1
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Liu X, Wang Z, Feng G, Sun Y, Zhang X, Chen X, Sa R, Li Q, Sun C, Ma Z. Coordination Engineering of Heteronuclear Fe-Mo Dual-Atom Catalyst for Promoted Electrocatalytic Nitrogen Fixation: A DFT Study. Chemistry 2024; 30:e202303148. [PMID: 37943116 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202303148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Revised: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023]
Abstract
Developing efficient nanostructured electrocatalysts for N2 reduction to NH3 under mild conditions remains a major challenge. The Fe-Mo cofactor serves as the archetypal active site in nitrogenase. Inspired by nitrogenase, we designed a series of heteronuclear dual-atom catalysts (DACs) labeled as FeMoN6-a Xa (a=1, 2, 3; X=B, C, O, S) anchored on the pore of g-C3 N4 to probe the impact of coordination on FeMo-catalyzed nitrogen fixation. The stability, reaction paths, activity, and selectivity of 12 different FeMoN6-a Xa DACs have been systematically studied using density functional theory. Of these, four DACs (FeMoN5 B1 , FeMoN5 O1 , FeMoN4 O2 , and FeMoN3 C3 ) displayed promising nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) performance. Notably, FeMoN5 O1 stands out with an ultralow limiting potential of -0.11 V and high selectivity. Analysis of the density of states and charge/spin changes shows FeMoN5 O1 's high activity arises from optimal N2 binding on Fe initially and synergy of the FeMo dimer enabling protonation in NRR. This work contributes to the advancement of rational design for efficient NRR catalysts by regulating atomic coordination environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojing Liu
- School of Environmental and Materials Engineering, Yantai University, Yantai, 264005, China
| | - Zhiwei Wang
- School of Environmental and Materials Engineering, Yantai University, Yantai, 264005, China
| | - Guoning Feng
- School of Environmental and Materials Engineering, Yantai University, Yantai, 264005, China
| | - Yujie Sun
- School of Environmental and Materials Engineering, Yantai University, Yantai, 264005, China
| | - Xintao Zhang
- School of Environmental and Materials Engineering, Yantai University, Yantai, 264005, China
| | - Xin Chen
- School of Computer and Control Engineering, Yantai University, Yantai, 264005, China
| | - Rongjian Sa
- College of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Minjiang University, Fuzhou, 350108, China
| | - Qiaohong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Structural Chemistry Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Chenghua Sun
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology Faculty of Science, Engineering & Technology, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia
| | - Zuju Ma
- School of Environmental and Materials Engineering, Yantai University, Yantai, 264005, China
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2
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Han Y, Ye K, Huang Y, Wu Z, Hu P, Zhang G. Leveraging Interlayer Interaction in M-N-C Catalysts for Enhanced Activity in Oxygen Reduction Reactions. J Phys Chem Lett 2023; 14:9900-9908. [PMID: 37903101 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c02385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2023]
Abstract
Atomically dispersed metal-nitrogen-carbon (M-N-C) materials are deemed promising catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in fuel cells. Yet the multilayer nature of M-N-C has been largely neglected in computational analysis. To bridge the gap, we conducted a first-principles investigation using bilayer M-N-C models (TMNx/G-TMNy/G, TM = Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, G = graphene, x, y = 3 or 4), where the TMs on the top serves as the active center. While in-plane TMN4 at the bottom has a minimal impact on the ORR, out-of-plane TMN3 substantially influences the adsorption free energy of OH through a strong interlayer bonding interaction. By leveraging interlayer interactions, we appreciably lowered the overpotential of selected TMN4 (TM = Co, Ni, Cu) and achieved a minimum of 0.40 V on CoN4/G-CuN3/G. Constant potential calculations revealed weak dependence of OH binding energy on external voltage and obtained results comparable to constant charge calculation. This study provided new physical insight into modulating naturally occurring multilayer M-N-C catalysts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yulan Han
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT9 5AG, U.K
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026 China
| | - Ke Ye
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026 China
| | - Yang Huang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT9 5AG, U.K
| | - Ziye Wu
- School of Information, Guizhou University of Finance and Economics, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - P Hu
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT9 5AG, U.K
- School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Guozhen Zhang
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026 China
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3
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Tsuji Y, Yoshioka Y, Okazawa K, Yoshizawa K. Exploring Metal Nanocluster Catalysts for Ammonia Synthesis Using Informatics Methods: A Concerted Effort of Bayesian Optimization, Swarm Intelligence, and First-Principles Computation. ACS OMEGA 2023; 8:30335-30348. [PMID: 37636907 PMCID: PMC10448644 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c03456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023]
