Rose Amal

UNSW Sydney | UNSW · School of Chemical Engineering

Research on photo-enhanced heterogeneous catalysis with Au/TiO2 has gained traction in recent years owing to the potential for activity enhancement due to its localised surface Plasmon resonance effects, including oxidation reactions. While others have observed and described the effects of C-C cleaving by Au/TiO2, how the C-C cleaving occurs has no...

In this study, we developed a poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC)-solvent casted mixed metal copper and iron complexes capable of catalytic generation of the antibiofilm nitric oxide (NO) from endogenous nitrite. In the absence of additional reducing agent, we demonstrated that the presence of iron complex facilitates a redox cycling, converting the copper(...

Our study demonstrates that adsorbed oxygen species on Pt surfaces (PtOads) and active oxygen species (O-ads) play a critical role in formic acid oxidation under the ambient condition in an aqueous suspension. The impact of light pre-treatment and dissolved oxygen concentration on the generation of surface oxygen species (PtOads and O-ads) was stud...

In drinking water distribution systems (DWDS), biofilms are the predominant mode of microbial growth with the presence of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) protecting the biomass from environmental and shear stresses. Biofilm formation poses a significant problem to the drinking water industry as a potential source of bacterial contamination,...

Efficient interfacial charge transfer is essential in graphene-based semiconductors to realize their superior photoactivity. However, little is known about the factors (for example, semiconductor morphology) governing the charge interaction. Here, it is demonstrated that the electron transfer efficacy in reduced graphene oxide-bismuth oxide (RGO/Bi...

The co‐electroreduction of CO2 and NOx⁻ (NO3⁻/NO2⁻) to generate formamide (HCONH2) offers an opportunity for downstream chemical and polymer manufacturing decarbonization; however, significant challenges lie in the C‒N coupling and the associated low product selectivity. Herein, p‐block metal oxides are incorporated in copper oxides to provide more...

Over 79% of 6.3 billion tonnes of plastics produced from 1950 to 2015 have been disposed in lanfills or found their way to the oceans, where they will reside for up to hundreds of years before being decomposed bringing upon significant dangers to our health and ecosystems. Plastic photoreforming offers an appealing alternative by using solar energy...

The electrochemical C‐N coupling process, facilitating the production of organic nitrogen substances (such as urea, methylamine, formamide, and ethylamine) via the simultaneous reduction of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and small nitrogen‐based substances, stands at the forefront of advancing carbon neutrality and the artificial nitrogen cycle. This metho...

While the transition to a cleaner energy sector is underway in Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs), there are still many challenges that need to be overcome from demand, energy, chemical, and technological perspectives. The composition of the Pacific region makes it highly compatible with the movement towards small-scale, decentralized...

Amidst these growing sustainability concerns, producing NH 4 ⁺ via electrochemical NO 3 ⁻ reduction reaction (NO 3 RR) emerges as a promising alternative to the conventional Haber‐Bosch process. In a pioneering approach, this study introduces Ru incorporation into Co 3 O 4 lattices at the nanoscale and further couples it with electroreduction condi...

Conventional H2-O2 fuel cells suffer from the low output voltage, insufficient durability, and high-cost catalysts (e.g., noble metals). Herein, we report a conceptually new coupled flow fuel cell (CF-FC) by coupling asymmetric electrolytes for acidic oxygen reduction reaction and alkaline hydrogen oxidation reaction. By introducing an electrochemi...

Citation: Zhang, H.; Ge, A.; Wang, Y.; Xia, B.; Wang, X.; Zheng, Z.; Wei, C.; Ma, B.; Zhu, L.; Amal, R.; et al. Intracellular Delivery of Therapeutic Protein via Ultrathin Layered Double Hydroxide Nanosheets. Pharmaceutics 2024, 16, 422. These authors contributed equally to this work. Abstract: The therapeutic application of biofunctional proteins...

