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    Relations between Structure, Activity and Stability in C3N4 Based Photocatalysts Used for Solar Hydrogen Production
    (Basel : MDPI, 2018-1-29) Sivasankaran, Ramesh P.; Rockstroh, Nils; Hollmann, Dirk; Kreyenschulte, Carsten R.; Agostini, Giovanni; Lund, Henrik; Acharjya, Amitava; Rabeah, Jabor; Bentrup, Ursula; Junge, Henrik; Thomas, Arne; Brückner, Angelika
    Solar hydrogen production from water could be a sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to fossil energy carriers, yet so far photocatalysts active and stable enough for large-scale applications are not available, calling for advanced research efforts. In this work, H2 evolution rates of up to 1968 and 5188 μmol h−1 g−1 were obtained from aqueous solutions of triethanolamine (TEOA) and oxalic acid (OA), respectively, by irradiating composites of AgIn5S8 (AIS), mesoporous C3N4 (CN, surface area >150 m2/g) and ≤2 wt.% in-situ photodeposited Pt nanoparticles (NPs) with UV-vis (≥300 nm) and pure visible light (≥420 nm). Structural properties and electron transport in these materials were analyzed by XRD, STEM-HAADF, XPS, UV-vis-DRS, ATR-IR, photoluminescence and in situ-EPR spectroscopy. Initial H2 formation rates were highest for Pt/CN, yet with TEOA this catalyst deactivated by inclusion of Pt NPs in the matrix of CN (most pronounced at λ ≥ 300 nm) while it remained active with OA, since in this case Pt NPs were enriched on the outermost surface of CN. In Pt/AIS-CN catalysts, Pt NPs were preferentially deposited on the surface of the AIS phase which prevents them from inclusion in the CN phase but reduces simultaneously the initial H2 evolution rate. This suggests that AIS hinders transport of separated electrons from the CN conduction band to Pt NPs but retains the latter accessible by protons to produce H2.
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    Role of SrCO3 on Photocatalytic Performance of SrTiO3-SrCO3 Composites
    (Basel : MDPI, 2022) Boga, Bíborka; Steinfeldt, Norbert; Moustakas, Nikolaos G.; Peppel, Tim; Lund, Henrik; Rabeah, Jabor; Pap, Zsolt; Cristea, Vasile-Mircea; Strunk, Jennifer
    Perovskites such as SrTiO3 are interesting for photocatalytic applications due to their structure-related and electronic properties. These properties are influenced by the presence of SrCO3 which is often formed simultaneously during the hydrothermal synthesis of SrTiO3. In this study, SrTiO3-SrCO3 composites with different contents of SrCO3 (5–24 wt%) were synthesized. Their morphological, structural, and optical properties were investigated using complementary methods such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen sorption, and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). Their photocatalytic activity was assessed during the degradation of diclofenac (DCFNa) in aqueous solution and CO2 photoreduction under Xe lamp irradiation. Improved photocatalytic efficiency in DCFNa degradation was observed for all the studied composites in comparison with SrTiO3, and the highest mineralization efficiency was obtained for the sample with 21 wt% SrCO3 content. The presence of SrCO3 led to an increased concentration of active species, such as •OH radicals. Otherwise, its presence inhibits CH4 and C2H6 production during CO2 photoreduction compared with pure SrTiO3.
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    Development of Active and Stable Low Nickel Content Catalysts for Dry Reforming of Methane
    (Basel : MDPI, 2017-5-16) Ha, Quan Luu Manh; Armbruster, Udo; Atia, Hanan; Schneider, Matthias; Lund, Henrik; Agostini, Giovanni; Radnik, Jörg; Vuong, Huyen Thanh; Martin, Andreas
    Methane dry reforming (DRM) was investigated over highly active Ni catalysts with low metal content (2.5 wt %) supported on Mg-Al mixed oxide. The aim was to minimize carbon deposition and metal sites agglomeration on the working catalyst which are known to cause catalyst deactivation. The solids were characterized using N2 adsorption, X-ray diffraction, temperature-programmed reduction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The results showed that MgO-Al2O3 solid solution phases are obtained when calcining Mg-Al hydrotalcite precursor in the temperature range of 550–800 °C. Such phases contribute to the high activity of catalysts with low Ni content even at low temperature (500 °C). Modifying the catalyst preparation with citric acid significantly slows the coking rate and reduces the size of large octahedrally coordinated NiO-like domains, which may easily agglomerate on the surface during DRM. The most effective Ni catalyst shows a stable DRM course over 60 h at high weight hourly space velocity with very low coke deposition. This is a promising result for considering such catalyst systems for further development of an industrial DRM technology.
