non-metal catalyst tagged posts

Chemists at Goethe University have now developed a new catalyst for the activation of hydrogen by introducing boron atoms into a common organic molecule. Credit: GU

Boron compounds extend range of possible chemical synthesis applications. Hydrogen (H2) is a valuable raw material which as a result of sophisticated catalysts is becoming more important. Applications range from food and fertilizer manufacture to crude oil cracking to an energy source in fuel cells. A challenge lies in splitting the strong H-H bond under mild conditions. Chemists at Goethe University have developed a new catalyst for activation of H2 by introducing boron atoms into a common organic molecule. The process requires only an electron source in addition and should therefore be usable on a broad scale in future.

The h...

Cover of the March 2016 Advanced Materials journal. (A.M. El-Sawy et al., “Oxygen Reactions: Controlling the Active Sites of Sulfur-Doped Carbon Nanotube–Graphene Nanolobes for Highly Efficient Oxygen Evolution and Reduction Catalysis,” Advanced Energy Materials, 2016, Vol. 6, no. 5. © Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA. Reproduced with permission.)

A new material could make H capture more commercially viable and provide a key element for a new generation of cheaper, light-weight hydrogen fuel cells. The new metal-free catalyst uses carbon graphene nanotubes infused with sulfur. Producing high-grade hydrogen is an expensive and energy-consuming process...