1
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Mao X, Bai X, Wu G, Qin Q, O'Mullane AP, Jiao Y, Du A. Electrochemical Reduction of N 2 to Ammonia Promoted by Hydrated Cation Ions: Mechanistic Insights from a Combined Computational and Experimental Study. J Am Chem Soc 2024. [PMID: 38916520 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c06629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/26/2024]
Abstract
Alkali ions, major components at the electrode-electrolyte interface, are crucial to modulating reaction activity and selectivity of catalyst materials. However, the underlying mechanism of how the alkali ions catalyze the N2 reduction reaction (NRR) into ammonia remains elusive, posing challenges for experimentalists to select appropriate electrolyte solutions. In this work, by employing a combined experimental and computational approach, we proposed four essential roles of cation ions at Fe electrodes for N2 fixation: (i) promoting NN bond cleavage; (ii) stabilizing NRR intermediates; (iii) suppressing the competing hydrogen evolution reaction (HER); and (iv) modulating the interfacial charge distribution at the electrode-electrolyte interface. For N2 adsorption on an Fe electrode with cation ions, our constrained ab initio molecular dynamic (c-AIMD) results demonstrate a barrierless process, while an extra 0.52 eV barrier requires to be overcome to adsorb N2 for the pure Fe-water interface. For the formation of *NNH species within the N2 reduction process, the calculated free energy barrier is 0.50 eV at the Li+-Fe-water interface. However, the calculated barrier reaches 0.81 eV in pure Fe-water interface. Furthermore, experiments demonstrate a high Faradaic efficiency for ammonia synthesis on a Li+-Fe-water interface, reaching 27.93% at a working potential of -0.3 V vs RHE and pH = 6.8. These results emphasize how alkali metal cations and local reaction environments on the electrode surface play crucial roles in influencing the kinetics of interfacial reactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Mao
- School of Chemistry and Physics and Centre for Material Science, Faculty of Science, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Gardens Point Campus, Brisbane, Queensland 4001, Australia
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
| | - Xiaowan Bai
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
| | - Guanzheng Wu
- The Key Laboratory of Functional Molecular Solids, Ministry of Education, The Key Laboratory of Electrochemical Clean Energy of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241002 China
| | - Qing Qin
- The Key Laboratory of Functional Molecular Solids, Ministry of Education, The Key Laboratory of Electrochemical Clean Energy of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241002 China
| | - Anthony P O'Mullane
- School of Chemistry and Physics and Centre for Material Science, Faculty of Science, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Gardens Point Campus, Brisbane, Queensland 4001, Australia
| | - Yan Jiao
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
| | - Aijun Du
- School of Chemistry and Physics and Centre for Material Science, Faculty of Science, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Gardens Point Campus, Brisbane, Queensland 4001, Australia
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2
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Li S, Chen L, Wang J, Liu T, Li D, Yang Z, Xiao X, Chu C, Chen B. Integrative Active Sites of Cathode for Electron-Oxygen-Proton Coupling To Favor H 2O 2 Production in a Photoelectrochemical System. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024; 58:10072-10083. [PMID: 38810213 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.4c01601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2024]
Abstract
The oxygen reduction process generating H2O2 in the photoelectrochemical (PEC) system is milder and environmentally friendly compared with the traditional anthraquinone process but still lacks the efficient electron-oxygen-proton coupling interfaces to improve H2O2 production efficiency. Here, we propose an integrated active site strategy, that is, designing a hydrophobic C-B-N interface to refine the dearth of electron, oxygen, and proton balance. Computational calculation results show a lower energy barrier for H2O2 production due to synergistic and coupling effects of boron sites for O2 adsorption, nitrogen sites for H+ binding, and the carbon structure for electron transfer, demonstrating theoretically the feasibility of the strategy. Furthermore, we construct a hydrophobic boron- and nitrogen-doped carbon black gas diffusion cathode (BN-CB-PTFE) with graphite carbon dots decorated on a BiVO4 photoanode (BVO/g-CDs) for H2O2 production. Remarkably, this approach achieves a record H2O2 production rate (9.24 μmol min-1 cm-2) at the PEC cathode. The BN-CB-PTFE cathode exhibits an outstanding Faraday efficiency for H2O2 production of ∼100%. The newly formed h-BN integrative active site can not only adsorb more O2 but also significantly improve the electron and proton transfer. Unexpectedly, coupling BVO/g-CDs with the BN-CB-PTFE gas diffusion cathode also achieves a record H2O2 production rate (6.60 μmol min-1 cm-2) at the PEC photoanode. This study opens new insight into integrative active sites for electron-O2-proton coupling in a PEC H2O2 production system that may be meaningful for environment and energy applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shan Li
- Faculty of Agriculture, Life, and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
- Department of Environmental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Organic Pollution Process and Control, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Lei Chen
- Faculty of Agriculture, Life, and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
- Department of Environmental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Jian Wang
- Faculty of Agriculture, Life, and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
- Department of Environmental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Tian Liu
- Faculty of Agriculture, Life, and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
- Department of Environmental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Dawei Li
- Faculty of Agriculture, Life, and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
- Department of Environmental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Zhi Yang
- Faculty of Agriculture, Life, and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
- Department of Environmental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Xin Xiao
- Faculty of Agriculture, Life, and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
- Department of Environmental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Organic Pollution Process and Control, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Chiheng Chu
- Faculty of Agriculture, Life, and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
- Department of Environmental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Organic Pollution Process and Control, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Baoliang Chen
- Faculty of Agriculture, Life, and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
- Department of Environmental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Organic Pollution Process and Control, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
- Innovation Center of Yangtze River Delta, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311400, China
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3
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Han X, Mou T, Islam A, Kang S, Chang Q, Xie Z, Zhao X, Sasaki K, Rodriguez JA, Liu P, Chen JG. Theoretical Prediction and Experimental Verification of IrO x Supported on Titanium Nitride for Acidic Oxygen Evolution Reaction. J Am Chem Soc 2024. [PMID: 38859684 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c02936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2024]
Abstract
Reducing iridium (Ir) catalyst loading for acidic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is a critical strategy for large-scale hydrogen production via proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolysis. However, simultaneously achieving high activity, long-term stability, and reduced material cost remains challenging. To address this challenge, we develop a framework by combining density functional theory (DFT) prediction using model surfaces and proof-of-concept experimental verification using thin films and nanoparticles. DFT results predict that oxidized Ir monolayers over titanium nitride (IrOx/TiN) should display higher OER activity than IrOx while reducing Ir loading. This prediction is verified by depositing Ir monolayers over TiN thin films via physical vapor deposition. The promising thin film results are then extended to commercially viable powder IrOx/TiN catalysts, which demonstrate a lower overpotential and higher mass activity than commercial IrO2 and long-term stability of 250 h to maintain a current density of 10 mA cm-2. The superior OER performance of IrOx/TiN is further confirmed using a proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer (PEMWE), which shows a lower cell voltage than commercial IrO2 to achieve a current density of 1 A cm-2. Both DFT and in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy reveal that the high OER performance of IrOx/TiN strongly depends on the IrOx-TiN interaction via direct Ir-Ti bonding. This study highlights the importance of close interaction between theoretical prediction based on mechanistic understanding and experimental verification based on thin film model catalysts to facilitate the development of more practical powder IrOx/TiN catalysts with high activity and stability for acidic OER.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Han
- Chemistry Division, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, United States
| | - Tianyou Mou
- Chemistry Division, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, United States
| | - Arephin Islam
- Chemistry Division, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, United States
| | - Sinwoo Kang
- Chemistry Division, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, United States
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States
| | - Qiaowan Chang
- School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164, United States
| | - Zhenhua Xie
- Chemistry Division, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, United States
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States
| | - Xueru Zhao
- Chemistry Division, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, United States
| | - Kotaro Sasaki
- Chemistry Division, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, United States
| | - José A Rodriguez
- Chemistry Division, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, United States
| | - Ping Liu
- Chemistry Division, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, United States
| | - Jingguang G Chen
- Chemistry Division, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, United States
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States
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4
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Cui Y, Ren C, Li Q, Ling C, Wang J. Hybridization State Transition under Working Conditions: Activity Origin of Single-Atom Catalysts. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:15640-15647. [PMID: 38771765 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c05630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2024]
Abstract
Single-atom catalysts (SACs) have been widely investigated and have emerged as a transformative approach in electrocatalysis. Despite their clear structure, the origin of their exceptional activity remains elusive. Herein, we elucidate a common phenomenon of the hybridization state transition of metal centers, which is responsible for the activity origin across various SACs for different reactions. Focusing on N-doped carbon-supported Ni SAC (NiN4 SAC) for CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR), our comprehensive computations successfully clarify the hybridization state transition under working conditions and its relation with the activity. This transition, triggered by the reaction intermediates and applied potential, converts the Ni center from the inert dsp2 hybridization state to the active d2sp3 hybridization state. Importantly, the calculated activity and selectivity of the CO2RR over the d2sp3-hybridized Ni center are consistent with the experimental results, offering strong support for the proposed hypothesis. This work suggests a universal principle of electronic structure evolution in SACs that could revolutionize catalyst design, which also introduces a new paradigm for manipulating electronic states to enhance catalytic performance, with implications for various reactions and catalyst platforms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Cui
- Key Laboratory of Quantum Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, China
| | - Chunjin Ren
- Key Laboratory of Quantum Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, China
| | - Qiang Li
- Key Laboratory of Quantum Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, China
| | - Chongyi Ling
- Key Laboratory of Quantum Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, China
| | - Jinlan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Quantum Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, China
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5
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Qin Y, Zhao W, Xia C, Yu LJ, Song F, Zhang J, Wu T, Cao R, Ding S, Xia BY, Su Y. CO Intermediate-Assisted Dynamic Cu Sintering During Electrocatalytic CO 2 Reduction on Cu-N-C Catalysts. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202404763. [PMID: 38588210 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202404763] [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: 03/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
The electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (eCO2RR) to multicarbon products has been widely recognized for Cu-based catalysts. However, the structural changes in Cu-based catalysts during the eCO2RR pose challenges to achieving an in-depth understanding of the structure-activity relationship, thereby limiting catalyst development. Herein, we employ constant-potential density functional theory calculations to investigate the sintering process of Cu single atoms of Cu-N-C single-atom catalysts into clusters under eCO2RR conditions. Systematic constant-potential ab initio molecular dynamics simulations revealed that the leaching of Cu-(CO)x moieties and subsequent agglomeration into clusters can be facilitated by synergistic adsorption of H and eCO2RR intermediates (e.g., CO). Increasing the Cu2+ concentration or the applied potential can efficiently suppress Cu sintering. Both microkinetic simulations and experimental results further confirm that sintered Cu clusters play a crucial role in generating C2 products. These findings provide significant insights into the dynamic evolution of Cu-based catalysts and the origin of their activity toward C2 products during the eCO2RR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanyang Qin
- School of Chemistry, Engineering Research Center of Energy Storage Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, National Innovation Platform (Center) for Industry-Education Integration of Energy Storage Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, 710049, Xi'an, China
| | - Wenshan Zhao
- School of Chemistry, Engineering Research Center of Energy Storage Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, National Innovation Platform (Center) for Industry-Education Integration of Energy Storage Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, 710049, Xi'an, China
| | - Chenfeng Xia
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Material Chemistry for Energy Conversion and Storage (Ministry of Education), Hubei Key Laboratory of Material Chemistry and Service Failure, Hubei Engineering Research Center for Biomaterials and Medical Protective Materials, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), 430074, Wuhan, China
| | - Li-Juan Yu
- Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, 2601, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Fei Song
- Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 201800, Shanghai, China
| | - Jianrui Zhang
- School of Chemistry, Engineering Research Center of Energy Storage Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, National Innovation Platform (Center) for Industry-Education Integration of Energy Storage Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, 710049, Xi'an, China
| | - Tiantian Wu
- School of Chemistry, Engineering Research Center of Energy Storage Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, National Innovation Platform (Center) for Industry-Education Integration of Energy Storage Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, 710049, Xi'an, China
| | - Rui Cao
- Key Laboratory of Applied Surface and Colloid Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shaanxi Normal University, 710119, Xi'an, China
| | - Shujiang Ding
- School of Chemistry, Engineering Research Center of Energy Storage Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, National Innovation Platform (Center) for Industry-Education Integration of Energy Storage Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, 710049, Xi'an, China
| | - Bao Yu Xia
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Material Chemistry for Energy Conversion and Storage (Ministry of Education), Hubei Key Laboratory of Material Chemistry and Service Failure, Hubei Engineering Research Center for Biomaterials and Medical Protective Materials, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), 430074, Wuhan, China
| | - Yaqiong Su
- School of Chemistry, Engineering Research Center of Energy Storage Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, National Innovation Platform (Center) for Industry-Education Integration of Energy Storage Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, 710049, Xi'an, China
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6
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Fu Z, Ouyang Y, Wu M, Ling C, Wang J. Mechanism of surface oxygen-containing species promoted electrocatalytic CO 2 reduction. Sci Bull (Beijing) 2024; 69:1410-1417. [PMID: 38480022 DOI: 10.1016/j.scib.2024.03.012] [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: 11/08/2023] [Revised: 01/13/2024] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/28/2024]
Abstract
Oxygen-containing species have been demonstrated to play a key role in facilitating electrocatalytic CO2 reduction (CO2RR), particularly in enhancing the selectivity towards multi-carbon (C2+) products. However, the underlying promotion mechanism is still under debate, which greatly limits the rational optimization of the catalytic performance of CO2RR. Herein, taking CO2 and O2 co-electrolysis over Cu as the prototype, we successfully clarified how O2 boosts CO2RR from a new perspective by employing comprehensive theoretical simulations. Our results demonstrated that O2 in feed gas can be rapidly reduced into *OH, leading to the partial oxidation of Cu surface under reduction conditions. Surface *OH accelerates the formation of quasi-specifically adsorbed K+ due to the electrostatic interaction between *OH and K+ ions, which significantly increases the concentration of K+ near the Cu surface. These quasi-specifically adsorbed K+ ions can not only lower the C-C coupling barriers but also promote the hydrogenation of CO2 to improve the CO yield rate, which are responsible for the remarkably enhanced efficiency of C2+ products. During the whole process, O2 co-electrolysis plays an indispensable role in stabilizing surface *OH. This mechanism can be also adopted to understand the effect of high pH of electrolyte and residual O in oxide-derived Cu (OD-Cu) on the catalytic efficiency towards C2+ products. Therefore, our work provides new insights into strategies for improving C2+ products on the Cu-based catalysts, i.e., maintaining partial oxidation of surface under reduction conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhanzhao Fu
- Key Laboratory of Quantum Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Southeast University, Nanjing 21189, China
| | - Yixin Ouyang
- Key Laboratory of Quantum Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Southeast University, Nanjing 21189, China
| | - Mingliang Wu
- Key Laboratory of Quantum Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Southeast University, Nanjing 21189, China
| | - Chongyi Ling
- Key Laboratory of Quantum Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Southeast University, Nanjing 21189, China.
| | - Jinlan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Quantum Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Southeast University, Nanjing 21189, China.