Abstract
This paper details the use of computational and informatics methods to design metal nanocluster catalysts for efficient ammonia synthesis. Three main problems are tackled: defining a measure of catalytic activity, choosing the best candidate from a large number of possibilities, and identifying the thermodynamically stable cluster catalyst structure. First-principles calculations, Bayesian optimization, and particle swarm optimization are used to obtain a Ti8 nanocluster as a catalyst candidate. The N2 adsorption structure on Ti8 indicates substantial activation of the N2 molecule, while the NH3 adsorption structure suggests that NH3 is likely to undergo easy desorption. The study also reveals several cluster catalyst candidates that break the general trade-off that surfaces that strongly adsorb reactants also strongly adsorb products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuta Tsuji
- Faculty
of Engineering Sciences, Kyushu University, Kasuga, Fukuoka 816-8580, Japan
| | - Yuta Yoshioka
- Institute
for Materials Chemistry and Engineering and IRCCS, Kyushu University, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
| | - Kazuki Okazawa
- Institute
for Materials Chemistry and Engineering and IRCCS, Kyushu University, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
| | - Kazunari Yoshizawa
- Institute
for Materials Chemistry and Engineering and IRCCS, Kyushu University, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
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4
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Zhu S, Qin M, Chen L, Jiang S, Zhou Y, Jiang J, Zhang W. Theoretical Investigation of Electrocatalytic Reduction of Nitrates to Ammonia on Highly Efficient and Selective g-C 2N Monolayer-Supported Single Transition-Metal Atoms. J Phys Chem Lett 2023; 14:4185-4191. [PMID: 37114901 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c00617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Electrocatalytic reduction of nitrate (NO3RR) to synthesize ammonia (NH3) can effectively degrade nitrate while producing a valuable product. By utilizing density functional theory calculations, we investigate the potential catalytic performance of a range of single transition-metal (TM) atoms supported on nitrogenated holey doped graphene (g-C2N) (TM/g-C2N) for the reduction of nitrates to NH3. Based on the screening procedure, Zr/g-C2N and Hf/g-C2N are predicted as potential electrocatalysts for the NO3RR with limiting potential (UL) values of -0.28 and -0.27 V, respectively. The generation of byproducts such as dioxide (NO2), nitric oxide (NO), and nitrogen (N2) is hindered on Zr/g-C2N and Hf/g-C2N due to the high energy cost. The NO3RR activity of TM/g-C2N is closely related to the adsorption free energy of NO3-. The study not only proposes a competent electrocatalyst for enhancing NO3RR in ammonia synthesis but also provides a comprehensive understanding of the NO3RR mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaotong Zhu
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - MingXin Qin
- Key Laboratory of Precision and Intelligent Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Lanlan Chen
- Key Laboratory of Precision and Intelligent Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Shuang Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Precision and Intelligent Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Yanan Zhou
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Jun Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Precision and Intelligent Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Wenhua Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Precision and Intelligent Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
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5
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Jin H, Zhou K, Zhang R, Cui H, Yu Y, Cui P, Song W, Cao C. Regulating the electronic structure through charge redistribution in dense single-atom catalysts for enhanced alkene epoxidation. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2494. [PMID: 37120431 PMCID: PMC10148878 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38310-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Inter-site interaction in densely populated single-atom catalysts has been demonstrated to have a crucial role in regulating the electronic structure of metal atoms, and consequently their catalytic performances. We herein report a general and facile strategy for the synthesis of several densely populated single-atom catalysts. Taking cobalt as an example, we further produce a series of Co single-atom catalysts with varying loadings to investigate the influence of density on regulating the electronic structure and catalytic performance in alkene epoxidation with O2. Interestingly, the turnover frequency and mass-specific activity are significantly enhanced by 10 times and 30 times with increasing Co loading from 5.4 wt% to 21.2 wt% in trans-stilbene epoxidation, respectively. Further theoretical studies reveal that the electronic structure of densely populated Co atoms is altered through charge redistribution, resulting in less Bader charger and higher d-band center, which are demonstrated to be more beneficial for the activation of O2 and trans-stilbene. The present study demonstrates a new finding about the site interaction in densely populated single-atom catalysts, shedding insight on how density affects the electronic structure and catalytic performance for alkene epoxidation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongqiang Jin
