Current Opinion in Electrochemistry最新文献

This review focuses on the extraction of lithium-ions (Li⁺) from the cathode of spent lithium-ion batteries (SLIB) and application of the delithiated cathode in catalytic reactions. Li⁺ has been extracted from SLIB through electrochemical and chemical leaching methods. Despite challenges for extraction of Li⁺, delithiated cathode materials demonstrate substantial catalytic efficiency in water electrolysis, dye photodegradation, and photoelectrochemical applications. This enhanced catalytic performance is attributable to the favorable catalytic properties of the transition metal oxide components and numerous catalytically active defects and oxygen vacancies formed by delithiation. The findings underscore the potential of recycling SLIBs into valuable catalysts for environmental and energy-related applications, emphasizing the transformation of waste into resource through efficient material reutilization.

Ammonia production, mostly for use in fertilizers, currently consumes up to 2% of the world's energy production and accounts for more than 1.6% of global CO₂ emissions. Hence, it is essential to develop a sustainable and eco-friendly process for NH₃ synthesis. To date, various synthetic techniques have been developed under mild operation conditions. Among them, electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction (ENRR) allows the direct conversion of atmospheric N₂ into NH₃ from renewables, offering various advantages, So far, most ENRR have been carried out in aqueous electrolytes. However the faradaic efficiency is usually low in such electrolytes, because water or proton reduction to hydrogen competes with nitrogen reduction. Compared to aqueous electrolytes, non-aqueous electrolytes show high electrochemical stability, increased solubility of N₂, high selectivity, promoting the ENRR over hydrogen evolution-reactions, hence improving Faradaic efficiency. However, a comprehensive understanding of ENRR in non-aqueous electrolytes remains inadequate, and challenges such as poor selectivity, low current density, and low energy efficiency still remain in practical implementation. In this review, we summarize the recent progress of ENRR in non-aqueous electrolytes. Some technical challenges arising in this field are highlighted and assessed. In the final part, the perspectives are proposed for future research and commercial practice.

Bacterial biofilms are structured communities of microorganisms that play a critical role in various industries and healthcare settings, contributing to chronic infections and biofouling issues. Understanding the metabolites produced by bacterial biofilms is of paramount importance to detect their growth patterns, virulence, and responses to treatment strategies. Electrochemical detection has emerged as a powerful and versatile tool for real-time, label-free, and sensitive analysis of bacterial biofilm metabolites. This review paper investigates recent breakthroughs in the field of electrochemical detection, focusing on the principles, methodologies, and applications of this cutting-edge technology. It includes a comprehensive examination of electrochemical sensors and their various modifications, designed to enhance sensitivity and specificity. Finally, the paper emphasisesing the potential for novel electrochemical techniques and their integration into clinical and industrial settings.

Rechargeable metal-bromine batteries have emerged as promising candidates to develop competitive, cost-effective, high-energy-density energy storage systems. The general configuration of a metal-bromine battery includes a metal anode and a bromine cathode. The emergence of zinc-bromine redox batteries (ZBRBs) is attributed to the earth's abundance of zinc, the cost-effectiveness of the active materials, and the high theoretical energy density. Recent advancements have highlighted using bromides (Br⁻, Br_2, and Br_n⁻ (n = 3, 5, 7 …)) entrapping materials for the cathode to enhance the Br⁻/Br₂ redox reaction and inhibit the Br₂ diffusion in the ZBRBs. This review aims to explore the various arrangements and insights into bromides-entrapping-based cathodes recently reported. Finally, we share perspectives on the remaining challenges and prospects for the ZBRBs.

The safety issues and lack of availability of lithium metal have led to the ever-increasing demand for research on new battery technologies, driven by the need for high-performance electrochemical energy storage (EES) systems. In this regard, sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) are plausible substitutes for commercial lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, the growth of SIBs is primarily hampered by insufficient electrochemical characteristics caused by the sluggish diffusion kinetics of sodium ions. Many solutions have been proposed to overcome such shortcuts, including employing innovative fabrication strategies and development in battery technology, such as the advances in 3D-printed electrodes to improve the overall SIBs’ performance. This brief review explores the recent advancements in SIB technology, directed explicitly at using 3D-printed anodes for improved sodium storage. This new additive process can substantially enhance the efficiency, electrochemical performance, and scalability of SIBs.

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) hold tremendous potential as next-generation large-scale energy storage devices, yet they face significant challenges. The reversibility of AZIBs is hindered by the unstable electrode/electrolyte interface caused by dendrite formation and parasitic side reactions. Electrolyte additives present a promising and straightforward approach to enhance the reversibility of AZIBs while maintaining overall energy density. In this short review, we systematically summarize the impacts of electrolyte additives based on the functional mechanisms. We provide a comprehensive analysis of the effects of additives on the bulk electrolyte and the electrode/electrolyte interface, as well as highlight the significance of multifunctional additives for achieving durable anodes and cathodes. To address the current research limitations, we offer perspectives on future research directions, guiding the exploration of novel additives and the realization of high-performance AZIBs.

This short review describes recent work on the use of SAM-coated electrodes for studying redox proteins and enzymes. These platforms, in conjunction with electrochemical and in situ spectroelectrochemical techniques, provide a wealth of information on the structure, dynamics and reactivity of the immobilized proteins. New experimental evidence and theoretical developments, which suppose a major breakthrough in the fundamental understanding of interfacial electron transfer reactions of proteins immobilized on SAM-coated electrodes, are presented. Selected examples of mechanistic insights into redox and redox-coupled processes of the immobilized proteins, as well as the development of alternative SAM coatings for improved protein adsorption, stability and current densities are also discussed.

Electrooxidation of aldehydes to carboxylates has been observed to yield H₂ at small anodic potentials on Group IB metal electrodes (mainly Cu, Ag, and Au) in alkaline media. When paired with hydrogen evolution at the cathode, only one mole of electrons is transferred to generate a mole each of hydrogen and carboxylate product. Recently, this phenomenon of electrochemical oxidative dehydrogenation (EOD) has gained renewed interest as it has been demonstrated with biomass-derived substrates at industrially relevant current densities. The high electron efficiency, low cell voltage, and valuable anode products of EOD all give cause for further investigation into its prospects for co-producing renewable hydrogen and organic chemicals. Currently, the underlying mechanism of EOD remains unclear. This contribution reviews the present understanding of the reaction mechanism and highlights notable performance benchmarks to date, emphasizing the role of catalyst material and reaction conditions.

Electrochemical co-reduction of CO₂ and nitrates presents a promising alternative for urea production. However, the current electrochemical synthesis of urea faces challenges related to low selectivity and production rates. The development of high-efficiency electrocatalysts is the key to performance improvement of urea electrosynthesis. This minireview primarily focuses on the rational design of catalysts, starting with a mechanistic overview. In addition, the advancement of electrolyzers for urea electrochemical synthesis is also discussed aiming to articulate guiding principles of achieving high-rate production reaching industrial relevant level in the future.

Porous materials are emerging recyclable electrocatalysts that exhibit many advantages such as rich pore environments, tunable structures and functionalities, and large specific surface areas. However, the research of these materials in organic electrocatalysis is promising but only emerged recently. In this review, we summarized the latest research progress of porous carbon materials, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), and covalent-organic frameworks (COFs) in organic electrocatalysis, focusing on their structural optimization, electrochemical performance, and reaction mechanisms. In addition, the main challenges and future directions in this field were also discussed. We hope that this review can inspire more research interest of synthetic organic chemists in the development of porous electrocatalysts in organic electrocatalysis.