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Studying Anticancer Agents with XFM

23 Jun 2020

It turns out that rhenium-based compounds have been showing some promising anticancer activity as they’re stable, allow for real time imaging, structurally diverse, and have low off-site toxicity. The most commonly studied complexes are based around a Re(I) tricarbonyl core with the other three binding sites occupied by ligands of varying complexity. Researchers in the US and Australia developed a tricarbonyl Re isonitrile polypyridyl complex fac-[Re(CO)3(dmphen)(para-tolyl-isonitrile)]+, where dmphen = 2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthro-line, called TRIP for short. TRIP showed promising cytotoxicity and can be imaged using confocal fluorescence microscopy, taking advantage of the emissive metal to ligand charge transfer (MLCT) state. The persistence of the emission indicates that the ligands remain bound to the Re even within cells. The complex’s cytotoxicity stems from its inducement of cells to accumulate misfolded proteins, resulting in apoptosis from the unfolded protein response (UPR). UPR induced cell death is relatively uncommon and led the researchers to find a method to characterize the speciation of TRIP in vitro. They used synchrotron X-ray fluorescence microscopy (XFM) to probe the cellular uptake and distribution of TRIP and an iodo-derivative I-TRIP by looking at elemental signals.

Figure 1. Chemical structures of TRIP and I-TRIP

I-TRIP is particularly well-suited to this type of study, as the iodine provides an additional spectroscopic handle on the isonitrile ligand absent in TRIP. Of course, the researchers had to confirm that I-TRIP possessed similar cytotoxicity and working mechanism to TRIP. Various assays and biological studies showed evidence of comparable cytotoxicity and mechanism, demonstrating that altering the substitution of the isonitrile ligand doesn’t significantly impact the bioactivity of the complex. With that settled, the experiments could move to the synchrotron to probe elemental distributions.

Figure 2. XFM elemental distribution maps of HeLa cervical cancer cells treated with either DMSO (control), TRIP, or I-TRIP.

Cells treated with both TRIP and I-TRIP show a clear Re signal, confirming that they can enter and persist in cells. Critically, the colocalization of the Re and I maps for I-TRIP samples indicate that the isonitrile ligand remains bound as a part of the Re complex inside the cells. This strongly suggests that the Re complex is intact while it induces cell death, adding to the developing mechanistic understanding of their activity. This work shows the utility of XRM as a technique to study the distribution of organometallic complexes in living cells. Additionally, the tunability and stable bioactivity of the Re complexes shows that they’re amenable to study by a wide range of techniques that will allow for further mechanistic probing.

To find out more, please read:

X-Ray fluorescence microscopy reveals that rhenium(I) tricarbonyl isonitrile complexes remain intact in vitro

Chilaluck C. Konkankit, James Lovett, Hugh H. Harris and Justin J. Wilson

Chem. Commun., 2020, 56, 6515-6518

About the blogger:

Dr. Beth Mundy is a recent PhD in chemistry from the Cossairt lab at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. Her research focused on developing new and better ways to synthesize nanomaterials for energy applications. She is often spotted knitting in seminars or with her nose in a good book. You can find her on Twitter at @BethMundySci.

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Potassium-Ion Batteries Welcome A New Electrode from Iron Compounds

28 Apr 2020

A research team led by Jiang Zhou and Shuquan Liang of Central South University, China, recently identified iron oxyhydroxide (β-FeOOH) as a K-ion battery electrode material. It is reportedly the first iron-oxide-based compound to serve in K-ion batteries. The results have been published in Chemical Communications (DOI: 10.1039/d0cc01009j).

K-ion batteries are a new type of rechargeable battery emerging after Li-ion batteries, the charge-storage functionality of which is associated with the intercalation and de-intercalation of K⁺. Due to the relative abundance of K⁺ to Li⁺, K-ion batteries are poised as a promising alternative to Li-ion batteries.

The researchers made the electrode by a hydrothermal reaction. Specifically, they dispersed Super P® (SP), an electrically conductive additive, into FeCl₃ aqueous solutions. The mixture was then heated at 150 °C for 10 h. The resultant powder (FeOOH-SP), comprised of uniformly mixed, crystalline β-FeOOH nanorods and Super P particles (Fig. 1), was directly used as an electrode material.