Photoreforming enables simultaneous H2 production and organic synthesis in a one-pot system. In this study, a single-step synthesis approach was employed to fabricate atomically dispersed Ni in Zn3In2S6 (NixZIS) for benzyl alcohol photoreforming. While neat ZIS exhibits high selectivity toward hydrobenzoin via C-H activation and C-C coupling, its H...

Conventional H2‐O2 fuel cells suffer from the low output voltage, insufficient durability, and high‐cost catalysts (e.g., noble metals). Herein, this work reports a conceptually new coupled flow fuel cell (CF‐FC) by coupling asymmetric electrolytes for acidic oxygen reduction reaction and alkaline hydrogen oxidation reaction. By introducing an elec...

An accurate model for predicting TiO2 photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) rates is hereby presented. The model was constructed from a database of 971 entries extracted predominantly from the open literature. A key step that enabled high accuracy lies in the use of active photon flux (AcP, photons with energy equal to and greater than t...

ZnxIn2S3+x has emerged as a promising candidate for alcohol photoreforming based on C-H activation and C-C coupling. However, the underlying structure-activity-selectivity relationships remain unclear. Here we report on ZnxIn2S3+x with varying Zn:In:S ratios for visible-light-driven furfuryl alcohol reforming into H2 and hydrofuroin, a jet fuel pre...

Coupling the hydrogen evolution reaction with plastic waste photoreforming provides a synergistic path for simultaneous production of green hydrogen and recycling of post‐consumer products, two major enablers for establishment of a circular economy. Graphitic carbon nitride (g‐C3N4) is a promising photocatalyst due to its suitable optoelectronic an...

Photoelectrochemical oxidation (PECO) is a promising advanced technology for treating micropollutants in stormwater. However, it is important to understand its operation prior to practical validation. In this study, we introduced a flow PECO system designed to evaluate its potential for full-scale applications in herbicides degradation, providing v...

Green hydrogen production through the electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is a promising solution for transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. To enable the use of a variety of electrolytes with different pH values, HER catalysts with pH universality are highly desirable but their performance remains mediocre. Herein, a pH‐u...

Highlights: A rational design of metal halide perovskites for achieving efficient CO2 reduction reaction was demonstrated. The stability of CsPbI3 perovskite nanocrystal (NCs) in aqueous electrolyte was improved by compositing with reduced graphene oxide (rGO). The CsPbI3/rGO catalyst exhibited > 92% Faradaic efficiency toward formate production w...

Sluggish reaction kinetics and undesired side reactions (hydrogen evolution reaction and self‐reduction) are the main bottlenecks of electrochemical conversion reactions, such as carbon dioxide and nitrate reduction reactions (CO2RR and NO3RR). To date, conventional strategies to overcome these challenges involve electronic structure modification a...

Electrochemical synthesis of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) through the selective oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) offers a promising alternative to the energy‐intensive anthraquinone method, while its success relies largely on the development of efficient electrocatalyst. Currently, carbon‐based materials (CMs) are the most widely studied electrocatalyst...

The antimicrobial properties of copper are well-known but maintaining a low oxidation state of Cu in particles is difficult. Herein, antimicrobial CuxP particles were synthesized through phosphorization of Cu(OH)2, to lock copper in its monovalent state (as Cu3P). We found that the phosphorization could be achieved at temperatures as low as 200°C,...

Solar water splitting by means of photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells offers the promise to produce cost-effective renewable and clean fuel from abundant sunlight and water. Lately, the realization of promise of concurrent hydrogen (H2) production along with alternate oxidation reaction (which is less energetically demanding than the water oxidation r...

Unlocking the potential of the hydrogen economy is dependent on achieving green hydrogen (H2) production at competitive costs. Engineering highly active and durable catalysts for both oxygen and hydrogen evolution reactions (OER and HER) from earth‐abundant elements is key to decreasing costs of electrolysis, a carbon‐free route for H2 production....

