Peirong Chen

• Professor
• Professor (Full) at South China University of Technology

The Front Cover highlights titanium dioxide nanoparticles with distinct crystalline phases, essential for efficient glyphosate adsorption. TiO2 nanoparticles are also depicted within a mesoporous framework to emphasize their structural influence on adsorption performance. The interaction of glyphosate molecules with the nanoparticle surfaces, set a...

The widespread use of glyphosate for weed control in agricultural, silvicultural, and urban areas worldwide is causing concerns about its potential toxicity and mobility in environment. Consequently, there is a pressing need to develop treatment processes to mitigate the effects of glyphosate, its metabolites, and/or coadjutants on the environment....

Non-thermal plasma (NTP) broke the Cu-O 1 bond, resulting in the structure destruction of Cu-BTC; however, Zr-BDC was structurally resistant to NTP treatment, which was essential for NTP-assisted CO 2 conversion of MOF catalysts.

As a model for the energy-efficient aftertreatment of exhaust gas components, we studied microwave-assisted (MW) CO oxidation over a (La,Sr)CoO3‑δ (LSC) perovskite oxide catalyst under dry and humidified conditions. We found that the use of a MW-based process can offer multiple advantages over traditional thermocatalysis in this scenario, as the na...

Atomically dispersed catalysts have gained considerable attention due to their unique properties and high efficiency in various catalytic reactions. Herein, a series of Co/N‐doped carbon (N‐C) catalysts was prepared using a metal‐lignin coordination strategy and employed in formic acid dehydrogenation (FAD) and hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of vanillin....

Catalytic oxidation is an effective solution for the control of methane (CH4) emission in exhausts from natural gas vehicles. Pd-based small-pore zeolites (such as Pd-SSZ-13) are considered to be the most active catalysts for CH4 oxidation, but H2O in the exhausts tends to induce deactivation of Pd catalysts. In this work, we tuned the hydrophobici...

The low-temperature mechanism of chabazite-type small-pore Cu-SSZ-13 zeolite, a state-of-the-art catalyst for ammonia-assisted selective reduction (NH3-SCR) of toxic NOx pollutants from heavy-duty vehicles, remains a debate and needs to be clarified for further improvement of NH3-SCR performance. In this study, we established experimental protocols...

Catalytic complete oxidation is an efficient approach to reducing methane emissions, a significant contributor to global warming. This approach requires active catalysts that are highly resistant to sintering and water vapor. In this work, we demonstrate that Pd nanoparticles confined within silicalite-1 zeolites (Pd@S-1), fabricated using a facile...

It remains a major challenge to abate efficiently the harmful nitrogen oxides (NOx) in low-temperature diesel exhausts emitted during the cold-start period of engine operation. Passive NOx adsorbers (PNA), which could temporarily capture NOx at low temperatures (below 200 °C) and release the stored NOx at higher temperatures (normally 250-450 °C) t...

The application of small-pore chabazite-type SSZ-13 zeolites, key materials for the reduction of nitrogen oxides (NOx) in automotive exhausts and the selective conversion of methane, is limited by the use of expensive N,N,N-trimethyl-1-ammonium adamantine hydroxide (TMAdaOH) as an organic structure-directing agent (OSDA) during hydrothermal synthes...

The performance of Cu-chabazite (Cu-CHA) zeolite, the state-of-art catalyst for the ammonia-assisted selective reduction (NH3-SCR) of toxic NOx pollutants from heavy-duty diesel vehicles, is insufficient at low reaction temperatures and needs to be improved for meeting stringent emission regulations. Here, we demonstrate that the auto-reduction of...

Selective catalytic ammonia-to-dinitrogen oxidation (NH3-SCO) is highly promising for the abatement of NH3 emissions from flue gas purification devices. However, there is still a lack of high-performance and cost-effective NH3-SCO catalysts for real applications. Here, highly dispersed, electron-deficient Cu-based catalysts were fabricated using ni...

Automotive painting plants are important emission sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that contribute significantly to ground-level ozone (O₃) pollution in atmosphere. Here, we investigated process-specified emission characteristics of VOCs, without or with advanced adsorption/incineration after-treatments, from an ultra-low-emission (ULE)...

Copper-ceria (Cu-Ce) catalysts with unique catalytic properties have high prospects as alternatives for noble metals in low-temperature catalytic oxidations. However, the quantitative description of the active sites in the redox processes still remains a challenge. Herein, a series of Cu-Ce catalysts were prepared by regulating the synthesis method...