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    Nb-modified Ce/Ti oxide catalyst for the selective catalytic reduction of NO with NH3 at low temperature
    (Basel : MDPI, 2018) Mosrati, Jawaher; Atia, Hanan; Eckelt, Reinhard; Lund, Henrik; Agostini, Giovanni; Bentrup, Ursula; Rockstroh, Nils; Keller, Sonja; Armbruster, Udo; Mhamdi, Mourad
    Recently, great attention has been paid to Ceria-based materials for selective catalytic reduction (SCR) with NH3 owing to their unique redox, oxygen storage, and acid-base properties. Two series of bimetallic catalysts issued from Titania modified by Ce and Nb were prepared by the one-step sol-gel method (SG) and by the sol-gel route followed by impregnation (WI). The resulting core-shell and bulk catalysts were tested in NH3-SCR of NOx. The impregnated Nb5/Ce40/Ti100 (WI) catalyst displayed 95% NOx conversion at 200 °C (GHSV = 60,000 mL·g−1·h−1, 1000 ppm NOx, 1000 ppm NH3, 5% O2/He) without forming N2O. The catalysts were characterized by various methods including ICP-OES, N2-physisorption, XRD, Raman, NH3-TPD, DRIFTS, XPS, and H2-TPR. The results showed that the introduction of Nb decreases the surface area and strengthens the surface acidity. This behavior can be explained by the strong interaction between Ceria and Titania which generates Ce-O-Ti units, as well as a high concentration of amorphous or highly dispersed Niobia. This should be the reason for the excellent performance of the catalyst prepared by the sol-gel method followed by impregnation. Furthermore, Nb5/Ce40/Ti100 (WI) has the largest NH3 adsorption capacity, which is helpful to promote the NH3-SCR reaction. The long-term stability and the effect of H2O on the catalysts were also evaluated.
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    Correction: A robust iron catalyst for the selective hydrogenation of substituted (iso)quinolones
    (Cambridge : RSC, 2018) Sahoo, Basudev; Kreyenschulte, Carsten; Agostini, Giovanni; Lund, Henrik; Bachmann, Stephan; Scalone, Michelangelo; Junge, Kathrin; Beller, Matthias
    The authors regret that the term “(iso)quinolones” was used throughout the article, including the title, when the correct term should be “(iso)quinolines”. The Royal Society of Chemistry apologises for these errors and any consequent inconvenience to authors and readers.
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    Development of Highly Stable Low Ni Content Catalyst for Dry Reforming of CH4-Rich Feedstocks
    (Weinheim : WILEY-VCH Verlag, 2020) Ha, Quan Luu Manh; Lund, Henrik; Kreyenschulte, Carsten; Bartling, Stephan; Atia, Hanan; Vuong, Than Huyen; Wohlrab, Sebastian; Armbruster, Udo
    Highly active and coking-resistant Ni catalysts suited for the dry reforming of CH4-rich gases (70 vol %, e. g. biogas or sour natural gas) were prepared starting from a Mg-rich Mg−Al hydrotalcite support precursor. Calcination at 1000 °C yields two phases, MgO and MgAl2O4 spinel. Complexation-deposition of Ni with citric acid on the preformed support as well as lanthanum addition yields a catalyst with remarkably low carbon accumulation over 100 h on stream attributed to both high Ni dispersion and preferred interactions of Ni with MgO on MgAl2O4. © 2020 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.
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    A robust iron catalyst for the selective hydrogenation of substituted (iso)quinolones
    (Cambridge : RSC, 2018) Sahoo, Basudev; Kreyenschulte, Carsten; Agostini, Giovanni; Lund, Henrik; Bachmann, Stephan; Scalone, Michelangelo; Junge, Kathrin; Beller, Matthias
    By applying N-doped carbon modified iron-based catalysts, the controlled hydrogenation of N-heteroarenes, especially (iso)quinolones, is achieved. Crucial for activity is the catalyst preparation by pyrolysis of a carbon-impregnated composite, obtained from iron(ii) acetate and N-aryliminopyridines. As demonstrated by TEM, XRD, XPS and Raman spectroscopy, the synthesized material is composed of Fe(0), Fe3C and FeNx in a N-doped carbon matrix. The decent catalytic activity of this robust and easily recyclable Fe-material allowed for the selective hydrogenation of various (iso)quinoline derivatives, even in the presence of reducible functional groups, such as nitriles, halogens, esters and amides. For a proof-of-concept, this nanostructured catalyst was implemented in the multistep synthesis of natural products and pharmaceutical lead compounds as well as modification of photoluminescent materials. As such this methodology constitutes the first heterogeneous iron-catalyzed hydrogenation of substituted (iso)quinolones with synthetic importance.