Incurable bacterial infection and intractable multidrug resistance remain critical challenges in public health. A prevalent approach against bacterial infection is phototherapy including photothermal and photodynamic therapy, which is unfortunately limited by low penetration depth of light accompanied with inevitable hyperthermia and phototoxicity...

Single-atom catalysts (SACs) have shown potential for achieving an efficient electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) despite challenges in their synthesis. Here, Ag2S/Ag nanowires provide initial anchoring sites for Cu SACs (Cu/Ag2S/Ag), then Cu/Ag(S) was synthesized by an electrochemical treatment resulting in complete sulfur removal, i.e.,...

Photoelectrochemical water splitting is a promising approach to produce green hydrogen using solar energy. A primary bottleneck remains the lack of efficient photoanodes to catalyze the sluggish water photooxidation reaction. Engineering photoabsorbers with a narrow bandgap and suitable band edge can boost the photoelectrochemical performance. Here...

Carbon dioxide (CO2) valorization to light olefins via sustainable energy input poses great industrial significance for the synthesis of key chemical feedstocks and reduces emission of this potent greenhouse gas. Solar energy, harnessed using light‐capturing catalytic materials, can negate external heat requirements for the energy‐intensive reactio...

Oxide‐derived Cu catalysts from Cu2O microcrystals are capable of electrochemically converting CO2 into various value‐added chemicals. However, their structural transformation and associated preferred products remain unclear, requiring further investigation. Herein, Cu2O microcrystals with controllable low‐ and high‐index facets exposure are fabric...

Direct conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) to high-value chemicals or fuels would provide new energy sources and environmental remediation. The conversion process however involves complex reaction pathways with multiple competing...

Extensive scaling of green hydrogen to meet net-zero targets would need the integration of suitable resources, high renewable energy potential and achievement of supporting techno-economic parameters to establish viable hydrogen projects. Herein, we propose a comprehensive four-tier framework based on specially designed open-source tools that build...

Achieving decarbonization through zero net CO2 emissions requires commercially viable application of waste CO2, throughout the transition to renewable and low‐carbon energy sources. A promising approach is the electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO2RR), which when powered with renewable electricity sources, provides a pathway for the...

MXenes, due to their tailorable chemistry and favourable physical properties, have great promise in electrocatalytic energy conversion reactions. To exploit fully their enormous potential, further advances specific to electrocatalysis revolving around their performance, stability, compositional discovery and synthesis are required. The most recent...

Carbon capture and conversion into chemical fuels are often considered distinct processes, whereby a sorbent is responsible for enriching a CO2 stream while a catalyst facilitates transformation into value-added commodities. Herein, we implement NiMg-CUK-1, a metal-organic framework (MOF) possessing the characteristics of both adsorbent and catalys...

The development of hybrid sorbent/catalysts for carbon capture and conversion to chemical fuels involves several material and engineering design considerations. Herein, a metal-organic framework (MOF), known as Mg-CUK-1, is loaded with Ru and Ni nanoparticles and assessed as a hybrid material for the sequential capture and conversion of carbon diox...

MXenes, due to their tailorable chemistry and favourable physical properties, have great promise in electrocatalytic energy conversion reactions. To exploit fully their enormous potential, further advances specific to electrocatalysis revolving around their performance, stability, compositional discovery and synthesis are required. The most recent...

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting is considered a promising technology to produce renewable hydrogen, a clean fuel or energy carrier to replace conventional carbon‐based fossil‐fuel sources. Nevertheless, the overall solar‐to‐hydrogen efficiency and the cost‐effectiveness of this technology are still unsatisfactory for practical implementa...

Hydrogen production through water electrolysis is a promising method to utilize renewable energy in the context of urgent need to phase out fossil fuels. Nickel-molybdenum (NiMo) electrodes are among the best performing non-noble metal-based electrodes for hydrogen evolution reaction in alkaline media (alkaline HER). Albeit exhibiting stable perfor...

The electrochemical oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) provides a green route for decentralized H2O2 synthesis, where a structure–selectivity relationship is pivotal for the control of a highly selective and active two‐electron pathway. Here, we report the fabrication of a boron and nitrogen co‐doped turbostratic carbon catalyst with tunable B−N−C con...

