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Organisationseinheit der BAM
One of the challenges of high-temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells is the poisoning of the Pt catalyst with H3PO4. H3PO4 is imbibed into the routinely used polybenzimidazole-based membranes, which facilitate proton conductivity in the temperature range of 120−200 °C. However, when leached out of the membrane by water produced during operation, H3PO4 adsorbs on the Pt catalyst surface, blocking the active sites and hindering the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR).
The reduction of H3PO4 to H3PO3, which occurs at the anode due to a combination of a low potential and the presence of gaseous H2, has been investigated as an additional important contributing factor to the observed poisoning effect. H3PO3 has an affinity toward adsorption on Pt surfaces even greater than that of H2PO4 −. In this work, we investigated the poisoning effect of both H3PO3 and H3PO4 using a half-cell setup with a gas diffusion electrode under ambient conditions. By means of in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy, it was possible to follow the signature of different species adsorbed on the Pt nanoparticle catalyst (H, O, H2PO4 −, and H3PO3) at different potentials under ORR conditions in various electrolytes (HClO4, H3PO4, and H3PO3). It was found that H3PO3 adsorbs in a pyramidal configuration P(OH)3 through a Pt−P bond. The competition between H3PO4 and H3PO3 adsorption was studied, which should allow for a better understanding of the catalyst poisoning mechanism and thus assist in the development of strategies to mitigate this phenomenon in the future by minimizing H3PO3 generation by, for example, improved catalyst design or adapted operation conditions or changes in the electrolyte composition.
Metal-Assisted and Solvent-Mediated Synthesis of Two-Dimensional Triazine Structures on Gram Scale
(2020)
Covalent triazine frameworks are an emerging material class that have shown promising performance for a range of applications. In this work, we report on a metal-assisted and solvent-mediated reaction between calcium carbide and cyanuric chloride, as cheap and commercially available precursors, to synthesize two-dimensional triazine structures (2DTSs). The reaction between the solvent, dimethylformamide, and cyanuric chloride was promoted by calcium carbide and resulted in dimethylamino-s-triazine intermediates, which in turn undergo nucleophilic substitutions. This reaction was directed into two dimensions by calcium ions derived from calcium carbide and induced the formation of 2DTSs. The role of calcium ions to direct the two-dimensionality of the final structure was simulated using DFT and further proven by synthesizing molecular intermediates. The water content of the reaction medium was found to be a crucial factor that affected the structure of the products dramatically. While 2DTSs were obtained under anhydrous conditions, a mixture of graphitic material/2DTSs or only graphitic material (GM) was obtained in aqueous solutions. Due to the straightforward and gram-scale synthesis of 2DTSs, as well as their photothermal and photodynamic properties, they are promising materials for a wide range of future applications, including bacteria and virus incapacitation.
A new method for top‐down, one‐pot, gram‐scale production of high quality nanographene by incubating graphite in a dilute sodium hypochlorite solution at only 40 °C is reported here. The produced sheets have only 4 at% oxygen content, comparable with nanographene grown by chemical vapor deposition. The nanographene sheets are covalently functionalized using a nondestructive nitrene [2+1] cycloaddition reaction that preserves their π‐conjugated system. Statistical analyses of Raman spectroscopy and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicate a low number of sp3 carbon atoms on the order of 2% before and 4% after covalent functionalization. The nanographene sheets are significantly more conductive than conventionally prepared nanographene oxide, and conductivity further increases after covalent functionalization. The observed doping effects and theoretical studies suggest sp2 hybridization for the carbon atoms involved in the [2+1] cycloaddition reaction leading to preservation of the π‐conjugated system and enhancing conductivity via n‐type doping through the bridging N‐atom. These methods are easily scalable, which opens the door to a mild and efficient process to produce high quality nanographenes and covalently functionalize them while retaining or improving their physicochemical properties.
Avoiding aerial microfibre contamination of environmental samples is essential for reliable analyses when it comes to the detection of ubiquitous microplastics. Almost all laboratories have contamination problems which are largely unavoidable without investments in clean-air devices. Therefore, our study supplies an approach to assess background microfibre contamination of samples in the laboratory under particle-free air conditions. We tested aerial contamination of samples indoor, in a mobile laboratory, within a laboratory fume hood and on a clean bench with particles filtration during the examining process of a fish. The used clean bench reduced aerial microfibre contamination in our laboratory by 96.5%. This highlights the value of suitable clean-air devices for valid microplastic pollution data. Our results indicate, that pollution levels by microfibres have been overestimated and actual pollution levels may be many times lower. Accordingly, such clean-air devices are recommended for microplastic laboratory applications in future research work to significantly lower error rate
Synchrotron radiation (SR) has been used in recent years as an excellent excitation source for X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. SR offers, in contrast to conventional X-ray sources, highly brilliant polychromatic, polarized radiation with which micro-domain X-ray fluorescence spectrometry becomes possible. A feasibility study of utility, conducted at BESSY (Berlin) and at DELTA (Dortmund), both synchrotron facilities of the third generation, to evaluate the use of wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry in combination with synchrotron radiation is presented. First results for material analysis, obtained by combining the synchrotron radiation and a commercially available spectrometer commonly attached to a scanning electron microscope, are presented. The spectrometer, of the linear type, uses curved focusing Bragg-crystals of the Johann type which leads to a high spectral resolution up to 3 eV. Examples of micro-domain analyses are presented and compared with those obtained by synchrotron radiation induced energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence.
Combining the abundance and inexpensiveness of their constituent elements with their atomic dispersion, atomically dispersed Fe−N−C catalysts represent the most promising alternative to precious-metal-based materials in proton Exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells. Due to the high temperatures involved in their synthesis and the sensitivity of Fe ions toward carbothermal reduction, current synthetic methods are intrinsically limited in type and amount of the desired, catalytically active Fe−N4 sites, and high active site densities have been out of reach (dilemma of Fe−N−C catalysts). We herein identify a paradigm change in the synthesis of Fe−N−C catalysts arising from the developments of other M−N−C single-atom catalysts. Supported by DFT calculations we propose fundamental principles for the synthesis of M−N−C materials. We further exploit the proposed principles in a novel synthetic strategy to surpass the dilemma of Fe−N−C catalysts. The selective formation of tetrapyrrolic Zn−N4 sites in a tailor-made Zn−N−C material is utilized as an active-site imprint for the preparation of a corresponding Fe−N−C catalyst.
By successive low- and high-temperature ion exchange reactions, we obtain a phase-pure Fe−N−C catalyst, with a high loading of atomically dispersed Fe (>3 wt %). Moreover, the catalyst is entirely composed of tetrapyrrolic Fe−N4 sites. The density of tetrapyrrolic Fe−N4 sites is more than six times as high as for previously reported tetrapyrrolic single-site Fe−N−C fuel cell catalysts.
In this work, fullerene has been functionalized with cyanuric Chloride at room temperature by a nitrene mediated [2 + 1] cycloaddition reaction. The adduct after functionalization is inherently in the form of azafulleroid and shows broad UV absorption in the wavelength range of 200–800 nm, as well as photothermal conversion and fluorescence with a high quantum yield.
Monitoring the ingestion of microplastics is challenging and suitable detection techniques are insufficiently used. Thus, misidentifying natural for synthetic microfibres cannot be avoided. As part of a framework to monitor the ingestion of microplastics in eelpout, this short report addresses the accurate identification of microfibres. We show that, following visual inspections, putatively synthetic microfibres are indeed of natural origin, as ascertained by spectrometric analyses. Consequently, we call for an inclusion of spectroscopic techniques in standardized microplastic monitoring schemes.