Muhammad Asim Farid

It has been a long‐standing challenge to cultivate capable and resilient oxygen electrocatalysts with higher activity, low price, and long lifetime to replace the commonly used platinum group metals, i.e., Pt for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and RuO₂/IrO₂ for oxygen evolution reaction (OER). This work presents a promising approach to address the challenges associated with oxygen electrocatalysis by introducing a cobalt phosphide/metallic cobalt (Co₂P/Co) core wrapped in a nitrogen‐doped conductive carbon (CN) nano‐shell, demonstrated as Co₂P/Co@NC. The strong chemical bonding between metallic cobalt and phosphorus, nitrogen and conductive carbon contributes to the enhanced conductivity and stability of the electrocatalyst. The nitrogen doping in the carbon shell provides additional Co–N active sites, which are crucial for ORR activity. Co₂P/Co@NC demonstrates promising activity and stability compared to noble metals such as Pt for ORR in an alkaline medium. This suggests its potential as a cost‐effective alternative to Pt‐based catalysts. Further, due to factors such as strong cobalt‐phosphide bonding, high cobalt oxidation states and excellent conductivity of the nitrogen‐doped carbon shell, the Co₂P/Co@NC outperforms noble metal oxides like iridium dioxide (IrO₂) and ruthenium dioxide (RuO₂) for OER. Co₂P/Co@NC exhibits a low potential difference of 0.63 V, which is among the lowest reported for bifunctional electrocatalysts capable of both ORR and OER. Overall, the described strategy offers a promising avenue for developing efficient, low‐cost and stable electrocatalysts for oxygen reactions, which are crucial for various electrochemical energy conversion and storage technologies, such as fuel cells and metal–air batteries.

The oxidative desulfurization of dibenzothiophene in model and real fuel by developing an environmentally sustainable catalyst H ₄ SiW ₁₂ O ₄₀ @f-kaolinite.

The development of efficient electrocatalysts for hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions (HER and OER) is pivotal for advancing cleaner and sustainable fuel production technologies. The conventional electrocatalysts have limited stability and higher overpotentials, and there is demand to explore advanced materials and synthesis methods. In this context, a novel bifunctional electrocatalyst has been devised through the phosphidation of tungsten molybdenum oxide (P-Mo_0.69W_0.31H_0.98O₃) at relatively low temperatures. This innovative approach aims to enhance the efficiency of HER and OER while minimizing the overpotential values and maintaining higher stability. Specifically, the individual performance of Mo_0.69W_0.31H_0.98O₃ has been significantly boosted by doping it with phosphorus at a low temperature of 300 °C. This doping process results in a unique morphology for the catalyst, leading to a notable improvement in OER/HER performances. P-Mo_0.69W_0.31H_0.98O₃ exhibits a potential of 320 mV at 10 mA cm⁻² in a KOH electrolyte, demonstrating both high activity and long-term stability. Additionally, P-Mo_0.69W_0.31H_0.98O₃ exhibits commendable HER performance, requiring only 380 mV at 100 mA cm⁻². This combination of efficient OER and HER performance positions P-Mo_0.69W_0.31H_0.98O₃ as representing a significant advancement in the field of electrocatalysis, additionally addressing the fundamental gap by providing stable and hybrid catalyst for various electrochemical devices. Given its cost-effectiveness and exceptional activity, P-Mo_0.69W_0.31H_0.98O₃ holds significant potential for advancing the field of electrocatalysis and contributing to the development of cleaner and sustainable fuel production methods.

The Zn _0.98 Mn _0.02 O/BiOCl nanocomposite shows potential activity for the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue and methyl orange. The primary role of superoxide and hydroxyl radicals is confirmed by radical scavenger studies.

Highly efficient heterojunctions by combining n-type g-C₃N₄ and MOFs as bi-functional photoelectrocatalysts towards the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER).