CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
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2026
·
IF 12.5
Meng Qiao,Yan-Fei Mu,Ji-Li Zhou,Su-Xian Yuan,Meng-Ran Zhang,Min Zhang,Tong-Bu Lu
Cu optimizes Co 3 O 4 d-orbital occupancy for symmetry-matched interactions with N 2 and CO 2 . • Cu-Co 3 O 4 reduces C − N coupling barrier from 2.34 to 1.19 eV. • Cu-Co 3 O 4 exhibits superior performance, ranking among the highest reported for photocatalytic urea synthesis. Photocatalytic CO 2 /N 2 co-reduction to urea is a green route for carbon‑nitrogen cycle closure, yet it is severely limited by the disparate orbital symmetry requirements of CO 2 /N 2 that impede synergistic activation on a single catalyst. Herein, Co 3 O 4 is doped with Fe/Cu/Ni to tailor the d -orbital configuration of its active sites, and Cu-Co 3 O 4 emerges as the optimal catalyst. It delivers a high urea yield of 25 μmol g −1 h −1 and a solar-to-urea conversion efficiency of nearly 0.035%, which ranks among the top efficiencies for photocatalytic urea synthesis. In situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy identifies *N 2 CO as the key reaction intermediate, while projected density of states calculations reveal that Cu 2+ ( d 9 ) optimizes d orbital occupation of catalyst to realize symmetry-matched adsorption of CO 2 /N 2 and strengthen orbital coupling. Density functional theory calculations further demonstrate that *N 2 CO formation is the rate-limiting step for urea synthesis, with Cu-Co 3 O 4 lowering the C − N coupling barrier to 1.19 eV (vs. 2.34 eV for pristine Co 3 O 4 ). This work establishes orbital symmetry matching between the d -orbitals of catalytically active sites and the π orbitals of reactants as a critical determinant for the selectivity of multi-molecule co-reduction reactions, thereby providing a general design principle for the development of high-performance photocatalysts. A Cu-doped Co 3 O 4 photocatalyst is rationally engineered, where incorporated Cu 2+ ( d 9 ) optimizes the occupation of active d xy / d xz orbitals in Co 3 O 4 , enabling symmetry-matched interactions with CO 2 and N 2 and reducing the C − N coupling barrier. This catalyst achieves a high urea yield of 25 μmol g −1 h −1 and a solar-to-urea conversion efficiency of ~0.035%, ranking among the top-performing systems for photocatalytic urea synthesis to date. Download: Download high-res image (115KB) Download: Download full-size image
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高影响因子
Journal of Environmental Sciences
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2026
·
IF 6.5
Dengxiang Zhang,Tianqi Chen,Shuai Liu,Lian Duan,Ning Zhang
Electrochemical nitrate reduction has emerged as a sustainable route for green ammonia synthesis. Cobalt oxide exhibits high activity owing to its efficient proton generation from water electrolysis. Nevertheless, the unsynchronized proton supply and nitrogen oxide intermediate conversion results in competing H 2 evolution and reduced ammonia selectivity. To address this issue, we designed a Co 3 O 4 @CoS 2 nano-heterostructure catalyst by introducing CoS 2 (with excellent NO x adsorption performance) via hydrothermal synthesis. Electrocatalytic tests showed that the as-prepared Co 3 O 4 @CoS 2 nanocatalyst achieved a Faradaic efficiency of 99.91 % and an NH 3 yield of 23.97 mg/ (h·cm 2 ) at −0.3 to −0.7 V vs. RHE, significantly outperforming pristine Co 3 O 4 and CoS 2 . Results from in-situ Raman spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations revealed that the superior performance stems from enhanced NO x adsorption/hydrogenation and a reduced reaction energy barrier of Co 3 O 4 @CoS 2 with CoS 2 incorporation. This work proposes a facile and efficient heterostructure construction strategy, offering new insights into the design of electrocatalysts for NH 3 synthesis.
