Emilia Morallon

Emilia Morallon
University of Alicante | UA · University institute of Material

PhD

About

355
Publications
62,363
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12,392
Citations
Introduction
Emilia Morallon currently works at the Materials Institute, University of Alicante. Emilia does research in Electrochemistry (supercapacitors, fuel cell, carbon materials, conducting polymers, etc.)

Publications

Publications (355)
Article
Full-text available
Materials prepared from biomass residues are potential candidates to substitute the Pt‐based commercial electrocatalysts in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Although some investigations have reported activity and durability comparable to Pt/C using biomass‐derived catalysts based on Fe─N─C sites, it remains a challenge to decrease the environmental...
Article
Full-text available
Green hydrogen production from water is one attractive route to non-fossil fuel and a potential source of clean energy. Hydrogen is not only a zero-carbon energy source but can also be utilized as an efficient storage of electrical energy generated through various other sources, such as wind and solar. Cost-effective and environmentally benign dire...
Article
Full-text available
Defect-containing carbon nanotube materials were prepared by subjecting two commercial multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) of different purities to purification (HCl) and oxidative conditions (HNO3) and further heat treatment to remove surface oxygen groups. The as-prepared carbon materials were physicochemically characterized to observe changes...
Article
Full-text available
The development of green and environmentally friendly synthesis methods of electrocatalysts is a crucial aspect in decarbonizing energy generation. In this study, eco‐friendly mechanochemical synthesis of perovskite metal oxide‐carbon black composites is proposed using different conditions and additives such as KOH. Furthermore, the optimization of...
Article
Full-text available
Due to the need for decarbonization in energy generation, it is necessary to develop electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), a key process in energy generation systems such as fuel cells and metal–air batteries. Perovskite–carbon material composites have emerged as active and stable electrocatalysts for the ORR, and the interactio...
Article
Full-text available
The aim of this work is to establish the Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR) activity of self-standing electrospun carbon fiber catalysts obtained from different metallic salt/lignin solutions. Through a single-step electrospinning technique, freestanding carbon fiber (CF) electrodes embedded with various metal nanoparticles (Co, Fe, Pt, and Pd), with...
Article
Full-text available
This work focuses on the development of a new method to utilize deposited coke on zeolite catalysts, formed during the plastic waste cracking. Nitrogen‐doped carbon catalysts are prepared using nylon‐66 and Zn²⁺ ion‐exchanged ZSM‐5 zeolites. After the cracking reaction, nitrogen‐doped carbon materials are obtained by removing zeolites from zeolite/...
Article
Nitrogen-doped carbon-based electrodes are among the most promising alternatives to platinum-based electrodes in the cathode of fuel cells and metal-air batteries, where the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) takes place. Among the approaches for improving ORR activity, nitrogen functionalities and well-developed textural properties have proved very e...
Chapter
The use of biomass in the energy scenario has generated great interest due to the variety of high value-added products that can be obtained from it. Among these products, carbon materials stand out since they have very interesting properties, highlighting the versatility that they offer by virtue of the modification of their surface chemistry throu...
Article
Engineering the surface chemistry of carbon-based materials is of crucial importance in tuning their intrinsic properties, including electrical conductivity, wettability, electroactivity, adsorption potential, reactivity, physical and chemical stability. Intense research has recently focused on understanding the role of surface oxygen functional gr...
Article
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Two analytical methods based on miniaturized electrochemical sensors, voltammetric and amperometric sensors, have been developed for the determination of 6-methyl-2-thiouracil (MTU) in meat consumption samples (beef liver and foie). A multivariate approach has been considered to optimize the experimental procedure including extraction and electroch...
Article
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is applied to eco-design the H3PO4-assisted hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) process converting biomass residue into high-value products. The main innovation of the process relies on the combination of the H3PO4-assisted HTC with the activation treatment of the obtained hydrochar, resulting in activated carbon that is th...
Article
Full-text available
Zn-air batteries (ZABs) are promising electrochemical devices to store energy. Metal oxide perovskites mixed with carbon materials are highlighted as interesting materials for this application because of their appropriate bifunctional performance in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The interaction between both co...