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Laboratory of Molecular Nanostructures and Nanotechnology, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100190, Beijing, PR China
- School of Chemical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, PR China
| | - Kaixin Zhou
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Laboratory of Molecular Nanostructures and Nanotechnology, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100190, Beijing, PR China
- School of Chemical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, PR China
| | - Ruoxi Zhang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Laboratory of Molecular Nanostructures and Nanotechnology, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100190, Beijing, PR China
- School of Chemical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, PR China
| | - Hongjie Cui
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Laboratory of Molecular Nanostructures and Nanotechnology, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100190, Beijing, PR China
| | - Yu Yu
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing Jiaotong University, 100044, Beijing, PR China.
| | - Peixin Cui
- Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of, 210008, Nanjing, PR China.
| | - Weiguo Song
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Laboratory of Molecular Nanostructures and Nanotechnology, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100190, Beijing, PR China
- School of Chemical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, PR China
| | - Changyan Cao
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Laboratory of Molecular Nanostructures and Nanotechnology, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100190, Beijing, PR China.
- School of Chemical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, PR China.
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6
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Hu M, Ye K, Zhang G, Li X, Jiang J. Insight into the Mechanism for Catalytic Activity of the Oxygen/Hydrogen Evolution Reaction on a Dual-Site Catalyst. J Phys Chem Lett 2023; 14:2201-2207. [PMID: 36812359 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c00168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The dual-site catalysts consisting of two adjacent single-atom sites on graphene have exhibited promising catalytic activity of the electrochemical oxygen/hydrogen evolution reaction (OER/HER). However, the electrochemical mechanisms of the OER/HER on dual-site catalysts have still been ambiguous. In this work, we employed density functional theory calculations to study the catalytic activity of the OER/HER with a O-O (H-H) direct coupling mechanism on dual-site catalysts. Specifically, these element steps should be classified into two categories: a step evolving proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET step) that needs to be driven by electrode potential and a step without PCET (non-PCET step) that occurs naturally under mild conditions. Our calculated results show that both the maximal free energy change (ΔGMax) contributed by the PCET step and the activity barrier (Ea) of the non-PCET step must be examined to evaluate the catalytic activity of the OER/HER on the dual site. Importantly, it is a basically inevitable negative relationship between ΔGMax and Ea, which would play a critical role in guiding the rational design of effective dual-site catalysts for electrochemical reactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Hu
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, P. R. China
| | - Ke Ye
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, P. R. China
| | - Guozhen Zhang
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, P. R. China
| | - Xiyu Li
- Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, Dongguan, Guangdong 523808, P. R. China
| | - Jun Jiang
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, P. R. China
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7
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Zhang Y, Zheng H, Zhou K, Ye J, Chu K, Zhou Z, Zhang L, Liu T. Conjugated Coordination Polymer as a New Platform for Efficient and Selective Electroreduction of Nitrate into Ammonia. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2023; 35:e2209855. [PMID: 36651132 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202209855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Revised: 12/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Electroreduction of nitrate into ammonia (NRA) provides a sustainable route to convert the widespread nitrate pollutants into high-value-added products under ambient conditions, which unfortunately suffers from unsatisfactory selectivity due to the competitive hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Previous strategies of modifying the metal sites of catalysts often met a dilemma for simultaneously promoting activity and selectivity toward NRA. Here, a general strategy is reported to enable an efficient and selective NRA process through coordination modulation of single-atom catalysts to tailor the local proton concentration at the catalyst surface. By contrast, two analogous Ni-single-atom enriched conjugated coordination polymers (NiO4 -CCP and NiN4 -CCP) with different coordination motifs are investigated for the proof-of-concept study. The NiO4 -CCP catalyst exhibits an ammonia yield rate as high as 1.83 mmol h-1 mg-1 with a Faradaic efficiency of 94.7% under a current density of 125 mA cm-2 , outperforming the NiN4 -CCP catalyst. These experimental and theoretical studies both suggest that the strategy of coordination modulation can not only accelerate the NRA by adjusting the adsorption energies of NRA intermediates on the metal sites but also inhibit the HER through regulating the proton migration with contributions from the metal-hydrated cations adsorbed at the catalyst surface, thus achieving simultaneous enhancement of NRA selectivity and activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yizhe Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education, School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China
| | - Hui Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education, School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China
| | - Kangjie Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education, School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China
| | - Jinyu Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Kaibin Chu
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education, School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China
| | - Zhiyou Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Longsheng Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education, School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China
| | - Tianxi Liu
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education, School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China
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8
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Zhou J, Chen X, Guo M, Hu W, Huang B, Yuan D. Enhanced Catalytic Activity of Bimetallic Ordered Catalysts for Nitrogen Reduction Reaction by Perturbation of Scaling Relations. ACS Catal 2023. [DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.2c05877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jing Zhou
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan410082, China
| | - Xiayong Chen
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan410082, China
| | - Meng Guo
- Shandong Computer Science Center (National Supercomputing Center in Jinan), Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan, Shandong250101, China
| | - Wangyu Hu
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan410082, China
| | - Bowen Huang
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan410082, China
| | - Dingwang Yuan
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan410082, China
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9
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Spin regulation for efficient electrocatalytic N2 reduction over diatomic Fe-Mo catalyst. J Colloid Interface Sci 2023; 630:215-223. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2022.10.099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Revised: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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10
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Lv Y, Su J, Gu Y, Tian B, Ma J, Zuo JL, Ding M. Atomically Precise Integration of Multiple Functional Motifs in Catalytic Metal-Organic Frameworks for Highly Efficient Nitrate Electroreduction. JACS AU 2022; 2:2765-2777. [PMID: 36590266 PMCID: PMC9795565 DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.2c00502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Revised: 11/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Ammonia production plays a central role in modern industry and agriculture with a continuous surge in its demand, yet the current industrial Haber-Bosch process suffers from low energy efficiency and accounts for high carbon emissions. Direct electrochemical conversion of nitrate to ammonia therefore emerges as an appealing approach with satisfactory sustainability while reducing the environmental impact from nitrate pollution. To this end, electrocatalysts for efficient conversion of eight-electron nitrate to ammonia require collective contributions at least from high-density reactive sites, selective reaction pathways, efficient multielectron transfer, and multiproton transport processes. Here, we report a catalytic metal-organic framework (two-dimensional (2D) In-MOF In8) catalyst integrated with multiple functional motifs with atomic precision, including uniformly dispersed, high-density, single-atom catalytic sites, high proton conductivity (efficient proton transport channel), high electron conductivity (promoted by the redox-active ligands), and confined microporous environments. These eventually lead to a direct and efficient electrochemical reduction of nitrate to ammonia and record high yield rate, FE, and selectivity for NH3 production. A novel "dynamic ligand dissociation" mechanism provides an unprecedented working principle that allows for the use of a high-quality MOF crystalline structure to function as highly ordered, high-density, single-atom catalyst (SAC)-like catalytic systems and ensures the maximum utilization of the metal centers within the MOF structure. Further, the atomically precise assembly of multiple functional motifs within a MOF catalyst offers an effective and facile strategy for the future development of framework-based enzyme-mimic systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Lv