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Advanced Powder Materials
·
2026
·
IF 26.8
Selvam Mathi,Weijiang Gan,Adewale K. Ipadeola,Hao Yang,Aboubakr M. Abdullah,Zhongmin Wang,Mohammad Al-Mamun,M.-Sadeeq Balogun
Regulating the reaction microenvironment at the catalyst-electrolyte interface is a key lever for accelerating alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) kinetics. However, most noble-metal-free oxide catalysts are limited by rigid electronic structures that impede dynamic charge redistribution. Here, we develop a metastable Co 3 O 4 -CoN catalyst that establishes a self-adaptive reaction microenvironment through charge redistribution at the oxide-nitride interface, enhancing alkaline HER kinetics. Nitrogen- and vanadium-codoped Co 3 O 4 -CoN hollow nanowires (HNV/Co 3 O 4 -CoN) were synthesized through a programmed reduction-annealing route, yielding mixed-valence cobalt surfaces with spatially confined defects and dopant gradients. This metastability-induced electronic flexibility, promotes water dissociation on oxide-derived sites while maintaining favorable hydrogen adsorption on nitride-modified regions, improving both elementary steps of alkaline HER. Ultraviolet and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicate pronounced interfacial charge redistribution and work-function modulation induced by dopant incorporation and metastable phase coupling. The optimized HNV/Co 3 O 4 -CoN catalyst delivers an ultralow overpotential of 7 mV@10 mA cm -2 and 264 mV@1000 mA cm -2 high current density, while sustaining stable electrolysis at ≥500 mA cm -2 . Mechanistic analysis supports reduced barriers for water dissociation and near-thermoneutral hydrogen adsorption on the coupled interface. This work demonstrates a generalizable strategy to construct electronically adaptable surfaces for high-current-density, noble-metal-free hydrogen evolution.
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高影响因子
JOURNAL OF POWER SOURCES
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2026
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IF 8.4
Ying Li,Fangyuan Qiu,Wanyou Huang,Xuesong Tian,Limei Wang,Ruixia Chu,Hang Li,Yibo Gao
Developing low-cost, high-performing non-noble-metal catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) to replace Pt-based catalysts for practical metal-air batteries remains an enormous challenge. Herein, Co 3 O 4 /α-MnO 2 /C composite catalysts with different mass ratios are synthesized, and a heterostructured Co 3 O 4 /α-MnO 2 /C catalyst is successfully constructed. Benefiting from the synergistic interaction between Co 3 O 4 and α-MnO 2 , together with the enhanced conductivity imparted by the carbon support, the catalyst exhibits outstanding electrocatalytic activity. Furthermore, derivative analysis of the LSV curves is employed to accurately determine the ORR onset potential and half-wave potential, providing a quantitative approach for evaluating the electrochemical activity of the Co 3 O 4 /α-MnO 2 /C catalyst. Furthermore, a Zn-air battery driven by the Co 3 O 4 /α-MnO 2 /C catalyst shows excellent electrochemical performance, delivering a high open-circuit voltage of 1.458 V and long-term cycling stability for 300 h. Notably, its overall performance is close to that of commercial Pt/C catalysts. This work highlights the considerable promise of non-noble-metal catalysts for renewable energy storage and conversion applications.
