The declining costs of renewable energy are progressively improving the economic viability of employing electrochemical techniques for carbon dioxide capture. Electrochemical carbon capture (ECC) technology utilizes electrical energy to drive electrode reactions, enabling the selective separation of CO₂. The vigorous development of ECC powered by renewable energy offers a promising alternative route to conventional carbon capture methods, overcoming limitations associated with thermally driven capture and release cycles. This approach provides a promising alternative route that is more efficient, flexible, scalable, low-energy-consuming and low-polluting for traditional carbon capture technologies. This review begins by introducing established, large-scale carbon capture technologies, such as pre-combustion capture, post-combustion capture, oxy-fuel combustion, adsorption, membrane separation and the calcium looping process. It then transitions to several rapidly developing ECC technologies, including electrochemically mediated amine regeneration (EMAR), pH-swing-mediated systems, and methods involving redox-active molecules. The pH-swing systems are further categorized into bipolar membrane electrodialysis (BMED), proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET), and membrane capacitive deionization (MCDI). For each method, the underlying principles, technological advancements, advantages, as well as current problems and challenges, are systematically elucidated. It is anticipated that with the widespread deployment of green electricity and persistent innovation in electrochemical materials, ECC technology will emerge as a highly efficient and low-carbon strategy, contributing significantly to the global goal of achieving carbon neutrality.

Under the context of global energy transition and carbon neutrality, controlling nitrogen oxide (NO_x) emissions from biomass combustion is of great significance, and the development of high-efficiency low-temperature catalysts has become a current research focus. In this study, Nb was used to dope and modify the Mn₇-Cu₃/BCN catalyst to construct the Mn₇-Cu₃-Nb_x/BCN system. The doping amount was optimized through selective catalytic reduction (SCR) activity tests. The reaction mechanism was explored by combining in situ DRIFTS and density functional theory (DFT) simulations. Experimental findings revealed that the catalyst doped with 0.05% Nb achieved the optimal performance, sustaining a NO conversion efficiency of ≥94% within the temperature window of 150−275 °C while demonstrating improved resistance to alkali metal K poisoning. Mechanistic analyses showed that at low temperatures, the catalyst facilitated the SCR reaction via both the Eley-Rideal (E-R) and Langmuir-Hinshelwood (L-H) pathways, with the synergistic interaction between multiple active sites driving the efficient conversion of NH₃ and NO. DFT calculations further confirmed that both pathways had the characteristics of low reaction energy barriers and significant exothermicity, ensuring the high activity and feasibility of the low-temperature reaction. The findings provided foundational theoretical support for the design of Nb-doped Mn-Cu-supported catalysts and the exploration of the underlying working mechanisms.

This study presents the successful synthesis of a novel Z-scheme heterojunction composite film consisting of Ag/Bi₂MoO₆/BiOBr through electrochemical processes and ion-exchange techniques, followed by the photodeposition of noble metal silver (Ag) onto the composite structure. The catalytic efficiency of semiconductor photocatalysts is greatly improved by utilizing the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect observed in Ag nanoparticles (NPs). Furthermore, the noble metal Ag serves as an intermediary bridge facilitating charge transfer between Bi₂MoO₆ and BiOBr, while the formation of a Schottky barrier effectively inhibits the recombination of photo-generated electron-hole pairs. As a result, the Ag-deposited Bi₂MoO₆/BiOBr film exhibits superior photocatalytic performance in the reduction of CO₂ compared to its unmodified counterpart. Our experimental results indicate a non-linear relationship between Ag deposition and the efficiency of photocatalytic CO₂ reduction to CO, characterized by an initial increase in efficiency followed by a decline. The optimized 1.5%-Ag/Bi₂MoO₆/BiOBr film demonstrates exceptional photocatalytic activity, attaining a CO production rate of 13.65 μmol/(g·h). This research explores the fundamental mechanisms that lead to improved photocatalytic CO₂ reduction capabilities of the Ag/Bi₂MoO₆/BiOBr film. Our research offers important perspectives for the thoughtful design and production of highly efficient photocatalysts, which are essential for advancing sustainable energy solutions.