Figure 1. Transmission electron microscopy images of (a, b) FeOOH-SP and (c) FeOOH. (d) Elemental mappings of C, Fe, and O in FeOOH-SP.

The authors investigated the electrochemical properties of FeOOH-SP in K-ion batteries. At a current density of 100 mA/g, FeOOH-SP exhibited a stable specific capacity of ~200 mAh/g, approximately double and quadruple that of SP and FeOOH alone, respectively (Fig. 2a). The specific capacity of FeOOH-SP was maintained at ~100 mAh/g when the current density increased to 2000 mA/g (Fig. 2b), showing its fast-charging capability. Additionally, the authors observed that the crystalline β-FeOOH nanorods amorphized upon K⁺ intercalation after being discharged (Fig. 2c). Their crystallinity was only partially restored when being re-charged (Fig. 2d). The loss of crystallinity, however, did not undermine the charge-storage capacity of FeOOH-SP.

Figure 2. (a) Specific capacities of FeOOH-SP, SP, and FeOOH at different charge-discharge cycles. Current density: 100 mA/g. (b) Rate capability of FeOOH-SP. (c, d) Transmission electron microscopy images of (c) discharged and (d) charged FeOOH-SP. Red dashed boxes highlight crystalline regions. The electrolyte was a mixture of ethylene carbonate and diethyl carbonate containing 1 M potassium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide.

Considering the low-cost of iron oxyhydroxide, FeOOH-SP could reduce the manufacturing cost of K-ion batteries and increase the affordability of electrochemical charge storage devices.

For expanded understanding, please read:

β-FeOOH: A New Anode for Potassium-Ion Batteries

Xiaodong Shi, Liping Qin, Guofu Xu, Shan Guo, Shuci Ma, Yunxiang Zhao, Jiang Zhou, and Shuquan Liang

Chem. Commun., 2020, 56, 3713-3716.

Tianyu Liu acknowledges Zacary Croft at Virginia Tech, U.S., for his careful proofreading of this post.

About the blogger:

Tianyu Liu obtained his Ph.D. (2017) in Chemistry from the University of California, Santa Cruz, in the United States. He is passionate about the communication of scientific endeavors to both the general public and other scientists with diverse research expertise to introduce cutting-edge research to broad audiences. He is a blog writer for Chem. Comm. and Chem. Sci. More information about him can be found at http://liutianyuresearch.weebly.com/.

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Upgrading Methanol Using Zinc-Indium-Sulfide and Solar Light

11 Feb 2020

Based on the chemical formulae, can you figure out how to convert methanol (CH₃OH) into ethylene glycol (HOCH₂CH₂OH)? If you have constantly practiced your organic chemistry, you might have already found the answer: combining two methanol molecules and eliminating one hydrogen molecule (H₂). Indeed, this methanol-coupling reaction is a promising, low-cost chemical route to upgrade methanol to chemicals with more carbon atoms. The feasibility of this route, however, is low under mild conditions without catalysts to drive the reaction.

A group of scientists led by Shunji Xie and Ye Wang, both at Xiamen University, China, has developed an environmentally friendly catalyst, Zn₂In₂S₅, for room-temperature methanol coupling to produce ethylene glycol using solar light. This work has been published in Chemical Communications (DOI: 10.1039/c9cc09205f).

The synthesized Zn₂In₂S₅ catalyst is comprised of 1-3 layers of nanosheets. Through a hydrothermal reaction, the researchers first synthesized multi-layer Zn₂In₂S₅ stacks in an aqueous solution (Fig. 1a). Subsequent ultrasonication exfoliated the stacks into few-layer Zn₂In₂S₅ nanosheets that were confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (Fig. 1b). Zn₂In₂S₅ is a semiconductor and its valence band (VB) resides below the redox potential of ethylene glycol/methanol (Fig. 1c). The band alignment enables Zn₂In₂S₅ to catalyze the oxidation of methanol to ethylene glycol.

Figure 1. (a) A scheme of the synthesis procedures of few-layer Zn_mIn₂S_m+3 (m=1-3) nanosheets. (b) Transmission electron microscopy images of few-layer Zn₂In₂S₅ nanosheets. (c) Positions of the valence bands (VBs) and conduction bands (CBs) of different metal-sulfide semiconductors.

