Herein discussed is an electrochemical reactor comprising a mixed-conducting membrane, wherein the membrane comprises an electronically conducting phase and an ionically conducting phase, wherein the reactor is capable of reforming a hydrocarbon electrochemically, wherein the electrochemical reforming reactions involve the exchange of an ion through the membrane to oxidize the hydrocarbon. Further discussed herein is a method of producing hydrogen comprising providing an electrochemical (EC) reactor having a mixed-conducting membrane, introducing a first stream comprising a hydrocarbon to the reactor, introducing a second stream comprising water to the reactor, and reducing the water in the second stream to produce hydrogen, wherein the first stream and the second stream do not come in contact with each other in the reactor, and wherein the hydrocarbon is reformed electrochemically in the EC reactor.

Herein discussed is a hydrogen production system comprising a first reactor zone and a second reactor zone, wherein both reactor zones comprise an ionically conducting membrane, wherein the first zone is capable of reforming a hydrocarbon electrochemically and the second zone is capable of performing water gas shift reactions electrochemically, wherein the electrochemical reforming reactions involve the exchange of an ion through the membrane to oxidize the hydrocarbon and wherein electrochemical water gas shift reactions involve the exchange of an ion through the membrane and include forward water gas shift reactions, or reverse water gas shift reactions, or both. In an embodiment, the membrane is mixed conducting. In an embodiment, the membrane comprises an electronically conducting phase and an ionically conducting phase.

Copper-boron-ferrite (Cu—B—Fe) composites may be prepared and immobilized on graphite electrodes in a silica-based sol-gel, e.g., from rice husks. Different bimetallic loading ratios can produce fast in-situ electrogeneration of reactive oxygen species, H.sub.2O.sub.2 and .Math.OH, e.g., via droplet flow-assisted heterogeneous electro-Fenton reactor system. Loading ratios of, e.g., 10 to 30 wt. % Fe.sup.3+ and 5 to 15% wt. Cu.sup.2+, can improve the catalytic activities towards pharmaceutical beta blockers (atenolol and propranolol) degradation in water. Degradation efficiencies of at least 99.9% for both propranolol and atenolol in hospital wastewater were demonstrated. Radicals of .Math.OH in degradation indicate a surface mechanism at inventive cathodes with correlated contributions of iron and copper. Copper and iron can be embedded in porous graphite electrode surface and catalyze the conversion of H.sub.2O.sub.2 to .Math.OH to enhance the degradation. Inventive cathodes can be stable catalytically after 20 or more cycles under neutral and acidic conditions.

Copper-boron-ferrite (Cu—B—Fe) composites may be prepared and immobilized on graphite electrodes in a silica-based sol-gel, e.g., from rice husks. Different bimetallic loading ratios can produce fast in-situ electrogeneration of reactive oxygen species, H.sub.2O.sub.2 and .Math.OH, e.g., via droplet flow-assisted heterogeneous electro-Fenton reactor system. Loading ratios of, e.g., 10 to 30 wt. % Fe.sup.3+ and 5 to 15% wt. Cu.sup.2+, can improve the catalytic activities towards pharmaceutical beta blockers (atenolol and propranolol) degradation in water. Degradation efficiencies of at least 99.9% for both propranolol and atenolol in hospital wastewater were demonstrated. Radicals of .Math.OH in degradation indicate a surface mechanism at inventive cathodes with correlated contributions of iron and copper. Copper and iron can be embedded in porous graphite electrode surface and catalyze the conversion of H.sub.2O.sub.2 to .Math.OH to enhance the degradation. Inventive cathodes can be stable catalytically after 20 or more cycles under neutral and acidic conditions.

An aspect of the present disclosure provides time and energy-efficient synthesis of catalysts for water electrolysis. An exemplary synthesis method includes dissolving amounts of Fe(NO.sub.3).sub.3.9H.sub.2O and Na.sub.2S.sub.2O.sub.3.5H.sub.2O in deionized water at ambient temperature to form a solution, placing Ni foam into the solution where the Ni foam serves as a substrate and a Ni source for growth of sulfur-doped (Ni,Fe)OOH (S—(Ni,Fe)OOH) catalysts, leaving the Ni foam in the solution at ambient temperature for a duration between one minute and five minutes to provide a treated foam where the S—(Ni,Fe)OOH catalysts grow on the substrate during the duration, and removing the treated foam from the solution after the duration.

