Recent Developments in Copper-Based Catalysts for Enhanced Electrochemical CO₂ Reduction

The drastic climate change imposing adverse environmental effects receives serious research attention for finding a suitable solution. The replacement of conventional fossil energy sources with renewable and sustainable energy sources is the potential route; and thus, manifests as a viable solution. Accordingly, the electrocatalytic carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction process coupled with the renewable energy source is an emerging strategy for adopting a sustainable approach. However, the existing challenges in designing suitable catalyst, support material, electrolyte, inadequate selectivity, and intermediate reactions of CO2 reduction demand substantial research advancement. Numerous studies reported for the CO2 reduction process highlight the importance of catalyst design and product selectivity. Importantly, the copper-based catalysts, capable in the output of multi-carbon products, are reported as a “star” material. This review; therefore, focuses on catalyst design strategies, unique structural/morphological features, and product selectivity of diverse copper-based catalysts. The outstanding findings of copper-based catalysts and the corresponding products are critically discussed with adequate figures of merits. The impact of structural/morphological features on product selectivity is discussed in detail. The future scope and author perspectives on copper-based catalysts for the feasible electrocatalytic CO2 reduction application are summarized.</p

Green synthesis of ZnO-NPs using endophytic fungal extract of Xylaria arbuscula from Blumea axillaris and its biological applications

AbstractThe biogenic manufacture of nanoparticles utilising endophytic fungus is an eco-friendly, cost-effective, and secure alternative to constructing chemical methods. The prime focus of the study was to fabricate ZnONPs using the biomass filtrate of endophytic Xylaria arbuscula isolated from Blumea axillaris Linn. and to evaluate their biological properties. The characterisation of the biosynthesized ZnO-NPs was done utilising both spectroscopic and microscopic methods. The bioinspired NPs showed a surface plasmon peak at 370 nm; SEM and TEM micrographs illustrated the hexagonal organisation; XRD spectra proved the crystalline phase as hexagonal wurtzite; EDX analysis confirmed the presence of zinc and oxygen atoms; and the zeta potential analysis proved the stability of ZnONPs. In addition, they also demonstrated significant concentration-dependent inhibition of antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antidiabetic potential in comparison with the reference drugs. In vitro cytotoxicity and wound healing potential of ZnONPs were examined in L929 cell lines, illustrating that they accelerated the wound healing process by roughly 95.37 ± 1.12% after a 24-h exposure to ZnONPs. The photocatalytic activity of the ZnONPs was examined by degrading the methylene blue dye under solar irradiation. In conclusion, our outcomes showed that mycosynthesized ZnONPs possessed potent bioactivity and could be an excellent choice for biomedical applications

An Amiable Design of Cobalt Single Atoms as the Active Sites for Oxygen Evolution Reaction in Desalinated Seawater

Green fuel from water splitting is hardcore for future generations, and the limited source of fresh water (&lt;1%) is a bottleneck. Seawater cannot be used directly as a feedstock in current electrolyzer techniques. Until now single atom catalysts were reported by many synthetic strategies using notorious chemicals and harsh conditions. A cobalt single-atom (CoSA) intruding cobalt oxide ultrasmall nanoparticle (Co3O4 USNP)-intercalated porous carbon (PC) (CoSA-Co3O4@PC) electrocatalyst was synthesized from the waste orange peel as a single feedstock (solvent/template). The extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (EXAFS) and theoretical fitting reveal a clear picture of the coordination environment of the CoSA sites (CoSA-Co3O4 and CoSA-N4 in PC). To impede the direct seawater corrosion and chlorine evolution the seawater has been desalinated (Dseawater) with minimal cost and the obtained PC is used as an adsorbent in this process. CoSA-Co3O4@PC shows high oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity in transitional metal impurity-free (TMIF) 1 M KOH and alkaline Dseawater. CoSA-Co3O4@PC exhibits mass activity that is 15 times higher than the commercial RuO2. Theoretical interpretations suggest that the optimized CoSA sites in Co3O4 USNPs reduce the energy barrier for alkaline water dissociation and simultaneously trigger an excellent OER followed by an adsorbate evolution mechanism (AEM)