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Small molecule binding to surface-supported single-site transition-metal reaction centres. Nat Commun 2022; 13:7407. [PMID: 36456555 PMCID: PMC9715722 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35193-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite dominating industrial processes, heterogeneous catalysts remain challenging to characterize and control. This is largely attributable to the diversity of potentially active sites at the catalyst-reactant interface and the complex behaviour that can arise from interactions between active sites. Surface-supported, single-site molecular catalysts aim to bring together benefits of both heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysts, offering easy separability while exploiting molecular design of reactivity, though the presence of a surface is likely to influence reaction mechanisms. Here, we use metal-organic coordination to build reactive Fe-terpyridine sites on the Ag(111) surface and study their activity towards CO and C2H4 gaseous reactants using low-temperature ultrahigh-vacuum scanning tunnelling microscopy, scanning tunnelling spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy supported by density-functional theory models. Using a site-by-site approach at low temperature to visualize the reaction pathway, we find that reactants bond to the Fe-tpy active sites via surface-bound intermediates, and investigate the role of the substrate in understanding and designing single-site catalysts on metallic supports.
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Wang YQ, Dan XH, Wang X, Yi ZY, Fu J, Feng YC, Hu JS, Wang D, Wan LJ. Probing the Synergistic Effects of Mg 2+ on CO 2 Reduction Reaction on CoPc by In Situ Electrochemical Scanning Tunneling Microscopy. J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:20126-20133. [PMID: 36259686 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c09862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
We report herein the in situ electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy (ECSTM) study on the synergistic effect of Mg2+ in CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) catalyzed by cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPc). ECSTM measurement molecularly resolves the self-assembled CoPc monolayer on the Au(111) substrate. In the CO2 environment, high-contrast species are observed in the adlayer and assigned to the CO2 adsorption on CoPc. Furthermore, the contrast of the CO2-bound complex is higher in Mg2+-containing electrolytes than in Mg2+-free electrolytes, indicating the formation of the CoPc-CO2-Mg2+ complex. The surface coverage of adsorbed CO2 is positively correlated with the Mg2+ concentration as the additive in electrolytes up to a plateau of 30.8 ± 2.7% when c(Mg2+) > 30 mM. The potential step experiment indicates the higher CO2 adsorption dynamics in Mg2+-containing electrolytes than without Mg2+. The rate constants of CO2 adsorption and dissociation in different electrolytes are extracted from the data fitting of statistical results from in situ ECSTM experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Qi Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Nanostructure and Nanotechnology, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Science (BNLMS), Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100190, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100049, China
| | - Xiao-Han Dan
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100049, China
| | - Xiang Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Nanostructure and Nanotechnology, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Science (BNLMS), Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100190, China
| | - Zhen-Yu Yi
- CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Nanostructure and Nanotechnology, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Science (BNLMS), Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100190, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100049, China
| | - JiaJu Fu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Nanostructure and Nanotechnology, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Science (BNLMS), Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100190, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100049, China
| | - Ya-Chen Feng
- CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Nanostructure and Nanotechnology, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Science (BNLMS), Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100190, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100049, China
| | - Jin-Song Hu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Nanostructure and Nanotechnology, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Science (BNLMS), Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100190, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100049, China
| | - Dong Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Nanostructure and Nanotechnology, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Science (BNLMS), Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100190, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100049, China
| | - Li-Jun Wan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Nanostructure and Nanotechnology, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Science (BNLMS), Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100190, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100049, China
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Wang X, Wang YQ, Feng YC, Wang D, Wan LJ. Insights into electrocatalysis by scanning tunnelling microscopy. Chem Soc Rev 2021; 50:5832-5849. [PMID: 34027957 DOI: 10.1039/d0cs01078b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the mechanism of electrocatalytic reaction is important for the design and development of highly efficient electrocatalysts for energy technology. Investigating the surface structures of electrocatalysts and the surface processes in electrocatalytic reactions at the atomic and molecular scale is helpful to identify the catalytic role of active sites and further promotes the development of emerging electrocatalysts. Since it was invented, scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) has become a powerful technique to investigate surface topographies and electronic properties at the nanoscale resolution. STM can be operated in diversified environments. Electrochemical STM can be used to investigate the surface processes during electrochemical reactions. Moreover, the critical intermediates in catalysis on catalyst surfaces can be identified by STM at low temperature or ultrahigh vacuum. STM has been extensively utilized in electrocatalysis research, including the structure-activity relationship of electrocatalysts, the distribution of active sites, and surface processes in electrocatalytic reactions. In this review, progress in the application of STM in electrocatalysis is systematically discussed. The construction of model electrocatalysts and electrocatalytic systems are summarized. Then, we present the STM investigation of electrocatalyst structures and surface processes related to electrocatalysis. Challenges and future developments in the field are discussed in the outlook.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiang Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Nanostructure and Nanotechnology, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Science (BNLMS), Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China. and University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yu-Qi Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Nanostructure and Nanotechnology, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Science (BNLMS), Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China. and University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Ya-Chen Feng
- CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Nanostructure and Nanotechnology, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Science (BNLMS), Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China. and University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Dong Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Nanostructure and Nanotechnology, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Science (BNLMS), Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China. and University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Li-Jun Wan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Nanostructure and Nanotechnology, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Science (BNLMS), Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China. and University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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