Article
One of the biggest challenges in producing fuel cells at affordable prices is to synthesize carbon materials selectively doped with graphitic nitrogen, as it is considered the most active nitrogen species for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). So far, all strategies focus on the use of nitrogen-containing carbon precursors, which limits the funct...
Article
Formic acid has been postulated as one of the most promising liquid organic hydrogen carriers. Numerous studies dealing with the development of efficient catalysts able to boost the dehydrogenation of formic acid can be found in recent literature. However, most of them lack in stability, so that finding stable catalysts is highly desirable yet chal...
Article
This paper explores the synthesis, characterization and electrocatalytic behavior of a new ferrocenyl-substituted tetradentate Nickel Schiff base complex. The complex, N,N-Bis[5-(N,N-ferrocenmethylaminophenyl)methylsalicylidyne]-1,2-diaminoethane of nickel(II) ((Fc-Me-Ani)2-LNiII), was prepared by heating the tetradentate Schiff base ligand ((Fc-Me...
Article
Transition metal oxide-based materials are an interesting alternative to substitute noble-metal based catalyst in energy conversion devices designed for oxygen reduction (ORR), oxygen evolution (OER) and hydrogen evolution reactions (HER). Perovskite (ABO3) and spinel (AB2O4) oxides stand out against other structures due to the possibility of tailo...
Article
Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is one of the most important electrochemical reactions for fuel cells. However, commercial Pt-based catalysts used have important limitations such as their deactivation by carbon monoxide and Pt scarcity. In the present work, small and highly-dispersed copper and iron clusters were anchored onto composite supports ba...
Article
Iron(II) phthalocyanines (FePc) supported on functionalized nanostructured carbon materials have been studied as electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in an alkaline medium. Herein, two types of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been explored as support, Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes and Herringbone Carbon Nanotubes (SWCNTs and hCNTs...
Article
Covalent functionalization of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and oxidized MWCNTs (o-MWCNTs) with chlorodiphenylphosphine (Ph2PCl) has been studied by cyclic voltammetry in organic medium. Depending the upper potential limit used in the electrochemical functionalization, different amount of phosphorus incorporation n is obtained, as result o...
Article
In this study, we synthesized MnFe2O4 solid nanospheres (MSN) calcined at different temperatures (200-500 °C) and MSN-based materials mixed with carbon black, for their use as electrocatalysts in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline medium (0.1 M KOH). It was demonstrated that the calcination temperature of MSN material determined its ch...
Article
Electrochemical functionalization of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes and Herringbone Carbon Nanotubes (SWCNTs and hCNTs, respectively) has been successfully performed with aminophenylphosphonic acid isomers by potentiodynamic treatment in oxidative conditions. Exceptional selectivity...
Article
Manganese-based materials can catalyze the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), although their activity is known to depend on the crystalline phases and on the concentration of surface-active species. In the present study, we have optimized these two parameters to obtain improved catalysts for ORR. A sol-gel method was used to synthesize LaMnO3-mangane...
Chapter
This chapter reviews different procedures of electrochemical functionalization of nanostructured carbon materials and their relevance for the immobilization of bioelements. Special attention is paid to discuss about the methodologies that permits achieving desired changes in surface chemistry of carbon material and how this property has a high infl...
Chapter
Metal-free carbon-based electrocatalysts have arisen as groundbreaking alternatives to state-of-the-art electrocatalysts based on precious metals, leading to the industrial development and commercialization of environmentally friendly energy conversion and storage technologies. These novel materials have proved to be highly efficient and selective...
Article
N-doped carbon materials have been considered one of the most promising options for the replacement of platinum-based electrocatalysts towards the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). This work provides insights into the deactivation routes of N-doped carbon materials. The changes occurring in the active sites of N-doped carbon catalysts have been anal...
Article
Full-text available
The production of hydrogen from liquid organic hydrogen carrier molecules stands up as a promising option over the conventional hydrogen storage methods. In this study, we explore the potential of formic acid as a convenient hydrogen carrier. For that, soft-biomass-derived carbon-supported Pd catalysts were synthesized by a H3PO4-assisted hydrother...