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7
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Zhao G, Chen T, Tang A, Yang H. Roles of Oxygen-Containing Functional Groups in Carbon for Electrocatalytic Two-Electron Oxygen Reduction Reaction. Chemistry 2024; 30:e202304065. [PMID: 38487973 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202304065] [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: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
Recent years have witnessed great research interests in developing high-performance electrocatalysts for the two-electron (2e-) oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) that enables the sustainable and flexible synthesis of H2O2. Carbon-based electrocatalysts exhibit attractive catalytic performance for the 2e- ORR, where oxygen-containing functional groups (OFGs) play a decisive role. However, current understanding is far from adequate, and the contribution of OFGs to the catalytic performance remains controversial. Therefore, a critical overview on OFGs in carbon-based electrocatalysts toward the 2e- ORR is highly desirable. Herein, we go over the methods for constructing OFGs in carbon including chemical oxidation, electrochemical oxidation, and precursor inheritance. Then we review the roles of OFGs in activating carbon toward the 2e- ORR, focusing on the intrinsic activity of different OFGs and the interplay between OFGs and metal species or defects. At last, we discuss the reasons for inconsistencies among different studies, and personal perspectives on the future development in this field are provided. The results provide insights into the origin of high catalytic activity and selectivity of carbon-based electrocatalysts toward the 2e- ORR and would provide theoretical foundations for the future development in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guoqiang Zhao
- Engineering Research Center of Nano-Geomaterials of Ministry of Education, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
- Faculty of Materials Science and Chemistry, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
- Laboratory of Advanced Mineral Materials, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Tianci Chen
- Engineering Research Center of Nano-Geomaterials of Ministry of Education, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
- Faculty of Materials Science and Chemistry, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Aidong Tang
- Engineering Research Center of Nano-Geomaterials of Ministry of Education, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
- Faculty of Materials Science and Chemistry, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
- Laboratory of Advanced Mineral Materials, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China
| | - Huaming Yang
- Engineering Research Center of Nano-Geomaterials of Ministry of Education, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
- Faculty of Materials Science and Chemistry, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
- Laboratory of Advanced Mineral Materials, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Mineral Materials and Application, School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, China
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Xu S, Yu Y, Zhang X, Xue D, Wei Y, Xia H, Zhang F, Zhang JN. Enhanced Electron Delocalization Induced by Ferromagnetic Sulfur doped C 3N 4 Triggers Selective H 2O 2 Production. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024:e202407578. [PMID: 38771454 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202407578] [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: 04/21/2024] [Revised: 05/20/2024] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
For the 2D metal-free carbon catalysts, the atomic coplanar architecture enables a large number of pz orbitals to overlap laterally, thus forming π-electron delocalization, and the delocalization degree of the central atom dominates the catalytic activity. Herein, designing sulfur-doped defect-rich graphitic carbon nitride (S-Nv-C3N4) materials as a model, we propose a strategy to promote localized electron polarization by enhancing the ferromagnetism of ultra-thin 2D carbon nitride nanosheets. The introduction of sulfur (S) further promotes localized ferromagnetic coupling, thereby inducing long-range ferromagnetic ordering and accelerating the electron interface transport. Meanwhile, the hybridization of sulfur atoms breaks the symmetry and integrity of the unit structure, promotes electron enrichment and stimulating electron delocalization at the active site. This optimization enhances the *OOH desorption, providing a favorable kinetic pathway for the production of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Consequently, S-Nv-C3N4 exhibits high selectivity (>95 %) and achieves a superb H2O2 production rate, approaching 4374.8 ppm during continuous electrolysis over 300 hour. According to theoretical calculation and in situ spectroscopy, the ortho-S configuration can provide ferromagnetic perturbation in carbon active centers, leading to the electron delocalization, which optimizes the OOH* adsorption during the catalytic process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siran Xu
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Catalytic and Functional Materials Preparation, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China
| | - Yue Yu
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Catalytic and Functional Materials Preparation, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China
| | - Xiaoyu Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Catalytic and Functional Materials Preparation, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China
| | - Dongping Xue
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Catalytic and Functional Materials Preparation, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China
| | - Yifan Wei
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Catalytic and Functional Materials Preparation, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China
| | - Huicong Xia
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Catalytic and Functional Materials Preparation, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China
| | - Fuxiang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian National Laboratory for Clean Energy, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian, 116023, China
| | - Jia-Nan Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Energy Catalytic and Functional Materials Preparation, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China
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9
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Huang H, Chen M, Zhang R, Ding Y, Huang H, Shen Z, Jiang L, Ge Z, Jiang H, Xu M, Wang Y, Cao Y. Theoretical study of transition metal-doped β 12 borophene as a new single-atom catalyst for carbon dioxide electroreduction. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2024; 26:14407-14419. [PMID: 38712898 DOI: 10.1039/d4cp00601a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
The electrocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO2RR) presents a viable and cost-effective approach for the elimination of CO2 by transforming it into valuable products. Nevertheless, this process is impeded by the absence of exceptionally active and stable catalysts. Herein, a new type of electrocatalyst of transition metal (TM)-doped β12-borophene (TM@β12-BM) is investigated via density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Through comprehensive screening, two promising single-atom catalysts (SACs), Sc@β12-BM and Y@β12-BM, are successfully identified, exhibiting high stability, catalytic activity and selectivity for the CO2RR. The C1 products methane (CH4) and methanol (CH3OH) are synthesized with limiting potentials (UL) of -0.78 V and -0.56 V on Sc@β12-BM and Y@β12-BM, respectively. Meanwhile, CO2 is more favourable for reduction into the C2 product ethanol (CH3CH2OH) compared to ethylene (C2H4) via C-C coupling on these two SACs. More importantly, the dynamic barriers of the key C-C coupling step are 0.53 eV and 0.73 eV for the "slow-growth" sampling approach in the explicit water molecule model. Furthermore, Sc@β12-BM and Y@β12-BM exhibit higher selectivity for producing C1 compounds (CH4 and CH3OH) than C2 (CH3CH2OH) in the CO2RR. Compared with Sc@β12-BM, Y@β12-BM demonstrates superior inhibition of the competitive hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in the liquid phase. These results not only demonstrate the great potential of SACs for direct reduction of CO2 to C1 and C2, but also help in rationally designing high-performance SACs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongjie Huang
- Institute of Industrial Catalysis, College of Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Green-Chemical Synthesis Technology, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310032, P. R. China
- College of Biological, Chemical Science and Engineering, Jiaxing University, Jiaxing 314001, Zhejiang, P. R. China.
| | - Mingyao Chen
- College of Biological, Chemical Science and Engineering, Jiaxing University, Jiaxing 314001, Zhejiang, P. R. China.
| | - Rongxin Zhang
- College of Biological, Chemical Science and Engineering, Jiaxing University, Jiaxing 314001, Zhejiang, P. R. China.
| | - Yuxuan Ding
- College of Biological, Chemical Science and Engineering, Jiaxing University, Jiaxing 314001, Zhejiang, P. R. China.
| | - Hong Huang
- College of Biological, Chemical Science and Engineering, Jiaxing University, Jiaxing 314001, Zhejiang, P. R. China.
| | - Zhangfeng Shen
- College of Biological, Chemical Science and Engineering, Jiaxing University, Jiaxing 314001, Zhejiang, P. R. China.
| | - Lingchang Jiang
- College of Biological, Chemical Science and Engineering, Jiaxing University, Jiaxing 314001, Zhejiang, P. R. China.
| | - Zhigang Ge
- College of Biological, Chemical Science and Engineering, Jiaxing University, Jiaxing 314001, Zhejiang, P. R. China.
| | - Hongtao Jiang
- Institute of Industrial Catalysis, College of Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Green-Chemical Synthesis Technology, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310032, P. R. China
| | - Minhong Xu
- Department of Materials Engineering, Huzhou University, Huzhou 313000, Zhejiang, P. R. China
| | - Yangang Wang
- College of Biological, Chemical Science and Engineering, Jiaxing University, Jiaxing 314001, Zhejiang, P. R. China.
| | - Yongyong Cao
- College of Biological, Chemical Science and Engineering, Jiaxing University, Jiaxing 314001, Zhejiang, P. R. China.
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10
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Cao P, Zhao X, Liu Y, Zhang H, Zhao K, Chen S, Yu H, Dong F, Nichols NN, Chen JG, Quan X. Highly Efficient Acidic Electrosynthesis of Hydrogen Peroxide at Industrial-Level Current Densities Promoted by Alkali Metal Cations. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024:e202406452. [PMID: 38735843 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202406452] [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: 04/05/2024] [Revised: 05/11/2024] [Accepted: 05/12/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024]
Abstract
Acidic H2O2 synthesis through electrocatalytic 2e- oxygen reduction presents a sustainable alternative to the energy-intensive anthraquinone oxidation technology. Nevertheless, acidic H2O2 electrosynthesis suffers from low H2O2 Faradaic efficiencies primarily due to the competing reactions of 4e- oxygen reduction to H2O and hydrogen evolution in environments with high H+ concentrations. Here, we demonstrate the significant effect of alkali metal cations, acting as competing ions with H+, in promoting acidic H2O2 electrosynthesis at industrial-level currents, resulting in an effective current densities of 50-421 mA cm-2 with 84-100 % Faradaic efficiency and a production rate of 856-7842 μmol cm-2 h-1 that far exceeds the performance observed in pure acidic electrolytes or low-current electrolysis. Finite-element simulations indicate that high interfacial pH near the electrode surface formed at high currents is crucial for activating the promotional effect of K+. In situ attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations reveal the central role of alkali metal cations in stabilizing the key *OOH intermediate to suppress 4e- oxygen reduction through interacting with coordinated H2O.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peike Cao
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, China), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116024, PR China
| | - Xueyang Zhao
- Yangtze Delta Region Institute (Huzhou), University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Huzhou, 313001, PR China
- Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, PR China
| | - Yanming Liu
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, China), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116024, PR China
| | - Haiguang Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, China), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116024, PR China
| | - Kun Zhao
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing, 102206, PR China
| | - Shuo Chen
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, China), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116024, PR China
| | - Hongtao Yu
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, China), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116024, PR China
| | - Fan Dong
- Yangtze Delta Region Institute (Huzhou), University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Huzhou, 313001, PR China
- Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, PR China
| | - Nathaniel N Nichols
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Jingguang G Chen
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Xie Quan
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, China), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116024, PR China
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11
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Hao Y, Sun TY, Ye JT, Huang LF, Wang LP. Accurate Simulation for 2D Lubricating Materials in Realistic Environments: From Classical to Quantum Mechanical Methods. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024:e2312429. [PMID: 38655823 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202312429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Revised: 02/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
2D materials such as graphene, MoS2, and hexagonal BN are the most advanced solid lubricating materials with superior friction and anti-wear performance. However, as a typical surface phenomenon, the lubricating properties of 2D materials are largely dependent on the surrounding environment, such as temperature, stress, humidity, oxygen, and other environmental substances. Given the technical challenges in experiment for real-time and in situ detection of microscopic environment-material interaction, recent years have witnessed the acceleration of computational research on the lubrication behavior of 2D materials in realistic environments. This study reviews the up-to-date computational studies for the effect of environmental factors on the lubrication performance of 2D materials, summarizes the theoretical methods in lubrication from classical to quantum-mechanics ones, and emphasizes the importance of quantum method in revealing the lubrication mechanism at atomic and electronic level. An effective simulation method based on ab initio molecular dynamics is also proposed to try to provide more ways to accurately reveal the friction mechanisms and reliably guide the lubricating material design. On the basis of current development, future prospects, and challenges for the simulation and modeling in lubrication with realistic environment are outlined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Hao
- Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Related Technologies, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Protective Technologies, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, China
- Research Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Sciences, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, China
| | - Tian-Yu Sun
- Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Related Technologies, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Protective Technologies, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, China
- Research Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Sciences, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, China
| | - Jin-Tao Ye
- Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Related Technologies, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Protective Technologies, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, China
- Research Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Sciences, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, China
| | - Liang-Feng Huang
- Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Related Technologies, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Protective Technologies, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, China
- Research Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Sciences, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, China
| | - Li-Ping Wang
- Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Related Technologies, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Protective Technologies, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, China
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12
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Tian T, Wang Z, Li K, Jin H, Tang Y, Sun Y, Wan P, Chen Y. Study on Influence Factors of H 2O 2 Generation Efficiency on Both Cathode and Anode in a Diaphragm-Free Bath. MATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 17:1748. [PMID: 38673105 PMCID: PMC11050835 DOI: 10.3390/ma17081748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2024] [Revised: 04/09/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Electrosynthesis of H2O2 via both pathways of anodic two-electron water oxidation reaction (2e-WOR) and cathodic two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (2e-ORR) in a diaphragm-free bath can not only improve the generation rate and Faraday efficiency (FE), but also simplify the structure of the electrolysis bath and reduce the energy consumption. The factors that may affect the efficiency of H2O2 generation in coupled electrolytic systems have been systematically investigated. A piece of fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) electrode was used as the anode, and in this study, its catalytic performance for 2e-WOR in Na2CO3/NaHCO3 and NaOH solutions was compared. Based on kinetic views, the generation rate of H2O2 via 2e-WOR, the self-decomposition, and the oxidative decomposition rate of the generated H2O2 during electrolysis in carbonate electrolytes were investigated. Furthermore, by choosing polyethylene oxide-modified carbon nanotubes (PEO-CNTs) as the catalyst for 2e-ORR and using its loaded electrode as the cathode, the coupled electrolytic systems for H2O2 generation were set up in a diaphragm bath and in a diaphragm-free bath. It was found that the generated H2O2 in the electrolyte diffuses and causes oxidative decomposition on the anode, which is the main influent factor on the accumulated concentration in H2O2 in a diaphragm-free bath.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Yongmei Chen
- College of Chemistry, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China; (T.T.); (Z.W.); (K.L.); (H.J.); (Y.T.); (Y.S.); (P.W.)