Plasma-catalytic CO2 hydrogenation is a complex chemical process combining plasma-assisted gas-phase and surface reactions. Herein, we investigated CO2 hydrogenation over Pd/ZnO and ZnO in a tubular dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor at ambient pressure. Compared to the CO2 hydrogenation using Plasma Only or Plasma + ZnO, placing Pd/ZnO in...

Strong metal-support interaction (SMSI) is regarded as one of the most important concepts in heterogeneous catalysis; however, few researches are focused on SMSI regulating the support structure, properties and their roles on the catalytic performance. Herein, anatase TiO2{001} nanosheets pretreated in different atmosphere were used to load Pt for...

Different doping amounts of N-doped Ag/Co3O4 nanocubes were synthesized for the first time for catalytic soot oxidation. The N-doped sample exhibited remarkably improved catalytic activity, of which the maximum decrease in temperature for 90% soot conversion was almost 40℃. Characterization results analyzed by TEM, XPS, EPR, H2-TPR, O2-TPD, etc. re...

With the aim to elucidate the roles of different oxygen species, the catalytic oxidation of toluene over Pt/Mn3O4 synthesized by a facile reduction method was investigated. Compared with the Pt/Mn3O4-C using the commercial Mn3O4 as the support, Pt/Mn3O4-R was found to possess more surface oxygen vacancies, exhibit better redox properties and disper...

In this work, a series of spindle-like CeO2 supports with different contents of surface oxygen vacancies were fabricated by an in-situ atmosphere thermal pyrolysis method. Due to the unique surface physicochemical properties of the modified CeO2 supports, the interaction between Pt and CeO2 can be regulated during the synthesis of the Pt/CeO2 catal...

A facile hydrothermal method was applied to gain stably and highly efficient CuO-CeO2 (denoted as Cu1Ce2) catalyst for toluene oxidation. The changes of surface and inter properties on Cu1Ce2 were investigated comparing with pure CeO2 and pure CuO. The formation of Cu-Ce interface promotes the electron transfer between Cu and Ce through Cu²⁺ + Ce³⁺...

The respective action mode between surface-adsorbed oxygen and bulk lattice oxygen during catalytic soot oxidation is still not fully recognized. Herein, a series of Ag-loaded Co3O4 catalysts with different Ag loading amounts were prepared by the impregnation method, and 5% Ag/Co3O4 presented competitive catalytic activity toward soot combustion wi...

Nowadays, developing advanced Pd-based catalysts with highly efficient catalytic activity and long-term stability still presents profound challenges. Here, we prepare a novel Pd-Co2NiO4 catalysts with PdOx species simultaneously embedded into Co2NiO4 lattice and decorated on Co2NiO4 surface in high dispersion. The Pd-Co2NiO4 catalysts shows the att...

Activated carbons (ACs) are widely applied in the removal of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from industrial processes, because of their high adsorption capacity, low cost and reusability. Their poor thermal stability under oxidative conditions is a limiting factor and often leads to fire risk in real applications. Here, Si-modification w...

We employed oxygen- and nitrogen-functionalized mesoporous carbons (OMC and N-OMC) as supports for Pd nanoparticles pre-formed via a modified colloidal method. In direct hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) synthesis from H2 and O2, the prepared Pd/OMC catalyst outperformed a commercial Pd catalyst supported on activated carbon (Pd/AC) and a Pd catalyst on oxy...

The controllable assembly of three-dimensional (3D) nano materials from one-dimensional (1D) precursor has always been one of the difficulties in nano material synthesis. Here, we use a gentle hydrolysis of 1D metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) to prepare 3D CoCO3, with full and convenient recovery of costly organic ligands. For the first time, 1D nan...

Dynamic motion of NH3-solvated Cu sites in Cu-chabazite (Cu-CHA) zeolites, which are the most promising and state-of-the-art catalysts for ammonia-assisted selective reduction of NOx (NH3-SCR) in the aftertreatment of diesel exhausts, represents a unique phenomenon linking heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysis. This review first summarizes recent...

Herein, a bottom-down design is presented to successfully fabricate ZIF-derived Co3O4, grown in situ on a one-dimensional (1D) α-MnO2 material, denoted as α-MnO2@Co3O4. The synergistic effect derived from the coupled interface constructed between α-MnO2 and Co3O4 is responsible for the enhanced catalytic activity. The resultant α-MnO2@Co3O4 catalys...