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    A novel approach to fabricate load-bearing Ti6Al4V-Barium titanate piezoelectric bone scaffolds by coupling electron beam melting and field-assisted sintering
    (Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier Science, 2022) Riaz, Abdullah; Polley, Christian; Lund, Henrik; Springer, Armin; Seitz, Hermann
    A critical-size bone defect in load-bearing areas is a challenging clinical problem in orthopaedic surgery. Titanium alloy (Ti6Al4V) scaffolds have advantages because of their biomechanical stability but lack electrical activity, which hinders their further use. This work is focused on the fabrication of Ti6Al4V-Barium Titanate (BaTiO3) bulk composite scaffolds to combine the biomechanical stability of Ti6Al4V with electrical activity through BaTiO3. For the first time, a hollow cylindrical Ti6Al4V is additively manufactured by electron beam melting and combined with piezoelectric BaTiO3 powder for joint processing in field-assisted sintering. Scanning electron microscope images on the interface of the Ti6Al4V-BaTiO3 composite scaffold showed that after sintering, the Ti6Al4V lattice structure bounded with BaTiO3 matrix without its major deformation. The Ti6Al4V-BaTiO3 scaffold had average piezoelectric constants of (0.63 ± 0.12) pC/N directly after sintering due to partial dipole alignment of the BaTiO3 tetragonal phase, which increased to (4.92 ± 0.75) pC/N after a successful corona poling. Moreover, the nanoindentation values of Ti6Al4V exhibited an average hardness and Young's modulus of (5.9 ± 0.9) GPa and (130 ± 14) GPa, and BaTiO3 showed (4.0 ± 0.6) GPa and (106 ± 10) GPa, respectively. It reveals that the Ti6Al4V is the harder and stiffer part in the Ti6Al4V-BaTiO3 composite scaffold. Such a scaffold has the potential to treat critical-size bone defects in load-bearing areas and guide tissue regeneration by physical stimulation.
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    Selective cobalt nanoparticles for catalytic transfer hydrogenation of N-heteroarenes
    (Cambridge : RSC, 2017) Chen, Feng; Sahoo, Basudev; Kreyenschulte, Carsten; Lund, Henrik; Zeng, Min; He, Lin; Junge, Kathrin; Beller, Matthias
    Nitrogen modified cobalt catalysts supported on carbon were prepared by pyrolysis of the mixture generated from cobalt(ii) acetate in aqueous solution of melamine or waste melamine resins, which are widely used as industrial polymers. The obtained nanostructured materials catalyze the transfer hydrogenation of N-heteroarenes with formic acid in the absence of base. The optimal Co/Melamine-2@C-700 catalyst exhibits high activity and selectivity for the dehydrogenation of formic acid into molecular hydrogen and carbon dioxide and allows for the reduction of diverse N-heteroarenes including substrates featuring sensitive functional groups.
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    Coagulation using organic carbonates opens up a sustainable route towards regenerated cellulose films
    ([London] : Macmillan Publishers Limited, part of Springer Nature, 2020) Nguyen, Mai N.; Kragl, Udo; Barke, Ingo; Lange, Regina; Lund, Henrik; Frank, Marcus; Springer, Armin; Aladin, Victoria; Corzilius, Björn; Hollmann, Dirk
    Due to their biodegradability, biocompatibility and sustainable nature, regenerated cellulose (RC) films are of enormous relevance for green applications including medicinal, environmental and separation technologies. However, the processes used so far are very hazardous to the environment and health. Here, we disclose a simple, fast, environmentally friendly, nontoxic and cost-effective processing method for preparing RC films. High quality non-transparent and transparent RC films and powders can be produced by dissolution with tetrabutylphosphonium hydroxide [TBPH]/[TBP]+[OH]− followed by coagulation with organic carbonates. Investigations on the coagulation mechanism revealed an extremely fast reaction between the carbonates and the hydroxide ions. The high-quality powders and films were fully characterized with respect to structure, surface morphology, permeation and selectivity. This method represents a future-oriented green alternative to known industrial processes. © 2020, The Author(s).