In this paper, we investigated the effect of calcium-sodium composite flux on the ash fusibility of Pingshuo coal with high ash fusion temperatures. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and FactSage were used to analyze the mineral transformation behavior at high temperature. Combined with molecular dynamics simulations, the effect of calcium-sodium composite flux on the melting mechanism was revealed at the molecular level. The results showed that the silicon-aluminum ratio (Si/Al mass ratio) of Pingshuo coal ash with high ash fusion temperatures (AFTs) were approximately 1.0, with the total silicon-aluminum content (Si+Al, mass sum) about 90%. When the addition of calcium-sodium composite flux (CaO and Na₂O) was 20%, the AFTs of coal ash with the addition of calcium-sodium composite flux were lower than that with the addition of CaO and Na₂O, which demonstrates a synergistic effect of the calcium-sodium composite on the fusibility of Pingshuo coal ash. The FT of the two Pingshuo coal ash decreased to 1377 and 1279 ℃ when the calcium-sodium ratio of the composite flux was 3∶7. With the addition of calcium-sodium composite flux, quartz in coal ash reacted with Na₂O and CaO to form low melting point minerals such as nepheline, melilite, gehlenite, inhibiting the formation of mullite. The formation of low eutectic minerals occurred among anorthite, albite, nepheline and other minerals. Besides, the ordered structural was disrupted by the high diffusivity of Na⁺, inducing the preferential coordination of Ca²⁺ with [AlO₄]⁵⁻ tetrahedra. As a result, the Si-O-Si network of coal ash at high temperatures was further broken. The addition of calcium-sodium composite flux significantly enhanced atomic diffusion capabilities within coal ash at high temperatures. The values of mean square displacement (MSD) were higher than those with the additions of Na₂O and CaO.

Lignin contains abundant aromatic ring structures, which can be converted into green sustainable aviation fuel-range arenes through hydrodeoxygenation (HDO). A series of supported FeMoS/NC catalysts were synthesized by a hydrothermal method. The HDO performance of the catalysts was evaluated using 4-ethylguaiacol as a model compound at 340 °C under 3 MPa H₂. The MoS₂/NC catalyst exhibited a deoxygenation degree of 83.4%, whereas the Fe-modified catalyst (Fe_0.3MoS/NC) attained complete deoxygenation (100%) with an arenes selectivity of 78.6%. Beyond the optimal ratio, the deoxygenation degree is inversely proportional to the Fe/Mo molar ratio. The catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), low-temperature nitrogen adsorption (BET method) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The characterization results indicated that the introduction of Fe enhanced the uniform dispersion of MoS₂ on the NC support surface. This modification further increased the acidity of the catalyst surface and raised the concentration of sulfur vacancies, thereby promoting the adsorption of oxygen-containing compounds. Furthermore, the HDO performance of the Fe_0.3MoS/NC catalyst was evaluated using actual lignin as a feedstock under the conditions of 340 °C, 3 MPa H₂ and 12 h. The results showed a green hydrocarbon yield of 65.5%, of which the C₈–C₁₆ fraction accounted for 54.4% of the total hydrocarbons. Within this fraction, aromatic compounds constituted 63.4%, suggesting its potential use as green aviation fuel-range arenes. This work thus establishes a viable catalytic pathway for efficient conversion of lignin to arenes.

Photosynthesis of H₂O₂ via sustainable biomass-derived carbon catalysts facilitate the conversion of renewable resources into valuable chemicals. However, the regulatory function of surface functional groups over reaction kinetics has not been sufficiently investigated. Herein, hydrothermal carbon spheres (CS) rich in oxygen-containing functional groups demonstrated a remarkably high H₂O₂ production rate (653 μmol/(g·h)) in both pure water and actual seawater, even in the absence of any sacrificial agent. Meanwhile, the catalyst demonstrates outstanding activity (92% conversion and >99% selectivity) in the visible-light-driven photocatalytic oxidation of benzylamine to imines. Comprehensive analysis reveals that CS was rich in surface oxygen-containing functional groups, a feature strongly associated with its high photocatalytic efficiency. The observed positive Zeta potential of CS in seawater likely diminished the electrostatic repulsion against the positively charged $\cdot {\mathrm{O}}_2^- $ intermediates, thereby facilitating their accumulation at the liquid-solid interface. This work proposes a strategic framework for developing metal-free photocatalysts from biomass, offering a sustainable pathway for photocatalytic applications.

Temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) is a fundamental technique in surface science and heterogeneous catalysis for characterizing adsorption behavior, and for extracting key parameters such as adsorption energy. However, the majority of existing TPD data is accessible in the form of published images, which lacks structured and quantitative datasets. This constrains its utility for rigorous quantitative analysis and computational modelling. Using carbon monoxide (CO) which is a widely adopted probe molecule, a curated and standardized dataset of CO-TPD is constructed, encompassing 14 transition-metal single-crystal surfaces, including copper (Cu) and ruthenium (Ru). By systematically extracting numerical data points from published spectra and applying normalization, essential spectral features such as peak shape are fully preserved. The dataset also documents relevant experimental parameters, including heating rates, and was developed using a standardized protocol for data collection and quality control. This resource serves as both a reference library to support the deconvolution of TPD spectra from complex catalysts and an experimental benchmark for calibrating parameters in theoretical models. By providing a reliable and accessible data function, this work advances the microscopic understanding and the rational design of catalyst active centers.