- Key
Laboratory of Mesoscopic Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Coordination
Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Sciences,
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Jian Su
- Key
Laboratory of Mesoscopic Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Coordination
Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Sciences,
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
- School
of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing
University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yuming Gu
- Key
Laboratory of Mesoscopic Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Coordination
Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Sciences,
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
- Jiangsu
Key Laboratory of Advanced Organic Materials, School of Chemistry
and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Bailin Tian
- Key
Laboratory of Mesoscopic Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Coordination
Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Sciences,
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Jing Ma
- Key
Laboratory of Mesoscopic Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Coordination
Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Sciences,
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
- Jiangsu
Key Laboratory of Advanced Organic Materials, School of Chemistry
and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Jing-Lin Zuo
- Key
Laboratory of Mesoscopic Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Coordination
Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Sciences,
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Mengning Ding
- Key
Laboratory of Mesoscopic Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Coordination
Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Sciences,
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
- Beijing
National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
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11
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Xiao H, Li H, Li X, Jiang J. Effect of the Charge State on the Catalytic Activity of a Fullerene-Based Molecular Electrocatalyst: A Theoretical Study. J Phys Chem Lett 2022; 13:7392-7397. [PMID: 35925867 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c01783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The charge state of a catalyst is significant for its catalytic activity. In this work, taking molecular electrocatalysts of fullerene C60 with a doped transition metal (TM-C60, where TM = Fe, Co, or Ni) as an example, we conducted first-principles calculations to study the effect of the charge state on the cathodic nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) and anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Our calculated results suggest that the maximal free energy barrier of the NRR with a dissociative mechanism is a nearly linear function of the number of negatively charged electrons (0-3). Nevertheless, the NRR activity with an associative mechanism is insensitive to the charge state effect. The OER activity of TM-C60 with a 0-3 e+ charge state exhibits a volcano-shaped trend, which indicates that it is important to tailor a particular charge state toward effective catalytic activity. This study provides new insight into the effect of the charge state on catalytic activity, which could help us improve our understanding of the catalytic mechanism and tailor a new efficient catalyst.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hengyu Xiao
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, Hefei Science Center of CAS, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, P. R. China
| | - Huirong Li
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, Hefei Science Center of CAS, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, P. R. China
| | - Xiyu Li
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, Hefei Science Center of CAS, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, P. R. China
| | - Jun Jiang
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, Hefei Science Center of CAS, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, P. R. China
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12
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Chen Z, Liu C, Sun L, Wang T. Progress of Experimental and Computational Catalyst Design for Electrochemical Nitrogen Fixation. ACS Catal 2022. [DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.2c02629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Zhe Chen
- Center of Artificial Photosynthesis for Solar Fuels and Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Westlake University, 18 Shilongshan Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province 310024, China
- Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, 38 Zheda Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province 310027, China
| | - Chunli Liu
- Center of Artificial Photosynthesis for Solar Fuels and Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Westlake University, 18 Shilongshan Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province 310024, China
- Institute of Natural Sciences, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, 18 Shilongshan Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province 310024, China
| | - Licheng Sun