Article
Firstly, [email protected](styrene sulfonate) ([email protected]) hydrogel materials have been prepared by supramolecular self-assembly between positively charged poly(aniline-co-piperazine) (poly(Ani-co-Pip) chain and negatively-charged PSS chain by oxidative polymerization method. The study of the monomer ratio (X) (aniline:piperazine) has been a...
Article
Poisoning tolerance of Pt-based catalyst is an important parameter for the designing of direct electrochemical fuel cells (EFCs) based on electrooxidation of alcohols (i.e. methanol, ethanol). Applicability of direct ethanol EFCs is still challenging taking into account the lack of effective electrocatalysts which are able to produce high faradic c...
Article
Full-text available
The redox transitions of PANI in acidic medium have been monitored by a combination of cyclic voltammetry, in situ conductance and in situ FTIR spectroscopy. The results of the semiquantitative analysis strongly suggest that the classical tetrameric model of PANI does not satisfactorily describe the actual structures of the polymer at different red...
Book
Full-text available
The Frontiers in Materials Editorial Office team are delighted to present the inaugural “Women in Science: Materials” article collection, showcasing the high-quality work of women in science across the breadth of materials science and engineering. All researchers featured within this collection were individually nominated by the Topic Editors in re...
Article
Zeolite-templated carbons (ZTCs) composed of curved and single-layer graphene frameworks have uniform micropores (ca. 1.2 nm) and high surface areas (~4,000 m²/g). Owing to their outstanding properties originating from the porous structures, ZTCs have been used in many applications. In this work, we synthesized Co/N-doped ZTC (Co/N-ZTC) by complexi...
Article
Synthesis of electrode materials for accurate detection and quantification of uric acid without the interference effect of ascorbic acid is still considered an important field for health monitoring in human beings. As we present here, a methodology of composite materials synthesis have been developed to obtain electroactive materials, employing ele...
Article
In this study, multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were electrochemically modified with nitrogen and phosphorus species and employed as platform to immobilize pyrroloquinoline quinone-dependent glucose dehydrogenase (PQQ-GDH) for the fabrication of bioelectrodes for glucose detection. Depending on the upper potential limit used during the electroc...
Article
Full-text available
According to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) data (UIS fact sheet, 2019), less than 30% of researchers worldwide are women. Long-standing biases and gender stereotypes are discouraging girls and women away from science related fields. In particular, STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) research is traditionally male dominat...
Article
Development of effective direct electron transfer is considered an interesting platform to obtain high performance bioelectrodes. Therefore, designing of scalable and cost-effective immobilization routes that promotes correct direct electrical contacting between the electrode material and the redox enzyme is still required. As we present here, elec...
Article
Full-text available
High-quality performance of catalysts is increasingly required to meet industry exigencies. However, chemical synthesis is often insufficient to maximize the potential properties of the catalysts. On the other hand, electrochemical synthesis has arisen as a promising alternative to overcome these limitations and provide precise control in the prepa...
Article
Copper ferrite nanospheres (CFNS) were prepared by a solvothermal method and they were calcined at different temperatures ranging from 200-600 °C, resulting in CFNS-based materials with different both surface chemistry and structural features, which play a crucial role in the electrocatalytic activity of carbon black-containing CFNS catalysts towar...
Cover Page
Full-text available
The inaugural "Women in Science : Materials" collection in "Frontiers in Materials" showcases the standout research of female researchers across the breadth of the materials science and engineering. It gathers a selection of 32 articles with the lead author and/or corresponding author being a woman. Manuscripts span all sections of the journal, the...
Article
Full-text available
The adsorption and electroadsorption of bromide from natural water has been studied in a filter-press electrochemical cell using a commercial granular activated carbon as the adsorbent. During electroadsorption experiments, different voltages were applied (2 V, 3 V and 4 V) under anodic conditions. The presence of the electric field improves the ad...
Article
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The electrochemical regeneration of real spent activated carbons (AC) used in drinking water treatment plants was studied at different reactor scales. The electrochemical regeneration was carried out in a 6 g filter-press cell and a 3.5 kg batch reactor, allowing the scaling-up of the process between the two electrolytic reactors. The effect of the...