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高影响因子
Surfaces and Interfaces
·
2025
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IF 6.3
Bo Wang,Wenxu Zhang,Wei Li,Huiyang Xu,Yongyi Li,Shuanglong Li,Xiaorui Huang,Shichao Jiao,Di Lin,Huixiang Yan
The production of hydrogen through photocatalytic technology has become a very attractive way to alleviate the problem of environmental pollution. In this work, A ZnIn 2 S 4 Co 3 O 4 -(SiC@g-C 3 N 5 ) triple heterojunctions structure was constructed. In this structure, a P-N heterojunction is formed by Co 3 O 4 with ZIS, a Z-type heterojunction is constructed by ZIS with CN5, and a II-type heterojunction is formed by CN5 with SiC. The three are synergistically used to optimize the carrier migration path. Under this synergistic mechanism, Co 3 O 4 increases the concentration of photogenerated electrons in the ZIS conduction band. It allows the photogenerated electrons to participate in the H⁺ reduction hydrogen generation reaction. Meanwhile, SiC facilitates further electron enrichment in the CN5 conduction band via the type - II heterojunction.SiC also boosts carrier migration efficiency through the Z - type pathway. In the ZnIn 2 S 4 - Co 3 O 4 -(SiC@g - C 3 N 5 ) system, the consumption rate of useless photogenerated electron - hole pairs per unit time is much higher than that in the ZIS - CN5 system with only one Z - type heterojunction. The number of photogenerated electrons on ZIS in the ZnIn 2 S 4 - Co 3 O 4 -(SiC@g - C 3 N 5 ) system is much higher than that in the ZIS - CN5 system. This greatly reduces the probability of the system's photogenerated carrier complexation. It also increases the charge separation efficiency. As a result, the photocatalytic efficiency is significantly improved. 20ZIS-Co-(SiC@CN5) composites exhibited efficient hydrogen production (13655μmol·g -1 -h -1 ) in hydrogen production experiments. The ZIS - Co - (SiC@CN5) composites enable efficient separation and directional migration of photogenerated carriers via the collaborative action of the multilevel heterojunction. This action offers a scalable concept for designing highly efficient and stable photocatalysts for hydrogen production.
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高影响因子
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
·
2025
·
IF 8.2
Tao Wang,Qiudi Zhang,Xupeng Zhu,Mengjie Zheng,Xinshui Zhang,Jing Wang,Haiqin Bian,Zhengmei Zhang,Jun Zhang,Huimin Shi
Herein, we report a high-performance electrocatalyst for the lattice-oxygen-mediated (LOM) alkaline oxygen evolution reaction (OER), a key process for green hydrogen production. By employing a simple solvothermal and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) approach, we successfully synthesized CNT-bridged Ni/Co bimetallic nanoparticles on a Co3O4 nanoarray matrix supported by nickel foam (NF). The in situ grown CNTs and Ni/Co nanoparticles introduce abundant oxygen vacancies (Ov), significantly lowering the Gibbs free energy (ΔG) of *OOH desorption and enhancing the OER kinetics. Additionally, edge dislocations in Co nanoparticles induce lattice distortion and strain modulation, optimizing electron transfer and boosting catalytic efficiency and stability. As a result, the Ni/Co-CNTs-Co3O4/NF electrocatalyst achieves an ultralow overpotential of just 133 mV at 10 mA cm–2, maintaining structural integrity and excellent stability over 72 h at 20 mA cm–2. Theoretical calculations further confirm that Ni/Co nanoparticle incorporation tunes the d-band center, facilitating the adsorption–desorption balance of oxygen-containing intermediates and accelerating the OER process. When integrated into an alkaline electrolyzer, the Ni/Co-CNTs-Co3O4/NF electrodes demonstrate a remarkably low operating voltage of 1.58 V at 10 mA cm–2 and impressive durability for over 24 h at 20 mA cm–2. These findings highlight the strong potential of the Ni/Co-CNTs-Co3O4/NF electrocatalyst for the application of scalable, high-efficiency water splitting technology.
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PubMed
高影响因子
Micromachines
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2026
·Vol. 17
·期 2
·247
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IF 3.5
Xueqi Wang,Yu Hong,Guohui Wu,Yujie Hou,Shengnan Zhao,Binbin Dong,Jianchun Fan,Jun Yu
Gas sensors based on metal oxide semiconductors (MOS) have attracted significant attention in monitoring of methane emission and leakage monitoring due to their high sensitivity, fast response time, simple structure and low cost. However, the high power consumption caused by long-term high-temperature operation of MOS sensors restricts their application in mobile and portable devices. In this study, MOF-derived Co3O4dodecahedrons for low-concentration methane detection at room temperature was prepared using Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework-67 (ZIF-67) as a template and with various calcination temperatures. Among them, the Co3O4-350 calcined at 350 °C exhibited the optimal CH4sensing performance at room temperature, with a response of Rg/Ra= 1.53 to 2000 ppm CH4. This enhanced gas sensing performance is attributed to the highest Co3+proportions and the largest specific surface area in Co3O4-350 nanomaterials, which provided more active sites for gas adsorption and reaction. To address the challenge of slow response speed and irrecoverability during CH4detection at room temperature, the Co3O4nanomaterials were printed onto a micro-heater plate (MHP) to form a MEMS gas sensor. By introducing a pulse heating mode to the MEMS sensor, the response and recovery time were significantly reduced to 26 s and 21 s, respectively. This enhancement improves both the efficiency and reliability of the MEMS gas sensor for early-stage detection of CH4leaks in various industrial applications.