Zn₂In₂S₅ and its composite exhibited high catalytic activity. Upon irradiation with visible light and solar light (AM 1.5), photo-induced electrons and holes generated in Zn₂In₂S₅ (Fig. 2a). The electrons reduced protons in electrolytes and liberated hydrogen gas, while the holes moved to the Zn₂In₂S₅ surface and split the C—H bond of methanol, forming ·CH₂OH radicals. These radicals then dimerized into ethylene glycol. Through depositing a hydrogen evolution co-catalyst, cobalt monophosphide (CoP), and illuminating using AM 1.5 solar light, the authors observed that the CoP/Zn₂In₂S₅ catalyst achieved a rapid formation rate (18.9 mmol g_cat^-1 h^-1) and high selectivity (~90%) of ethylene glycol (Fig. 2b). The yield of ethylene glycol after 12 h of reaction was 4.5%.

Figure 2. (a) A scheme of the formation mechanisms of ethylene (from methanol) and 2,3-butanediol (from ethanol) on Zn₂In₂S₅. EG: ethylene glycol. 2,3-BD: 2,3-butanediol. (b) Formation rates and ethylene glycol selectivity of Zn₂In₂S₅ and CoP/Zn₂In₂S₅ under two illumination conditions. AM 1.5: air mass 1.5 solar irradiance. HCHO is a byproduct.

Zn₂In₂S₅ was demonstrated to effectively catalyze C—H cleavages and C—C couplings of different alcohols, e.g., from ethanol to 2,3-butanediol.

To find out more, please read:

C–H Activations of Methanol and Ethanol and C–C Couplings into Diols by Zinc–Indium–Sulfide Under Visible Light

Haikun Zhang, Shunji Xie, Jinyuan Hu, Xuejiao Wu, Qinghong Zhang, Jun Cheng, and Ye Wang

Chem. Commun., 2020, DOI: 10.1039/c9cc09205f

The blogger acknowledges Zac Croft at Virginia Tech, U.S., for his careful proofreading of this post.

About the blogger:

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How do Anions Fight Indoor Organic Contaminants?

24 Sep 2018

Indoor air quality is critical to public health. Chronic exposure to indoor organic contaminants (IOCs), including aldehydes and benzene homologues, substantially increases the risk of having respiratory diseases. In recent years, negative air ions (NAIs) have emerged as promising materials to decompose IOCs. NAIs are negatively charged ions generated via ionizing air. However, the limited understanding of the decomposition reaction mechanisms hinders the safety evaluation and wide adoption of NAI-cleaning.

A group of Chinese researchers led by Jin-Ming Lin of Tsinghua University recently demonstrated in ChemComm a powerful tool to unveil the reaction mechanisms. They built a system integrated with an NAI generator, an IOC sprayer and a mass spectrometer (Figure 1). NAIs containing mostly CO₃^– were produced by the ionization of air. These anions then mixed and reacted with the sprayer-delivered IOCs in front of the mass spectrometer inlet. All species generated during the reactions were directly brought into the mass spectrometer by inert N₂ for characterization.

Figure 1. The experimental set-up of the integrated system.

This device revealed real-time reaction kinetics by identifying the reaction intermediates. The mass spectrum of a common IOC, formaldehyde, when reacted with CO₃^– is presented in Figure 2a. Two pronounced peaks with mass to charge ratios (m/z) of 45.10 and 60.10 were assigned to HCOO^– and CO₃^–, respectively. Additionally, the 45.10 peak was only detected when formaldehyde was present (Figure 2b). On the basis of these observations, the authors concluded that the major pathway of formaldehyde degradation by CO₃^–was the reaction between CO₃^– and the α-H atom of the aldehyde group. With identical instrumentation, the authors also proposed how the reactions between CO₃^– and benzene homologues or esters may proceed.

Figure 2. (a) The mass spectrum of reaction intermediates between CO₃^– and 10 ppm formaldehyde. (b) The change of peak intensities of m/z = 60.10 and 45.10 peaks with the operation time. Formaldehyde was present during 7.0-14.0 min.

The results obtained by this study could greatly deepen the understanding of NAI-based chemistry. It could also be useful to investigate kinetics of a broad range of other chemical reactions involving charged reactants.

