Outputs (28)

Direct formation of copper nanoparticles from atoms at graphitic step edges lowers overpotential and improves selectivity of electrocatalytic CO2 reduction (2024)
Journal Article
Burwell, T., Thangamuthu, M., Aliev, G. N., Ghaderzadeh, S., Kohlrausch, E. C., Chen, Y., Theis, W., Norman, L. T., Alves Fernandes, J., Besley, E., Licence, P., & Khlobystov, A. N. (2024). Direct formation of copper nanoparticles from atoms at graphitic step edges lowers overpotential and improves selectivity of electrocatalytic CO2 reduction. Communications Chemistry, 7(1), Article 140. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42004-024-01218-y

A key strategy for minimizing our reliance on precious metals is to increase the fraction of surface atoms and improve the metal-support interface. In this work, we employ a solvent/ligand/counterion-free method to deposit copper in the atomic form d... Read More about Direct formation of copper nanoparticles from atoms at graphitic step edges lowers overpotential and improves selectivity of electrocatalytic CO2 reduction.

From scrap metal to highly efficient electrodes: harnessing the nanotextured surface of swarf for effective utilisation of Pt and Co for hydrogen production (2024)
Journal Article
Thangamuthu, M., Kohlrausch, E. C., Li, M., Speidel, A., Clare, A. T., Plummer, R., Geary, P., Murray, J. W., Khlobystov, A. N., & Alves Fernandes, J. (2024). From scrap metal to highly efficient electrodes: harnessing the nanotextured surface of swarf for effective utilisation of Pt and Co for hydrogen production. Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 12(25), 15137-15144. https://doi.org/10.1039/d4ta00711e

Hydrogen is considered to be the key element to achieving climate neutrality, leading to a massive demand for electrocatalysts. This work explores the transformation of metal waste into active and stable electrode materials for water splitting by mod... Read More about From scrap metal to highly efficient electrodes: harnessing the nanotextured surface of swarf for effective utilisation of Pt and Co for hydrogen production.

Synergy of nanocrystalline carbon nitride with Cu single atom catalyst leads to selective photocatalytic reduction of CO2 to methanol (2024)
Journal Article
LeMercier, T. M., Thangamuthu, M., Kohlrausch, E. C., Chen, Y., Stoppiello, C. T., Fay, M. W., Rance, G. A., Aliev, G. N., Theis, W., Biskupek, J., Kaiser, U., Lanterna, A. E., Alves Fernandes, J., & Khlobystov, A. N. (2024). Synergy of nanocrystalline carbon nitride with Cu single atom catalyst leads to selective photocatalytic reduction of CO2 to methanol. Sustainable Energy and Fuels, 1691-1703. https://doi.org/10.1039/D4SE00028E

Carbon nitride (C3N4) possesses both a band gap in the visible range and a low-lying conduction band potential, suitable for water splitting and CO2 reduction reactions (CO2RR). Yet, bulk C3N4 (b-C3N4) suffers from structural disorder leading to slug... Read More about Synergy of nanocrystalline carbon nitride with Cu single atom catalyst leads to selective photocatalytic reduction of CO2 to methanol.

Selective Excitation of Pd-decorated Titania Enables Consecutive C−C Couplings and Hydrogenations under Ambient Conditions (2023)
Journal Article
Whitehead, R. Z., Norman, L. T., Cull, W. J., Fernandes, J. A., & Lanterna, A. E. (2023). Selective Excitation of Pd-decorated Titania Enables Consecutive C−C Couplings and Hydrogenations under Ambient Conditions. ChemCatChem, 15(21), Article e202300528. https://doi.org/10.1002/cctc.202300528

Here, we discovered that Pd decorated TiO2 (Pd@TiO2) enables consecutive photocatalytic Sonogashira C−C coupling and hydrogenation steps by simply adjusting the excitation conditions of the reaction. We demonstrated that by-products containing iodine... Read More about Selective Excitation of Pd-decorated Titania Enables Consecutive C−C Couplings and Hydrogenations under Ambient Conditions.

Chemical Kinetics of Metal Single Atom and Nanocluster Formation on Surfaces: An Example of Pt on Hexagonal Boron Nitride (2023)
Journal Article
Popov, I., Ghaderzadeh, S., Kohlrausch, E. C., Norman, L. T., Slater, T. J. A., Aliev, G. N., Alhabeadi, H., Kaplan, A., Theis, W., Khlobystov, A. N., Fernandes, J. A., & Besley, E. (2023). Chemical Kinetics of Metal Single Atom and Nanocluster Formation on Surfaces: An Example of Pt on Hexagonal Boron Nitride. Nano Letters, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c01968

The production of atomically dispersed metal catalysts remains a significant challenge in the field of heterogeneous catalysis due to coexistence with continuously packed sites such as nanoclusters and nanoparticles. This work presents a comprehensiv... Read More about Chemical Kinetics of Metal Single Atom and Nanocluster Formation on Surfaces: An Example of Pt on Hexagonal Boron Nitride.