Photoreforming has been shown to accelerate the H 2 evolution rate compared to water splitting due to thermodynamically favorable organic oxidation. In addition, the potential to simultaneously produce solar fuel and value-added chemicals is a significant benefit of photoreforming. To achieve an efficient and economically viable photoreforming proc...

The large-scale deployment of proton-exchange membrane water electrolyzers for high-throughput sustainable hydrogen production requires transition from precious noble metal anode electrocatalysts to low-cost earth-abundant materials. However, such materials are commonly insufficiently stable and/or catalytically inactive at low pH, and positive pot...

Graphene edges exhibit a highly localized density of states that result in increased reactivity compared to its basal plane. However, exploiting this increased reactivity to anchor and tune the electronic states of single atom catalysts (SACs) remains elusive. To investigate this, a method to anchor Pt SACs with ultra‐low mass loadings at the edges...

Closing both the carbon and nitrogen loops is a critical venture to support the establishment of the circular, net‐zero carbon economy. Although single atom catalysts (SACs) have gained interest for the electrochemical reduction reactions of both carbon dioxide (CO2RR) and nitrate (NO3RR), the structure–activity relationship for Cu SAC coordination...

Electrochemical oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) provides a green route for decentralized H2O2 synthesis, where astructure‐selectivity relationship is pivotal for the control of a highly selective and active two‐electron pathway. Here, we report the fabrication of a boron and nitrogen co‐doped turbostratic carbon catalyst with tunable B‐N‐C configur...

Ammonia is a key chemical feedstock for industry as well as future carbon‐free fuel and transportable vector for renewable energy. Photoelectrochemical (PEC) ammonia synthesis from NOx reduction reaction (NOxRR) provides not only a promising alternative to the energy‐intensive Haber‐Bosch process through direct solar‐to‐ammonia conversion, but a su...

Catalytic methanol production from CO2 hydrogenation at a lower temperature is limited, predominantly constricted by sluggish reaction kinetics. In this work, a ceria-modified Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 catalyst (CuZnCe-Al) is fabricated which delivers efficient low-temperature methanol production (yield= 822 g/kgCu/h and selectivity = 94% at 225 ºC and 20 bar)...

Nanoparticle drug delivery is largely restricted by the low drug loading capacity of nanoparticle carriers. To address this critical challenge and maximize the potential of nanoparticle drug delivery, a 2D ultra‐thin layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanosheet with exceptionally high drug loading, excellent colloidal stability, and prolonged blood cir...

Platinum is the most efficient catalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction in acidic conditions, but its widespread use has been impeded by scarcity and high cost. Herein, Pt atomic clusters (Pt ACs) containing Pt-O-Pt units were prepared using Co/N co-doped carbon (CoNC) as support. Pt ACs are anchored to single Co atoms on CoNC by forming strong int...

Green hydrogen (H2) is emerging as a future clean energy carrier. While there exists significant analysis on global renewable (and non-renewable) hydrogen generation costs, analysis of its transportation costs, irrespective of production method, is still limited. Complexities include the different forms in which hydrogen can be transported, the lim...

In a recent Nature Communications publication, Zhang et al. demonstrated a new black indium oxide photothermal catalyst capable of converting carbon dioxide to methanol under solar irradiation at ambient pressure. The catalyst shows remarkable selectivity toward methanol formation over carbon monoxide, overcoming limitations for such reactions.

Although advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) such as photoelectrochemical oxidation (PECO), electrochemical oxidation (ECO) and photocatalytic oxidation (PCO), have shown potential for wastewater treatment, their application in urban stormwater has rarely been studied. This paper explored their major degradation mechanisms and possible degradation...

The development of bifunctional water‐splitting electrocatalysts that are efficient and stable over a wide range of pH is of great significance but challenging. Here, we report an atomically dispersed Ru/Co dual‐sites catalyst anchored on N‐doped carbon (Ru/Co‐N‐C) for outstanding oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER...