To find out more please read:

Real-Time Characterization of Negative Air Ion-Induced Decomposition of Indoor Organic Contaminants by Mass Spectrometry

Ling Lin, Yu Li, Mashooq Khan, Jiashu Sun and Jin-Ming Li

Chem. Commun., 2018, DOI: 10.1039/c8cc05795h

About the blogger:

Tianyu Liu obtained his Ph.D. (2017) in Chemistry from University of California, Santa Cruz in the United States. He is passionate about scientific communication to introduce cutting-edge research to both the general public and scientists with diverse research expertise. He is a blog writer for Chem. Commun. and Chem. Sci. More information about him can be found at http://liutianyuresearch.weebly.com/.

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The CO2-Capturing Mechanism of Quaternary Nitrogen-Containing Polymers Revealed Experimentally

21 May 2018

A group of scientists from Washington University at St. Louis, USA have disclosed experimentally how CO₂ is captured by polymers with quaternary nitrogen cations. Using solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), the authors established that CO₂ molecules were absorbed as bicarbonate anions (HCO₃^–).

The increasing amount of CO₂ has posed a number of concerning environmental issues such as climate change, rising sea level and ocean acidification. Capturing CO₂ from the atmosphere is an effective way to lower the CO₂ concentration. Recently, a family of polymer absorbents containing quaternary nitrogen functional groups, termed humidity-swing polymers, have been identified as promising absorbents to absorb CO₂ directly from air. However, the limited understanding of the chemical mechanism related to their CO₂-capturing capability hindered the development of these promising absorbents.

In ChemComm, Yang et al. used solid-state ¹³C NMR to explore how CO₂ molecules were captured and released. Figure 1a presents the NMR spectra of a humidity-swing polymer absorbent itself (top), upon contacting with CO₂ (middle) and after releasing CO₂ (bottom). The most striking feature is the appearance of an additional sharp peak at a chemical shift of 161 ppm in the middle spectrum, which did not show up in the other two spectra. The authors further studied the shape evolution of the additional peak, with respect to temperature, and concluded that the peak was due to HCO₃^– anions. Additionally, the authors also identified the presence of hydroxide anions in the absorbent after CO₂ was released.

Figure 1. (a) The solid-state ¹³C NMR spectra of the humidity-swing polymeric absorbent (structure shown in the inset of the middle spectrum) itself (top), upon contacting with CO₂ (middle) and after releasing CO₂ (bottom). (b) The proposed pathways of how CO₂ molecules interact with the quaternary-N anions of the absorbent.

The researchers then proposed the CO₂ adsorption-desorption mechanism (illustrated in Figure 1b) based on the experimental results. The storage and release of CO₂ depend on the humidity level of the surroundings: When the humidity is low, the polymer absorbs CO₂ and forms HCO₃^– anions; the negative charge of HCO₃^– is counter-balanced by the neighboring quaternary N cations. When the humidity is increased, HCO₃^– anions combine with water and decompose to CO₂ and hydroxide anions. This proposed pathway does not involve CO₃^2- anions, which differs from the previously-reported mechanisms derived from theoretical simulations.

The published results represent the first set of experimental evidence elucidating how CO₂ molecules interact with humidity-swing polymeric absorbents. The acquired mechanistic insight could provide valuable guidelines for the design of CO₂ absorbents with ultrahigh absorption capacity.

To find out more please read:

Humidity-Swing Mechanism for CO₂ Capture from Ambient Air
Hao Yang, Manmilan Singh and Jacob Schaefer
Chem. Commun., 2018, DOI: 10.1039/c8cc02109k

About the blogger:

Tianyu Liu obtained his Ph.D. (2017) in Physical Chemistry from University of California, Santa Cruz in United States. He is passionate about scientific communication to introduce cutting-edge research to both the general public and scientists with diverse research expertise. He is a blog writer for Chem. Commun. and Chem. Sci. More information about him can be found at http://liutianyuresearch.weebly.com/.

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Ruthenium Currency for a Hydrogen Fuel Economy

02 May 2018

A group of researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Southwest University want us to kick the fossil fuels habit. Their research comes to us from China, a country using roughly one quarter of the world’s yearly energy consumption, and where the finite nature of fossil fuels is a very real threat to energy supply security. Leading in energy use, China also leads the world in electricity production from renewable sources and investment in clean energy projects.

