Related papers: Record-high photocatalytic rate at single atomic m…
Contamination of freshwater sources has been alarming due to the widespread use of toxic chemicals in various industries. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) such as photocatalysis are widely explored to tackle such problems. In…
We realize laser cooling and trapping of titanium (Ti) atoms in a mangeto-optical trap (MOT). While Ti does not possess a transition suitable for laser cooling out of its $\mathrm{3d^24s^2}$ $\mathrm{a^3F}$ ground term, there is such a…
Single-atom catalysts represent an essential and ever-growing family of heterogeneous catalysts. Recent studies indicate that besides the valuable catalytic properties provided by single-atom active sites, the presence of single-atom sites…
We report the optical imaging of a single atom with nanometer resolution using an adaptive optical alignment technique that is applicable to general optical microscopy. By decomposing the image of a single laser-cooled atom, we identify and…
The rare-earth (RE) elements [Holmium (Ho) and Ytterbium (Yb)] doped vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) with a series of doping concentrations (1 mol.%, 3 mol.%, and 5 mol.%) have been successfully synthesized using environment-friendly facile…
The ability to tune charge storage properties of graphene oxide (GO) is of utmost importance for energy conversion applications. Here we show that electrochemical reduction of GO is highly sensitive to the cations present in the solution.…
Polar perovskite oxide surfaces are subject to structural reconstruction as a possible stabilisation mechanisms, which changes the surface structure and hence the surface chemistry. To investigate this effect, we study the oxygen evolution…
Electrocatalysts based on transition metal sulfides are drawing accelerating concerns in renewable energy research because of their intrinsically excellent activities towards both hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen evolution reaction.…
Defined substoichiometric titanium oxides (Ti$_x$O$_{2x-1}$ with $3 < x < 10$) called Magneli phases have been investigated mostly for their unusual high conductivity and metal-like behavior. In photocatalysis, Magneli phase containing…
Precise control of the chemical valence or oxidation state of vanadium in vanadium oxide thin films is highly desirable for not only fundamental research, but also technological applications that utilize the subtle change in the physical…
Understanding CO electro-oxidation is crucial towards designing catalysts for electrochemically oxidizing complex organic molecules. Earth-abundant Copper (Cu) has recently been demonstrated to exhibit high alkaline CO electro-oxidation…
Methane (CH4) formation from photocatalytic carbon dioxide (CO2) conversion in water is currently of interest because methane is a fuel, and it can also be transformed into other useful hydrocarbons. However, achieving high selectivity to…
Transition metal oxides possess complex free energy surfaces with competing degrees of freedom. Photoexcitation allows shaping of such rich energy landscapes. In epitaxially strained $\mathrm{La_{0.67}Ca_{0.33}MnO_3}$, optical excitation…
Controlling the redox landscape of transition metal oxides is central to advancing their reactivity for heterogeneous catalysis or high-performance gas sensing. Here we report single Cu atom sites (1.42 wt%) anchored on Co3O4 nanoparticles…
Converting CO$_2$ to useful compounds through the solar photocatalytic reduction has been one of the most promising strategies for artificial carbon recycling. The highly relevant photocatalytic substrate for CO$_2$ conversion has been the…
Photocatalytic CO2 reduction is limited by inefficient CO2 activation and poor solar spectrum utilization. Here, we discovered and revealed the vibration coupling mechanism among photons, phonons, and molecules, which remarkably enhances…
Electric fields can transform materials with respect to their structure and properties, enabling various applications ranging from batteries to spintronics. Recently electrolytic gating, which can generate large electric fields and…
Improving reactivity on an insulating surface is crucial due to their important applications in surface catalytic reactions. In this work, we carried out first-principles calculations to investigate the adsorption of O2 on a single-layer…
Redox and catalytic performance in total methane oxidation of a nonostructured ceria-terbia catalyst supported on magnesia is presented and compared to that of a pure ceria catalyst supported on MgO. The investigated material, Ce0.5Tb0.5Ox…
Precious-metal-free spinel oxide electrocatalysts are promising candidates for catalyzing the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline fuel cells. In this theory-driven study, we use joint density-functional theory in tandem with…