Yunqing Kang

Multimetallic alloys (MMAs) with various compositions enrich the materials library with increasing diversity and have received much attention in catalysis applications. However, precisely shaping MMAs in mesoporous nanostructures and mapping the distributions of multiple elements remain big challenge due to the different reduction kinetics of various metal precursors and the complexity of crystal growth. Here we design a one-pot wet-chemical reduction approach to synthesize core-shell motif PtPd

Ammonia borane (AB) is a promising material for chemical H₂ storage owing to its high H₂ density (up to 19.6 wt %). However, the development of an efficient catalyst for driving H₂ evolution through AB hydrolysis remains challenging. Therefore, a visible-light-driven strategy for generating H₂ through AB hydrolysis was implemented in this study using Ni-Pt nanoparticles supported on phosphorus-doped TiO₂ (Ni-Pt/P-TiO₂ ) as photoca

Efficient and durable electrocatalysts fabricated by using nanosized nonprecious-metal-based materials have attracted considerable attention for use in the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Understanding performance disparities and structure-property relationships of various nonprecious-metal-based nanostructures is crucial for optimizing their applications. Herein, CoP nanoparticles encompassed within a CoFeP shell (named CoP/CoFeP) are fabricated. The mesoporous CoFeP shell enables effective ma

Selective hydrogenation of nitriles is an industrially relevant synthetic route for the preparation of primary amines. Amorphous metal-boron alloys have a tunable, glass-like structure that generates a high concentration of unsaturated metal surface atoms that serve as active sites in hydrogenation reactions. Here, a method to create nanoparticles composed of mesoporous 3D networks of amorphous nickel-boron (Ni-B) alloy is reported. The hydrogenation of benzyl cyanide to β-phenylethylamine is us

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) are promising materials for electrochemical energy applications due to their excellent catalytic performance and durability. However, the controlled synthesis of HEAs with a well-defined structure and a uniform composition distribution remains a challenge. Herein, a soft template-assisted electrodeposition technique is used to fabricate a mesoporous HEA (m-HEA) film with a uniform composition distribution of Pt, Pd, Rh, Ru, and Cu, providing a suitable platform for inv

A simple, scalable route for the generation of mesoporous Rh particles by chemical reduction on self-assembled block-copolymer micelle templates was reported recently (Nat. Commun. 2017, 8, 15581). Here, this concept is extended to generate mesoporous PtCu alloy nanoparticles through the same approach. The PtCu alloy particles possess high-surface-area nanoporous architectures and good chemical stability for applications in catalysis. Both the composition and diameter of the bimetallic PtCu nano

Atomically dispersed Pt-group metals are promising as nanocatalysts because of their unique geometric structures and ultrahigh atomic utilization. However, loading isolated Pt-group metals in single-atom alloys (SAAs) with distinctive bimetallic sites is challenging. In this study, we present amorphous mesoporous Ni boride (Ni-B) as an ideal substrate to uniformly disperse Pt atoms with tunable loadings (1.7 to 12.2 wt %). The effect of the morphology, composition, and crystal phase of the Ni-B

A CNTs supported amorphous Ni–P alloy NPs catalyst is synthesized by a simple one-pot microwave heating method. The resulting outstanding hydrogenation performance is due to the high-dispersion of Ni–P NPs and the enhanced metal–support interaction.

Platinum (Pt)-based nanozymes display exceptional stability and catalytic activity in the activation of H₂O₂, making them ideal peroxidase (POD)-like substitutes for immunoassay applications. However, specific catalytic progress is hindered by the excessive orbital overlaps between Pt and oxygen-based intermediates. Herein, a highly efficient mesoporous medium-entropy alloy (m-MEA) nanozyme is reported to selectively enhance POD activity through synergy interaction of multi

The production of vanillin from biomass offers a sustainable route for synthesizing daily-use chemicals. However, achieving sunlight-driven vanillin synthesis through H₂O activation in an aqueous environment poses challenges due to the high barrier of H₂O dissociation. In this study, we have successfully developed an efficient approach for gram-scale vanillin synthesis in an aqueous reaction, employing Mn-defected γ-MnO₂ as a photocatalyst at room temperature. De

Work function (WF) influences electron transport and intermediates adsorption, enabling charge balance and catalytic optimization for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). However, the understanding of the role of mesopores and the relationship between composition and WF in pristine Pt-based alloys remains lacking. Herein, various mesoporous binary Pt-M alloy films (m-Pt-M, M = Pd, Rh, and Ru) with uniform pores and elemental distributions are synthesized, providing an experimental platform to