An aspect of the present disclosure provides time and energy-efficient synthesis of catalysts for water electrolysis. An exemplary synthesis method includes dissolving amounts of Fe(NO.sub.3).sub.3.9H.sub.2O and Na.sub.2S.sub.2O.sub.3.5H.sub.2O in deionized water at ambient temperature to form a solution, placing Ni foam into the solution where the Ni foam serves as a substrate and a Ni source for growth of sulfur-doped (Ni,Fe)OOH (S—(Ni,Fe)OOH) catalysts, leaving the Ni foam in the solution at ambient temperature for a duration between one minute and five minutes to provide a treated foam where the S—(Ni,Fe)OOH catalysts grow on the substrate during the duration, and removing the treated foam from the solution after the duration.

A coral reef-like nickel phosphide-tungsten oxide nanocomposite is disclosed. The coral reef-like nickel phosphide-tungsten oxide nanocomposite has a structure in which algae-like transition metal-doped nickel phosphide nanosheets are deposited on coral-like tungsten oxide nanostructures grown vertically on a substrate. This structure allows the coral reef-like nickel phosphide-tungsten oxide nanocomposite to have a large surface area, which leads to a significant increase in the number of catalytic active sites, and ensures high conductivity and electrochemical stability of the coral reef-like nickel phosphide-tungsten oxide nanocomposite. Due to these advantages, the coral reef-like nickel phosphide-tungsten oxide nanocomposite has a low overpotential and superior hydrogen evolution reaction or oxygen evolution reaction efficiency when applied to a water splitting catalyst under alkaline conditions. Also disclosed are a method for preparing the coral reef-like nickel phosphide-tungsten oxide nanocomposite and a catalyst for electrochemical water splitting including the coral reef-like nickel phosphide-tungsten oxide nanocomposite.

A coral reef-like nickel phosphide-tungsten oxide nanocomposite is disclosed. The coral reef-like nickel phosphide-tungsten oxide nanocomposite has a structure in which algae-like transition metal-doped nickel phosphide nanosheets are deposited on coral-like tungsten oxide nanostructures grown vertically on a substrate. This structure allows the coral reef-like nickel phosphide-tungsten oxide nanocomposite to have a large surface area, which leads to a significant increase in the number of catalytic active sites, and ensures high conductivity and electrochemical stability of the coral reef-like nickel phosphide-tungsten oxide nanocomposite. Due to these advantages, the coral reef-like nickel phosphide-tungsten oxide nanocomposite has a low overpotential and superior hydrogen evolution reaction or oxygen evolution reaction efficiency when applied to a water splitting catalyst under alkaline conditions. Also disclosed are a method for preparing the coral reef-like nickel phosphide-tungsten oxide nanocomposite and a catalyst for electrochemical water splitting including the coral reef-like nickel phosphide-tungsten oxide nanocomposite.

A method of producing an electrocatalyst, comprising the steps of: a) electrodeposition or electrochemical plating of an alloy comprising nickel and a second metal on a copper, nickel or other metal substrate; and b) electrochemical or chemical dissolution of deposited second metal to obtain a nanoporous structure on the copper, nickel or other metal substrate.

The present disclosure relates to electrocatalysts for electroreduction of a carbon-containing gas to produce n-propanol, for example. The electrocatalyst includes a multi-metallic material comprising a primary metal, such as Cu, and a metal dopant, such as Ag, selected and distributed to provide asymmetric active sites that include neighbouring atoms of the primary metal having distinct electronic structures to promote C2-C1 coupling. The electrocatalysts can be bimetallic or bimetallic, for example. The disclosure also relates to manufacturing and using the electrocatalysts, which can be used as a cathodic catalyst to convert CO or CO.sub.2 into multi-carbon products.