) …

Entropy Of Metal/Solution Interfaces: Thermodynamic Framework, Theoretical Models, And Roles Of Interfacial Water, Zeng-Ming Zhang, Zi-Xi Liang, Jun Huang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Entropy is a basic thermodynamic property of the electrical double layer (EDL) at metal/solution interfaces, yet, its definition, measurement, and theoretical treatment are dispersed in the literature, and, in some cases, ambiguous. In this paper, we revisit the thermodynamic theory of EDL, from which two variants of entropy, excess entropy and formation entropy, are obtained and compared. In terms of the formation entropy, two calculation routes are validated in the context of a primitive EDL model, namely, the Gouy-Chapman (GC) model. After clarifying the concepts and calculation routes, we investigate interfacial water effects on the EDL entropy, using a refined …