Ferrocene solubilized with poly(vinylpyrrolidone) in aqueous KCl solution exhibited a well-defined voltammetric peak at 1.33 V vs. Ag|AgCl at a platinum electrode. The wave was attributed to the oxidation of chloride to chlorine, demonstrated by smell of chlorine, by a view of formation of gas bubbles, by coloration through the reaction with diethyl-p-phenylene diamine, and by the increase in t...

Energy conversion through sustainable means is essential to counter global warming and an urgent solution a multidisciplinary approach required. The temperature change stems from the emission of greenhouse gases largely contributed by burning fossil fuels; thus, its replacement with clean, cheap, energy source paramount. Water one integral sources potentially attractive produce hydrogen (H2) ga...

A cobalt-sulfide (Co-S) film prepared via electrochemical deposition on conductive substrates is shown to behave as an efficient and robust catalyst for electrochemical and photoelectrochemical hydrogen generation from neutral pH water. Electrochemical experiments demonstrate that the film exhibits a low catalytic onset overpotential (η) of 43 mV, a Tafel slope of 93 mV/dec, and near 100% Farad...

We developed the novel electrode that enables fine control of overpotential by exploiting surface segregation that is the enrichment of one component at the surface of binary alloy. To realize this approach, we controlled the proportion of Si with low Li diffusivity at the surface by annealing the SiGe nanowire in H2 environment at various temperatures. The resulting SiGe nanowires annealed at ...

N-Doped carbon materials are promising candidates as alternative catalysts to noble metals in promoting the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in fuel cells. However, methods to further reduce the ORR overpotential and improve related kinetics remain to be developed. This study reports that N-doped graphene frameworks (NGFs) synthesized from the rapid pyrolysis of solid glycine particles in the pr...

In Li-ion batteries (LIBs), a memory effect has been revealed in two-phase electrode materials such as olivine LiFePO4 and anatase TiO2, which complicates the two-phase transition and influences the estimation of the state of charge. Practical electrode materials are usually optimized by the element doping strategy, however, its impact on the memory effect has not been reported yet. Here we fir...

The electrochemical performance of lithium-oxygen (Li-O2) batteries can be markedly improved through designing the architecture of cathode electrodes with sufficient spaces to facilitate the diffusion of oxygen and accommodate the discharge products, and optimizing the cathode catalyst to promote the oxygen reduction reaction and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Herein, we report the synthesis ...

Abstract The activation of C–H bonds is a central challenge in organic chemistry and usually key step for the retro-synthesis functional natural products due to high chemical stability bonds. Electrochemical methods are powerful alternative activation, but this approach requires overpotential homogeneous mediators. Here, we design electron-deficient W 2 C nanocrystal-based electrodes boost hete...

The need for sustainable catalysts for an efficient hydrogen evolution reaction is of significant interest for modern society. Inspired by comparable structural properties of [FeNi]-hydrogenase, here we present the natural ore pentlandite (Fe4.5Ni4.5S8) as a direct 'rock' electrode material for hydrogen evolution under acidic conditions with an overpotential of 280 mV at 10 mA cm(-2). Furthermo...

Enhanced performance was observed for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) utilizing counter electrodes based on Pt electrodeposits compared to counter electrodes based on sputtered Pt. Scanning electron microscopy of Pt electrodeposits revealed that the use of an initial cathodic overpotential pulse followed by steady electrodeposition at a mild cathodic potential yielded ∼40nm particles, compar...