Chemical looping methane steam reforming (CL-MSR) has garnered significant attention owing to its ability to sequentially produce syngas with high selectivity and high-purity hydrogen through redox cycling. To overcome the limitations of single iron-based oxygen carriers, including poor cycling stability, low reactivity and susceptibility to sintering, this study employed a dip-coating method to modify Fe₂O₃/Al₂O₃ oxygen carriers by incorporating three distinct metal additives: Cu, La and Ce. The composite oxygen carriers were systematically characterized and evaluated under redox conditions to investigate the structure-activity relationships between the physicochemical properties, reactivity, and hydrogen production performance. Results revealed that the spinel-phase CuFe₂O₄ exhibited higher reactivity than the perovskite-phase LaFeO₃ and CeO₂, promoting the deeper reduction of Fe₂O₃. Fe58Cu2Al exhibited an oxygen storage capacity as high as 6.5 mmol/g. During the CH₄ reaction stage, Fe58Cu2Al achieved the highest oxygen loss of 12.1 g/100 g oxygen carrier, accompanied by a syngas yield of 5.15 mmol/g—1.33 times and 1.59 times greater than that of Fe60Al. In the hydrogen production stage, the 2% Cu-modified oxygen carrier demonstrated optimal performance, yielding 5.13 mmol/g of hydrogen, which was 1.51 times that of the pristine sample. Even after ten cycles, the H₂ yield remained at 3.61 mmol/g, surpassing the single-cycle output of the pristine sample and the H₂ purity consistently exceeded 98%.

Ethylene (C₂H₄) in vehicle exhaust is a highly reactive volatile organic compound (VOC). Its photo-oxidative reaction with NO_x contributes to the formation of O₃ and secondary organic aerosols (SOA), the latter being a key precursor of PM_2.5. In this study, a novel MgO-supported Ag-Cu bimetallic catalyst was designed and investigated using density functional theory (DFT). The effects of Ag and Cu loading on the geometric structure, stability, and reactant adsorption characteristics of the catalyst were analyzed, and the catalytic oxidation pathways of C₂H₄ over AgCu-MgO was elucidated. The results indicate that loading Ag significantly enhances the adsorption of C₂H₄. The incorporation of Cu into Ag-MgO to form a AgCu-MgO bimetallic catalyst (dual atom catalyst, DACS) further improves the oxidative activity toward C₂H₄. Based on the binding energies of the Ag and Cu bimetallic sites and the adsorption energies of C₂H₄ and O₂, three representative configurations were selected for detailed reaction pathway analysis. Among them, Configuration 6 of AgCu-MgO exhibited the highest catalytic oxidation performance. This study provides new atomic-scale insights for the rational design of efficient catalysts targeting olefinic pollutants in automotive emissions and offers valuable guidance for advancing exhaust after-treatment technologies.

This study clarifies the nonlinear relationship between the softening point of coating asphalt and its oxidative cross-linking behavior, as well as the sodium storage performance of the derived hard carbon. Comparative analysis of asphaltes with low (80 ℃), medium (160 ℃) and high (260 ℃) softening points revealed that both the 80 and 260 ℃ asphaltes incorporated a higher oxygen content (20%−25%) during oxidation, leading to the formation of a deeply cross-linked structure dominated by anhydride and ester groups. This effectively suppressed graphitization during carbonization, yielding hard carbon with large interlayer spacing, high disorder, and abundant closed pores. The derived hard carbon exhibited superior sodium storage performance, the initial charge capacities of EPOC-80 and EPOC-260 reached 314.7 and 306.6 mA·h/g, with first-cycle coulombic efficiencies of 81.3% and 79.3%, respectively, along with excellent cycling stability and rate capability. In contrast, the medium softening point asphalt (160 ℃) showed limited oxygen incorporation (~5%) and insufficient cross-linking after oxidation, resulting in a densely packed hard carbon with smaller interlayer spacing (3.46 Å) and restricted sodium storage sites, which led to a significantly reduced capacity of 173.2 mA·h/g. This work provides new design principles and theoretical support for optimizing hard carbon anode structures through precise control of the precursor softening point.