Hongjin Lv

Hole removal rate limits photodriven H2 generation efficiency in CdS-Pt and CdSe/CdS-Pt semiconductor nanorod-metal tip heterostructures.

Semiconductor-metal nanoheterostructures, such as CdSe/CdS dot-in-rod nanorods with a Pt tip at one end (or CdSe/CdS-Pt), are promising materials for solar-to-fuel conversion because they allow rational integration of a light absorber, hole acceptor, and electron acceptor or catalyst in an all-inorganic triadic heterostructure as well as systematic control of relative energetics and spatial arrangement of the functional components. To provide design principles of such triadic nanorods, we examined the photocatalytic H2 generation quantum efficiency and the rates of elementary charge separation and recombination steps of CdSe/CdS-Pt and CdS-Pt nanorods. We showed that the steady-state H2 generation quantum efficiencies (QEs) depended sensitively on the electron donors and the nanorods. Using ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy, we determined that the electron transfer efficiencies to the Pt tip were near unity for both CdS and CdSe/CdS nanorods. Hole transfer rates to the electron donor, measured by time-resolved fluorescence decay, were positively correlated with the steady-state H2 generation QEs. These results suggest that hole transfer is a key efficiency-limiting step. These insights provide possible ways for optimizing the hole transfer step to achieve efficient solar-to-fuel conversion in semiconductor-metal nanostructures.

An Exceptionally Fast Homogeneous Carbon-Free Cobalt-Based Water Oxidation Catalyst

An all-inorganic, oxidatively and thermally stable, homogeneous water oxidation catalyst based on redox-active (vanadate(V)-centered) polyoxometalate ligands, Na10[Co4(H2O)2(VW9O34)2]·35H2O (Na101-V2, sodium salt of the polyanion 1-V2), was synthesized, thoroughly characterized and shown to catalyze water oxidation in dark and visible-light-driven conditions. This synthetic catalyst is exceptionally fast under mild conditions (TOF > 1 × 10(3) s(-1)). Under light-driven conditions using [Ru(bpy)3](2+) as a photosensitizer and persulfate as a sacrificial electron acceptor, 1-V2 exhibits higher selectivity for water oxidation versus bpy ligand oxidation, the final O2 yield by 1-V2 is twice as high as that of using [Co4(H2O)2(PW9O34)2](10-) (1-P2), and the quantum efficiency of O2 formation at 6.0 μM 1-V2 reaches ∼68%. Multiple experimental results (e.g., UV-vis absorption, FT-IR, (51)V NMR, dynamic light scattering, tetra-n-heptylammonium nitrate-toluene extraction, effect of pH, buffer, and buffer concentration, etc.) confirm that the polyanion unit (1-V2) itself is the dominant active catalyst and not Co(2+)(aq) or cobalt oxide.

Near Unity Quantum Yield of Light-Driven Redox Mediator Reduction and Efficient H2 Generation Using Colloidal Nanorod Heterostructures

The advancement of direct solar-to-fuel conversion technologies requires the development of efficient catalysts as well as efficient materials and novel approaches for light harvesting and charge separation. We report a novel system for unprecedentedly efficient (with near-unity quantum yield) light-driven reduction of methylviologen (MV(2+)), a common redox mediator, using colloidal quasi-type II CdSe/CdS dot-in-rod nanorods as a light absorber and charge separator and mercaptopropionic acid as a sacrificial electron donor. In the presence of Pt nanoparticles, this system can efficiently convert sunlight into H(2), providing a versatile redox mediator-based approach for solar-to-fuel conversion. Compared to related CdSe seed and CdSe/CdS core/shell quantum dots and CdS nanorods, the quantum yields are significantly higher in the CdSe/CdS dot-in-rod structures. Comparison of charge separation, recombination and hole filling rates in these complexes showed that the dot-in-rod structure enables ultrafast electron transfer to methylviologen, fast hole removal by sacrificial electron donor and slow charge recombination, leading to the high quantum yield for MV(2+) photoreduction. Our finding demonstrates that by controlling the composition, size and shape of quantum-confined nanoheterostructures, the electron and hole wave functions can be tailored to produce efficient light harvesting and charge separation materials.

