1
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Gaudin LF, Funston AM, Bentley CL. Drop-cast gold nanoparticles are not always electrocatalytically active for the borohydride oxidation reaction. Chem Sci 2024; 15:7243-7258. [PMID: 38756820 PMCID: PMC11095372 DOI: 10.1039/d4sc00676c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024] Open
Abstract
The next-generation of energy devices rely on advanced catalytic materials, especially electrocatalytic nanoparticles (NPs), to achieve the performance and cost required to reshape the energy landscape towards a more sustainable and cleaner future. It has become imperative to maximize the performance of the catalyst, both through improvement of the intrinsic activity of the NP, and by ensuring all particles are performing at the level of their capability. This requires not just a structure-function understanding of the catalytic material, but also an understanding of how the catalyst performance is impacted by its environment (substrate, ligand, etc.). The intrinsic activity and environment of catalytic particles on a support may differ wildly by particle, thus it is essential to build this understanding from a single-entity perspective. To achieve this herein, scanning electrochemical cell microscopy (SECCM) has been used, which is a droplet-based scanning probe technique which can encapsulate single NPs, and apply a voltage to the nanoparticle whilst measuring its resulting current. Using SECCM, single AuNPs have been encapsulated, and their activity for the borohydride oxidation reaction (BOR) is measured. A total of 268 BOR-active locations were probed (178 single particles) and a series of statistical analyses were performed in order to make the following discoveries: (1) a certain percentage of AuNPs display no BOR activity in the SECCM experiment (67.4% of single NPs), (2) visibly-similar particles display wildly varied BOR activities which cannot be explained by particle size, (3) the impact of cluster size (#NP at a single location) on a selection of diagnostic electrochemical parameters can be easily probed with SECCM, (4) exploratory statistical correlation between these parameters can be meaningfully performed with SECCM, and (5) outlying "abnormal" NP responses can be probed on a particle-by-particle basis. Each one of these findings is its own worthwhile study, yet this has been achieved with a single SECCM scan. It is hoped that this research will spur electrochemists and materials scientists to delve deeper into their substantial datasets in order to enhance the structure-function understanding, to bring about the next generation of high-performance electrocatalysts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lachlan F Gaudin
- School of Chemistry, Monash University Clayton 3800 VIC Australia
| | - Alison M Funston
- School of Chemistry, Monash University Clayton 3800 VIC Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Exciton Science, Monash University Clayton 3800 VIC Australia
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2
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Saetta C, Barlocco I, Liberto GD, Pacchioni G. Key Ingredients for the Screening of Single Atom Catalysts for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction: The Case of Titanium Nitride. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2024:e2401058. [PMID: 38671564 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202401058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2024] [Revised: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
A computational screening of Single Atom Catalysts (SACs) bound to titanium nitride (TiN) is presented, for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER), based on density functional theory. The role of fundamental ingredients is explored to account for a reliable screening of SACs. Namely, the formation of H2-complexes besides the classical H* one impacts the predicted HER activity, in line with previous studies on other SACs. Also, the results indicate that one needs to adopt self-interaction-corrected functionals. Finally, predicting an active catalyst is of little help without an assessment of its stability. Thus, it is included in the theoretical framework the analysis of the stability of the SACs in working conditions of pH and voltage. Once unconventional intermediates and stability are considered in a self-interaction corrected scheme, the number of potential good catalysts for HER is strongly reduced since i) some potentially good catalysts are not stable against dissolution and ii) the formation of unconventional intermediates leads to thermodynamic barriers. This study highlights the importance of including ingredients for the prediction of new systems, such as the formation of unconventional intermediates, estimating the stability of SACs, and the adoption of self-interaction corrected functionals. Also, this study highlights some interesting candidates deserving of dedicated work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara Saetta
- Dipartimento di Scienza dei Materiali, Università degli studi di Milano Bicocca, Via R. Cozzi 55, Milano, 20125, Italy
| | - Ilaria Barlocco
- Dipartimento di Scienza dei Materiali, Università degli studi di Milano Bicocca, Via R. Cozzi 55, Milano, 20125, Italy
| | - Giovanni Di Liberto
- Dipartimento di Scienza dei Materiali, Università degli studi di Milano Bicocca, Via R. Cozzi 55, Milano, 20125, Italy
| | - Gianfranco Pacchioni
- Dipartimento di Scienza dei Materiali, Università degli studi di Milano Bicocca, Via R. Cozzi 55, Milano, 20125, Italy
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3
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Misra D, Di Liberto G, Pacchioni G. CO 2 electroreduction on single atom catalysts: the role of the DFT functional. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2024; 26:10746-10756. [PMID: 38516878 DOI: 10.1039/d4cp00175c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
One key process involving single atom catalysts (SACs) is the electroreduction of CO2 to fuels. The chemistry of SACs differs largely from that of extended catalytic surfaces, presenting an opportunity to improve the ability to activate very stable molecules, such as CO2. In this work, we performed a density functional theory (DFT) study of CO2 activation on a series of SACs, focusing on the role played by the adopted functional in activity predictions. The role of the exchange-correlation functional has been widely investigated in heterogenous catalysts, but it is less explored in SACs. We tested the widely used PBE and the PBE+U corrected functionals against the more robust hybrid PBE0 functional. The results show that PBE is reliable if one is interested in qualitative predictions, but it leads to some inaccuracies in other cases. A possible way to attenuate this effect is by adopting the PBE+U framework, as it gives results that are very similar to PBE0 at an acceptable computational cost. The results of this study further underline the importance of the computational framework adopted in predicting the activity of SACs. The work suggests that one needs to go beyond PBE for quantitative estimates, an important consideration when performing screening and high-throughput calculations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debolina Misra
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design and Manufacturing, Kancheepuram, Chennai 600127, India
| | - Giovanni Di Liberto
- Dipartimento di Scienza dei Materiali, Università di Milano - Bicocca, via R. Cozzi 55, Milano 20125, Italy.