Hydrogen is considered a viable alternative to fossil fuels as it is energy rich, more so than petrol or ethanol at 39 kWh/kg (petrol: 13 kWh/kg, ethanol: 8.2 kWh/kg), and upon combustion emits only water vapour. However, hydrogen is often obtained from fossil fuels, and it will only be a practical option for the world’s future energy needs if it can be produced from a renewable source.

Preparation of the Ru2P/reduced graphene oxide electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction

Preparation of the Ru₂P/reduced graphene oxide catalyst

To this end, water splitting offers a solution. In a water electrolysis cell, hydrogen is produced at the cathode via the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER, 2H⁺ + 2e^– –> H₂), and molecular oxygen is produced at the anode (2H₂O –> O₂ + 4H⁺ + 4e^–). It is ideal in theory, but high energy efficiencies are required to make water splitting viable, and this relies on the development of catalytic electrodes to minimize overpotentials required to drive the reaction. Currently, state of the art HER electrocatalysts use platinum, which is expensive and rare. Furthermore, platinum catalysts are most efficient in an acidic electrolyte and proceed 2-3 times slower in alkaline solutions. On the other hand, the best oxygen evolution catalysts perform better in alkaline environments. Using an alkaline electrolyte has overall advantages as it is less corrosive, thus increasing the stability and lifetime of the electrolytic cell.

The authors have developed a HER catalyst, using ruthenium, with overpotentials and current densities superior to Pt/C in both alkaline and acidic conditions.

DFT calculation to probe the hydrogen adsorption energies on the active catalytic surface of the Ru2P on reduced graphene oxide catalyst.

DFT calculation to probe the hydrogen adsorption energies on the active catalytic surface of the Ru₂P catalyst. a) and b) front and side views of the calculated Ru₂P/reduced graphene oxide surface. c) free energy diagram for the HER with different catalysts.

The electrocatalyst is comprised of small, uniform Ru₂P nanoparticles (~2-4 nm) evenly distributed on reduced graphene oxide sheets. The activity of the prepared catalyst (1.0 mg cm^-2) for the HER was measured in an acidic medium (0.5 M H₂SO₄) and the overpotential to achieve a current density of -10 mA cm^-2 was -22 mV, superior to Pt/C (-27 mV). In an alkaline environment (1.0 M KOH) catalyst performance was enhanced, with an overpotential of -13 mV (29 mV lower than Pt/C). High Faradaic efficiencies of more than 98% were measured in both acidic and alkaline solutions. Additionally, analysis was undertaken to further understand how the structure and composition of the catalyst influences its activity. Double layer capacitance measurements gave clues about the catalyst surface, while theoretical DFT calculations were used to study H-adsorption energies.

There is no way to avoid the reality that ruthenium is also a rare and costly metal, and for this reason may not hold the key to solving our energy woes. However, of real value are the insights gained from probing the structure function relationship of this highly active catalyst, which may guide the synthesis of rationally-designed catalysts using inexpensive and abundant materials.

To find out more please read:

Ultrasmall Ru₂P nanoparticles on graphene: a highly efficient hydrogen evolution reaction electrocatalyst in both acidic and alkaline media

Tingting Liu, Shuo Wang, Qiuju Zhang, Liang Chen, Weihua Hu, Chang Ming Li.
Chem. Commun., 2018, 54, 3343-3346
DOI: 10.1039/c8cc01166d

About the author:

Zoë Hearne is a PhD candidate in chemistry at McGill University in Montréal, Canada, under the supervision of Professor Chao-Jun Li. She hails from Canberra, Australia, where she completed her undergraduate degree. Her current research focuses on transition metal catalysis to effect novel transformations, and out of the lab she is an enthusiastic chemistry tutor and science communicator.

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Buckyball’s Hydrogen Spillover Effect at Ambient Temperature Observed Experimentally for the First Time

26 Mar 2018

A group of scientists from Tohoku University, Japan experimentally demonstrated the hydrogen spillover effect of buckyball (a.k.a. fullerene or C₆₀). They achieved this breakthrough using mass spectroscopy, and their findings were published recently in Chem. Commun.