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高影响因子
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
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2026
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IF 9.6
Dexin Jin,Changhua Wang,Yinhe Rong,He Ma,Yingying Li,Xintong Zhang
Photo-plasma catalysis, combining the controllability of photocatalysis with the high reactivity of plasma, presents a promising platform for reactive oxygen species (ROSs) generation. However, efficient coupling of photocatalysis and plasma requires interfaces that integrate multiple catalytic functions to reconcile differences between the two processes. Herein, we report the tuning of the TiO 2 /Co 3 O 4 nano-interface for efficient photo-plasma catalytic ROS generation by loading a Co 3 O 4 nanozyme onto a surface-disordered TiO 2 photocatalyst. For bisphenol A (BPA) removal, the composite catalyst achieves a degradation rate that is 17.3-fold and 12.6-fold higher than those of plasma and photocatalysis alone, respectively. Combined ROS scavenging and probe analyses reveal that the enhanced bisphenol A removal is directly related to the efficient singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ). Further mechanistic analyses suggest that the yield of 1 O 2 is linked to the conversion of superoxide radicals (•O 2 − ). The heterogeneous nano-interface serves as the key reaction center. Specifically, surface disorder and heterojunction-driven electron accumulation promote •O 2 − generation via photocatalytic O 2 reduction on TiO 2 , while holes in Co 3 O 4 oxidize plasma-generated H 2 O 2 to •O 2 − through a sustained Co 3+ /Co 2+ redox cycle. Compared with TiO 2 /Fe 2 O 3 and TiO 2 /CuO, TiO 2 /Co 3 O 4 exhibits superior photo-plasma catalytic performance due to the more efficient conversion between H 2 O 2 and •O 2 − enabled by the stable Co 3+ /Co 2+ redox cycle. This work provides a general paradigm for developing interfacial reaction centers in catalysts to improve coupled catalytic ROS generation.
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PubMed
高影响因子
MOLECULES
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2026
·Vol. 31
·期 9
·1389
·
IF 5.1
Songlin Li,Haoling Wang,Peng Li,Pengfei Cheng,Jiajia Cai,Ruizhe Tian,Qunfeng Niu,Li Wang
In this study, Zn-doped Co3O4nanorods and nanosheets with controlled Zn/Co molar ratios were synthesized via a hydrothermal strategy to clarify the respective roles of morphology and elemental doping in ethylbenzene sensing. The gas-sensing performance is strongly influenced by morphology, and the radially oriented nanorod structure significantly enhances sensing response compared with nanosheet structures. Zn doping effectively enhances the gas-sensing performance of Co3O4. As a result, the optimized Zn-doped nanorod sensor exhibits high sensitivity to ethylbenzene, a low detection limit, rapid response and recovery, and excellent operational stability. Density functional theory calculations reveal that the predominantly exposed facets of the nanorod structure possess stronger adsorption affinity and pronounced charge transfer toward ethylbenzene, providing theoretical support for the morphology-dominated sensing behavior. At the same time, Zn incorporation further adjusts the band structure and surface reactivity. Overall, this work elucidates a morphology-dominated and doping-assisted enhancement mechanism, offering clear design principles for high-performance Co3O4-based ethylbenzene sensors.