Differentiating homogeneous and heterogeneous water oxidation catalysis: confirmation that [Co4(H2O)2(α-PW9O34)2]10- is a molecular water oxidation catalyst.

Distinguishing between homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis is not straightforward. In the case of the water oxidation catalyst (WOC) [Co4(H2O)2(PW9O34)2](10-) (Co4POM), initial reports of an efficient, molecular catalyst have been challenged by studies suggesting that formation of cobalt oxide (CoOx) or other byproducts are responsible for the catalytic activity. Thus, we describe a series of experiments for thorough examination of active species under catalytic conditions and apply them to Co4POM. These provide strong evidence that under the conditions initially reported for water oxidation using Co4POM (Yin et al. Science, 2010, 328, 342), this POM anion functions as a molecular catalyst, not a precursor for CoOx. Specifically, we quantify the amount of Co(2+)(aq) released from Co4POM by two methods (cathodic adsorptive stripping voltammetry and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry) and show that this amount of cobalt, whatever speciation state it may exist in, cannot account for the observed water oxidation. We document that catalytic O2 evolution by Co4POM, Co(2+)(aq), and CoOx have different dependences on buffers, pH, and WOC concentration. Extraction of Co4POM, but not Co(2+)(aq) or CoOx into toluene from water, and other experiments further confirm that Co4POM is the dominant WOC. Recent studies showing that Co4POM decomposes to a CoOx WOC under electrochemical bias (Stracke and Finke, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2011, 133, 14872), or displays an increased ability to reduce [Ru(bpy)3](3+) upon aging (Scandola, et al., Chem. Commun., 2012, 48, 8808) help complete the picture of Co4POM behavior under various conditions but do not affect our central conclusions.

A nickel containing polyoxometalate water oxidation catalyst

A new pentanickel silicotungstate complex, K(10)H(2)[Ni(5)(OH)(6)(OH(2))(3)(Si(2)W(18)O(66))]·34H(2)O (KH-), has been synthesized and characterized by X-ray crystallography and several other methods. Dynamic light scattering, kinetics and other experiments confirm that in the presence of [Ru(bpy)(3)](2+) (the photosensitizer for light-driven water oxidations) and [Ru(bpy)(3)](3+) (the oxidant in the dark water oxidations) exists in an equilibrium between solution (soluble) and a [Ru(bpy)(3)](n+)- complex (minimally soluble) form. This new pentanickel polyoxometalate catalyzes efficient water oxidation in both the dark and on irradiation with 455 nm LED light with 1.0 mM [Ru(bpy)(3)](2+) photosensitizer and 5.0 mM Na(2)S(2)O(8), sacrificial electron acceptor. Four lines of evidence indicate that in this solution [symbol:see text] Ru(bpy)(3)](n+)- complex equilibrium remains molecular and does not decompose to nickel hydroxide particles.

Chiral recognition and selection during the self-assembly process of protein-mimic macroanions

The research on chiral recognition and chiral selection is not only fundamental in resolving the puzzle of homochirality, but also instructive in chiral separation and stereoselective catalysis. Here we report the chiral recognition and chiral selection during the self-assembly process of two enantiomeric wheel-shaped macroanions, [Fe28(μ3-O)8(Tart)16(HCOO)24](20-) (Tart=D- or L-tartaric acid tetra-anion). The enantiomers are observed to remain self-sorted and self-assemble into their individual assemblies in their racemic mixture solution. The addition of chiral co-anions can selectively suppress the self-assembly process of the enantiomeric macroanions, which is further used to separate the two enantiomers from their mixtures on the basis of the size difference between the monomers and the assemblies. We believe that delicate long-range electrostatic interactions could be responsible for such high-level chiral recognition and selection.

