Search for: All records

Electrochemical processes that utilize biomass-derived ethanol as a source of electrons and protons offer a sustainable energy strategy, yet their practical implementation is limited by sluggish ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) kinetics and catalyst poisoning. Here, we report a modular multi-interface nanocrystal catalyst comprising core/shell Co 2 P/Pd and Pd-Au heterostructured interfaces that exhibit complementary functions for the enhanced EOR catalysis. The Co 2 P/Pd interface boosts Pd atom utilization and lowers the kinetic barriers for ethanol-to-acetate conversion, while the Pd-Au interface effectively alleviates CO poisoning caused by C–C bond cleavage of ethanol. In-depth analyses using in situ attenuated total reflectance-surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy, differential electrochemical mass spectrometry, and density functional theory calculations elucidate the mechanistic roles of these interfaces. The optimized Co 2 P/Pd-Au 0.08 nanorods achieve an excellent mass activity, underscoring the potential of modular, multi-interface nanocrystals for advancing EOR catalysis and offering a generalizable strategy for broader catalytic innovations. 

The suffix array is a crucial data structure for efficient string analysis. Over the course of twenty-six years, sequential suffix array construction algorithms have achieved O(n) time complexity and in-place sorting. In this paper, we present the Tunnel algorithm, the first large-scale parallel suffix array construction algorithm with a time complexity of O(n/p) based on the parallel random access machine (PRAM) model. The Tunnel algorithm is built on three key ideas: dividing the problem of size O(n) into p sub-problems of reduced size O(n/p) by replacing long suffixes with shorter prefixes of size at most a constant D ; introducing a Tunnel mechanism to efficiently induce the order of a set of suffixes with long common prefixes; developing a strategy to transform a partially ordered suffix set into a total order relation by iteratively applying the Tunnel inducing method. We provide a detailed description of the algorithm, along with a thorough analysis of its time and space complexity, to demonstrate its correctness and efficiency. The proposed Tunnel algorithm exhibits scalable performance, making it suitable for large string analytics on large-scale parallel systems. 

Abstract The creation of metal‐metal oxide interfaces is an important approach to fine‐tuning catalyst properties through strong interfacial interactions. This article presents the work on developing interfaces between Pt and CeO_xthat improve Pt surface energetics for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) within an alkaline electrolyte. The Pt‐CeO_xinterfaces are formed by depositing size‐controlled Pt nanoparticles onto a carbon support already coated with ultrathin CeO_xnanosheets. This interface structure facilitates substantial electron transfer from Pt to CeO_x, resulting in decreased hydrogen binding energies on Pt surfaces, and water dissociation for the HER, as predicted by the density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Electrochemical testing indicates that both Pt specific activity and mass activity are improved by a factor of 2 to 3 following the formation of Pt‐CeO_xinterfaces. This study underscores the significance and potential of harnessing robust interfacial effects to enhance electrocatalytic reactions.