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13
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Huang H, Sun M, Li S, Zhang S, Lee Y, Li Z, Fang J, Chen C, Zhang YX, Wu Y, Che Y, Qian S, Zhu W, Tang C, Zhuang Z, Zhang L, Niu Z. Enhancing H 2O 2 Electrosynthesis at Industrial-Relevant Current in Acidic Media on Diatomic Cobalt Sites. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:9434-9443. [PMID: 38507716 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c02031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
Electrocatalytic synthesis of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in acidic media is an efficient and eco-friendly approach to produce inherently stable H2O2, but limited by the lack of selective and stable catalysts under industrial-relevant current densities. Herein, we report a diatomic cobalt catalyst for two-electron oxygen reduction to efficiently produce H2O2 at 50-400 mA cm-2 in acid. Electrode kinetics study shows a >95% selectivity for two-electron oxygen reduction on the diatomic cobalt sites. In a flow cell device, a record-high production rate of 11.72 mol gcat-1 h-1 and exceptional long-term stability (100 h) are realized under high current densities. In situ spectroscopic studies and theoretical calculations reveal that introducing a second metal into the coordination sphere of the cobalt site can optimize the binding strength of key H2O2 intermediates due to the downshifted d-band center of cobalt. We also demonstrate the feasibility of processing municipal plastic wastes through decentralized H2O2 production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helai Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
- Ordos Laboratory, Ordos, Inner Mongolia 017010, China
| | - Mingze Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
- Ordos Laboratory, Ordos, Inner Mongolia 017010, China
| | - Shuwei Li
- Center for Combustion Energy, School of Vehicle and Mobility, State Key Laboratory of Automotive Safety and Energy, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Shengbo Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Yiyang Lee
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Zhengwen Li
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Jinjie Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites and Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Chengjin Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites and Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Yu-Xiao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Yanfen Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
- Ordos Laboratory, Ordos, Inner Mongolia 017010, China
| | - Yizhen Che
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
- Ordos Laboratory, Ordos, Inner Mongolia 017010, China
| | - Shuairen Qian
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Wei Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites and Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Cheng Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Zhongbin Zhuang
- State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites and Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Liang Zhang
- Center for Combustion Energy, School of Vehicle and Mobility, State Key Laboratory of Automotive Safety and Energy, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Zhiqiang Niu
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
- Ordos Laboratory, Ordos, Inner Mongolia 017010, China
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14
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Wang M, Langer M, Altieri R, Crisci M, Osella S, Gatti T. Two-Dimensional Layered Heterojunctions for Photoelectrocatalysis. ACS NANO 2024; 18:9245-9284. [PMID: 38502101 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.3c12274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/20/2024]
Abstract
Two-dimensional (2D) layered nanomaterial heterostructures, arising from the combination of 2D materials with other low-dimensional species, feature a large surface area to volume ratio, which provides a high density of active sites for catalytic applications and for (photo)electrocatalysis (PEC). Meanwhile, their electronic band structure and high electrical conductivity enable efficient charge transfer (CT) between the active material and the substrate, which is essential for catalytic activity. In recent years, researchers have demonstrated the potential of a range of 2D material interfaces, such as graphene, graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4), metal chalcogenides (MCs), and MXenes, for (photo)electrocatalytic applications. For instance, MCs such as MoS2 and WS2 have shown excellent catalytic activity for hydrogen evolution, while graphene and MXenes have been used for the reduction of carbon dioxide to higher value chemicals. However, despite their great potential, there are still major challenges that need to be addressed to fully realize the potential of 2D materials for PEC. For example, their stability under harsh reaction conditions, as well as their scalability for large-scale production are important factors to be considered. Generating heterojunctions (HJs) by combining 2D layered structures with other nanomaterials is a promising method to improve the photoelectrocatalytic properties of the former. In this review, we inspect thoroughly the recent literature, to demonstrate the significant potential that arises from utilizing 2D layered heterostructures in PEC processes across a broad spectrum of applications, from energy conversion and storage to environmental remediation. With the ongoing research and development, it is likely that the potential of these materials will be fully expressed in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengjiao Wang
- Department of Applied Science and Technology, Politecnico di Torino, Torino, 10129, Italy
| | - Michal Langer
- Chemical and Biological Systems Simulation Lab, Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, 02097, Poland
| | - Roberto Altieri
- Institute of Physical Chemistry and Center for Materials Research (LaMa), Justus Liebig University, Giessen, 35392, Germany
| | - Matteo Crisci
- Institute of Physical Chemistry and Center for Materials Research (LaMa), Justus Liebig University, Giessen, 35392, Germany
| | - Silvio Osella
- Chemical and Biological Systems Simulation Lab, Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, 02097, Poland
| | - Teresa Gatti
- Department of Applied Science and Technology, Politecnico di Torino, Torino, 10129, Italy
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15
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Fan Y, Chen Y, Ge W, Dong L, Qi Y, Lian C, Zhou X, Liu H, Liu Z, Jiang H, Li C. Mechanistic Insights into Surfactant-Modulated Electrode-Electrolyte Interface for Steering H 2O 2 Electrosynthesis. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:7575-7583. [PMID: 38466222 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c13660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Electrocatalytic reactions taking place at the electrified electrode-electrolyte interface involve processes of proton-coupled electron transfer. Interfacial protons are delivered to the electrode surface via a H2O-dominated hydrogen-bond network. Less efforts are made to regulate the interfacial proton transfer from the perspective of interfacial hydrogen-bond network. Here, we present quaternary ammonium salt cationic surfactants as electrolyte additives for enhancing the H2O2 selectivity of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Through in situ vibrational spectroscopy and molecular dynamics calculation, it is revealed that the surfactants are irreversibly adsorbed on the electrode surface in response to a given bias potential range, leading to the weakening of the interfacial hydrogen-bond network. This decreases interfacial proton transfer kinetics, particularly at high bias potentials, thus suppressing the 4-electron ORR pathway and achieving a highly selective 2-electron pathway toward H2O2. These results highlight the opportunity for steering H2O-involved electrochemical reactions via modulating the interfacial hydrogen-bond network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Fan
- Key Laboratory for Ultrafine Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Hierarchical Nanomaterials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Yuxin Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Hierarchical Nanomaterials, School of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Wangxin Ge
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Hierarchical Nanomaterials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Lei Dong
- Key Laboratory for Ultrafine Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Hierarchical Nanomaterials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Yanbin Qi
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Hierarchical Nanomaterials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Cheng Lian
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Hierarchical Nanomaterials, School of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Xiaodong Zhou
- Key Laboratory for Ultrafine Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Honglai Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Hierarchical Nanomaterials, School of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Zhen Liu
- Key Laboratory for Ultrafine Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Hongliang Jiang
- Key Laboratory for Ultrafine Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
- Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Chunzhong Li
- Key Laboratory for Ultrafine Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Hierarchical Nanomaterials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
- Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
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16
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Jiang Q, Ji Y, Zheng T, Li X, Xia C. The Nexus of Innovation: Electrochemically Synthesizing H 2O 2 and Its Integration with Downstream Reactions. ACS MATERIALS AU 2024; 4:133-147. [PMID: 38496047 PMCID: PMC10941294 DOI: 10.1021/acsmaterialsau.3c00070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Revised: 11/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) represents a chemically significant oxidant that is prized for its diverse applicability across various industrial domains. Recent innovations have shed light on the electrosynthesis of H2O2 through two-electron oxygen reduction reactions (2e- ORR) or two-electron water oxidation reactions (2e- WOR), processes that underscore the attractive possibility for the on-site production of this indispensable oxidizing agent. However, the translation of these methods into practical utilization within chemical manufacturing industries remains an aspiration rather than a realized goal. This Perspective intends to furnish a comprehensive overview of the latest advancements in the domain of coupled chemical reactions with H2O2, critically examining emergent strategies that may pave the way for the development of new reaction pathways. These pathways could enable applications that hinge on the availability and reactivity of H2O2, including, but not limited to the chemical synthesis coupled with H2O2 and waste water treatment byFenton-like reactions. Concurrently, the Perspective acknowledges and elucidates some of the salient challenges and opportunities inherent in the coupling of electrochemically generated H2O2, thereby providing a scholarly analysis that might guide future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiu Jiang
- School
of Materials and Energy, University of Electronic
Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, People’s Republic of China
- Yangtze
Delta Region Institute (Huzhou), University
of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Huzhou, Zhejiang 313001, People’s
Republic of China
| | - Yuan Ji
- School
of Materials and Energy, University of Electronic
Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, People’s Republic of China
| | - Tingting Zheng
- School
of Materials and Energy, University of Electronic
Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xu Li
- School
of Materials and Energy, University of Electronic
Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, People’s Republic of China
| | - Chuan Xia
- School
of Materials and Energy, University of Electronic
Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, People’s Republic of China
- Yangtze
Delta Region Institute (Huzhou), University
of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Huzhou, Zhejiang 313001, People’s
Republic of China
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17
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Levell Z, Liu Y. Activation Energies of Heterogeneous Electrocatalysis: A Theoretical Perspective. ACS MATERIALS AU 2024; 4:129-132. [PMID: 38496044 PMCID: PMC10941275 DOI: 10.1021/acsmaterialsau.3c00071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Revised: 11/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
Heterogeneous electrochemistry is important for various applications. However, currently, there is limited information about activation energies. In this invited review, we review the challenges associated with calculating these activation energies. Specifically, we highlight three key difficulties in atomistic modeling: liquid structure, electrode potential, and electrolyte ions, along with state-of-the-art methods to address them. We aim to inspire more studies in the field of activation energies to better understand and design heterogeneous electrocatalysts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary Levell
- Texas
Materials Institute and Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78731, United States
of America
| | - Yuanyue Liu
- Texas
Materials Institute and Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78731, United States
of America
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18
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Zhu X, He M, Chen X, Zhou Y, Xu C, Li X, Luo Q, Yang J. First-Principles Insights into Tungsten Semicarbide-Based Single-Atom Catalysts: Single-Atom Migration and Mechanisms in Oxygen Reduction. J Phys Chem Lett 2024:2815-2824. [PMID: 38441004 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.4c00398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/06/2024]
Abstract
Understanding the structural evolution of single-atom catalysts (SACs) in catalytic reactions is crucial for unraveling their catalytic mechanisms. In this study, we utilize density functional theory calculations to delve into the active phase evolution and the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) mechanism of tungsten semicarbide-based transition metal SACs (TM1/W2C). The stable crystal phases and optimal surface exposures of W2C are identified by using ab initio atomistic thermodynamics simulations. Focusing on the W-terminated (001) surface, we screen 13 stable TM1/W2C variants, ultimately selecting Pt1/W2C(001) as our primary model. The surface Pourbaix diagram, mapped for this model under ORR conditions, reveals dynamic Pt1 migration on the surface, triggered by surface oxidation. This discovery suggests a novel single-atom evolution pathway. Remarkably, this single-atom migration behavior is also discerned in seven other group VIII SACs, enhancing both their catalytic activity and their stability. Our findings offer insights into the evolution of active phases in SACs, considering substrate structural arrangement, single-atom incorporation, and self-optimization of catalysts under various conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangyu Zhu
- Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui 230601, China
| | - Mingqi He
- Department of Chemical Physics, Key Laboratory of Precision and Intelligent Chemistry, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Xing Chen
- Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui 230601, China
| | - Yanan Zhou
- School of Material Science and Chemical Engineering, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Chang Xu
- Department of Chemistry, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, China
| | - Xingxing Li
- Department of Chemical Physics, Key Laboratory of Precision and Intelligent Chemistry, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Qiquan Luo
- Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui 230601, China
| | - Jinlong Yang
- Department of Chemical Physics, Key Laboratory of Precision and Intelligent Chemistry, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
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19
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Mao X, He T, Kour G, Yin H, Ling C, Gao G, Jin Y, Liu Q, O'Mullane AP, Du A. Computational electrocatalysis beyond conventional hydrogen electrode model: CO 2 reduction to C 2 species on copper facilitated by dynamically formed solvent halide ions at the solid-liquid interface. Chem Sci 2024; 15:3330-3338. [PMID: 38425530 PMCID: PMC10901514 DOI: 10.1039/d3sc06471a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
