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Organisationseinheit der BAM
Extended hydrogen initiatives promote the urgency of research on water splitting technologies and, therein, oxygen evolution reaction catalysts being developed. A route to access a ZrF4 supported high-entropy fluoride catalyst using a facile sol–gel route is presented. The high-entropy character of the catalyst was confirmed by scanning transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (STEM-EDX) as well as inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Additional investigations on the local structure were performed using extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (EXAFS) and pair distribution function (PDF) analysis. The catalyst shows significant potential for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline media with a current density of 100 mA cm−2 at approximately 1.60 V, thus outperforming benchmark materials such as IrO2, despite a significant reduction in electrochemical mass loading. A potential mechanism is suggested based on free energy calculation using DFT calculations.
A sustainable mechanochemical process for the generation of sodium aluminium fluorides by conversion of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) waste on using ball milling in the presence of a Lewis acid was developed. The generated fluorides can be key materials for the aluminium production process. The Lewis acid AlCl3 initiates dehydrofluorination steps at PVDF, releasing HF for further fluorination of both NaCl and AlCl3 to yield chiolite under ball milling conditions. Further calcination of chiolite generates cryolite with an overall yield of 62% with respect to AlCl3. The procedure avoids the use of solvents and minimises energy consumption. The identity and phase purity of the products was confirmed by XRD, NMR, IR, and Raman analyses. It was also demonstrated that powdered PVDF, real-life PVDF membrane waste orPVDFextracted from Li-ion batteries can be upcycled into industrially relevant fluoride materials. The presented method offers a sustainable approach for resource recovery and environmental remediation.
A route to a ZrF4 catalyst active in room temperature Friedel–Crafts and dehydrofluorination reactions was developed via a fluorolytic sol–gel route, which was followed by a postfluorination step using a stream of CHClF2. The behaviour of different Zr(IV) precursors in a sol–gel reaction with anhydrous isopropanol/HF solution was investigated. The subsequent post-fluorination step was optimised in its temperature ramp and confirmed the necessity of a fluorination of the generated xerogels to obtain catalytic activity. The process is discussed in the context of the analysis of the materials using Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis (BET), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The local structure of the amorphous catalyst was elucidated by extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (EXAFS).
Polyvinylidene fluoride (–[CH2CF2]n–, PVDF) waste poses significant environmental challenges due to its recalcitrant nature and widespread use. This study addresses the end-of-life management of PVDF by introducing a novel, sustainable mechanochemical approach for its valorisation. We investigated the degradation of PVDF into value-added materials using ball milling with anhydrous AlCl3 to achieve a quantitative mineralisation producing AlF3 and halide-functionalised graphite, along with gaseous products (HCl and CH4). Mechanistic key steps involve Lewis-acid catalysed C–F bond activation, dehydrofluorination and aromatisation. This approach provides an effective solution for PVDF waste management while offering a promising route for the production of high-value materials from polymer waste streams. Our findings contribute to sustainable practices in polymer recycling and resource recovery, respond to pressing environmental concerns associated with fluoropolymer disposal, and demonstrate the potential to convert polymer wastes into useful products.