Certain transition metal nanoparticles (e.g. Ru, Pt and Ni) can capture hydrogen molecules. The capture process generally involves three sequential steps. Firstly, hydrogen molecules split into hydrogen atoms on the metal surface. Secondly, the yielded hydrogen atoms migrate on the surface towards substrates under the metal nanoparticles and, finally, these atoms fix onto the substrates. The second step is termed the “spillover effect” (Figure 1a). Previous studies predicted that curved graphene sheets could enhance the hydrogen spillover effect at ambient temperatures, but solid experimental evidence has remained inadequate.

To gather evidence for this prediction, Nishihara et al. studied the material buckyball, a spherical carbon nanosphere that represents an extremely curved graphene sheet. The researchers selected ketjenblack (KB), a type of porous carbon sheet, as the substrate, and deposited Pt nanoparticles (1-3 nm in diameter) and buckyball molecules onto it (Figure 1b). They found that the Pt and buckyball-decorated KB stored a higher amount of hydrogen compared to the Pt-loaded KB. This observation indirectly confirmed the previous prediction, as hydrogen storage capacity may be improved by enhancing the spillover effect.

Figure 1. (a) A schematic illustration showing how a hydrogen molecule is split on Pt surface [process (1)] followed by the spillover effect [processes (2) and (2′)]. (b) A schematic illustration of the structure of Pt and buckyball-decorated KB. The inset panel displays two forms of hydrogen bound to the composite: the physically adsorbed di-hydrogen molecules, and the spillover hydrogen atoms anchored on the KB substrate and buckyballs.

The authors then sought time-of-flight mass spectroscopy to obtain more evidence. This spectroscopic technique is capable of identifying molecules with different mass to charge ratios (m/z). As shown in Figure 2, after treating the buckyball and Pt-loaded KB with deuterium molecules (D₂), the spectrum (red) exhibited two additional peaks with m/z of ~723.5 and ~724.5 (highlighted by arrows in the figure) compared to those of the buckyball reference (black) and the buckyball and Pt-loaded KB prior to D₂ dosage (blue). The authors ascribed these two new peaks to single D atom-adsorbed buckyballs with different amounts of carbon isotopes (¹²C and ¹³C). The presence of the two new peaks clearly showed that buckyballs could host hydrogen atoms to enhance the spillover effect. In addition, upon exposing the D-containing buckballs to air, both of the newly-merged peaks disappeared, suggesting that D atom adsorption was reversible.

Figure 2. The time-of-flight mass spectroscopy spectra of buckyball (black), Pt and buckyball-decorated KB before (blue) and after (red) exposure to D2, and after exposure to air (green). Pictures on the right show the molecular structure of a buckyball molecule and two deuterium-incorporated buckyball molecules (with different number of 13C isotope). Deuterium is used to avoid the interference from the 13C isotope.

This work could serve as a reference for future studies of the spillover effect induced by buckyballs interacting with other metal nanoparticles. The increasing availability of in-depth fundamental insight could refine our understanding of ambient-temperature hydrogen storage.

To find out more please read:

Enhanced Hydrogen Spillover to Fullerene at Ambient Temperature

Hirotomo Nishihara, Tomoya Simura and Takashi Kyotani

Chem. Commun. 2018, DOI: 10.1039/c8cc00265g

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Anchoring Arynes on Graphene with Microwave but No Solvents

15 Feb 2018

Recently in ChemComm, an international team from Italy and Spain reported a non-conventional way to anchor arynes onto graphene surface using microwave. Their developed method is fast, efficient, mild and solvent-free.

Attaching functional groups onto graphene surface, i.e. functionalization, allows the physical and chemical properties of graphene to be fine-tuned, such as electrical conductivity and solubility. Conventional solvent-based functionalization strategies usually involve time-consuming reactions and tedious purification steps. The poor suspension stability of graphene in solvents, particularly in polar organic solvents, greatly hinders the overall functionalization efficiency. Therefore, establishing easy and solvent-free functionalization protocols for graphene is highly needed.

M. Prato, A. Criado and coworkers made a breakthrough in addressing this challenge by developing a microwave-assisted functionalization method. Their method to functionalize graphene consists of cycloaddition reactions between few-layer graphene (FLG) and arynes (Figure 1). These reactions proceed by mixing the dry powder of FLG and arylene anhydrides, the precursors of arynes, followed by rapid heating under microwave irradiation. The whole process is solvent-free and occurs within half a minute. It is also applicable to a variety of arynes (Figure 2).

