Au/ZnS core/shell nanocrystals with controllable shell thicknesses were synthesized using a cysteine-assisted hydrothermal method. Incorporating Au/ZnS nanocrystals into the traditional Pt-catalyzed half-cell reaction led to a 43.3% increase in methanol oxidation current under light illumination, demonstrating their promising potential for metal/semiconductor hybrid nanocrystals as the anode ph...

Dimethoxymethane was synthesized from the direct oxidation of methanol with high conversion and selectivity over specially designed bifunctional V(2)O(5)/TiO2 catalysts with redox and enhanced acidic character, in which the surface acidity played an essential role for inhibiting the formation of formaldehyde through the enhanced condensation reaction of formaldehyde with methanol to produce dim...

The anode electro-oxidation of methanol is central to the operation of Direct Methanol Fuel Cells (DMFC), which have the potential to become the fastest growing next generation mobile power sources. While Pt and Pt-based catalysts are known for their effectiveness in methanol activation, they are also most susceptible to catalyst poisoning by reaction intermediates such as CO. A second or even ...

This paper reported the fabrication of ternary metallic PtPdBi hollow nanocatalyst through a facile, one-pot, wet-chemical method by adopting sodium borohydride and polyvinylpyrrolidone as reducing agent and surfactant directing agent, respectively. The hollow structure offers novel morphology and large surface areas, which are conducive to enhancing the electrocatalytic activity. The electroca...

To improve the understanding of catalytic processes, the surface structure and composition of the active materials need to be determined before and after reaction. Morphological changes may occur under reaction conditions and can dramatically influence the reactivity and/or selectivity of a catalyst. Goldbased catalysts with different architectures are currently being developed for selective ox...

The corrosion of zero-valent iron (Fe0(s)) by oxygen (O2) can lead to the oxidation of organic compounds. To gain insight into the reaction mechanism and to assess the nature of the oxidant, the oxidation of methanol, ethanol, 2-propanol, and benzoic acid by the reaction of nanoparticulate zero-valent iron (nZVI) or ferrous iron (Fe[II]) with O2 in the absence of ligands was studied. At pH valu...

The electrooxidation of methylhydrazine, 1,2-dirnethylhydrazine, and 1,1 -dimethylhydrazine at a platinum electrode was studied using chronopotentiometry, coulometry, and product analysis. The results show that methjJlhydrazine is oxidized in an over-all four-electron reaction to nitrogen and methanol. The oxidation of 1,2-dimethylhydvazine proceeds by an initial two-electron oxidation, followe...

The selective oxidation of methanol to formaldehyde occurring on titania-supported vanadate species has been analyzed theoretically with the aim of understanding why the activity of VOx/TiO2 is ∼103 faster than that of VOx/SiO2. The active site was represented by a [(O)3VdO] group located at the corner of a cubic TiOx cluster, a model similar to that used successfully to describe the oxidation ...

Urea-hydrogen peroxide (UHP) was used in the presence of maleic anhydride as mediator in a simple and convenient method for the oxidation in high yield of some thiols to the corresponding disulfides. Peroxymaleic acid formed in situ from the reaction of UHP with maleic anhydride has a key role in this oxidation. Performance of the reaction in various solvents showed that methanol was the solven...

Catalytic conversion of formic acid into methanol was investigated with Cu as a catalyst and Al as a reductant under hydrothermal conditions. It was found that formic acid can be converted into methanol by such means. The highest yield of methanol (30.4%) was attained with a temperature of 300 °C and a reaction time of 9 h. The AlO(OH) formed from Al oxidation may also play a catalytic role in ...