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Gu J, Yang S, Liu JZ, Zhang L. Unravelling the atomistic mechanisms underpinning the morphological evolution of Al-alloyed hematite. NANOSCALE 2024; 16:5976-5987. [PMID: 38376499 DOI: 10.1039/d3nr05765h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
Hydrothermal synthesis based upon the use of Al3+ as the dopant and/or ethanol as the solvent is effective in promoting the growth of hematite into nanoplates rich in the (001) surface, which is highly active for a broad range of catalytic applications. However, the underpinning mechanism for the flattening of hematite crystals is still poorly comprehended. To close this knowledge gap, in this work, we have attempted intensive computational modelling to construct a binary phase diagram for Fe2O3-Al2O3 under typical hydrothermal conditions, as well as to quantify the surface energy of hematite crystal upon coverage with Al3+ and ethanol molecules. An innovative coupling of density functional theory calculation, cluster expansion and Monte Carlo simulations in analogy to machine learning and prediction was attempted. Upon successful validation by experimental observation, our simulation results suggest an optimum atomic dispersion of Al3+ within hematite in cases when its concentration is below 4 at% otherwise phase separation occurs, and discrete Al2O3 nano-clusters can be preferentially formed. Computations also revealed that the adsorption of ethanol molecules alone can reduce the specific surface energy of the hematite (001) surface from 1.33 to 0.31 J m-2. The segregation of Al3+ on the (001) surface can further reduce the specific surface energy to 0.18 J m-2. Consequently, the (001) surface growth is inhibited, and it becomes dominant after the disappearance of other surfaces upon their continual growth. This work provides atomistic insights into the synergistic effect between the aluminium textural promoter and the ethanol capping agent in determining the morphology of hematite nanoparticles. The established computation approach also applies to other oxide-based catalysts in controlling their surface growth and morphology, which are critical for their catalytic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinxing Gu
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Monash University, Victoria, 3800, Australia.
| | - Sasha Yang
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Monash University, Victoria, 3800, Australia.
| | - Jefferson Zhe Liu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, 3010, Australia.
| | - Lian Zhang
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Monash University, Victoria, 3800, Australia.
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2
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SO2 pollutant conversion to sulfuric acid inside a stand-alone photoelectrochemical reactor: a novel, green, and safe strategy for H2SO4 photosynthesis. J IND ENG CHEM 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jiec.2023.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2023]
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3
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Venugopal A, Egberts LHT, Meeprasert J, Pidko EA, Dam B, Burdyny T, Sinha V, Smith WA. Polymer Modification of Surface Electronic Properties of Electrocatalysts. ACS ENERGY LETTERS 2022; 7:1586-1593. [PMID: 35601628 PMCID: PMC9112331 DOI: 10.1021/acsenergylett.2c00199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Finding alternative ways to tailor the electronic properties of a catalyst to actively and selectively drive reactions of interest has been a growing research topic in the field of electrochemistry. In this Letter, we investigate the tuning of the surface electronic properties of electrocatalysts via polymer modification. We show that when a nickel oxide water oxidation catalyst is coated with polytetrafluoroethylene, stable Ni-CF x bonds are introduced at the nickel oxide/polymer interface, resulting in shifting of the reaction selectivity away from the oxygen evolution reaction and toward hydrogen peroxide formation. It is shown that the electron-withdrawing character of the surface fluorocarbon molecule leaves a slight positive charge on the water oxidation intermediates at the adjacent active nickel sites, making their bonds weaker. The concept of modifying the surface electronic properties of an electrocatalyst via stable polymer modification offers an additional route to tune multipathway reactions in polymer/electrocatalyst environments, like with ionomer-modified catalysts or with membrane electrode assemblies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anirudh Venugopal
- Materials
for Energy Conversion and Storage (MECS), Department of Chemical Engineering,
Faculty of Applied Sciences, Delft University
of Technology, Delft 2629HZ, The Netherlands
| | - Laurentius H. T. Egberts
- Materials
for Energy Conversion and Storage (MECS), Department of Chemical Engineering,
Faculty of Applied Sciences, Delft University
of Technology, Delft 2629HZ, The Netherlands
| | - Jittima Meeprasert
- Inorganic
Systems Engineering (ISE), Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty
of Applied Sciences, Delft University of
Technology, Delft 2629HZ, The Netherlands
| | - Evgeny A. Pidko
- Inorganic
Systems Engineering (ISE), Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty
of Applied Sciences, Delft University of
Technology, Delft 2629HZ, The Netherlands
| | - Bernard Dam
- Materials
for Energy Conversion and Storage (MECS), Department of Chemical Engineering,
Faculty of Applied Sciences, Delft University