Figure 1. The schematic illustration of the microwave-assisted functionalization of graphene with arynes. This process can be carried out within half a minute and is solvent-free.

Figure 2. A variety of arynes capable of being anchored on graphene surface. 1~6 represent the arylene anhydrides and f-G(7)~f-G(12) are corresponding arynes attached onto graphene.

The most unique feature of the demonstrated method is the dual role of FLG. In addition to being one of the reactants, FLG is capable of absorbing microwave energy, and enables its surface to rapidly reach high temperatures that significantly accelerate the cycloaddition reactions.

This microwave-assisted functionalization method shows great promise as a stepping stone for the fast and efficient modulation of graphene surface and subsequently, the performance of graphene-based electronics.

To find out more please read:

Microwave-Induced Covalent Functionalization of Few-Layer Graphene with Arynes Under Solvent-Free Conditions

V. Sulleiro, S. Quiroga, D. Peña, D. Pérez, E. Guitián, A. Criado and M. Prato

Chem. Commun. 2018, DOI: 10.1039/C7CC08676H

About the blogger:

Tianyu Liu obtained his Ph.D. (2017) in Physical Chemistry from University of California, Santa Cruz in United States. He is passionate about scientific communication to introduce cutting-edge research to both the general public and scientists with diverse research expertise. He is an online blog writer for Chem. Commun. and Chem. Sci. More information about him can be found at http://liutianyuresearch.weebly.com/.

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Single-Crystalline NiFe-Hydroxide Nanosheets for Catalyzing Oxygen Evolution

29 Jan 2018

A group of scientists led by Prof. Shizhang Qiao has synthesized an oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalyst combining the merit of low cost, excellent catalytic activity and long lifetime. This OER catalyst is composed of single-crystalline NiFe-hydroxide nanoflakes directly grown on nickel foams. The work has been published recently in ChemComm.

OER, the reaction of producing oxygen gas from water, is an indispensable component of electricity-generation devices using sustainable energy (e.g. fuel cells and photoelectrochemical water splitting cells). OER is usually the bottleneck limiting the overall energy conversion efficiency due to its sluggish kinetics and complex reaction pathways. As such, OER catalysts are needed to accelerate the OER reaction rate. Among the various OER catalysts, noble metal oxides stand out owing to their ultrahigh catalytic activity. However, the “shining” performance is dimmed by their high cost and short lifetime. Thus, obtaining alternatives with comparable OER catalytic activity as well as long-term stability is required to advance the utilisation of sustainable energy.

To address this challenge, the authors turned their attention to a low-cost transition metal, nickel. They developed a hydrothermal method using nickel foams to grow highly crystalline and near-vertically aligned NiFe-hydroxide nanosheets as OER catalysts (Figure 1a). The seamless integration between the hydroxide nanosheets and the nickel substrates reduces the contact resistance and facilitates interfacial electron transfer. The near-vertical orientation (Figure 1b) allows water molecules to fully contact the catalysts. Both of the characteristics render excellent OER catalytic activity. Additionally, the high crystallinity (Figure 1c) ensures the catalysts are robust enough to withstand extensive use without degradation in performance.

Figure 1. (a) The schematic illustration of the synthetic procedures of the NiFe-hydroxide [Fe-Ni(OH)2] nanosheets supported on nickel foams (NF). (b) The scanning electron microscopy image shows the near-vertically aligned nanosheets on a piece of nickel foam. (c) The transmission electron microscopy image reveals the crystallinity of the synthesized catalyst.

The NiFe-hydroxide nanosheets outperform most of the state-of-the-art OER catalysts, including those containing noble metal elements. Specifically, the nanosheets exhibit an onset potential of 1.497 V (Figure 2). The onset potential is a measure of the catalytic activity that equals the magnitude of potential required to yield a current density of 10 mA/cm² (when appreciable amount of oxygen gas is evolved). Outstandingly, the onset potential of the NiFe-hydroxide is the smallest among the catalysts selected for comparison.

Figure 2. The polarisation curves of different OER catalysts. The onset potential is marked by the dotted line in the inset.