A Pt-Co3O4 catalyst named Pt-Co(OH)2-O was prepared by metal-organic templates (MOTs) conversion and used for catalytic oxidation of toluene. Through the conversion, the morphology of catalysts transformed from rhombic dodecahedron to nanosheet and the coated Pt nanoparticles (NPs) were more exposed. The Binding energy shift in XPS test indicates t...

Herein, CeO2 catalysts with nanotube, nanobelt, and wire-in-nanotube morphologies were successfully fabricated by a facile single spinneret electrospinning technique. And catalytic activity of these electrospun CeO2 nanomaterials were evaluated by toluene catalytic combustion reaction. Among the three morphologies of CeO2 catalysts, CeO2 nanobelt (...

Improving catalytic efficiency is a yet still challenge in thermal catalytic oxidation. One of the key issues is to understand its catalytic oxidation mechanism. Here, a series of Co3O4 samples were prepared by solvothermal method. The characterization records showed that nanotubular Co3O4-NTs-2 for its rough surface, low temperature reducibility,...

A series of iron-encapsulated hierarchical ZSM-5 zeolites with nanosheet assembled structure were designed and successfully fabricated, and their catalytic performance was investigated for selective catalytic reduction of NOx with NH3 (NH3-SCR). Because the synergy between the well-dispersed Fe active species and BrØnsted acidic framework of zeolit...

Exploring the state-of-the-art combustion catalysts that efficiently stabilize precious metal has been a wide concern to limit rising levels in methane emissions. Herein we exhibit that utilizing ultrathin mesoporous spinel catalysts (Co2MO4, M = Co, Mn, and Al) as a support can stabilize PdO cluster by strengthening the metal − support interaction...

Developing promising electrode materials for next‐generation high performance lithium ion batteries (LIBs) become critically important. So far, a great number of transition metal (M)‐based composites (e.g., oxides, sulfides, selenides and M‐carbon) as promising anodes have been intensively reported. Despite the huge progress achieved developing M‐n...

Macroscopic Co3O4 hexagonal tubes were successfully synthesized using hollow two-dimensional (2D) MOL (metal-organic layer) single crystals as sacrificial templates. The hollow 2D MOL single crystals were prepared under hydrothermal conditions with acetonitrile (MeCN) as an interference agent. The formation of hollow-structured 2D MOL single crysta...

Reduction of harmful nitrogen oxides (NOx) from diesel engine exhausts is one of the key challenges in environmental protection, and can be achieved by NH3-assisted selective catalytic reduction (NH3-SCR) using copper-exchanged chabazite zeolites (i.e. Cu-CHA, including Cu-SSZ-13 and Cu-SAPO-34) as catalysts. Understanding the redox chemistry of Cu...

Manganese oxides with different crystal phases (i. e. α‐MnO2, γ‐MnO2 and β‐MnO2) were synthesized for catalytic oxidation of toluene. The catalytic activity was strongly influenced by the crystal phases of MnO2. α‐MnO2 exhibited the highest catalytic activity with a 50 % toluene conversion (T50) at 229 °C and a 90 % toluene conversion (T90) at 238...

Series of Co3+-rich spinel Co3O4 catalysts were synthesized and evaluated by toluene catalytic oxidation. An outstanding activity was achieved over Co3O4-N utilizing Co(NO3)2·6H2O as precursor (T50 = 211 °C, T90 = 217 °C at conditions: 1000 ppm(v), WHSV = 60 000 mL g-1 h-1). Results of comparative characterizations demonstrated that such excellent...

Palladium-loaded ZnO (Pd/ZnO) catalyst was synthesized by co-precipitation method and evaluated for plasma-catalytic reverse water-gas shift (RWGS) reaction. A CO2 conversion of 32.5 % was achieved on “Pd/ZnO + Plasma”, and was around two times higher than that of “ZnO + Plasma” (17.3 %). Catalyst characterization by X-ray diffraction, high-resolut...

Constructing hybrid nanocatalysts with more active surfaces/interfaces is crucial for promoting catalytic activities for oxidative removal of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Herein, we have successfully designed and synthesized a hierarchically porous α-MnO2/Mn3O4 nanostructure with numerous interfaces using a simple topotactic transformation sy...