Reconstructing a catalyst with tunable properties is essential for achieving selective electrochemical CO2reduction reaction (CO2RR). Here, a reduction-oxidation-reduction (ROR) electrochemical treatment is devised to advisedly reconstruct copper nanoparticles on vertical graphene. Undercoordinated sites and oxygen vacancies constructed on the Cu a...

Electrochemical oxygen reduction provides an eco-friendly synthetic route to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), a widely used green chemical. However, the kinetically sluggish and low-selectivity oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is a key challenge to electrochemical production of H2O2 for practical applications. Herein, we demonstrate that single cobalt atom...

Rational assembly of co-catalyst on the photocatalyst with exposed functional crystal facets has been demonstrated to be viable in enhancing the photocatalytic activity. However, greater attention is paid to the property of the loaded co-catalyst while the effect of varied functional facet exposure is relatively less discussed. Herein, dual-faceted...

Off-target toxicity remains a major limitation of current cancer therapy, necessitating an alternative precision approach to treat cancers. Herein, a tumor microenvironment (TME)-triggered anticancer strategy was developed by constructing an anti-alcoholism drug disulfiram (DSF)-loaded, Cu-doped zeolite imidazolate frameworks-8 (DSF-Cu/ZIF-8) nanop...

The intrinsic carrier dynamics of cuprous oxide (Cu2O) are known to have a crucial influence on photocatalytic performances. The photoactivity of rhombic dodecahedral Cu2O with dominant {110} facets (RD-Cu2O) is demonstrated to surpass that of cubic Cu2O with {100} surfaces (CB-Cu2O). Time resolved microwave conductivity (TRMC) measurements reveal...

Electrochemical oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in acids via a selective 2e- pathway offers great opportunities for electrosynthesis of H2O2, allowing on-site environmental treatment in industry. Unfortunately, despite some progress, the apparent activity of most electrocatalysts (especially in a flow cell reactor) still requires further improvemen...

Binary TiO2/SiO2 oxides were synthesized via flame spray pyrolysis as supports for a Pt catalyst. The effect of the mole ratio of the silica and on the catalyst characteristics and...

Environmentally friendly routes from “Power-to-X” (P2X) technologies to sustainably harvest and store renewable energy with net-zero CO2 emission are imperative. The concept of P2X relies on (photo)electrolysis of earth-abundant molecules into value-added products. For practical utilization, engineering robust, active, albeit inexpensive (photo)ele...

Herein, it is shown that by engineering defects on CexSi1−xO2−δ nanocomposites synthesized via flame spray pyrolysis, oxygen vacancies can be created with an increased density of trapped electrons, enhancing the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROSs) and hydroxyl radicals in an ozone‐filled environment. Spectroscopic analysis and density funct...

Electrochemical generation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is an attractive alternative to the energy‐intensive anthraquinone oxidation process. Metal‐free carbon‐based materials such as graphene show great promise as efficient electrocatalysts in alkaline media. In particular, the graphene edges possess superior electrochemical properties than the bas...

Metal sulfides have emerged as promising materials for photoelectrochemical (PEC) applications due to their favorable light absorption ability, tunable structural and optical properties. With the rapid development of PEC systems, an increasing number of studies have successfully designed high-performing metal sulfide photoelectrodes. Given the tuna...

Porous electrodes with extraordinary capacitances in liquid electrolytes are oftentimes incompetent when gel electrolyte is applied because of the escalating ion diffusion limitations brought by the difficulties of infilling the pores of electrode with gels. As a result, porous electrodes usually exhibit lower capacitance in gel electrolytes than t...

Single-atom catalysts (SACs) have been at the frontier of research field in catalysis owing to the maximized atomic utilization, unique structures and properties. The atomically dispersed and catalytically active metal atoms are necessarily anchored by surrounding atoms. As such, the structure and composition of anchoring sites significantly influe...