Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanotube/Graphite Felts as Advanced Electrode Materials for Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries

Nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes have been grown, for the first time, on graphite felt (N-CNT/GF) by a chemical vapor deposition approach and examined as an advanced electrode for vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs). The unique porous structure and nitrogen doping of N-CNT/GF with increased surface area enhances the battery performance significantly. The enriched porous structure of N-CNTs on graphite felt could potentially facilitate the diffusion of electrolyte, while the N-doping could significantly contribute to the enhanced electrode performance. Specifically, the N-doping (i) modifies the electronic properties of CNT and thereby alters the chemisorption characteristics of the vanadium ions, (ii) generates defect sites that are electrochemically more active, (iii) increases the oxygen species on CNT surface, which is a key factor influencing the VRFB performance, and (iv) makes the N-CNT electrochemically more accessible than the CNT

Hydrothermal Synthesis of Boron and Nitrogen Codoped Hollow Graphene Microspheres with Enhanced Electrocatalytic Activity for Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Boron and nitrogen codoped hollow graphene microspheres (NBGHSs), synthesized from a simple template sacrificing method, have been employed as an electrocatalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Because of their specific hollow structure that consists of boron and nitrogen codoped graphene, the NBGHSs can exhibit even high electrocatalytic activity toward ORR than the commercial JM Pt/C 40 wt %. This, along with their higher stability, makes the NBGHSs particularly attractive as the electrocatalyst for the ORR with great potential to replace the commonly used noble-metal-based catalysts

Robust Metal–Organic Framework Containing Benzoselenadiazole for Highly Efficient Aerobic Cross-dehydrogenative Coupling Reactions under Visible Light

A zirconium­(IV)-based UiO-topological metal–organic framework (UiO-68Se) containing benzoselenadiazole was synthesized by an approach of the mixed dicarboxylate struts, which show highly efficient and recycalable photocatalytic activity for aerobic cross-dehydrogenative coupling reactions between tertiary amines and various carbon nucleophiles under visible-light irradiation

Ratiometric Luminescent Detection of Organic Amines Due to the Induced Lactam–Lactim Tautomerization of Organic Linker in a Metal–Organic Framework

Here we demonstrate that a fluorescent benzothiadiazole (BTD)-conjugated terphenyldicarboxylate (TPDC) linker (denoted as H₂-ostpdc) has been hybridized by a quinoxaline-2,3-(1<i>H</i>,4<i>H</i>)-dione (QD) moiety possessing lactam-lactim tautomerism, which was further integrated into a robust and porous UiO-68 type zirconium metal–organic framework (MOF UiO-68-osdm) by utilizing the mixed two dicarboxylate struts with the same ligand lengths. The resultant MOF UiO-68-osdm can work as a ratiometric luminescent sensor for visual and selective detection of alkyl amines. Furthermore, it can discriminate secondary alkylamines from other type amine species

Highly Efficient and Selective Photooxidation of Sulfur Mustard Simulant by a Triazolobenzothiadiazole-Moiety-Functionalized Metal–Organic Framework in Air

A photoactive triazolobenzothiadiazole (TBTD)-conjugated terphenyldicarboxylate (TPDC) linker was introduced into a porous and robust UiO-68 isoreticular zirconium metal–organic framework (denoted as UiO-68-TBTD) by the de novo synthetic approach of mixed TPDC struts. Under blue-light-emitting-diode irradiation, UiO-68-TBTD can serve as a heterogeneous photocatalyst for the highly efficient and selective oxidation of a sulfur mustard simulant (2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide) to the corresponding much less toxic sulfoxide product, with a half-life of only 3 min in the open air atmosphere