The catalytic activity is also highly stable, with no loss in performance after at least 100 h of measurement. Interestingly, the onset potential further shifts to a lower value of 1.465 V after 100 h. The authors attributed this observation to a “self-activation” process that involves the formation and accumulation of nickel oxyhydroxide (NiOOH) on the surface of the nanosheets.

The hydrothermal method demonstrated here could be used to synthesize other cost-effective crystalline catalysts to develop catalysts for reactions beyond OER, such as hydrogen evolution and carbon dioxide reduction.

To find out more please read:

Free-Standing Single-Crystalline NiFe-Hydroxide Nanoflake Arrays: A Self-Activated and Robust Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Evolution

Jinlong Liu, Yao Zheng, Zhenyu Wang, Zhouguang Lu, Anthony Vasileff and Shi-Zhang Qiao

Chem. Commun. 2017, DOI: 10.1039/c7cc08843d

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Binder-free Integration of Bismuth Nanoflakes onto Nickel Foams for Sodium-ion Batteries

13 Dec 2017

A new type of bismuth-based electrode material for sodium-ion batteries has been synthesized. This electrode consists of bismuth metal nanoflakes seamlessly integrated onto nickel foams. The electrode contains no polymer binders, a crucial component required to retain the structural integrity of most battery electrodes. This binder-free feature improves the amount of charge being stored (i.e. capacity) at fast charging rates.

Sodium-ion batteries are attracting worldwide research efforts as electric energy storage devices, in addition to the prevalent lithium-ion batteries, due to the abundance of sodium. Similar to the preparation of other battery electrodes, fabricating sodium-ion battery electrodes generally requires binders, e.g. polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), to hold powdered electrode materials together and glue them to metal supporting substrates. However, the electrically insulating nature of the binders impedes fast electron transport between electrode materials and supporting substrates, consequently degrading the capacity of the batteries at fast charging rates.

Now in ChemComm, researchers from Nankai University & the Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering in China demonstrate a bismuth-based electrode material that does not involve a binder. This characteristic is realized by the in-situ growth of bismuth nanoflakes onto nickel foams through a solution-based replacement reaction (Figure 1). Because the nanoflakes grow directly from the nickel foam surface and firmly anchor onto nickel (Figure 2a), the resultant Bi/Ni composite can be directly used as an electrode. Specifically, the bismuth nanoflakes and nickel foam serve as the active material and supporting substrate, respectively.

The Bi/Ni composite exhibited excellent electrochemical performance. It achieved a high capacity of 377.1 mAh/g at a current density of 20 mA/g. Significantly, when the current density increased 100-fold, its capacity could still retain 206.4 mAh/g, which is more than half of the capacity obtained at 20 mA/g (Figure 2b). This outstanding capacity retention is a benefit of the binder-free characteristic that reduces the resistance of electron transport.

The authors then elucidated the working mechanism of the bismuth nanoflakes by in-situ Raman spectroscopy. They concluded that a two-step alloying process was responsible for the charge storage activity.

Figure 1. A schematic illustration showing the synthetic process of the binder-free Bi/Ni electrode. By inserting a piece of nickel foam into an ethylene glycol (EG) solution containing bismuth(III) nitrate, Bi3+ can replace Ni metal, be reduced to Bi metal and deposit on the Ni metal surface.

Figure 2. (a) A scanning electron microscopy image of the bismuth nanoflakes. (b) A plot showing the capacity of the Bi/Ni electrode at different current densities.

The successful synthesis of the binder-free electrode is expected to encourage future works on the design and synthesis of integrated electrode materials to advance the performance of sodium-ion batteries.

To find out more please read:

In situ Synthesis of Bi Nanoflakes on Ni Foam for Sodium-ion Batteries

Liubin Wang, Chenchen Wang, Fujun Li, Fangyi Cheng and Jun Chen

Chem. Commun. 2017, DOI: 10.1039/c7cc08341f

About the blogger:

Tianyu Liu obtained his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from University of California, Santa Cruz in United States. He is passionate about scientific communication to introduce cutting-edge research to both the general public and scientists with diverse research expertise. He is a web blog writer for Chem. Commun. and Chem. Sci. More information about him can be found at http://liutianyuresearch.weebly.com/.

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Binder-free Integration of Bismuth Nanoflakes onto Nickel Foams for Sodium-ion Batteries

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