Incorporation of mesopores and active sites into metal-organic framework (MOF) materials to uncover new efficient catalysts is a highly desirable but challenging task. We report the first example of a mesoporous MOF obtained by templated electrosynthesis using an ionic liquid as both electrolyte and template. The mesoporous Cu(II)-MOF MFM-100 has been synthesised in 100 seconds at room temperature, and this material incorporates crystal defects with uncoupled Cu(II) centres as evidenced by confocal fluorescence microscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. MFM-100 prepared in this way shows exceptional catalytic activity for the aerobic oxidation of alcohols to produce aldehydes in near quantitative yield and selectivity under mild conditions, as well as having excellent stability and reusability over repeated cycles. The catalyst-substrate binding interactions have been probed by inelastic neutron scattering. This study offers a simple strategy to create mesopores and active sites simultaneously via electrochemical formation of crystal defects to promote efficient catalysis using MOFs.

Efficient electro-reduction of CO 2 over metal–organic framework (MOF) materials is hindered by the poor contact between thermally synthesized MOF particles and the electrode surface, which leads to low Faradaic efficiency for a given product and poor electrochemical stability of the catalyst. We report a MOF-based electrode prepared via electro-synthesis of MFM-300(In) on an indium foil, and its activity for the electrochemical reduction of CO 2 is assessed. The resultant MFM-300(In)-e/In electrode shows a 1 order of magnitude improvement in conductivity compared with that for MFM-300(In)/carbon-paper electrodes. MFM-300(In)-e/In exhibits a current density of 46.1 mA cm –2 at an applied potential of −2.15 V vs Ag/Ag + for the electro-reduction of CO 2 in organic electrolyte, achieving an exceptional Faradaic efficiency of 99.1% for the formation of formic acid. The facile preparation of the MFM-300(In)-e/In electrode, coupled with its excellent electrochemical stability, provides a new pathway to develop efficient electro-catalysts for CO 2 reduction.

No abstract

No abstract

Due to its special two-dimensional lamellar structure, graphene possesses an excellent shielding effect, hydrophobic characteristics and large specific surface area, which can effectively isolate the internal structure from the external corrosive media. However, lamellar graphene is easy to stack and agglomerate, which limits its anti-corrosion performance. In this paper, cerium oxide-graphene oxide (CeO2-GO) nanocomposites were prepared by a hydrothermal synthesis method. Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) were applied for microstructure examination, showing that a large number of nanoscale granular cerium oxide grew on the lamellar graphene oxide surface, which improved the dispersion performance of graphene inside the matrix. The anti-corrosion properties of the coating were analyzed and illustrated by open circuit potential (OCP), frequency response analysis, Tafel curve and Mott–Schottky curve. The results indicated that the CeO2-GO (4:1) nanocomposite not only eliminated the agglomeration of graphene to some extent, but also prepared the graphene epoxy coating with good dispersion, which further promoted its anti-corrosion performance. The paper proposed a feasible solution for GO dispersion in cement-based materials and lays a solid theoretical foundation for the engineering application of cerium oxide-graphene oxide modified anticorrosive coating.