Design and Synthesis of a 2D Cu-Coordinated Carbon Nitride Network: A Promising Single-Atom Catalyst for Environmental Applications
Metal-coordinated networks are promising catalysts for environmental applications like green hydrogen production and pollutant photo-degradation. While traditionally 3D, recent efforts have extended these networks to 2D, though synthesis and stability remain challenging. Using a bottom-up approach, we successfully designed and synthesized a 2D hexagonal carbon nitride Cu-coordinated network by combining…
Gas-Phase Synthesis of n-Alkanes in Circumstellar Environments
Aliphatics are prevalent in various solar system bodies and the interstellar medium, with linear alkanes (n-CnH2n+2) detected in carbonaceous chondrites in small amounts. Despite their consistent presence, their formation mechanism in meteorites remains unclear. This study proposes a gas-phase synthesis mechanism for n-alkanes from carbon and hydrogen under conditions similar…
Front cover in ACS Catalysis
This study investigates sulfite ion electrooxidation in an alkaline environment using cyclic voltammetry on copper oxide electrodes with different oxidation states (Cu(I) and Cu(II)) and similar active areas. Nanostructured Cu films made of nanoparticles or nanorods were synthesized on glassy carbon electrodes. The findings reveal that Cu(I) electrodes demonstrate higher…
UV-Induced Mechanism of Aliphatic Cleavage in the Interstellar Medium
In the interstellar medium (ISM), UV processing leads to significant chemical transformations in hydrocarbons. Aliphatic hydrocarbons such as alkanes, commonly formed in evolved stars, undergo dehydrogenation primarily through UV-induced photocleavage of C–C bonds rather than direct hydrogen elimination. This study combines experimental data and ab initio calculations to understand how…
Front cover in ACS Applied Energy Materials
One of the primary challenges associated with the use of titanium dioxide as a photocatalyst lies in its wide bandgap. In our research, we addressed this issue by employing a thermal treatment in atomic hydrogen plasma to reduce TiO2. This process led to an enhancement in the material’s light absorption…
Electron-stimulated desorption kinetics of ultra-thin LiCl films on graphene
Although ultra-thin alkali halide films are widely employed substrates due to their insulating behavior, their structural stability upon electron and photon beam exposure is not fully understood. In this study, we focus on the evolution of the LiCl thin film structure on graphene through low-energy electron irradiation. We observe desorption…
Unraveling the mechanisms of Thermal Dehydrogenation of n-Octane on Pt(111) at the atomic scale
In our article published recently in Nanoscale, we focus on the thermal dehydrogenation of n-octane (n-C8H18) on the catalytic Pt(111) surface in ultra-high vacuum. Our results shed light on the mechanisms behind the initial stages of this industrially relevant reaction, paving the way for the design of efficient dehydrogenation catalysts.…
Development of a Graphene SG-FET aptasensor able to detect attomolar concentrations of hepatitis C virus core protein
Biosensors based on graphene field-effect transistors have become a promising tool for detecting a broad range of analytes. However, they lack the stability and reproducibility required to step into biotechnological and biomedical applications. ESISNA group has used a promising physical graphene functionalization protocol which allows atomically-precise highly-controlled covalent functionalization, preserving…
The influence of reaction conditions on the growth of MOFs on surfaces
The importance of the reaction conditions has been confirmed in this study, where following an on-surface synthesis approach on the same surface and with the same precursor, two different metal-organic frameworks were obtained. The distinction comes from the different synthesis protocol of the controlled growth of both metal-organic nanostructures. Thus,…
Front cover in Chemistry – A European Journal!
Host-guest interactions are of paramount importance in supramolecular chemistry and in a wide range of applications. Particularly well known is the ability of cucurbit[n]urils (CB[n]) to selectively host small molecules. We show that the charge transfer and complexation capabilities of CB[n] are retained on the surface of 2D transition metal…