Considering the mutual inhibition between CO and hydrocarbons (HCs) co-oxidation over Platinum-group metal (PGM) catalysts is one universal problem. In this work, a series of Pt-supported catalysts (Pt-Al2O3, Pt-Co3O4 and Pt-CeO2) have been synthesized by a method combining glycol reduction and electrostatic chemical adsorption, which are evaluated...

Aiming at elucidating the role of strong metal-support interactions (SMSIs) in the total toluene deep oxidation, we prepare a series of Pt/MnO2 catalysts with different MnO2 crystal structures (α-, β-, γ- and hollow-MnO2). It could be found that the structures and catalytic behaviors in the MnO2 crystal structures decorated by Pt nanoparticles (NPs...

The concept to utilize catalyst directly as sensor is fundamentally and technically attractive for a number of catalytic applications, in particular for the catalytic abatement of automotive emissions. Here, we explore the potential of Cu-CHA (copper-exchanged chabazite, including Cu-SSZ-13 and Cu-SAPO-34) zeolite catalysts, which are used commerci...

Integrated investigations combining experimental and theoretical methods have promoted significantly the fundamental understanding of zeolite based ammonia selective catalytic reduction (NH3-SCR), a key technology for the abatement of automotive nitrogen oxide emissions. One representative finding is that site-isolated Cu ions within zeolite cataly...

In Cu-zeolite based selective catalytic reduction of NOx with NH3 (NH3-SCR), Cu species (in particular CuI) solvated by NH3 molecules are predicted theoretically to be highly mobile with their mobility being decisive for the NH3-SCR reactivity at low temperatures (<250 °C). Direct experimental observation of the Cu mobility after NH3 solvation, how...

The mobility of NH3-solvated Cu ions within the zeolite framework has been recently identified as a key factor for the kinetics of the selective catalytic reduction of NOx with NH3 (NH3-SCR) over Cu-zeolite catalysts at low temperatures. Here, we utilize in situ impedance spectroscopy to explore the mobility of NH3-solvated CuII ions, i.e., CuII (N...

By doping the TiO2 support with nitrogen, strong metal-support interactions (SMSI) in Pd/TiO2 catalysts can be tailored to obtain high-performance supported Pd nanoparticles (NPs) in nitrobenzene (NB) hydrogenation catalysis. According to the comparative studies by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and diffuse reflectance CO...

Proton transport is an elementary process in the selective catalytic reduction of nitrogen oxides by ammonia (DeNOx by NH3-SCR) using metal-exchanged zeolites as catalysts. This review summarizes recent advancements in the study of proton transport in zeolite catalysts using in situ electrical impedance spectroscopy (IS) under NH3-SCR reaction cond...

Metal-promoted zeolites are widely applied as catalysts for the selective catalytic reduction of nitrogen oxide by NH3 (NH3-SCR). Here, we describe a systematic study on the proton transport properties of Fe-ZSM-5 and Cu-ZSM-5 NH3-SCR catalysts with different metal loadings. By means of in situ impedance spectroscopy (IS), we revealed the different...

With the help of a method combining in situ electrical impedance spectroscopy and DRIFT spectroscopy, we observed directly the formation of ammonium ion (NH4⁺) intermediates resulting from the interaction of NO and NH3 on Fe-ZSM-5 catalysts for selective catalytic reduction by NH3 (NH3-SCR). The formed NH4⁺ intermediates, indicating the activation...

The development of more efficient zeolite catalysts for selective catalytic reduction of NOx by NH3 (NH3-SCR) requires insights into both reaction mechanism and real-time state of the catalyst (e.g., the storage level of NH3). Here, we show that impedance spectroscopy (IS) can be applied to sense electrically the uptake of NH3 into proton-conductin...

Proton transport studies revealed the different influence of Fe and Cu cations on the NH3–zeolite interaction and the NO–zeolite interaction in the presence of adsorbed NH3. At low temperatures, after NH3 saturation, Cu-ZSM-5 is more reactive than Fe-ZSM-5 for NO activation forming highly mobile NH4+ intermediates.

Emission control of vehicles is a current topic in todays environmental policy. As diesel engines are causing high nitrogen oxide (NOx) air pollution and are gaining increasing importance in traffic, an effective and reliable method of NOx abatement is needed. A common method is the NOx treatment via NH3-SCR (selective catalytic reduction). In SCR,...