Article
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This work evaluates the feasibility of electrochemical regeneration of granular activated carbon used in drinking water treatment plants as a real alternative to thermal regeneration. Two pilot-plant-scale reactors, with a capacity of 10-15 kg, have been designed using two different configurations, parallel plate electrodes and concentric cylindric...
Article
In this work, a bidentate Schiff base ligand (HL) containing N and O as donor heteroatoms has been used to synthesize series of new stable metal complexes of general composition of M(L)2 with M = Mn, Ni and VO. This ligand was obtained from condensation of 2-methoxybenzylamine on 2,3-dihydroxybenzaldehyde in methanolic solutions in which its comple...
Article
This work studies the removal of o-cresol from wastewater by using ozonation followed by adsorption onto sodium natural bentonite (Na-Bent). The degradation of o-cresol was followed by UV-Vis. During ozonation, 2-methylbenzoquinone (2-mBQ) and 2-methylhydroquinone (2-mHQ) were identified as two of the main by-products, while the pH decrease suggest...
Article
Biomass upgrading is a promising approach to face the current energy consumption and chemicals production. Lignocellulosic biomass residues have taken the lead in this field. In this study, hemp residue-based activated carbons (ACs) were prepared by H3PO4-assisted hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) using a low concentration of H3PO4 (25 wt%). ACs wit...
Article
Electrochemical functionalization of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes and Herringbone Carbon Nanotubes (SWCNTs and hCNTs, respectively) has been successfully performed with aminophenylphosphonic acid isomers by potentiodynamic treatment in oxidative conditions. Exceptional selectivity and control of the functional species embedded into the Carbon Nan...
Article
Metal-free carbon-based catalysts have gained much attention during the last 15 years as an alternative toward the replacement of platinum-based catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). However, carbon-based catalysts only show promising catalytic activity in alkaline solution. Concurrently, the most optimized polymer electrolyte membrane...
Article
Full-text available
LaMn1−xCoxO3 perovskites were synthesized by a modified sol-gel method which incorporates EDTA. These materials’ electrochemical activity towards both oxygen reduction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reactions (OER) was studied. The cobalt substitution level determines some physicochemical properties and, particularly, the surface concentration of Co an...
Article
Full-text available
Phosphonated polyanilines were synthesized by copolymerization of aniline (ANI) with both 2- and 4-aminophenylphosphonic acids (APPA). The material composition and the final properties of the copolymers can be easily tailored by controlling the monomers ANI/APPA molar feed ratio. An important influence on the reactivity of monomers has been found w...
Article
Full-text available
The need for improving the energy harvesting from Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) has boosted the design of new materials in order to increase the power performance of this technology and facilitate its practical application. According to this approach, in this work different poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-polystyrenesulfonate (PEDOT-PSS) modified el...
Article
An enzymatic metal-free electrochemical biosensor based on immobilized glucose oxidase on a N-doped porous carbon material has been studied for the detection of glucose in different real samples. The N-doped carbon material, which contains quaternary nitrogen groups, has been obtained by heat treatment of polyaniline. These functionalities promote...
Article
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One of the most challenging targets in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalysts based on N-doped carbon materials is the control of the pore structure and obtaining nanostructured thin films that can easily be incorporated on the current collector. The carbonization of nitrogen-containing polymers and the heat treatment of a mixture of carb...
Article
Full-text available
Nitrogen functionalization of a highly microporous activated carbon (SBET > 3000 m2/g), to be used as electrode of electric double layer capacitor (EDLC), was carried out by different methods based on organic chemistry protocols at low temperature and selective thermal post-treatments under inert atmosphere. The combination of both methods allowed...
Article
Full-text available
This work presents a comprehensive study on the physico‐chemical and electrochemical properties of polyindenes (PIns) synthesized by Maghnite‐H⁺‐catalysed polymerization of indene (benzocyclopentadiene) in CH2Cl2 at different temperatures, and their oxidative derivatives by subsequent treatment with FeCl3. The polymers are characterized by TG, FT‐I...