The reduction of CO2 into value-added chemicals and fuels has been actively studied as a promising strategy for mitigating carbon dioxide emissions. However, the dilemma for the experimentalist in choosing an appropriate reaction medium and neglecting the effect of solvent ions when using a simple thermochemical model, normally leads to the disagreement between experimental observations and theoretical calculations. In this work, by considering the effects of both the anion and cation, a more realistic CO2 reduction environment at the solid-liquid interface between copper and solvent ions has been systematically studied by using ab initio molecular dynamics and density functional theory. We revealed that the co-occurrence of alkali ions (K+) and halide ions (F-, Cl-, Br-, and I-) in the electric double layer (EDL) can enhance the adsorption of CO2 by more than 0.45 eV compared to that in pure water, and the calculated energy barrier for CO-CO coupling also decreases 0.32 eV in the presence of I ion on a negatively charged copper electrode. The hydrated ions can modulate the distribution of the charge near the solid-liquid interface, which significantly promotes CO2 reduction and meanwhile impedes the hydrogen evolution reaction. Therefore, our work unveils the significant role of halide ions at the electrode-electrolyte interface for promoting CO2 reduction on copper electrode.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Mao
- School of Chemistry and Physics, Centre for Material Science, Faculty of Science, Queensland University of Technology, Gardens Point Campus Brisbane QLD 4001 Australia
| | - Tianwei He
- Yunnan Key Laboratory for Micro/Nano Materials & Technology, National Center for International Research on Photoelectric and Energy Materials, School of Materials and Energy, Yunnan University Kunming 650091 China
| | - Gurpreet Kour
- School of Chemistry and Physics, Centre for Material Science, Faculty of Science, Queensland University of Technology, Gardens Point Campus Brisbane QLD 4001 Australia
| | - Hanqing Yin
- School of Chemistry and Physics, Centre for Material Science, Faculty of Science, Queensland University of Technology, Gardens Point Campus Brisbane QLD 4001 Australia
| | - Chongyi Ling
- School of Physics, Southeast University Nanjing 211189 China
| | - Guoping Gao
- MOE Key Lab for Nonequilibrium Synthesis and Modulation of Condensed Matter, School of Physics, Xi'an Jiaotong University Xi'an 710049 China
| | - Yonggang Jin
- CSIRO Mineral Resources 1 Technology Court Pullenvale QLD 4069 Australia
| | - Qingju Liu
- Yunnan Key Laboratory for Micro/Nano Materials & Technology, National Center for International Research on Photoelectric and Energy Materials, School of Materials and Energy, Yunnan University Kunming 650091 China
| | - Anthony P O'Mullane
- School of Chemistry and Physics, Centre for Material Science, Faculty of Science, Queensland University of Technology, Gardens Point Campus Brisbane QLD 4001 Australia
| | - Aijun Du
- School of Chemistry and Physics, Centre for Material Science, Faculty of Science, Queensland University of Technology, Gardens Point Campus Brisbane QLD 4001 Australia
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20
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Bai X, Chen C, Zhao X, Zhang Y, Zheng Y, Jiao Y. Accelerating the Reaction Kinetics of CO 2 Reduction to Multi-Carbon Products by Synergistic Effect between Cation and Aprotic Solvent on Copper Electrodes. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202317512. [PMID: 38168478 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202317512] [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: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 12/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Improving the selectivity of electrochemical CO2 reduction to multi-carbon products (C2+ ) is an important and highly challenging topic. In this work, we propose and validate an effective strategy to improve C2+ selectivity on Cu electrodes, by introducing a synergistic effect between cation (Na+ ) and aprotic solvent (DMSO) to the electrolyte. Based on constant potential ab initio molecular dynamics simulations, we first revealed that Na+ facilitates C-C coupling while inhibits CH3 OH/CH4 products via reducing the water network connectivity near the electrode. Furthermore, the water network connectivity was further decreased by introducing an aprotic solvent DMSO, leading to suppression of both C1 production and hydrogen evolution reaction with minimal effect on *OCCO* hydrogenation. The synergistic effect enhancing C2 selectivity was also experimentally verified through electrochemical measurements. The results showed that the Faradaic efficiency of C2 increases from 9.3 % to 57 % at 50 mA/cm2 under a mixed electrolyte of NaHCO3 and DMSO compared to a pure NaHCO3 , which can significantly enhance the selectivity of the C2 product. Therefore, our discovery provides an effective electrolyte-based strategy for tuning CO2 RR selectivity through modulating the microenvironment at the electrode-electrolyte interface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaowan Bai
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
| | - Chaojie Chen
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
| | - Xunhua Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Quantum Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, China
| | - Yehui Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Quantum Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, School of Physics, Southeast University, Nanjing, 211189, China
| | - Yao Zheng
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
| | - Yan Jiao
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
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21
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Cao H, Lv X, Qian S, Li J, Wang YG. Constant Potential Thermodynamic Integration for Obtaining the Free Energy Profile of Electrochemical Reaction. J Phys Chem Lett 2024; 15:1314-1320. [PMID: 38285648 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c03318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2024]
Abstract
In this work, we advanced an efficient free energy sampling method based on constrained ab initio molecular dynamics (cAIMD) with a fully explicit solvent layer to depict the electrochemical reaction process at constant surface charge density, named the "Constant-Potential Thermodynamic Integration (CPTI)" method. For automatically adjusting surface charge density at different states, we built an "on-the-fly" procedure which is capable of managing all the necessary steps during cAIMD simulations, including the system pre-equilibrium, surface charge density updating, and force sampling. We applied it to predict the potential-dependent free energy profiles of CO2 adsorption on a single-atom catalyst. The results show that our method can not only account for changes in electrostatic potential energy associated with potential but also consider the potential-induced solvation effects. Our approach enables the accurate simulation of electrochemical environment by presenting the complete solid-liquid interface and efficient computation of electrocatalytic reaction energetics based on a robust potential descriptor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Cao
- Department of Chemistry, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China
| | - Xinmao Lv
- Department of Chemistry, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China
| | - Shengjie Qian
- Department of Chemistry, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China
| | - Jun Li
- Department of Chemistry, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China
- Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University and Key Laboratory of Organic Optoelectronics & Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Yang-Gang Wang
- Department of Chemistry, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China
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22
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Zhang D, Wang Z, Liu F, Yi P, Peng L, Chen Y, Wei L, Li H. Unraveling the pH-Dependent Oxygen Reduction Performance on Single-Atom Catalysts: From Single- to Dual-Sabatier Optima. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:3210-3219. [PMID: 38214275 PMCID: PMC10859957 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c11246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
Metal-nitrogen-carbon (M-N-C) single-atom catalysts (SACs) have emerged as a potential substitute for the costly platinum-group catalysts in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). However, several critical aspects of M-N-C SACs in ORR remain poorly understood, including their pH-dependent activity, selectivity for 2- or 4-electron transfer pathways, and the identification of the rate-determining steps. Herein, by analyzing >100 M-N-C structures and >2000 sets of energetics, we unveil a pH-dependent evolution in ORR activity volcanos─from a single peak in alkaline media to a double peak in acids. We found that this pH-dependent behavior in M-N-C catalysts fundamentally stems from their moderate dipole moments and polarizability for O* and HOO* adsorbates, as well as unique scaling relations among ORR adsorbates. To validate our theoretical discovery, we synthesized a series of molecular M-N-C catalysts, each characterized by well-defined atomic coordination environments. Impressively, the experiments matched our theoretical predictions on kinetic current, Tafel slope, and turnover frequency in both acidic and alkaline environments. These new insights also refine the famous Sabatier principle by emphasizing the need to avoid an "acid trap" while designing M-N-C catalysts for ORR or any other pH-dependent electrochemical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Di Zhang
- Advanced
Institute for Materials Research (WPI-AIMR), Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8577, Japan
- State
Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Zhuyu Wang
- School
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
| | - Fangzhou Liu
- School
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
| | - Peiyun Yi
- State
Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Linfa Peng
- State
Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Yuan Chen
- School
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
| | - Li Wei
- School
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
| | - Hao Li
- Advanced
Institute for Materials Research (WPI-AIMR), Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8577, Japan
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23
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Monini V, Bonechi M, Bazzicalupi C, Bianchi A, Gentilesca P, Giurlani W, Innocenti M, Meoli A, Romano GM, Savastano M. Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline solution catalysed by an atomically precise catalyst based on a Pd(II) complex supported on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Electrochemical and structural considerations. Dalton Trans 2024; 53:2487-2500. [PMID: 38193252 DOI: 10.1039/d3dt03947a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2024]
Abstract
A new atomically precise, single-ion catalyst (MWCNT-LPd) for ORR (oxygen reduction reaction), consisting of a Pd(II) complex of a tetraazacycloalkane anchored on multiwalled carbon nanotubes, has been prepared through a supramolecular approach ensuring a uniform distribution of catalytic centres on the support surface. A tetraazacycloalkane was chosen to saturate the four coordination sites of the typical square planar coordination geometry of Pd(II) with the aim of ascertaining whether the metal ion must have free coordination sites to function effectively in the ORR or whether, as predicted by quantum mechanical calculations, the catalytic effect can be originated from an interaction of O2 in the fifth coordinative position. The results clearly demonstrated that tetracoordination of Pd(II) does not influence its catalytic capacity in the ORR. Electrodes based on this catalyst show ORR performance very close to that of commercial Pt electrodes, despite the low Pd(II) content (1.72% by weight) in the catalyst. The onset potential (Eon) value and the half-wave potential (E1/2) of the catalyst are, respectively, only 53 mV and 24 mV less positive than those observed for the Pt electrode and direct conversion of O2 to H2O reaches 85.0%, compared to 89% of the Pt electrode. Furthermore, a preliminary galvanostatic test (simulating a working fuel cell at a fixed potential) showed that the catalyst maintains its efficiency continuing to produce water throughout the process (the average number of electrons exchanged over time per O2 molecule remains close to 4).
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeria Monini
- Department of Chemistry "Ugo Schiff", University of Florence, Via della Lastruccia 3-13, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
| | - Marco Bonechi
- Department of Chemistry "Ugo Schiff", University of Florence, Via della Lastruccia 3-13, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
| | - Carla Bazzicalupi
- Department of Chemistry "Ugo Schiff", University of Florence, Via della Lastruccia 3-13, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
| | - Antonio Bianchi
- Department of Chemistry "Ugo Schiff", University of Florence, Via della Lastruccia 3-13, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
- National Interuniversity Consortium of Materials Science and Technology (INSTM), Research Unit of Florence, Via G. Giusti 9, 50121 Florence, Italy.
| | - Pietro Gentilesca
- Department of Chemistry "Ugo Schiff", University of Florence, Via della Lastruccia 3-13, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
| | - Walter Giurlani
- Department of Chemistry "Ugo Schiff", University of Florence, Via della Lastruccia 3-13, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
| | - Massimo Innocenti
- Department of Chemistry "Ugo Schiff", University of Florence, Via della Lastruccia 3-13, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
- National Interuniversity Consortium of Materials Science and Technology (INSTM), Research Unit of Florence, Via G. Giusti 9, 50121 Florence, Italy.
| | - Arianna Meoli
- Department of Chemistry "Ugo Schiff", University of Florence, Via della Lastruccia 3-13, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
| | - Giammarco Maria Romano
- Department of Chemistry "Ugo Schiff", University of Florence, Via della Lastruccia 3-13, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
| | - Matteo Savastano
- National Interuniversity Consortium of Materials Science and Technology (INSTM), Research Unit of Florence, Via G. Giusti 9, 50121 Florence, Italy.
- Department of Human Sciences for the Promotion of Quality of Life, University San Raffaele Roma, Via di Val Cannuta 247, 00166 Rome, Italy
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24
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Wu Q, Dai C, Meng F, Jiao Y, Xu ZJ. Potential and electric double-layer effect in electrocatalytic urea synthesis. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1095. [PMID: 38321031 PMCID: PMC10847171 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45522-6] [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: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Electrochemical synthesis is a promising way for sustainable urea production, yet the exact mechanism has not been fully revealed. Herein, we explore the mechanism of electrochemical coupling of nitrite and carbon dioxide on Cu surfaces towards urea synthesis on the basis of a constant-potential method combined with an implicit solvent model. The working electrode potential, which has normally overlooked, is found influential on both the reaction mechanism and activity. The further computational study on the reaction pathways reveals that *CO-NH and *NH-CO-NH as the key intermediates. In addition, through the analysis of turnover frequencies under various potentials, pressures, and temperatures within a microkinetic model, we demonstrate that the activity increases with temperature, and the Cu(100) shows the highest efficiency towards urea synthesis among all three Cu surfaces. The electric double-layer capacitance also plays a key role in urea synthesis. Based on these findings, we propose two essential strategies to promote the efficiency of urea synthesis on Cu electrodes: increasing Cu(100) surface ratio and elevating the reaction temperature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Wu
- School of Material Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Singapore
| | - Chencheng Dai
- School of Material Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Singapore
- The Cambridge Centre for Advanced Research and Education in Singapore, 1 CREATE way, Singapore, 138602, Singapore
| | - Fanxu Meng
- School of Material Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Singapore
| | - Yan Jiao
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
| | - Zhichuan J Xu
- School of Material Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Singapore.
- The Cambridge Centre for Advanced Research and Education in Singapore, 1 CREATE way, Singapore, 138602, Singapore.
- Energy Research Institute @ Nanyang Technological University, ERI@N, Interdisciplinary Graduate School, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Singapore.
- Center for Advanced Catalysis Science and Technology, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Singapore.
