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Creators/Authors contains: "Li, Junrui"

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  1. Abstract Doping gold nanoparticles within covalent organic frameworks (AuNPs@COFs) has garnered enormous momentum due to their unique properties and broad applications. Nevertheless, prevailing multi‐step synthesis is plagued with low time efficiency, eco‐unfriendliness, and tedious protocols. Herein, we introduce a rapid, sustainable, scalable, one‐step mechanochemical strategy for synthesizing up to four AuNPs‐doped COFs via steel ball milling within an hour under ambient conditions. This approach overcomes the synthetic barriers of conventional multi‐step solution‐based methods, such as extended reaction times (5 days), milligram scale, the use of toxic solvents, elevated temperatures, and reliance on external reducing agents. One exemplary AuNPs@COF (AuNPs@DMTP‐TPB) exhibits high crystallinity, porosity, small AuNP size, and uniform dispersion (5.4±0.6 nm), surpassing its counterpart synthesized via multi‐step solution‐based methods (6.4±1.1 nm). Notably, the gram‐scale synthesis of AuNPs@DMTP‐TPB can be successfully achieved. Control experiments suggest that thein situformation of AuNPs is attributed to the galvanic reduction of gold precursor by stainless steel apparatus. As a proof‐of‐concept catalytic application, AuNPs@DMTP‐TPB demonstrates remarkable catalytic activity and recyclability for the aqueous reduction of 4‐nitrophenol under ambient conditions. This study provides an environmentally benign and fast pathway to synthesize AuNPs@COFs via mechanochemistry for the first time, opening tremendous possibilities for heterogeneous catalysis and beyond. 
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    Free, publicly-accessible full text available April 15, 2026
  2. The use of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) for hazardous radioiodine capture has been highly sought after recently. However, the synthesis of high-performance COF adsorbents while circumventing the limitations of traditional solvothermal methods remains largely unexplored. Herein, we for the first time combine microwave-assisted synthesis and mixed-linker strategy to fabricate multivariate COF adsorbents (X% OMe-TFB-BD COFs, X% = 0, 33, 50, 67, and 100 mol%) with varying ratios of benzidine (BD) and 3,3′-dimethoxylbenzidine (BD-OMe) linkers in a rapid and facile manner. Adjusting the BD-OMe/BD mole ratios has led to distinct variations in density, crystallinity, porosity, morphology, and thermal/chemical stability of the resultant COFs, which empowered fine-tuning of the adsorption performance towards static iodine vapor. Remarkably, the 50 % OMe-TFB-BD COF exhibited an ultrahigh iodine adsorption capability of 8.2 g g−1, surpassing those of single-component COFs, mixed-linker COFs with other methoxy content, physically blended mixtures, and most existing COF adsorbents. Moreover, 50 % OMe-TFB-BD COF was recyclable seven times without obvious loss in its adsorption capacity. This work underscores the substantial potential of microwave-assisted mixed-linker strategy as a viable approach for developing multivariate COFs with shortened reaction times, precisely tailored pore environment, and tunable sorption properties, which are of considerable promise for environmental remediation and other niche applications. 
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  3. To address a long‐existing debate on what copper species are responsible for efficient CC coupling, especially ethanol formation, in electrochemical CO2reduction reaction, herein, a comprehensive study using Cu3N nanocubes with a uniform size and shape, alongside a single crystalline phase is reported. The Cu3N nanoensemble electrode has a remarkable Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 64% for ethanol production at a relatively low potential of −0.6 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode. Throughin‐operandoX‐ray absorption spectroscopy study, a dynamic phase evolution that directly correlates with changes in FE across varying applied potentials is observed. Notably, the nanoensemble with a composition of ≈71% Cu+and 29% Cu0is identified as being selective for ethanol formation at the low overpotential. Conversely, a predominantly metallic Cu phase formed at potentials more negative than −0.6 V favors the hydrogen evolution reaction. Density functional theory calculations at the Cu3N–Cu interface substantiate that the coexistence of Cu0–Cu+not only energetically favors the ethanol reaction pathway but also destabilizes the intermediates for ethylene pathway. 
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