Self-assembly of polyoxometalates, Pt nanoparticles and metal–organic frameworks into a hybrid material for synergistic hydrogen evolution

A polyoxometalate (POM), Pt nanoparticles (NPs) and a metal–organic framework (MOF, NH2-MIL-53) self-assemble into a hybrid material, PNPMOF, that displays synergistic activity for visible-light-driven catalytic hydrogen evolution (the PNPMOF is far more active than any of the three functional components alone). The POM has four targeted functions in this hybrid material: it reduces H2PtCl6 to Pt NPs, stabilizes the Pt NPs, induces a strong electrostatic association of the negatively charged Pt NPs with the protonated NH2-MIL-53 sites on the particle surfaces, and facilitates the catalytic reduction reaction itself. The NH2-MIL-53 in this work protects the light sensitive 2-aminoterephthalate groups in the pores from oxidation by the POMs, while the surface protonated NH2 units on the MOF particle surfaces strongly bind the negatively charged POM-stabilized Pt NPs.

Broad-Spectrum Liquid- and Gas-Phase Decontamination of Chemical Warfare Agents by One-Dimensional Heteropolyniobates.

A wide range of chemical warfare agents and their simulants are catalytically decontaminated by a new one-dimensional polymeric polyniobate (P-PONb), K12 [Ti2 O2 ][GeNb12 O40 ]⋅19 H2 O (KGeNb) under mild conditions and in the dark. Uniquely, KGeNb facilitates hydrolysis of nerve agents Sarin (GB) and Soman (GD) (and their less reactive simulants, dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP)) as well as mustard (HD) in both liquid and gas phases at ambient temperature and in the absence of neutralizing bases or illumination. Three lines of evidence establish that KGeNb removes DMMP, and thus likely GB/GD, by general base catalysis: a) the k(H2 O)/k(D2 O) solvent isotope effect is 1.4; b) the rate law (hydrolysis at the same pH depends on the amount of P-PONb present); and c) hydroxide is far less active against the above simulants at the same pH than the P-PONbs themselves, a critical control experiment.

[{Ni4 (OH)3 AsO4 }4 (B-α-PW9 O34 )4 ](28-) : A New Polyoxometalate Structural Family with Catalytic Hydrogen Evolution Activity.

A new structural polyoxometalate motif, [{Ni4 (OH)3 AsO4 }4 (B-α-PW9 O34 )4 ](28-) , which contains the highest nuclearity structurally characterized multi-nickel-containing polyanion to date, has been synthesized and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, temperature-dependent magnetism and several other techniques. The unique central {Ni16 (OH)12 O4 (AsO4 )4 } core shows dominant ferromagnetic exchange interactions, with maximum χm T of 69.21 cm(3)  K mol(-1) at 3.4 K. Significantly, this structurally unprecedented complex is an efficient, water-compatible, noble-metal-free catalyst for H2 production upon visible light irradiation (photosensitizer=[Ir(ppy)2 (dtbbpy)][PF6 ]; sacrificial electron donor=triethylamine or triethanolamine). The highest turnover number of approximately 580, corresponding to a best quantum yield of approximately 4.07 %, is achieved when using triethylamine as electron donor in the presence of water. The mechanism of this photodriven process has been probed by time-solved luminescence and by static emission quenching.

Syntheses, Structural Characterization, and Catalytic Properties of Di- and Trinickel Polyoxometalates.

The syntheses, structural characterization, and catalytic properties of two different nickel-containing polyoxometalates (POMs) are presented. The dinickel-containing sandwich-type POM [Ni2(P2W15O56)2](20-) (Ni2) exhibits an unusual αααα geometry. The trinickel-containing Wells-Dawson POM [Ni3(OH)3(H2O)3P2W16O59](9-) (Ni3) shows a unique structure where the [α-P2W15O56](12-) ligand is capped by a triangular Ni3O13 unit and a WO6 octahedron. Ni3 shows a high catalytic activity for visible-light-driven hydrogen evolution, while the activity for Ni2 is minimal. An analysis of the structures of multinickel-containing POMs and their hydrogen evolution activity is given.