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25
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Qin M, Chen L, Zhang W, Yang J. A Self-Consistent Framework for Tailored Single-Atom Catalysts in Electrocatalytic Nitrogen Reduction. J Phys Chem Lett 2024; 15:1089-1096. [PMID: 38261607 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c03213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
The catalytic activity of single-atom catalysts (SACs) is crucially affected by the actual ligand configurations under the reaction condition; thus, carefully considering the reaction condition is crucial for the theoretical design of SACs. With single metal atoms supported by g-C3N4 as a model system, a self-consistent screening framework is proposed for the theoretical design of SACs with respect to the nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR). Pourbaix diagrams are constructed on the basis of various co-adsorption configurations of N2, H, and OH. Possible stable configurations containing N2 under the expected reaction condition are considered to obtain the limiting potential of NRR, and the stability of the configuration at the calculated UL is rechecked. With this framework, AC stacking of double-layer g-C3N4-supported Nb and AA stacking and AB stacking of double-layer g-C3N4-supported W are predicted to exhibit superior NRR activity with UL values of -0.36, -0.45, and -0.52 V, respectively. This procedure can be widely applied to the screening of SACs for electrocatalytic reactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingxin Qin
- Key Laboratory of Precision and Intelligent Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Lanlan Chen
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Wenhua Zhang
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
- Laboratory for Chemical Technology, Ghent University, Ghent 9052, Belgium
| | - Jinlong Yang
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
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26
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Zhi Q, Jiang R, Yang X, Jin Y, Qi D, Wang K, Liu Y, Jiang J. Dithiine-linked metalphthalocyanine framework with undulated layers for highly efficient and stable H 2O 2 electroproduction. Nat Commun 2024; 15:678. [PMID: 38263147 PMCID: PMC10805717 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-44899-8] [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: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 01/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Realization of stable and industrial-level H2O2 electroproduction still faces great challenge due large partly to the easy decomposition of H2O2. Herein, a two-dimensional dithiine-linked phthalocyaninato cobalt (CoPc)-based covalent organic framework (COF), CoPc-S-COF, was afforded from the reaction of hexadecafluorophthalocyaninato cobalt (II) with 1,2,4,5-benzenetetrathiol. Introduction of the sulfur atoms with large atomic radius and two lone-pairs of electrons in the C-S-C linking unit leads to an undulated layered structure and an increased electron density of the Co center for CoPc-S-COF according to a series of experiments in combination with theoretical calculations. The former structural effect allows the exposition of more Co sites to enhance the COF catalytic performance, while the latter electronic effect activates the 2e- oxygen reduction reaction (2e- ORR) but deactivates the H2O2 decomposition capability of the same Co center, as a total result enabling CoPc-S-COF to display good electrocatalytic H2O2 production performance with a remarkable H2O2 selectivity of >95% and a stable H2O2 production with a concentration of 0.48 wt% under a high current density of 125 mA cm-2 at an applied potential of ca. 0.67 V versus RHE for 20 h in a flow cell, representing the thus far reported best H2O2 synthesis COFs electrocatalysts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qianjun Zhi
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Materials Genome Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory for Science and Application of Functional Molecular and Crystalline Materials, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, School of Chemistry and Biological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Rong Jiang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Materials Genome Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory for Science and Application of Functional Molecular and Crystalline Materials, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, School of Chemistry and Biological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Xiya Yang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Materials Genome Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory for Science and Application of Functional Molecular and Crystalline Materials, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, School of Chemistry and Biological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Yucheng Jin
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Materials Genome Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory for Science and Application of Functional Molecular and Crystalline Materials, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, School of Chemistry and Biological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Dongdong Qi
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Materials Genome Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory for Science and Application of Functional Molecular and Crystalline Materials, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, School of Chemistry and Biological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Kang Wang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Materials Genome Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory for Science and Application of Functional Molecular and Crystalline Materials, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, School of Chemistry and Biological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China.
| | - Yunpeng Liu
- Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, 100049, China.
| | - Jianzhuang Jiang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Materials Genome Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory for Science and Application of Functional Molecular and Crystalline Materials, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, School of Chemistry and Biological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China.
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27
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Zhang Z, Li H, Shao Y, Gan L, Kang F, Duan W, Hansen HA, Li J. Molecular understanding of the critical role of alkali metal cations in initiating CO 2 electroreduction on Cu(100) surface. Nat Commun 2024; 15:612. [PMID: 38242907 PMCID: PMC10799043 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-44896-x] [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: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 01/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Molecular understanding of the solid-liquid interface is challenging but essential to elucidate the role of the environment on the kinetics of electrochemical reactions. Alkali metal cations (M+), as a vital component at the interface, are found to be necessary for the initiation of carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO2RR) on coinage metals, and the activity and selectivity of CO2RR could be further enhanced with the cation changing from Li+ to Cs+, while the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Herein, using ab initio molecular dynamics simulations with explicit solvation and enhanced sampling methods, we systematically investigate the role of M+ in CO2RR on Cu surface. A monotonically decreasing CO2 activation barrier is obtained from Li+ to Cs+, which is attributed to the different coordination abilities of M+ with *CO2. Furthermore, we show that the competing hydrogen evolution reaction must be considered simultaneously to understand the crucial role of alkali metal cations in CO2RR on Cu surfaces, where H+ is repelled from the interface and constrained by M+. Our results provide significant insights into the design of electrochemical environments and highlight the importance of explicitly including the solvation and competing reactions in theoretical simulations of CO2RR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhichao Zhang
- Shenzhen Geim Graphene Center and Institute of Materials Research, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, 518055, People's Republic of China
| | - Hengyu Li
- Shenzhen Geim Graphene Center and Institute of Materials Research, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, 518055, People's Republic of China
| | - Yangfan Shao
- Shenzhen Geim Graphene Center and Institute of Materials Research, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, 518055, People's Republic of China
| | - Lin Gan
- Shenzhen Geim Graphene Center and Institute of Materials Research, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, 518055, People's Republic of China
| | - Feiyu Kang
- Shenzhen Geim Graphene Center and Institute of Materials Research, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, 518055, People's Republic of China.
| | - Wenhui Duan
- State Key Laboratory of Low Dimensional Quantum Physics and Department of Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, People's Republic of China
- Institute for Advanced Study, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, People's Republic of China
- Frontier Science Center for Quantum Information, Beijing, 100084, People's Republic of China
| | - Heine Anton Hansen
- Department of Energy Conversion and Storage, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs, Lyngby, 2800, Denmark
| | - Jia Li
- Shenzhen Geim Graphene Center and Institute of Materials Research, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, 518055, People's Republic of China.
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28
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Du W, Ma F, Zhang B, Zhang J, Wu D, Sharman E, Jiang J, Wang Y. Spectroscopy-Guided Deep Learning Predicts Solid-Liquid Surface Adsorbate Properties in Unseen Solvents. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:811-823. [PMID: 38157302 PMCID: PMC10785802 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c10921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Accurately and rapidly acquiring the microscopic properties of a material is crucial for catalysis and electrochemistry. Characterization tools, such as spectroscopy, can be a valuable tool to infer these properties, and when combined with machine learning tools, they can theoretically achieve fast and accurate prediction results. However, on the path to practical applications, training a reliable machine learning model is faced with the challenge of uneven data distribution in a vast array of non-negligible solvent types. Herein, we employ a combination of the first-principles-based approach and data-driven model. Specifically, we utilize density functional theory (DFT) to calculate theoretical spectral data of CO-Ag adsorption in 23 different solvent systems as a data source. Subsequently, we propose a hierarchical knowledge extraction multiexpert neural network (HMNN) to bridge the knowledge gaps among different solvent systems. HMNN undergoes two training tiers: in tier I, it learns fundamental quantitative spectra-property relationships (QSPRs), and in tier II, it inherits the fundamental QSPR knowledge from previous steps through a dynamic integration of expert modules and subsequently captures the solvent differences. The results demonstrate HMNN's superiority in estimating a range of molecular adsorbate properties, with an error range of less than 0.008 eV for zero-shot predictions on unseen solvents. The findings underscore the usability, reliability, and convenience of HMNN and could pave the way for real-time access to microscopic properties by exploiting QSPR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjie Du
- Key
Laboratory of Precision and Intelligent Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
- School
of Software Engineering, University of Science
and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
- Suzhou
Institute for Advanced Research, University
of Science and Technology of China, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China
| | - Fenfen Ma
- Key
Laboratory of Precision and Intelligent Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
- School
of Chemistry and Materials Science, University
of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
- Gusu
Laboratory of Materials, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China
| | - Baicheng Zhang
- Key
Laboratory of Precision and Intelligent Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
- School
of Chemistry and Materials Science, University
of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Jiahui Zhang
- School
of Software Engineering, University of Science
and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
- Suzhou
Institute for Advanced Research, University
of Science and Technology of China, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China
| | - Di Wu
- School
of Software Engineering, University of Science
and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
- Suzhou
Institute for Advanced Research, University
of Science and Technology of China, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China
| | - Edward Sharman
- Department
of Neurology, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Jun Jiang
- Key
Laboratory of Precision and Intelligent Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
- School
of Chemistry and Materials Science, University
of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Yang Wang
- Key
Laboratory of Precision and Intelligent Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
- School
of Software Engineering, University of Science
and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
- Suzhou
Institute for Advanced Research, University
of Science and Technology of China, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China
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29
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Song X, Zhang M, Xiu X, Wang C, Li P, Zang L, Song M, Xu C. Accelerated removal of sulfadiazine by heterogeneous electro-Fenton system with Pt-FeO X/graphene single-atom alloy cathodes. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 349:119541. [PMID: 37988893 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/04/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023]
Abstract
Heterogeneous electro-Fenton (EF) process is emerging as an attractive treatment technology for removal of sulfadiazine (SDZ), in which in situ generation of H2O2 and Fe(II) are crucial steps. In this study, Pt-FeOX/G was synthesized as a heterogeneous EF catalyst by incorporating Pt single atoms into a FeOX nanocrystal. The optimized Pt1-FeOX/G cathode exhibited an SDZ conversion of >90% within 30 min over a broad pH range (3-11). The Pt1-FeOX/G cathode under a strong alkaline medium exhibited very prominent selectivity to H2O2 via 2e- oxygen reduction reaction with a maximum H2O2 concentration of 211.93 mg L-1. The hydroxyl radicals in the cathodic chamber were mainly derived from the in situ conversion of generated H2O2 in the heterogeneous EF system. The structure-activity results of Pt-FeOX/G suggested that the SDZ removal efficiency was closely related to the decentralized morphology and electronic configuration of the Pt-FeOX microcrystalline structure. Three possible SDZ degradation pathways, dominated by S-N bond cleavage, were proposed based on the stage products. The toxicity of the major products was determined using the ecological structure-activity relationship model in conjunction with trophic aquatic organisms. This study demonstrated the feasibility of enhancing heterogeneous EF catalysis for antibiotic-polluted water using multifunctional single-atom alloy cathodes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaozhe Song
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan, 250353, PR China.
| | - Minglu Zhang
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan, 250353, PR China
| | - Xiaochen Xiu
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan, 250353, PR China
| | - Chunyu Wang
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan, 250353, PR China
| | - Peiwei Li
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan, 250353, PR China
| | - Lihua Zang
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan, 250353, PR China.
| | - Mingming Song
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan, 250353, PR China
| | - Chongqing Xu
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan, 250353, PR China.
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30
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Wang Y, Yang H, Lu N, Wang D, Zhu K, Wang Z, Mou L, Zhang Y, Zhao Y, Tao K, Ma F, Peng S. Electrochemical production of hydrogen peroxide by non-noble metal-doped g-C 3N 4 under a neutral electrolyte. NANOSCALE 2023; 15:19148-19158. [PMID: 37938108 DOI: 10.1039/d3nr04307j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2023]
Abstract
Electrochemical oxygen reduction (ORR) for the production of clean hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is an effective alternative to industrial anthraquinone methods. The development of highly active, stable, and 2e- ORR oxygen reduction electrocatalysts while suppressing the competing 4e- ORR pathway is currently the main challenge. Herein, bimetallic doping was successfully achieved based on graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) with the simultaneous introduction of K and Co, whereby 2D porous K-Co/CNNs nanosheets were obtained. The introduction of Co promoted the selectivity for H2O2, while the introduction of K not only promoted the formation of 2D nanosheets of g-C3N4, but also inhibited the ablation of H2O2 by K-Co/CNNs. Electrochemical studies showed that the selectivity of H2O2 in K-Co/CNNs under neutral electrolyte was as high as 97%. After 24 h, the H2O2 accumulation of K-Co/CNNs was as high as 31.7 g L-1. K-Co/CNNs improved the stability of H2O2 by inhibiting the ablation of H2O2, making it a good 2e- ORR catalyst and providing a new research idea for the subsequent preparation of H2O2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Wang
- School of Physical Science and Technology, School of Materials and Energy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.
| | - Hongcen Yang
- School of Physical Science and Technology, School of Materials and Energy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.
| | - Niandi Lu
- School of Physical Science and Technology, School of Materials and Energy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.
| | - Di Wang
- School of Physical Science and Technology, School of Materials and Energy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.
| | - Kun Zhu
- School of Physical Science and Technology, School of Materials and Energy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.
| | - Zhixia Wang
- School of Physical Science and Technology, School of Materials and Energy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.
| | - Lianshan Mou
- School of Physical Science and Technology, School of Materials and Energy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.
| | - Yan Zhang
- School of Physical Science and Technology, School of Materials and Energy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.
| | - Yawei Zhao
- School of Physical Science and Technology, School of Materials and Energy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.
| | - Kun Tao
- School of Physical Science and Technology, School of Materials and Energy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.
| | - Fei Ma
- School of Physical Science and Technology, School of Materials and Energy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.
| | - Shanglong Peng
- School of Physical Science and Technology, School of Materials and Energy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.
