Fuzhou University

Electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction (ECO₂R) to CO provides a promising strategy for mitigating atmospheric CO₂ levels in the atmosphere while generating value-added chemical feedstocks for industrial applications. However, the widespread implementation of ECO₂R remains constrained by insufficient activity and Faradaic selectivity of current catalysts under practical operating conditions. We here develop a hybrid material of Ag nanoparticles embedded in cyclodextrin (AgNPs-CD) with abundant surface hydroxyl groups, which functions as an efficient catalyst for ECO₂R to CO, delivering both high activity and excellent selectivity. The AgNPs-CD achieves an exceptional CO Faradaic efficiency (FE_CO) of 97.6 % at an ultralow potential of -0.4 V vs. RHE and sustains high FE_CO values ranging from 93.5 % to 99.8 % over a broad potential window (-0.4 to -1.0 V vs. RHE), while simultaneously affording a high CO partial current density (J_CO) exceeding 200 mA cm^-2. In situ electrochemical spectroscopy and theoretical calculations reveal that AgNPs-CD stabilizes *COOH with a lower Gibbs free energy and inhabits the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) with high energy barrier, making high activity and high selectivity toward CO₂ to CO conversion. This work can not only provide an efficient strategy to enhance the performance of ECO₂R to CO but also shed light on the design and development of novel electrocatalysts with low overpotential and high current density.

Enhancing luminol-based chemiluminescence (CL) emission through functionalized materials is essential for developing highly sensitive method in rapid analysis. Herein, a Fe-MIL-101(NH₂) enhanced CL method was developed for the selective determination of glutamic acid (Glu) in serum. By utilizing Fe-MIL-101(NH₂) as an effective catalyst for the first time, the CL intensity of the luminol-H₂O₂ system was amplified, and this system exhibited a selective response to Glu. Mechanism studies demonstrated that Fe-MIL-101(NH₂) selectively recognizes HOO^- and Glu through host-guest interactions, thereby accelerating the luminol-H₂O₂ reaction kinetics. Under optimal conditions, the CL intensity exhibited a linear relationship with the concentration of Glu in the range of 0.01-10 μg/mL, with the limited of detection (LOD) of 0.003 μg/mL. This method was successfully applied to determine Glu in human serum from epilepsy patients and healthy individuals, with results that consistent with those from high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). New applications were opened up for CL and provided a rapid and reliable alternative method for diagnosing mental disorders.

The use of renewable electricity to electrooxidize the biomass feedstock glucose and convert it into valuable chemicals, combined with water electrolysis to produce hydrogen, promises to achieve carbon neutrality and provide alternative energy storage solutions. However, the commercial viability of glucose electrooxidation reaction (GOR) to produce lactic acid (LA) and formic acid (FA) remains challenging due to low selectivity and poor long-term stability. Herein, a novel bifunctional catalyst (Pt/Ni-NC), was successfully developed by embedding Ni into nitrogen-doped hollow carbon spheres and incorporating low levels of Pt. The catalyst exhibited excellent performance for glucose electrooxidation, selectively producing lactic acid (with a yield of 59.3 %) and formic acid (with a yield of 35.2 %), as well as for hydrogen evolution in an integrated electrolytic system. The glucose electrolytic cell operated at a lower voltage (only 1.45 V at 10 mA cm^-2) than conventional water splitting, achieving significant yields of LA and FA. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations provided insights into the mechanism, revealing that Pt doping facilitated electron transfer, enhancing glucose molecule activation and promoting the conversion of intermediates through a thermodynamically favorable pathway. Overall, this work highlights a promising strategy for coupling biomass conversion with hydrogen production, contributing to the development of sustainable energy and chemical processes.