| | - Gianfranco Pacchioni
- Dipartimento di Scienza dei Materiali, Università di Milano - Bicocca, via R. Cozzi 55, Milano 20125, Italy.
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Zimmermann T, Madubuko N, Groppe P, Raczka T, Dünninger N, Taccardi N, Carl S, Apeleo Zubiri B, Spiecker E, Wasserscheid P, Mandel K, Haumann M, Wintzheimer S. Supraparticles on beads for supported catalytically active liquid metal solutions - the SCALMS suprabead concept. MATERIALS HORIZONS 2023; 10:4960-4967. [PMID: 37610262 PMCID: PMC10615327 DOI: 10.1039/d3mh01020a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
A novel GaPt-based supported catalytically active liquid metal solution (SCALMS) material is developed by exploiting the suprabead concept: Supraparticles, i.e. micrometer-sized particles composed of nanoparticles assembled by spray-drying, are bonded to millimeter-sized beads. The suprabeads combine macroscale size with catalytic properties of nanoscale GaPt particles entrapped in their silica framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Zimmermann
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Inorganic Chemistry, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Egerlandstrasse 1, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Nnamdi Madubuko
- Lehrstuhl für Chemische Reaktionstechnik (CRT), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Egerlandstrasse 3, 91058 Erlangen, Germany.
| | - Philipp Groppe
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Inorganic Chemistry, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Egerlandstrasse 1, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Theodor Raczka
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Inorganic Chemistry, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Egerlandstrasse 1, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Nils Dünninger
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Inorganic Chemistry, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Egerlandstrasse 1, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
- Lehrstuhl für Chemische Reaktionstechnik (CRT), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Egerlandstrasse 3, 91058 Erlangen, Germany.
| | - Nicola Taccardi
- Lehrstuhl für Chemische Reaktionstechnik (CRT), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Egerlandstrasse 3, 91058 Erlangen, Germany.
| | - Simon Carl
- Institute of Micro- and Nanostructure Research (IMN) & Center for Nanoanalysis and Electron Microscopy (CENEM), Interdisciplinary Center for Nanostructured Films (IZNF), Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Cauerstrasse 3, 91058 Erlangen, Germany.
| | - Benjamin Apeleo Zubiri
- Institute of Micro- and Nanostructure Research (IMN) & Center for Nanoanalysis and Electron Microscopy (CENEM), Interdisciplinary Center for Nanostructured Films (IZNF), Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Cauerstrasse 3, 91058 Erlangen, Germany.
| | - Erdmann Spiecker
- Institute of Micro- and Nanostructure Research (IMN) & Center for Nanoanalysis and Electron Microscopy (CENEM), Interdisciplinary Center for Nanostructured Films (IZNF), Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Cauerstrasse 3, 91058 Erlangen, Germany.
| | - Peter Wasserscheid
- Lehrstuhl für Chemische Reaktionstechnik (CRT), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Egerlandstrasse 3, 91058 Erlangen, Germany.
- Erlangen Catalysis Resource Center and Interdisciplinary Center for Interface-Controlled Processes, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
- Forschungszentrum Jülich, "Helmholtz-Institute Erlangen-Nürnberg for Renewable Energies" (IEK 11), Egerlandstr. 3, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Karl Mandel
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Inorganic Chemistry, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Egerlandstrasse 1, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
- Fraunhofer-Institute for Silicate Research ISC, Neunerplatz 2, D97082 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Marco Haumann
- Lehrstuhl für Chemische Reaktionstechnik (CRT), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Egerlandstrasse 3, 91058 Erlangen, Germany.