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PubMed
高影响因子
Nature Communications
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2026
·
IF 18.1
Mao Zhixian,Zhang Jifang,Tu Tengxiu,Li Xiangyang,Ji Jiapeng,Yang Pengqi,Tian Yongying,Zhang Shengbo,Shi Tongfei,Chen Shan,Liu Porun,Zhang Haimin,Yin Huajie,Zhao Huijun
The chlorine evolution reaction underpins the chlor-alkali industry, yet its harsh acidic oxidative environment severely limits the stability of non-noble catalysts. Here we show that atomically dispersed Ce in spinel Co 3 O 4 with a three-dimensional ordered macroporous nanostructure triggers active site relocation from lattice oxygen to cobalt, simultaneously enhancing activity and inhibiting lattice oxygen corrosion. Ce occupies octahedral Co sites, inducing polyhedral distortion and creating unsaturated Co Centers that directly adsorb Cl⁻. In 4 M NaCl at pH = 2, the catalyst achieves overpotentials of 44 and 218 mV at 10 and 1000 mA cm –2 , respectively, with ~99.1% chlorine selectivity and robust durability over 550 h in a chlor-alkali cell at 2.5 kA m –2 . In situ Raman, attenuated total reflection surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy and differential electrochemical mass spectrometry confirm the active-site transformation, while density functional theory calculations reveal optimized Cl adsorption free energy, suppressed oxygen-mediated degradation, and preserved structural integrity. This active-site engineering strategy offers a route to designing stable, high-current-density catalysts for chlorine production beyond noble metals.
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高影响因子
JOURNAL OF DISPERSION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
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2019
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IF 1.479
Haiwang Wang,Jinlong Li,Wenge Liu,Xin Xu,Xinfang Wei,Li Chao,Ruifeng Zhao,Xiwei Qi,Ling Che
Co3O4, a transition metal oxide with spinel structure, has attracted wide attention due to its high catalytic activity in the field of catalytic oxidation of low concentration methane. However, due to the harsh conditions of methane catalytic reaction on catalysts, of which the high reaction temperature and complex reaction environment often lead to the deactivation and sintering of Co3O4 catalyst, improving the comprehensive performance of Co3O4 catalyst has become the current research hotspot and urgent demand. Core-shell flower-spheroidal cobalt-manganese composite catalyst was prepared in this paper by hydrothermal method, which gave full play to the advantages of carrier, special morphology and doping modification, reduced the risk of sintering and deactivation of Co3O4, and showed higher catalytic activity. Through SEM, EDS, and BET test and analysis, Mn1/Co/SiO2 has better microstructure and structure than Co3O4/SiO2. For example, the dispersion of Mn1/Co/SiO2 and the uniform distribution of elements are higher, and the values of surface area and pore volume are larger (129.956 m2/g → 180.639 m2/g, 0.333363 cm3/g → 0.398030 cm3/g). Combined with XRD and XPS analysis, it is concluded that Mn2+ manganese ion replaces Co2+ and causes lattice distortion of Co3O4, which promotes the production and mobility of reactive oxygen species, further increasing catalytic activity. Compared with Co3O4/SiO2, methane conversion at 350 °C and 450 °C increased by 10% and 6%, respectively.
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高影响因子
ELECTROCHIMICA ACTA
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2019
·
IF 5.383
Hong-bo Huang,Shao-hua Luo,Cai-ling Liu,Qing Wang,Yu-chun Zhai,Ting-feng Yi
Free-standing Co 3 O 4 on nickel foam is synthesized by a simple hydrothermal route, using cobalt nitrate hexahydrate as the cobalt source, and urea as the precipitator. The effects of urea on the structural and electrochemical characteristics are investigated in detail. As the urea increased, the morphology of the free-standing Co 3 O 4 turns from hexagonal nanosheets to nanoflakes, and finally turns to nanoflakes/nanowires hybrid structure. This hybrid structure is made up of ultrathin porous nanoflakes, and short nanowires anchored at the edge of the nanoflakes, which may enhance the diffusion rate of the electrolyte and O 2 and provide more active sites for both O 2 reduction and evolution reactions. When applied as a free-standing cathode for the Li O 2 cells, it shows better performance for the nanoflakes/nanowires hybrid structure than the others. It exhibits a high specific capacity of 5958 mA h g −1 at 0.1 mA cm −2 , a long cycle life of 108 cycles with a limited capacity of 500 mA h g −1 , and unique morphology of the discharge products.
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高影响因子
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