Unravelling synergistic effects in bi-metallic catalysts: deceleration of palladium–gold nanoparticle coarsening in the hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde (2023)
Journal Article
Pinto, J., Weilhard, A., Norman, L. T., Lodge, R. W., Rogers, D. M., Gual, A., Cano, I., Khlobystov, A. N., Licence, P., & Alves Fernandes, J. (2023). Unravelling synergistic effects in bi-metallic catalysts: deceleration of palladium–gold nanoparticle coarsening in the hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde. Catalysis Science and Technology, https://doi.org/10.1039/d3cy00289f

In this work, we demonstrate that the synergistic effect of PdAu nanoparticles (NPs) in hydrogenation reactions is not only related to high activity but also to their stability when compared to Pd mono-metallic NPs. To demonstrate this, a series of m... Read More about Unravelling synergistic effects in bi-metallic catalysts: deceleration of palladium–gold nanoparticle coarsening in the hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde.

Interchangeable Biomass Fuels for Paper-Based Microfluidic Fuel Cells: Finding Their Power Density Limits (2023)
Journal Article
Lima, A. L. D., Rocha, P. M., Silva, A. C., Alves Fernandes, J., & Martins, C. A. (2023). Interchangeable Biomass Fuels for Paper-Based Microfluidic Fuel Cells: Finding Their Power Density Limits. ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 15(9), 11895–11905. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.2c23192

Paper batteries are self-pumping emerging tools for powering portable analytical systems. These disposable energy converters must be low-cost and must achieve enough energy to power electronic devices. The challenge is reaching high energy while keep... Read More about Interchangeable Biomass Fuels for Paper-Based Microfluidic Fuel Cells: Finding Their Power Density Limits.

Host–Guest Chemistry in Boron Nitride Nanotubes: Interactions with Polyoxometalates and Mechanism of Encapsulation (2022)
Journal Article
Jordan, J. W., Chernov, A. I., Rance, G. A., Stephen Davies, E., Lanterna, A. E., Alves Fernandes, J., Grüneis, A., Ramasse, Q., Newton, G. N., & Khlobystov, A. N. (2023). Host–Guest Chemistry in Boron Nitride Nanotubes: Interactions with Polyoxometalates and Mechanism of Encapsulation. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 145(2), 1206-1215. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.2c10961

Boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) are an emerging class of molecular container offering new functionalities and possibilities for studying molecules at the nanoscale. Herein, BNNTs are demonstrated as highly effective nanocontainers for polyoxometalate... Read More about Host–Guest Chemistry in Boron Nitride Nanotubes: Interactions with Polyoxometalates and Mechanism of Encapsulation.

Defect Etching in Carbon Nanotube Walls for Porous Carbon Nanoreactors: Implications for CO2 Sorption and the Hydrosilylation of Phenylacetylene (2022)
Journal Article
Astle, M. A., Weilhard, A., Rance, G. A., LeMercier, T. M., Stoppiello, C. T., Norman, L. T., Fernandes, J. A., & Khlobystov, A. N. (2022). Defect Etching in Carbon Nanotube Walls for Porous Carbon Nanoreactors: Implications for CO2 Sorption and the Hydrosilylation of Phenylacetylene. ACS Applied Nano Materials, 5(2), 2075-2086. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsanm.1c03803

A method of pore fabrication in the walls of carbon nanotubes has been developed, leading to porous nanotubes that have been filled with catalysts and utilized in liquid- and gas-phase reactions. Chromium oxide nanoparticles have been utilized as hig... Read More about Defect Etching in Carbon Nanotube Walls for Porous Carbon Nanoreactors: Implications for CO2 Sorption and the Hydrosilylation of Phenylacetylene.

A high-throughput, solvent free method for dispersing metal atoms directly onto supports (2021)
Journal Article
Kohlrausch, E. C., Centurion, H. A., Lodge, R. W., Luo, X., Slater, T., Santos, M. J. L., Ling, S., Mastelaro, V. R., Cliffe, M. J., Goncalves, R. V., & Alves Fernandes, J. (2021). A high-throughput, solvent free method for dispersing metal atoms directly onto supports. Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 9(47), 26676-26679. https://doi.org/10.1039/d1ta08372d

Atomically-dispersed metal catalysts (ADMCs) on surfaces have demonstrated high activity and selectivity in many catalytic reactions. However, dispersing and stabilising individual atoms in support materials in an atom/energy-efficient scalable way s... Read More about A high-throughput, solvent free method for dispersing metal atoms directly onto supports.