Pd nanoparticles supported on carbon nanotubes were applied in the selective oxidation of ethanol in the liquid phase. The characterization of the surface and bulk properties combined with the catalytic tests indicated the dissolution and redeposition of Pd under the reaction conditions. A dynamic interplay within the Pd life cycle was identified t...

Zeolites have been found to be promising sensor materials for a variety of gas molecules such as NH3, NOx, hydrocarbons, etc. The sensing effect results from the interaction of the adsorbed gas molecules with mobile cations, which are non-covalently bound to the zeolite lattice. The mobility of the cations can be accessed by electrical low-frequenc...

In order to meet the legislative emission requirements for NOx-containing exhaust gases, SCR catalysts, in particular zeolites, are used. To improve catalysts and the catalytic processes, an in-depth understanding of the reaction mechanisms is required as well as an analysis of the physicochemical properties of the SCR catalysts, preferably in real...

The power output of a fuel cell is limited by among others, the intrinsic activity of the active matrix and the mass transport of the products and reactants. Of equally crucial importance is the long-term durability of the cell components including the electrocatalysts. Herein, carbon cloth (CC) was functionalized with nitrogen-containing groups by...

The development of more efficient zeolite catalyst for selective catalytic reduction of NOx (DeNOx-SCR) requires the analysis of the real-time state of the catalyst (e.g. NH3 storage level) and the reaction mechanism. Impedance spectroscopy (IS) allows to electrically sense the uptake of NH3 into proton conducting catalysts. By means of IS we revea...

RUB Dissertation: The application of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in catalysis is of increasing interest for the scientific community because of their extraordinary structural, mechanic and electronic properties. This thesis deals with a few crucial issues regarding the catalytic application of CNTs, including the reactivity-structure relationship of fu...

Composites consisting of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) grown directly on oxygen-deficient anatase TiO2 (TiO2−δ) were synthesized by a two-step chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method and applied in photocatalytic hydrogen production from aqueous methanol solutions using photodeposited Pt as the co-catalyst. Thermogravimetry coupled with mass spectroscopy,...

The type and the amount of functional groups on the surface of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were tuned to improve the activity of supported Co nanoparticles in hydrogenation catalysis. Surface nitrogen species on CNTs significantly promoted the decomposition of the Co precursor and the reduction of Co oxide, and improved the resistance of metallic Co ag...

Design and fabrication of semiconductor based composite photocatalysts with matching band structure is an important strategy to improve charge separation of photogenerated electron?hole pairs for photocatalytic hydrogen production. In our study, by aid of the simple and cost-effective molten salts method, a series of phase-controlled and compositio...

The influence of the residual growth catalyst on the reducibility and catalytic activity of Pt nanoparticles supported on oxygen- and nitrogen-functionalized CNTs (OCNTs and NCNTs) was systematically investigated. It was found that the presence of the residual growth catalyst significantly influenced the oxygen and nitrogen functionalization of CNT...

A high-performance Pd catalyst for selective olefin hydrogenation was synthesized by supporting Pd nanoparticles on nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (NCNTs). X-ray diffraction, hydrogen chemisorption, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to characterize Pd supported on NCNTs and nitrogen-free oxygen-f...

Oxygen- and nitrogen-functionalized carbon nanotubes (OCNTs and NCNTs) were applied as metal-free catalysts in selective olefin hydrogenation. A series of NCNTs was synthesized by NH3 post-treatment of OCNTs. Temperature-programmed desorption, N2 physisorption, Raman spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelec...

The sintering of iron nanoparticles on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) under different atmospheres was investigated. CNTs were first treated with HNO3 vapor at 200 °C to obtain O‐functionalized CNTs (OCNTs). The OCNTs were treated in ammonia at 400 °C to obtain N‐doped CNTs (NCNTs). Highly dispersed FeOx nanoparticles were subsequently deposited by chemica...

A CNTs–TiO2−δ composite consisting of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) grown by catalytic chemical vapor deposition on oxygen-deficient titanium dioxide (TiO2−δ) nanoparticles was synthesized and investigated as high-rate negative electrode material for Li-ion batteries. An initial reversible capacity of 185 mAhg− 1 was obtained at C/2, with an initial irre...

The gasification of carbon with CO2 was applied to examine the role of the residual iron growth catalyst in multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs), which were pre-treated either by refluxing in nitric acid at 120 °C or by nitric acid vapor at 200 °C. Temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) and surface reaction (TPSR) experiments were performed in He...