- Research Centre for Synthesis and Catalysis, Department of Chemistry, University of Johannesburg, P.O. Box 524, Auckland Park 2006, South Africa
| | - Susanne Wintzheimer
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Inorganic Chemistry, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Egerlandstrasse 1, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
- Fraunhofer-Institute for Silicate Research ISC, Neunerplatz 2, D97082 Würzburg, Germany
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Centi G, Perathoner S. Catalysis for an Electrified Chemical Production. Catal Today 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cattod.2022.10.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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Papanikolaou G, Centi G, Perathoner S, Lanzafame P. Catalysis for e-Chemistry: Need and Gaps for a Future De-Fossilized Chemical Production, with Focus on the Role of Complex (Direct) Syntheses by Electrocatalysis. ACS Catal 2022; 12:2861-2876. [PMID: 35280435 PMCID: PMC8902748 DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.2c00099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2022] [Revised: 01/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
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The prospects, needs
and limits in current approaches in catalysis
to accelerate the transition to e-chemistry, where
this term indicates a fossil fuel-free chemical production, are discussed.
It is suggested that e-chemistry is a necessary element
of the transformation to meet the targets of net zero emissions by
year 2050 and that this conversion from the current petrochemistry
is feasible. However, the acceleration of the development of catalytic
technologies based on the use of renewable energy sources (indicated
as reactive catalysis) is necessary, evidencing that these are part
of a system of changes and thus should be assessed from this perspective.
However, it is perceived that the current studies in the area are
not properly addressing the needs to develop the catalytic technologies
required for e-chemistry, presenting a series of
relevant aspects and directions in which research should be focused
to develop the framework system transformation necessary to implement e-chemistry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgia Papanikolaou
- University of Messina, Dept. ChiBioFarAm, ERIC aisbl and CASPE/INSTM, V. le F. Stagno d’ Alcontres 31, 98166 Messina, Italy
| | - Gabriele Centi
- University of Messina, Dept. ChiBioFarAm, ERIC aisbl and CASPE/INSTM, V. le F. Stagno d’ Alcontres 31, 98166 Messina, Italy
| | - Siglinda Perathoner
- University of Messina, Dept. ChiBioFarAm, ERIC aisbl and CASPE/INSTM, V. le F. Stagno d’ Alcontres 31, 98166 Messina, Italy
| | - Paola Lanzafame
- University of Messina, Dept. ChiBioFarAm, ERIC aisbl and CASPE/INSTM, V. le F. Stagno d’ Alcontres 31, 98166 Messina, Italy
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Centi G, Perathoner S. Redesign chemical processes to substitute the use of fossil fuels: A viewpoint of the implications on catalysis. Catal Today 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cattod.2021.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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8
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Trunschke A. Prospects and challenges for autonomous catalyst discovery viewed from an experimental perspective. Catal Sci Technol 2022. [DOI: 10.1039/d2cy00275b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Autonomous catalysis research requires elaborate integration of operando experiments into automated workflows. Suitable experimental data for analysis by artificial intelligence can be measured more readily according to standard operating procedures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annette Trunschke
- Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Faradayweg 4-6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
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Mouarrawis V, Bobylev EO, Bruin B, Reek JNH. Controlling the Activity of a Caged Cobalt‐Porphyrin‐Catalyst in Cyclopropanation Reactions with Peripheral Cage Substituents. Eur J Inorg Chem 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ejic.202100384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Valentinos Mouarrawis
- Homogeneous and Supramolecular Catalysis Group Van' t Hoff Institute for Molecular Science (HIMS) University of Amsterdam (UvA) Science Park 904 1098 XH Amsterdam The Netherlands
| | - Eduard O. Bobylev
- Homogeneous and Supramolecular Catalysis Group Van' t Hoff Institute for Molecular Science (HIMS) University of Amsterdam (UvA) Science Park 904 1098 XH Amsterdam The Netherlands
| | - Bas Bruin
- Homogeneous and Supramolecular Catalysis Group Van' t Hoff Institute for Molecular Science (HIMS) University of Amsterdam (UvA) Science Park 904 1098 XH Amsterdam The Netherlands
| | - Joost N. H. Reek
- Homogeneous and Supramolecular Catalysis Group Van' t Hoff Institute for Molecular Science (HIMS) University of Amsterdam (UvA) Science Park 904 1098 XH Amsterdam The Netherlands
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10
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System Chemistry in Catalysis: Facing the Next Challenges in Production of Energy Vectors and Environmental Remediation. Catalysts 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/catal11010064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Most of the catalytic processes that assist the production of either renewable energy vectors or degradation of environmental pollutants rely on the interplay among different factors that can be purposely regulated, in order to improve the overall efficiency of reactions. This perspective analyzes some recent examples of ‘systemic catalysts’, which are based on the modification of the reaction microenvironment and exploitation of concurrent/parasitic reactions or different types of chemical looping, in order to bypass some drawbacks that cannot be easily circumvented by standard approaches. Innovative extensions of those concepts and strategies might inspire new breakthroughs in a variety of key catalytic cycles characterized by high complexity.
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11
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Prospects for a green methanol thermo-catalytic process from CO2 by using MOFs based materials: A mini-review. J CO2 UTIL 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcou.2020.101361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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