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31
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Yu S, Levell Z, Jiang Z, Zhao X, Liu Y. What Is the Rate-Limiting Step of Oxygen Reduction Reaction on Fe-N-C Catalysts? J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:25352-25356. [PMID: 37955970 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c09193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is essential to various renewable energy technologies. An important catalyst for ORR is single iron atoms embedded in nitrogen-doped graphene (Fe-N-C). However, the rate-limiting step of the ORR on Fe-N-C is unknown, significantly impeding understanding and improvement. Here, we report the activation energies of all of the steps, calculated by ab initio molecular dynamics simulations under constant electrode potential. In contrast to the common belief that a hydrogenation step limits the reaction rate, we find that the rate-limiting step is oxygen molecule replacing adsorbed water on Fe. This occurs through concerted motion of H2O desorption and O2 adsorption, without leaving the site bare. Interestingly, despite being an apparent "thermal" process that is often considered to be potential-independent, the barrier reduces with the electrode potential. This can be explained by stronger Fe-O2 binding and weaker Fe-H2O binding at a lower potential, due to O2 gaining electrons and H2O donating electrons to the catalyst. Our study offers new insights into the ORR on Fe-N-C and highlights the importance of kinetic studies in heterogeneous electrochemistry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saerom Yu
- Texas Materials Institute and Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Zachary Levell
- Texas Materials Institute and Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Zhou Jiang
- Texas Materials Institute and Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Xunhua Zhao
- Texas Materials Institute and Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Yuanyue Liu
- Texas Materials Institute and Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
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32
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Gao G, Wang LW. The concerted proton-electron transfer mechanism of proton migration in the electrochemical interface. iScience 2023; 26:108318. [PMID: 38026153 PMCID: PMC10661362 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Revised: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The proton migration in the electrochemical interface is a fundamental electrochemical processes in proton involved reactions. We find fractional electron transfer, which is inversely proportional to the distance between the proton and electrode, during the proton migration under constant potential. The electrical energy carried by the transferred charge facilitates the proton to overcome the chemical barrier in the migration pathway, which is accounting for more than half electrical energy in the proton involved reactions. Consequently, less charge transfer and energy exchange take place in the reduction process. Therefore, the proton migration in the electrochemical interface is an essential component of the electrochemical reaction in terms of electron transfer and energy conversation, and are worthy of more attention in the rational design and optimization of electrochemical systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guoping Gao
- MOE Key Laboratory for Non-equilibrium Synthesis and Modulation of Condensed Matter, Shaanxi Province Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Materials and Mesoscopic Physics, School of Physics, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710049, China
| | - Lin-Wang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Superlattices and Microstructures, Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100083, China
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33
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Zhao H, Lv X, Wang Y. Realistic Modeling of the Electrocatalytic Process at Complex Solid-Liquid Interface. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2023; 10:e2303677. [PMID: 37749877 PMCID: PMC10646274 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202303677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Revised: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023]
Abstract
The rational design of electrocatalysis has emerged as one of the most thriving means for mitigating energy and environmental crises. The key to this effort is the understanding of the complex electrochemical interface, wherein the electrode potential as well as various internal factors such as H-bond network, adsorbate coverage, and dynamic behavior of the interface collectively contribute to the electrocatalytic activity and selectivity. In this context, the authors have reviewed recent theoretical advances, and especially, the contributions to modeling the realistic electrocatalytic processes at complex electrochemical interfaces, and illustrated the challenges and fundamental problems in this field. Specifically, the significance of the inclusion of explicit solvation and electrode potential as well as the strategies toward the design of highly efficient electrocatalysts are discussed. The structure-activity relationships and their dynamic responses to the environment and catalytic functionality under working conditions are illustrated to be crucial factors for understanding the complexed interface and the electrocatalytic activities. It is hoped that this review can help spark new research passion and ultimately bring a step closer to a realistic and systematic modeling method for electrocatalysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongyan Zhao
- Department of Chemistry and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of CatalysisSouthern University of Science and TechnologyShenzhenGuangdong518055China
| | - Xinmao Lv
- Department of Chemistry and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of CatalysisSouthern University of Science and TechnologyShenzhenGuangdong518055China
| | - Yang‐Gang Wang
- Department of Chemistry and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of CatalysisSouthern University of Science and TechnologyShenzhenGuangdong518055China
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34
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Li P, Jiao Y, Ruan Y, Fei H, Men Y, Guo C, Wu Y, Chen S. Revealing the role of double-layer microenvironments in pH-dependent oxygen reduction activity over metal-nitrogen-carbon catalysts. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6936. [PMID: 37907596 PMCID: PMC10618200 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42749-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023] Open
Abstract
A standing puzzle in electrochemistry is that why the metal-nitrogen-carbon catalysts generally exhibit dramatic activity drop for oxygen reduction when traversing from alkaline to acid. Here, taking FeCo-N6-C double-atom catalyst as a model system and combining the ab initio molecular dynamics simulation and in situ surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy, we show that it is the significantly distinct interfacial double-layer structures, rather than the energetics of multiple reaction steps, that cause the pH-dependent oxygen reduction activity on metal-nitrogen-carbon catalysts. Specifically, the greatly disparate charge densities on electrode surfaces render different orientations of interfacial water under alkaline and acid oxygen reduction conditions, thereby affecting the formation of hydrogen bonds between the surface oxygenated intermediates and the interfacial water molecules, eventually controlling the kinetics of the proton-coupled electron transfer steps. The present findings may open new and feasible avenues for the design of advanced metal-nitrogen-carbon catalysts for proton exchange membrane fuel cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Li
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Electrochemical Power Sources, College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Yuzhou Jiao
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Electrochemical Power Sources, College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Yaner Ruan
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials (iChEM), University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
| | - Houguo Fei
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Electrochemical Power Sources, College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Yana Men
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Electrochemical Power Sources, College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Cunlan Guo
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Electrochemical Power Sources, College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Yuen Wu
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials (iChEM), University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China.
| | - Shengli Chen
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Electrochemical Power Sources, College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China.
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35
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Gupta A, Kumar A, Bhowmick DK, Fontanesi C, Paltiel Y, Fransson J, Naaman R. Does Coherence Affect the Multielectron Oxygen Reduction Reaction? J Phys Chem Lett 2023; 14:9377-9384. [PMID: 37824289 PMCID: PMC10614294 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c02594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is the key for oxygen-based respiration and the operation of fuel cells. It involves the transmission of two pairs of electrons. We probed what type of interaction between the electrons is required to enable their efficient transfer into the oxygen. We show experimentally that the transfer of the electrons is controlled by the "hidden property" and present a theoretical model suggesting that it is related to coherent phase relations between the two electrons. Using spin polarization electrochemical measurements, with electrodes coated with different thicknesses of chiral coating, we confirm the special relation between the electrons. This relation is destroyed by multiple scattering events that result in the formation of hydrogen peroxide, which indicates a reduction in the ORR efficiency. Another indication for the possible role of coherence is the fluctuations in the reaction efficiency as a function of thickness of the chiral coated electrode.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anu Gupta
- Department
of Chemical and Biological Physics, Weizmann
Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Anil Kumar
- Department
of Chemical and Biological Physics, Weizmann
Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Deb Kumar Bhowmick
- Department
of Chemical and Biological Physics, Weizmann
Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Claudio Fontanesi
- Department
di Ingegneria, DIEF, MO26, University of
Modena, 41125 Modena, Italy
| | - Yossi Paltiel
- Department
of Applied Physics and Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
| | - Jonas Fransson
- Department
of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Uppsala 752 36, Sweden
| | - Ron Naaman
- Department
of Chemical and Biological Physics, Weizmann
Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
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36
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Cheng J, Chen L, Xie X, Feng K, Sun H, Qin Y, Hua W, Zheng Z, He Y, Pan W, Yang W, Lyu F, Zhong J, Deng Z, Jiao Y, Peng Y. Proton Shuttling by Polyaniline of High Brønsted Basicity for Improved Electrocatalytic Ethylene Production from CO 2. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202312113. [PMID: 37671746 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202312113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Revised: 09/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023]
Abstract
Hybrid organic/inorganic composites with the organic phase tailored to modulate local chemical environment at the Cu surface arise as an enchanting category of catalysts for electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (CO2 RR). A fundamental understanding on how the organics of different functionality, polarity, and hydrophobicity affect the reaction path is, however, still lacking to guide rational catalyst design. Herein, polypyrrole (PPy) and polyaniline (PANI) manifesting different Brønsted basicity are compared for their regulatory roles on the CO2 RR pathways regarding *CO coverage, proton source and interfacial polarity. Concerted efforts from in situ IR, Raman and operando modelling unveil that at the PPy/Cu interface with limited *CO coverage, hydridic *H produced by the Volmer step favors the carbon hydrogenation of *CO to form *CHO through a Tafel process; Whereas at the PANI/Cu interface with concentrated CO2 and high *CO coverage, protonic H+ shuttled through the benzenoid -NH- protonates the oxygen of *CO, yielding *COH for asymmetric coupling with nearby *CO to form *OCCOH under favored energetics. As a result of the tailored chemical environment, the restructured PANI/Cu composite demonstrates a high partial current density of 0.41 A cm-2 at a maximal Faraday efficiency of 67.5 % for ethylene production, ranking among states of the art.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Cheng
- Soochow Institute for Energy and Materials Innovations, College of Energy, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, P. R. China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Negative Carbon Technologies, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, P. R. China
| | - Ling Chen
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
| | - Xulan Xie
- Soochow Institute for Energy and Materials Innovations, College of Energy, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, P. R. China
| | - Kun Feng
- Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Hao Sun
- Soochow Institute for Energy and Materials Innovations, College of Energy, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, P. R. China
| | - Yongze Qin
- Soochow Institute for Energy and Materials Innovations, College of Energy, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, P. R. China
| | - Wei Hua
- Soochow Institute for Energy and Materials Innovations, College of Energy, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, P. R. China
| | - Zhangyi Zheng
- Soochow Institute for Energy and Materials Innovations, College of Energy, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, P. R. China
| | - Ying He
- Soochow Institute for Energy and Materials Innovations, College of Energy, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, P. R. China
| | - Weiyi Pan
- Soochow Institute for Energy and Materials Innovations, College of Energy, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, P. R. China
| | - Wenjun Yang
- Soochow Institute for Energy and Materials Innovations, College of Energy, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, P. R. China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Negative Carbon Technologies, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, P. R. China
| | - Fenglei Lyu
- Soochow Institute for Energy and Materials Innovations, College of Energy, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, P. R. China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Negative Carbon Technologies, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, P. R. China
| | - Jun Zhong
- Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Zhao Deng
- Soochow Institute for Energy and Materials Innovations, College of Energy, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, P. R. China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Negative Carbon Technologies, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, P. R. China
| | - Yan Jiao
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
| | - Yang Peng
- Soochow Institute for Energy and Materials Innovations, College of Energy, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, P. R. China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Negative Carbon Technologies, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, P. R. China
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37
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Jin B, Hu T, Yu K, Xu S. Constrained Hybrid Monte Carlo Sampling Made Simple for Chemical Reaction Simulations. J Chem Theory Comput 2023; 19:7343-7357. [PMID: 37793028 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.3c00571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/06/2023]
Abstract
Most electrochemical reactions should be studied under a grand canonical ensemble condition with a constant potential and/or a constant pH value. Free energy profiles provide key insights into understanding the reaction mechanisms. However, many molecular dynamics (MD)-based theoretical studies for electrochemical reactions did not employ an exact grand canonical ensemble sampling scheme for the free energy calculations, partially due to the issues of discontinuous trajectories induced by the particle-number variations during MD simulations. An alternative statistical sampling approach, the Monte Carlo (MC) method, is naturally appropriate for the open-system simulations if we focus on the thermodynamic properties. An advanced MC scheme, the hybrid Monte Carlo (HMC) method, which can efficiently sample the configurations of a system with large degrees of freedom, however, has limitations in the constrained-sampling applications. In this work, we propose an adjusted constrained HMC method to compute free energy profiles using the thermodynamic integration (TI) method. The key idea of the method for handling the constraint in TI is to integrate the reaction coordinate and sample the rest degrees of freedom by two types of MC schemes, the HMC scheme and the Metropolis algorithm with unbiased trials (M(RT)2-UB). We test the proposed method on three different systems involving two kinds of reaction coordinates, which are the distance between two particles and the difference of particles' distances, and compare the results to those generated by the constrained M(RT)2-UB method serving as benchmarks. We show that our proposed method has the advantages of high sampling efficiency and convenience of implementation, and the accuracy is justified as well. In addition, we show in the third test system that the proposed constrained HMC method can be combined with the path integral method to consider the nuclear quantum effects, indicating a broader application scenario of the sampling method reported in this work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Jin
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, P. R. China
| | - Taiping Hu
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, P. R. China
- AI for Science Institute, Beijing 100084, P. R. China
| | - Kuang Yu
- Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, P. R. China
| | - Shenzhen Xu
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, P. R. China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Theory and Technology for Advanced Battery Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, P. R. China
- AI for Science Institute, Beijing 100084, P. R. China
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38
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Li P, Jiao Y, Huang J, Chen S. Electric Double Layer Effects in Electrocatalysis: Insights from Ab Initio Simulation and Hierarchical Continuum Modeling. JACS AU 2023; 3:2640-2659. [PMID: 37885580 PMCID: PMC10598835 DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.3c00410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 09/02/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
Structures of the electric double layer (EDL) at electrocatalytic interfaces, which are modulated by the material properties, the electrolyte characteristics (e.g., the pH, the types and concentrations of ions), and the electrode potential, play crucial roles in the reaction kinetics. Understanding the EDL effects in electrocatalysis has attracted substantial research interest in recent years. However, the intrinsic relationships between the specific EDL structures and electrocatalytic kinetics remain poorly understood, especially on the atomic scale. In this Perspective, we briefly review the recent advances in deciphering the EDL effects mainly in hydrogen and oxygen electrocatalysis through a multiscale approach, spanning from the atomistic scale simulated by ab initio methods to the macroscale by a hierarchical approach. We highlight the importance of resolving the local reaction environment, especially the local hydrogen bond network, in understanding EDL effects. Finally, some of the remaining challenges are outlined, and an outlook for future developments in these exciting frontiers is provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Li
