Miho Yamauchi

The size dependencies of the hydrogen-storage properties in polymer-coated Pd nanoparticles with diameters of 2.6 ± 0.4 and 7.0 ± 0.9 nm were investigated by a measurement of hydrogen pressure-composition isotherms. Their storage capacities per constituent Pd atom in the particles decreased with decreasing particle size, whereas the hydrogen concentrations in the two kinds of nanoparticles were almost the same and 1.2 times as much, respectively, as that in bulk palladium after counting zero hyd

The hydrogen storage properties of metal nanoparticles change with particle size. For example, in a palladium-hydrogen system, the hydrogen solubility and equilibrium pressure for the formation of palladium hydride decrease with a decrease in the particle size, whereas hydrogen solubility in nanoparticles of platinum, in which hydrogen cannot be stored in the bulk state, increases. Systematic studies of hydrogen storage in Pd and Pt nanoparticles have clarified the origins of these nanosize effe

Body-centered-cubic type CuPd nanoalloys were synthesized by a chemical reduction method. Photocatalytic hydrogen evolution and nitrate reduction were simultaneously examined over CuPd nanoalloys deposited on TiO(2) (CuPd/TiO(2)). The efficiency of hydrogen evolution over CuPd/TiO(2) was better than that over Pd/TiO(2). As for nitrate reduction, ammonia was selectively (78%) produced with hydrogen generated photocatalytically over CuPd/TiO(2). The continuous generation of nascent hydrogen atoms

Seven amino acids were electrochemically synthesized from biomass-derivable α-keto acids and NH2OH with faradaic efficiencies (FEs) of 77-99% using an earth-abundant TiO2 catalyst. Furthermore, we newly constructed a flow-type electrochemical reactor, named a "polymer electrolyte amino acid electrosynthesis cell", and achieved continuous production of alanine with an FE of 77%.

We employed metal-organic framework (MOF) supports to modulate the electronic states of loaded Pt nanoparticles (NPs) in their composite catalysts (Pt/MOFs). Pt NPs were homogenously deposited on four MOFs characterized with different electronic states (Zn-MOF-74, Mg-MOF-74, HKUST-1, and UiO-66-NH₂). Theoretical and experimental studies demonstrated that a charge-transfer interaction between Pt NPs and MOFs is a critical factor for controlling the catalytic activity of Pt NPs supporte

CuPd (1/1) nanoalloys composed of disordered body-centered-cubic crystals (crystal size = 1.6 nm) were prepared by synchronous reduction of Cu and Pd precursor ions with NaBH(4). In situ XRD measurement revealed that Cu and Pd atoms in the CuPd nanoalloys are arranged into an ordered B2 structure under exposure to H(2) (5 kPa) at 373 K. Ordering of Cu and Pd atoms over a longer distance (up to 3.6 nm) was achieved by annealing the nanoalloys for a longer time under a H(2) atmosphere.

We demonstrate a carbon-neutral energy circulation by highly selective electrocatalyses using the glycolic acid/oxalic acid redox couple.

Hydroxide-derived copper (OH/Cu) electrodes exhibit excellent performance for the electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR). However, the role of hydroxide (OH) in CO2RR remains controversial; therefore, the origin of the selectivity enhancement emerging on OH/Cu has not been fully understood. In the present work, we quantitatively evaluated surface OH by electroadsorption and established a direct correlation between the OH amount and selectivity for the production of CH4 and C2+ on OH/Cu

Electrochemical hydrogenation of a carboxylic acid using water as a hydrogen source is an environmentally friendly synthetic process for upgrading bio-based chemicals. We systematically studied electrochemical hydrogenation of non-aromatic carboxylic acid derivatives on anatase TiO2 by a combination of experimental analyses and density functional theory calculations, which for the first time shed light on mechanistic insights for the electrochemical hydrogenation of carboxylic acids. Development

We demonstrated carbon-neutral (CN) energy circulation using glycolic acid (<b>GC</b>)/oxalic acid (<b>OX</b>) redox couple. Here, we report fundamental studies on both catalyst search for power generation process, i.e. <b>GC</b> oxidation, and elemental steps for fuel generation process, i.e. <b>OX</b> reduction, in CN cycle. The catalytic activity test on various transition metals revealed that Rh, Pd, Ir, and Pt have preferable features as a catalyst for electrochemical oxidation of <b>GC</b>

Fe(x)Co(100-x) nanoalloys (NAs) with 20 ≤ x ≤ 80 were prepared by hydrogen reduction of Fe-Co oxide nano-composites, which were composed of mixed phases (or domains) of Fe(2)O(3) and CoO. In situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements using synchrotron radiation clearly showed development of a solid-solution Fe-Co phase by hydrogen reduction from the oxide composites. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-angle annular dark-field scanning TEM and powder XRD revealed that Fe-

The arc plasma deposition (APD) method is first applied to prepare metal-organic framework (MOF) composites loading metal nanoparticles having a direct contact with the MOF. We demonstrate the detailed growth mechanism of metal particles on the MOFs and the applicability of the APD for various combinations of metals and MOFs.