- Center of Artificial Photosynthesis for Solar Fuels and Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Westlake University, 18 Shilongshan Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province 310024, China
- Institute of Natural Sciences, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, 18 Shilongshan Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province 310024, China
| | - Tao Wang
- Center of Artificial Photosynthesis for Solar Fuels and Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Westlake University, 18 Shilongshan Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province 310024, China
- Institute of Natural Sciences, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, 18 Shilongshan Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province 310024, China
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Wu Y, He C, Zhang W. "Capture-Backdonation-Recapture" Mechanism for Promoting N 2 Reduction by Heteronuclear Metal-Free Double-Atom Catalysts. J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:9344-9353. [PMID: 35594427 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c01245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Facing the increasingly serious energy and environmental crisis, the development of heteronuclear metal-free double-atom catalysts is a potential strategy to realize efficient catalytic nitrogen reduction with low energy consumption and no pollution because it could combine the advantages of flexible active sites in double-atom catalysts while also being pollution-free and have high Faraday efficiency in metal-free catalysts simultaneously. However, according to the existing mechanism, the finite orbits of other nonmetallic atoms, except the boron atom, reduce the possibility of metal-free catalysis and hinder the development of heteronuclear metal-free double-atom catalysts. Herein, we propose a new "capture-backdonation-recapture" mechanism, which skillfully uses the electron capture-backdonation-recapture between boron, the substrate, and other nonmetallic elements to solve the above problems. Based on this mechanism, by means of the first-principle calculations, the material structure, adsorption energy, catalytic activity, and selectivity of 36 catalysts are systematically investigated to evaluate their catalytic performance. B-Si@BP1 and B-Si@BP3 are selected for their good catalytic performance and low limiting potentials of -0.14 and -0.10 V, respectively. Meanwhile, the "capture-backdonation-recapture" mechanism is also verified by analyzing the results of adsorption energy and electron transfer. Our work broadens the ideas and lays the theoretical foundation for the development of heteronuclear metal-free double-atom catalysts in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yibo Wu
- State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Cheng He
- State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Wenxue Zhang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Chang'an University, Xi'an 710064, China
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Zafari M, Umer M, Nissimagoudar AS, Anand R, Ha M, Umer S, Lee G, Kim KS. Unveiling the Role of Charge Transfer in Enhanced Electrochemical Nitrogen Fixation at Single-Atom Catalysts on BX Sheets (X = As, P, Sb). J Phys Chem Lett 2022; 13:4530-4537. [PMID: 35576271 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c00918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
To tune single-atom catalysts (SACs) for effective nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR), we investigate various transition metals implanted on boron-arsenide (BAs), boron-phosphide (BP), and boron-antimony (BSb) using density functional theory (DFT). Interestingly, W-BAs shows high catalytic activity and excellent selectivity with an insignificant barrier of only 0.05 eV along the distal pathway and a surmountable kinetic barrier of 0.34 eV. The W-BSb and Mo-BSb exhibit high performances with limiting potentials of -0.19 and -0.34 V. The Bader-charge descriptor reveals that the charge transfers from substrate to *NNH in the first protonation step and from *NH3 to substrate in the last protonation step, circumventing a big hurdle in NRR by achieving negative free energy change of *NH2 to *NH3. Furthermore, machine learning (ML) descriptors are introduced to reduce computational cost. Our rational design meets the three critical prerequisites of chemisorbing N2 molecules, stabilizing *NNH, and destabilizing *NH2 adsorbates for high-efficiency NRR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Zafari
- Center for Superfunctional Materials, Department of Chemistry, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), 50 UNIST-gil, Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea
| | - Muhammad Umer
- Center for Superfunctional Materials, Department of Chemistry, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), 50 UNIST-gil, Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea
| | - Arun S Nissimagoudar
- Center for Superfunctional Materials, Department of Chemistry, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), 50 UNIST-gil, Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea
| | - Rohit Anand
- Center for Superfunctional Materials, Department of Chemistry, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), 50 UNIST-gil, Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea
| | - Miran Ha
- Center for Superfunctional Materials, Department of Chemistry, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), 50 UNIST-gil, Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea
| | - Sohaib Umer
- Center for Superfunctional Materials, Department of Chemistry, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), 50 UNIST-gil, Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea
| | - Geunsik Lee
- Center for Superfunctional Materials, Department of Chemistry, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), 50 UNIST-gil, Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea
| | - Kwang S Kim
- Center for Superfunctional Materials, Department of Chemistry, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), 50 UNIST-gil, Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea
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Yan Y, Zheng X, Li X, Yao Y, Liu Y. Vibronic Coupling of Adjacent Single-Atom Co and Zn Sites for Bifunctional Electrocatalysis of Oxygen Reduction and Evolution Reactions. J Phys Chem Lett 2022; 13:2548-2554. [PMID: 35285639 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c00209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
With the goal of improving the activity of single-atom catalysts, in-depth investigations were performed to design adjacent single-metal sites to produce a modulation effect by using symmetry breaking as an indicator of tuning the electronic structure. A CoN4-ZnN4/C catalyst composed of adjacent Co and Zn sites anchored on nitrogen-doped graphene was predicted by first-principle calculations to exhibit promising bifunctional electrocatalytic activity for oxygen reduction and evolution reactions with an overpotential of 0.225 and 0.264 V, respectively, which is superior to CoN4/C catalysts and outperforms commercial Pt/C and IrO2 benchmarks. The impressive catalytic activity originates from the remarkable asymmetric deformation and strong pseudo-Jahn-Teller vibronic coupling effect, through which the Zn site acts as a modulator to induce the symmetry-breaking phenomenon and tune the d-band structure and binding strength between key intermediates and the Co site. It provides mechanism-based insight for applying diatomic site catalysts for catalytic reactions and further understanding of the modulation effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Yan
- MIIT Key Laboratory of Critical Materials Technology for New Energy Conversion and Storage, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150080, China
| | - Xiaonan Zheng
- MIIT Key Laboratory of Critical Materials Technology for New Energy Conversion and Storage, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150080, China
| | - Xiaoxiao Li
- MIIT Key Laboratory of Critical Materials Technology for New Energy Conversion and Storage, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150080, China
| | - Yuan Yao
- MIIT Key Laboratory of Critical Materials Technology for New Energy Conversion and Storage, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150080, China
| | - Yang Liu
- MIIT Key Laboratory of Critical Materials Technology for New Energy Conversion and Storage, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150080, China
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Liu Y, Zheng Y, Dong P, Zhang W, Wu W, Mao J. Atomically Dispersed Cu Anchored on Nitrogen and Boron Codoped Carbon Nanosheets for Enhancing Catalytic Performance. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2021; 13:61047-61054. [PMID: 34904829 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c17205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Development of high-performance heterogeneous catalytic materials is important for the rapid upgrade of chemicals, which remains a challenge. Here, the benzene oxidation reaction was used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the atomic interface strategy to improve catalytic performance. The developed B,N-cocoordinated Cu single atoms anchored on carbon nanosheets (Cu1/B-N) with the Cu-N2B1 atomic interface was prepared by the pyrolysis of a precoordinated Cu precursor. Benefiting from the unique atomic Cu-N2B1 interfacial structure, the designed Cu1/B-N exhibited considerable activity in the oxidation of benzene, which was much higher than Cu1/N-C, Cu NPs/N-C, and N-C catalysts. A theoretical study showed that the enhanced catalytic performance resulted from the optimized adsorption of intermediates, which originated from the manipulation of the electronic structure of Cu single atoms induced by B atom coordination in the Cu-N2B1 atomic interface. This study provides an innovative approach for the rational design of high-performance heterogeneous catalytic materials at the atomic level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Liu
- Key Laboratory of Functional Molecular Solids, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241002, China
| | - Yamin Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Functional Molecular Solids, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241002, China
| | - Panpan Dong
- Key Laboratory of Functional Molecular Solids, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241002, China
| | - Wenzhuang Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Functional Molecular Solids, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241002, China
| | - Wenjie Wu
- Institute of Chemistry, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing 100190, China
| | - Junjie Mao
- Key Laboratory of Functional Molecular Solids, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241002, China
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