- Hubei
Key Laboratory of Electrochemical Power Sources, College of Chemistry
and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Yuzhou Jiao
- Hubei
Key Laboratory of Electrochemical Power Sources, College of Chemistry
and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Jun Huang
- Institute
of Energy and Climate Research, IEK-13: Theory and Computation of
Energy Materials, Forschungszentrum Jülich
GmbH, 52425 Jülich, Germany
- Theory
of Electrocatalytic Interfaces, Faculty of Georesources and Materials
Engineering, RWTH Aachen University, 52062 Aachen, Germany
| | - Shengli Chen
- Hubei
Key Laboratory of Electrochemical Power Sources, College of Chemistry
and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
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39
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Han Y, Xu H, Li Q, Du A, Yan X. DFT-assisted low-dimensional carbon-based electrocatalysts design and mechanism study: a review. Front Chem 2023; 11:1286257. [PMID: 37920412 PMCID: PMC10619919 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2023.1286257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Low-dimensional carbon-based (LDC) materials have attracted extensive research attention in electrocatalysis because of their unique advantages such as structural diversity, low cost, and chemical tolerance. They have been widely used in a broad range of electrochemical reactions to relieve environmental pollution and energy crisis. Typical examples include hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), oxygen evolution reaction (OER), oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO2RR), and nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR). Traditional "trial and error" strategies greatly slowed down the rational design of electrocatalysts for these important applications. Recent studies show that the combination of density functional theory (DFT) calculations and experimental research is capable of accurately predicting the structures of electrocatalysts, thus revealing the catalytic mechanisms. Herein, current well-recognized collaboration methods of theory and practice are reviewed. The commonly used calculation methods and the basic functionals are briefly summarized. Special attention is paid to descriptors that are widely accepted as a bridge linking the structure and activity and the breakthroughs for high-volume accurate prediction of electrocatalysts. Importantly, correlated multiple descriptors are used to systematically describe the complicated interfacial electrocatalytic processes of LDC catalysts. Furthermore, machine learning and high-throughput simulations are crucial in assisting the discovery of new multiple descriptors and reaction mechanisms. This review will guide the further development of LDC electrocatalysts for extended applications from the aspect of DFT computations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Han
- Queensland Micro- and Nanotechnology Centre, Griffith University, Nathan Campus, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- School of Engineering and Built Environment, Griffith University, Nathan Campus, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Hongzhe Xu
- Queensland Micro- and Nanotechnology Centre, Griffith University, Nathan Campus, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- School of Engineering and Built Environment, Griffith University, Nathan Campus, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Qin Li
- Queensland Micro- and Nanotechnology Centre, Griffith University, Nathan Campus, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- School of Engineering and Built Environment, Griffith University, Nathan Campus, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Aijun Du
- School of Chemistry and Physics and Centre for Materials Science, Queensland University of Technology, Gardens Point Campus, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Xuecheng Yan
- Queensland Micro- and Nanotechnology Centre, Griffith University, Nathan Campus, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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40
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Niu H, Lv H, Mao L, Cai Y, Zhao X, Wu F. Highly efficient and continuous activation of O 2 by a novel Fe xP-FeCu composite for water purification and insights into the activation mechanisms through DFT calculation. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2023; 459:132267. [PMID: 37586243 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.132267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Revised: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023]
Abstract
Degradation of organic pollutants through O2 activation catalyzed by transitional metals is challenging without addition of external chemicals and input of energy. We prepare a novel Fe based catalyst by compositing carbon, iron phosphide (FexP), iron carbide (FexC), Fe0 and Cu NPs, which can continuously activate O2 to produce high amount of 1O2,·O2- and·OH radicals in a wide pH range. DFT calculation discloses that O2 molecules are dissociated into *O or exist as O-O in various configurations. The Fe-O2, Cu-O2 and FeP-O2 surfaces can react with H2O molecules to generate *OOH, *OH and/or OH-. The sorbed-O2 intermediates on FexC surface might be released as 1O2 or·O2-. The oxidative O2-sorbed surfaces and in-situ produced oxygen reactive species contribute to the efficient and pH-indenpendent degradation of organic pollutants. Cu NPs accelerate Fe2+/Fe3+ cycles and offer impetus to initiate O2 activation due to the potential difference between Fe and Cu. The recycling test and XPS results confirm that the mutual electron transferring among carbon, FexC, FexP, Fe and Cu maintains reactivity and stability of the catalysts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongyun Niu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Hongzhou Lv
- Institute of Resources and Environment Engineering, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province 030006, China
| | - Li Mao
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Yaqi Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; Institute of Environment and Health, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, UCAS, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province 310013, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
| | - Xiaoli Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China
| | - Fengchang Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China
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41
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Sun F, Qin L, Tang Z, Deng G, Bootharaju MS, Wei Z, Tang Q, Hyeon T. -SR removal or -R removal? A mechanistic revisit on the puzzle of ligand etching of Au 25(SR) 18 nanoclusters during electrocatalysis. Chem Sci 2023; 14:10532-10546. [PMID: 37800008 PMCID: PMC10548520 DOI: 10.1039/d3sc03018k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Accurate identification of active sites is highly desirable for elucidation of the reaction mechanism and development of efficient catalysts. Despite the promising catalytic performance of thiolated metal nanoclusters (NCs), their actual catalytic sites remain elusive. Traditional first-principles calculations and experimental observations suggested dealkylated S and dethiolated metal, respectively, to be the active centers. However, the real kinetic origin of thiolate etching during the electrocatalysis of NCs is still puzzling. Herein, we conducted advanced first-principles calculations and electrochemical/spectroscopic experiments to unravel the electrochemical etching kinetics of thiolate ligands in prototype Au25(SCH3)18 NC. The electrochemical processes are revealed to be spontaneously facilitated by dethiolation (i.e., desorption of -SCH3), forming the free HSCH3 molecule after explicitly including the solvent effect and electrode potential. Thus, exposed under-coordinated Au atoms, rather than the S atoms, serve as the real catalytic sites. The thermodynamically preferred Au-S bond cleavage arises from the selective attack of H from proton/H2O on the S atom under suitable electrochemical bias due to the spatial accessibility and the presence of S lone pair electrons. Decrease of reduction potential promotes the proton attack on S and significantly accelerates the kinetics of Au-S bond breakage irrespective of the pH of the medium. Our theoretical results are further verified by the experimental electrochemical and spectroscopic data. At more negative electrode potentials, the number of -SR ligands decreased with concomitant increase of the vibrational intensity of S-H bonds. These findings together clarify the atomic-level activation mechanism on the surface of Au25(SR)18 NCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fang Sun
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Chongqing University Chongqing 401331 China
| | - Lubing Qin
- New Energy Research Institute, School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center Guangzhou 510006 China
| | - Zhenghua Tang
- New Energy Research Institute, School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center Guangzhou 510006 China
| | - Guocheng Deng
- Center for Nanoparticle Research, Institute for Basic Science (IBS) Seoul 08826 Republic of Korea
- School of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Institute of Chemical Processes, Seoul National University Seoul 08826 Republic of Korea
| | - Megalamane S Bootharaju
- Center for Nanoparticle Research, Institute for Basic Science (IBS) Seoul 08826 Republic of Korea
- School of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Institute of Chemical Processes, Seoul National University Seoul 08826 Republic of Korea
| | - Zidong Wei
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Chongqing University Chongqing 401331 China
| | - Qing Tang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Chongqing University Chongqing 401331 China
| | - Taeghwan Hyeon
- Center for Nanoparticle Research, Institute for Basic Science (IBS) Seoul 08826 Republic of Korea
- School of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Institute of Chemical Processes, Seoul National University Seoul 08826 Republic of Korea
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42
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Muthusamy S, Sabhapathy P, Raghunath P, Sabbah A, Chang YC, Krishnamoorthy V, Ho TT, Chiou JW, Lin MC, Chen LC, Chen KH. Mimicking Metalloenzyme Microenvironments in the Transition Metal-Single Atom Catalysts for Electrochemical Hydrogen Peroxide Synthesis in an Acidic Medium. SMALL METHODS 2023; 7:e2300234. [PMID: 37401196 DOI: 10.1002/smtd.202300234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Revised: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/05/2023]
Abstract
Electrochemical reduction of oxygen into hydrogen peroxide in an acidic medium offers an energy-efficient and green H2 O2 synthesis as an alternative to the energy-intensive anthraquinone process. Unfortunately, high overpotential, low production rates, and fierce competition from traditional four-electron reduction limit it. In this study, a metalloenzyme-like active structure is mimicked in carbon-based single-atom electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction to H2 O2 . Using a carbonization strategy, the primary electronic structure of the metal center with nitrogen and oxygen coordination is modulated, followed by epoxy oxygen functionalities close to the metal active sites. In an acidic medium, CoNOC active structures proceed with greater than 98% H2 O2 selectivity (2e- /2H+ ) rather than CoNC active sites that are selective to H2 O (4e- /4H+ ). Among all MNOC (M = Fe, Co, Mn, and Ni) single-atom electrocatalysts, the CoNOC is the most selective (> 98%) for H2 O2 production, with a mass activity of 10 A g-1 at 0.60 V vs. RHE. X-ray absorption spectroscopy is used to identify the formation of unsymmetrical MNOC active structures. Experimental results are also compared to density functional theory calculations, which revealed that the structure-activity relationship of the epoxy-surrounded CoNOC active structure reaches optimum (ΔG*OOH ) binding energies for high selectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saravanakumar Muthusamy
- Sustainable Chemical Science and Technology, Taiwan International Graduate Program, Academia Sinica, Nangang, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
- Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Nangang, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
- Department of Applied Chemistry, National Yang-Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, 30010, Taiwan
- Institute of Atomic and Molecular Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
- Center for Condensed Matter Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
| | - Palani Sabhapathy
- Center for Condensed Matter Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
| | - Putikam Raghunath
- Department of Applied Chemistry, National Yang-Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, 30010, Taiwan
| | - Amr Sabbah
- Institute of Atomic and Molecular Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
- Tabbin Institute for Metallurgical Studies, Cairo, 11421, Egypt
| | - Yu-Chung Chang
- X-ray Absorption Group, National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center, Hsinchu, 30076, Taiwan
| | - Vimal Krishnamoorthy
- Center for Condensed Matter Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Applied Science and Technology, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei, 10607, Taiwan
| | - Thi-Thong Ho
- Institute of Atomic and Molecular Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
| | - Jau-Wern Chiou
- Department of Applied Physics, National University of Kaohsiung, Kaohsiung, 811726, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Chang Lin
- Department of Applied Chemistry, National Yang-Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, 30010, Taiwan
| | - Li-Chyong Chen
- Center for Condensed Matter Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
- Department of Physics, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
- Center of Atomic Initiative for New Materials, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
| | - Kuei-Hsien Chen
- Institute of Atomic and Molecular Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
- Center for Condensed Matter Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
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43
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Zhang Q, Chen Y, Pan J, Daiyan R, Lovell EC, Yun J, Amal R, Lu X. Electrosynthesis of Hydrogen Peroxide through Selective Oxygen Reduction: A Carbon Innovation from Active Site Engineering to Device Design. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2023; 19:e2302338. [PMID: 37267930 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202302338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Electrochemical synthesis of hydrogen peroxide (H2 O2 ) through the selective oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) offers a promising alternative to the energy-intensive anthraquinone method, while its success relies largely on the development of efficient electrocatalyst. Currently, carbon-based materials (CMs) are the most widely studied electrocatalysts for electrosynthesis of H2 O2 via ORR due to their low cost, earth abundance, and tunable catalytic properties. To achieve a high 2e- ORR selectivity, great progress is made in promoting the performance of carbon-based electrocatalysts and unveiling their underlying catalytic mechanisms. Here, a comprehensive review in the field is presented by summarizing the recent advances in CMs for H2 O2 production, focusing on the design, fabrication, and mechanism investigations over the catalytic active moieties, where an enhancement effect of defect engineering or heteroatom doping on H2 O2 selectivity is discussed thoroughly. Particularly, the influence of functional groups on CMs for a 2e- -pathway is highlighted. Further, for commercial perspectives, the significance of reactor design for decentralized H2 O2 production is emphasized, bridging the gap between intrinsic catalytic properties and apparent productivity in electrochemical devices. Finally, major challenges and opportunities for the practical electrosynthesis of H2 O2 and future research directions are proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingran Zhang
- Particles and Catalysis Research Group, School of Chemical Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Yinguang Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Jian Pan
- Particles and Catalysis Research Group, School of Chemical Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Rahman Daiyan
- Particles and Catalysis Research Group, School of Chemical Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Emma C Lovell
- Particles and Catalysis Research Group, School of Chemical Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Jimmy Yun
- Particles and Catalysis Research Group, School of Chemical Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
- College of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Hebei University of Science and Technology, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, 050018, P. R. China
- Qingdao International Academician Park Research Institute, Qingdao, Shandong, 266000, China
| | - Rose Amal
- Particles and Catalysis Research Group, School of Chemical Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Xunyu Lu
- Particles and Catalysis Research Group, School of Chemical Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
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44
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Kim C, Park SO, Kwak SK, Xia Z, Kim G, Dai L. Concurrent oxygen reduction and water oxidation at high ionic strength for scalable electrosynthesis of hydrogen peroxide. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5822. [PMID: 37726271 PMCID: PMC10509222 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41397-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Electrosynthesis of hydrogen peroxide via selective two-electron transfer oxygen reduction or water oxidation reactions offers a cleaner, cost-effective alternative to anthraquinone processes. However, it remains a challenge to achieve high Faradaic efficiencies at elevated current densities. Herein, we report that oxygen-deficient Pr1.0Sr1.0Fe0.75Zn0.25O4-δ perovskite oxides rich of oxygen vacancies can favorably bind the reaction intermediates to facilitate selective and efficient two-electron transfer pathways. These oxides exhibited superior Faradic efficiencies (~99%) for oxygen reduction over a wide potential range (0.05 to 0.45 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode) and current densities surpassing 50 mA cm-2 under high ionic strengths. We further found that the oxides perform a high selectivity (~80%) for two-electron transfer water oxidation reaction at a low overpotential (0.39 V). Lastly, we devised a membrane-free electrolyser employing bifunctional electrocatalysts, achieving a record-high Faradaic efficiency of 163.0% at 2.10 V and 50 mA cm-2. This marks the first report of the concurrent oxygen reduction and water oxidation catalysed by efficient bifunctional oxides in a novel membrane-free electrolyser for scalable hydrogen peroxide electrosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changmin Kim
- Australian Carbon Materials Centre (A-CMC), School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Sung O Park
- Department of Energy Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan, 44919, South Korea
| | - Sang Kyu Kwak
- Department of Energy Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan, 44919, South Korea
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, South Korea
| | - Zhenhai Xia
- Australian Carbon Materials Centre (A-CMC), School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Guntae Kim
- Key Laboratory of Interfacial Physics and Technology, Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201800, China.
| | - Liming Dai
- Australian Carbon Materials Centre (A-CMC), School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia.
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45
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Zhang J, Zhang G, Lan H, Sun M, Liu H, Qu J. Synergetic Oxidation of the Hydroxyl Radical and Superoxide Anion Lowers the Benzoquinone Intermediate Conversion Barrier and Potentiates Effective Aromatic Pollutant Mineralization. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:12117-12126. [PMID: 37525979 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c03406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/02/2023]
Abstract
Regulation of the free radical types is crucial but challenging in the ubiquitous heterogeneous catalytic oxidation for chemosynthesis, biotherapy, and environmental remediation. Here, using aromatic pollutant (AP) removal as a prototype, we identify the massive accumulation of the benzoquinone (BQ) intermediate in the hydroxyl radical (•OH)-mediated AP degradation process. Theoretical prediction and experiments demonstrate that BQ is both a Lewis acid and base because of its unique molecular and electronic structure caused by the existence of symmetrical carbonyl groups; therefore, it is hard to be electrophilically added by oxidizing •OH as a result of the high reaction energy barrier (ΔG = 1.74 eV). Fortunately, the introduction of the superoxide anion (•O2-) significantly lowers the conversion barrier (ΔG = 0.91 eV) of BQ because •O2- can act as the electron donor and acceptor simultaneously, electrophilically and nucleophilically add to BQ synchronously, and break it down. Subsequently, the breakdown products can then be further oxidized by •OH until completely mineralized. Such synergistic oxidation based on •OH and •O2- timely eliminates BQ, potentiates AP mineralization, and inhibits electrode fouling caused by high-resistance polymeric BQ; more importantly, it effectively reduces toxicity, saves energy and costs, and decreases the environmental footprint, evidenced by the life cycle assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Zhang
- Center for Water and Ecology, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China
| | - Gong Zhang
- Center for Water and Ecology, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China
| | - Huachun Lan
- Center for Water and Ecology, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China
| | - Meng Sun
- Center for Water and Ecology, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China
| | - Huijuan Liu
- Center for Water and Ecology, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiuhui Qu
- Center for Water and Ecology, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China
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46
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Xia R, Wang R, Hasa B, Lee A, Liu Y, Ma X, Jiao F. Electrosynthesis of ethylene glycol from C 1 feedstocks in a flow electrolyzer. Nat Commun 2023; 14:4570. [PMID: 37516779 PMCID: PMC10387065 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40296-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Ethylene glycol is a widely utilized commodity chemical, the production of which accounts for over 46 million tons of CO2 emission annually. Here we report a paired electrocatalytic approach for ethylene glycol production from methanol. Carbon catalysts are effective in reducing formaldehyde into ethylene glycol with a 92% Faradaic efficiency, whereas Pt catalysts at the anode enable formaldehyde production through methanol partial oxidation with a 75% Faradaic efficiency. With a membrane-electrode assembly configuration, we show the feasibility of ethylene glycol electrosynthesis from methanol in a single electrolyzer. The electrolyzer operates a full cell voltage of 3.2 V at a current density of 100 mA cm-2, with a 60% reduction in energy consumption. Further investigations, using operando flow electrolyzer mass spectroscopy, isotopic labeling, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, indicate that the desorption of a *CH2OH intermediate is the crucial step in determining the selectively towards ethylene glycol over methanol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rong Xia
- Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China
- Center for Catalytic Science and Technology, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA
| | - Ruoyu Wang
- Texas Materials Institute and Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Bjorn Hasa
- Center for Catalytic Science and Technology, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA
| | - Ahryeon Lee
- Center for Catalytic Science and Technology, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA
| | - Yuanyue Liu
- Texas Materials Institute and Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA.
| | - Xinbin Ma
- Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China.
| | - Feng Jiao
- Center for Catalytic Science and Technology, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA.
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47
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Peng W, Liu J, Liu X, Wang L, Yin L, Tan H, Hou F, Liang J. Facilitating two-electron oxygen reduction with pyrrolic nitrogen sites for electrochemical hydrogen peroxide production. Nat Commun 2023; 14:4430. [PMID: 37481579 PMCID: PMC10363113 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40118-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Electrocatalytic hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production via the two-electron oxygen reduction reaction is a promising alternative to the energy-intensive and high-pollution anthraquinone oxidation process. However, developing advanced electrocatalysts with high H2O2 yield, selectivity, and durability is still challenging, because of the limited quantity and easy passivation of active sites on typical metal-containing catalysts, especially for the state-of-the-art single-atom ones. To address this, we report a graphene/mesoporous carbon composite for high-rate and high-efficiency 2e- oxygen reduction catalysis. The coordination of pyrrolic-N sites -modulates the adsorption configuration of the *OOH species to provide a kinetically favorable pathway for H2O2 production. Consequently, the H2O2 yield approaches 30 mol g-1 h-1 with a Faradaic efficiency of 80% and excellent durability, yielding a high H2O2 concentration of 7.2 g L-1. This strategy of manipulating the adsorption configuration of reactants with multiple non-metal active sites provides a strategy to design efficient and durable metal-free electrocatalyst for 2e- oxygen reduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Peng
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Ceramics and Machining Technology of Ministry of Education School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China
| | - Jiaxin Liu
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Ceramics and Machining Technology of Ministry of Education School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China
| | - Xiaoqing Liu
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Ceramics and Machining Technology of Ministry of Education School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China
| | - Liqun Wang
- Applied Physics Department, College of Physics and Materials Science, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, 300387, China.
| | - Lichang Yin
- Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110016, China.
| | - Haotian Tan
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Ceramics and Machining Technology of Ministry of Education School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China
| | - Feng Hou
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Ceramics and Machining Technology of Ministry of Education School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China.
| | - Ji Liang
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Ceramics and Machining Technology of Ministry of Education School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China.
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48
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Xia Z, Xiao H. Grand Canonical Ensemble Modeling of Electrochemical Interfaces Made Simple. J Chem Theory Comput 2023. [PMID: 37399292 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.3c00237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/05/2023]
Abstract
Grand canonical ensemble (GCE) modeling of electrochemical interfaces, in which the electrochemical potential is converged to a preset constant, is essential for understanding electrochemistry and electrocatalysis at the electrodes. However, it requires developing efficient and robust algorithms to perform practical and effective GCE modeling with density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Herein, we developed an efficient and robust fully converged constant-potential (FCP) algorithm based on Newton's method and a polynomial fitting to calculate the necessary derivative for DFT calculations. We demonstrated with the constant-potential geometry optimization and Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamics (BOMD) calculations that our FCP algorithm is resistant to the numerical instability that plagues other algorithms, and it delivers efficient convergence to the preset electrochemical potential and renders accurate forces for updating the nuclear positions of an electronically open system, outperforming other algorithms. The implementation of our FCP algorithm enables flexibility in using various computational codes and versatility in performing advanced tasks including the constant-potential enhanced-sampling BOMD simulations that we showcased with the modeling of the electrochemical hydrogenation of CO, and it is thus expected to find a wide spectrum of applications in the modeling of chemistry at electrochemical interfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhaoming Xia
- Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
- Department of Chemistry, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Hai Xiao
- Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
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49
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Liu L, Kang L, Chutia A, Feng J, Michalska M, Ferrer P, Grinter DC, Held G, Tan Y, Zhao F, Guo F, Hopkinson DG, Allen CS, Hou Y, Gu J, Papakonstantinou I, Shearing PR, Brett DJL, Parkin IP, He G. Spectroscopic Identification of Active Sites of Oxygen-Doped Carbon for Selective Oxygen Reduction to Hydrogen Peroxide. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202303525. [PMID: 36929681 PMCID: PMC10947142 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202303525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/16/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023]
Abstract
The electrochemical synthesis of hydrogen peroxide (H2 O2 ) via a two-electron (2 e- ) oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) process provides a promising alternative to replace the energy-intensive anthraquinone process. Herein, we develop a facile template-protected strategy to synthesize a highly active quinone-rich porous carbon catalyst for H2 O2 electrochemical production. The optimized PCC900 material exhibits remarkable activity and selectivity, of which the onset potential reaches 0.83 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode in 0.1 M KOH and the H2 O2 selectivity is over 95 % in a wide potential range. Comprehensive synchrotron-based near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy combined with electrocatalytic characterizations reveals the positive correlation between quinone content and 2 e- ORR performance. The effectiveness of chair-form quinone groups as the most efficient active sites is highlighted by the molecule-mimic strategy and theoretical analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Longxiang Liu
- Christopher Ingold LaboratoryDepartment of ChemistryUniversity College London20 Gordon StreetLondonWC1H 0AJUK
| | - Liqun Kang
- Department of Inorganic SpectroscopyMax-Planck-Institute for Chemical Energy ConversionStiftstr. 34–3645470Mülheim an der RuhrGermany
| | | | - Jianrui Feng
- Christopher Ingold LaboratoryDepartment of ChemistryUniversity College London20 Gordon StreetLondonWC1H 0AJUK
| | - Martyna Michalska
- Photonic Innovations LabDepartment of Electronic & Electrical EngineeringUniversity College LondonTorrington PlaceLondonWC1E 7JEUK
| | - Pilar Ferrer
- Diamond Light SourceRutherford Appleton LaboratoryHarwell, DidcotOX11 0DEUK
| | - David C. Grinter
- Diamond Light SourceRutherford Appleton LaboratoryHarwell, DidcotOX11 0DEUK
| | - Georg Held
- Diamond Light SourceRutherford Appleton LaboratoryHarwell, DidcotOX11 0DEUK
| | - Yeshu Tan
- Christopher Ingold LaboratoryDepartment of ChemistryUniversity College London20 Gordon StreetLondonWC1H 0AJUK
| | - Fangjia Zhao
- Christopher Ingold LaboratoryDepartment of ChemistryUniversity College London20 Gordon StreetLondonWC1H 0AJUK
| | - Fei Guo
- Christopher Ingold LaboratoryDepartment of ChemistryUniversity College London20 Gordon StreetLondonWC1H 0AJUK
| | - David G. Hopkinson
- electron Physical Science Imaging CentreRutherford Appleton LaboratoryHarwell, DidcotOX11 0DEUK
| | - Christopher S. Allen
- electron Physical Science Imaging CentreRutherford Appleton LaboratoryHarwell, DidcotOX11 0DEUK
- Department of MaterialsUniversity of OxfordParks RoadOxfordOX1 3PHUK
| | - Yanbei Hou
- HP-NTU Digital Manufacturing Corporate LaboratorySchool of Mechanical and AerospaceNanyang Technological University50 Nanyang AvenueSingapore639798Singapore
| | - Junwen Gu
- Christopher Ingold LaboratoryDepartment of ChemistryUniversity College London20 Gordon StreetLondonWC1H 0AJUK
| | - Ioannis Papakonstantinou
- Photonic Innovations LabDepartment of Electronic & Electrical EngineeringUniversity College LondonTorrington PlaceLondonWC1E 7JEUK
| | - Paul R. Shearing
- Electrochemical Innovation LabDepartment of Chemical EngineeringUniversity College LondonLondonWC1E 7JEUK
| | - Dan J. L. Brett
- Electrochemical Innovation LabDepartment of Chemical EngineeringUniversity College LondonLondonWC1E 7JEUK
| | - Ivan P. Parkin
- Christopher Ingold LaboratoryDepartment of ChemistryUniversity College London20 Gordon StreetLondonWC1H 0AJUK
| | - Guanjie He
- Christopher Ingold LaboratoryDepartment of ChemistryUniversity College London20 Gordon StreetLondonWC1H 0AJUK
- Electrochemical Innovation LabDepartment of Chemical EngineeringUniversity College LondonLondonWC1E 7JEUK
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Tian Y, Deng D, Xu L, Li M, Chen H, Wu Z, Zhang S. Strategies for Sustainable Production of Hydrogen Peroxide via Oxygen Reduction Reaction: From Catalyst Design to Device Setup. NANO-MICRO LETTERS 2023; 15:122. [PMID: 37160560 PMCID: PMC10169199 DOI: 10.1007/s40820-023-01067-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
An environmentally benign, sustainable, and cost-effective supply of H2O2 as a rapidly expanding consumption raw material is highly desired for chemical industries, medical treatment, and household disinfection. The electrocatalytic production route via electrochemical oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) offers a sustainable avenue for the on-site production of H2O2 from O2 and H2O. The most crucial and innovative part of such technology lies in the availability of suitable electrocatalysts that promote two-electron (2e-) ORR. In recent years, tremendous progress has been achieved in designing efficient, robust, and cost-effective catalyst materials, including noble metals and their alloys, metal-free carbon-based materials, single-atom catalysts, and molecular catalysts. Meanwhile, innovative cell designs have significantly advanced electrochemical applications at the industrial level. This review summarizes fundamental basics and recent advances in H2O2 production via 2e--ORR, including catalyst design, mechanistic explorations, theoretical computations, experimental evaluations, and electrochemical cell designs. Perspectives on addressing remaining challenges are also presented with an emphasis on the large-scale synthesis of H2O2 via the electrochemical route.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuhui Tian
- School of Chemical Engineering and Light Industry, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China
- Centre for Catalysis and Clean Energy, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Gold Coast, Queensland, 4222, Australia
| | - Daijie Deng
- Institute for Energy Research, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Zhenjiang, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, People's Republic of China
| | - Li Xu
- Institute for Energy Research, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Zhenjiang, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, People's Republic of China
| | - Meng Li
- School of Chemical Engineering and Light Industry, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China
| | - Hao Chen
- School of Chemical Engineering and Light Industry, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhenzhen Wu
- Centre for Catalysis and Clean Energy, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Gold Coast, Queensland, 4222, Australia
| | - Shanqing Zhang
- Centre for Catalysis and Clean Energy, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Gold Coast, Queensland, 4222, Australia.
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