of Technology, Delft 2629HZ, The Netherlands
| | - Thomas Burdyny
- Materials
for Energy Conversion and Storage (MECS), Department of Chemical Engineering,
Faculty of Applied Sciences, Delft University
of Technology, Delft 2629HZ, The Netherlands
| | - Vivek Sinha
- Inorganic
Systems Engineering (ISE), Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty
of Applied Sciences, Delft University of
Technology, Delft 2629HZ, The Netherlands
| | - Wilson A. Smith
- Materials
for Energy Conversion and Storage (MECS), Department of Chemical Engineering,
Faculty of Applied Sciences, Delft University
of Technology, Delft 2629HZ, The Netherlands
- Renewable
and Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI), University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80303, United States
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4
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Samanta B, Morales-García Á, Illas F, Goga N, Anta JA, Calero S, Bieberle-Hütter A, Libisch F, Muñoz-García AB, Pavone M, Caspary Toroker M. Challenges of modeling nanostructured materials for photocatalytic water splitting. Chem Soc Rev 2022; 51:3794-3818. [PMID: 35439803 DOI: 10.1039/d1cs00648g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the water splitting mechanism in photocatalysis is a rewarding goal as it will allow producing clean fuel for a sustainable life in the future. However, identifying the photocatalytic mechanisms by modeling photoactive nanoparticles requires sophisticated computational techniques based on multiscale modeling. In this review, we will survey the strengths and drawbacks of currently available theoretical methods at different length and accuracy scales. Understanding the surface-active site through Density Functional Theory (DFT) using new, more accurate exchange-correlation functionals plays a key role for surface engineering. Larger scale dynamics of the catalyst/electrolyte interface can be treated with Molecular Dynamics albeit there is a need for more generalizations of force fields. Monte Carlo and Continuum Modeling techniques are so far not the prominent path for modeling water splitting but interest is growing due to the lower computational cost and the feasibility to compare the modeling outcome directly to experimental data. The future challenges in modeling complex nano-photocatalysts involve combining different methods in a hierarchical way so that resources are spent wisely at each length scale, as well as accounting for excited states chemistry that is important for photocatalysis, a path that will bring devices closer to the theoretical limit of photocatalytic efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bipasa Samanta
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3600003, Israel
| | - Ángel Morales-García
- Departament de Ciència de Materials i Química Física & Institut de Química Teòrica i Computacional (IQTCUB), Universitat de Barcelona, c/Martí i Franquès 1-11, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Francesc Illas
- Departament de Ciència de Materials i Química Física & Institut de Química Teòrica i Computacional (IQTCUB), Universitat de Barcelona, c/Martí i Franquès 1-11, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Nicolae Goga
- Faculty of Engineering in Foreign Languages, Universitatea Politehnica din Bucuresti, Bucuresti, Romania.
| | - Juan Antonio Anta
- Department of Physical, Chemical and Natural Systems, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Crta. De Utrera km. 1, 41089 Sevilla, Spain.
| | - Sofia Calero
- Materials Simulation & Modeling, Department of Applied Physics, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Anja Bieberle-Hütter
- Electrochemical Materials and Interfaces, Dutch Institute for Fundamental Energy Research (DIFFER), 5600 HH Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
| | - Florian Libisch
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, TU Wien, 1040 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Ana B Muñoz-García
- Dipartimento di Fisica "Ettore Pancini", Università di Napoli Federico II, Via Cintia 21, Napoli 80126, Italy.
| | - Michele Pavone
- Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Università di Napoli Federico II, Via Cintia 21, Napoli 80126, Italy.
| | - Maytal Caspary Toroker
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3600003, Israel.,The Nancy and Stephen Grand Technion Energy Program, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3600003, Israel.
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5
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Sinha V, Khramenkova E, Pidko EA. Solvent-mediated outer-sphere CO 2 electro-reduction mechanism over the Ag111 surface. Chem Sci 2022; 13:3803-3808. [PMID: 35432905 PMCID: PMC8966634 DOI: 10.1039/d1sc07119j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
The electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) is one of the key technologies of the clean energy economy. Molecular-level understanding of the CO2RR process is instrumental for the better design of electrodes operable at low overpotentials with high current density. The catalytic mechanism underlying the turnover and selectivity of the CO2RR is modulated by the nature of the electrocatalyst, as well as the electrolyte liquid, and its ionic components that form the electrical double layer (EDL). Herein we demonstrate the critical non-innocent role of the EDL for the activation and conversion of CO2 at a high cathodic bias for electrocatalytic conversion over a silver surface as a representative low-cost model cathode. By using a multiscale modeling approach we demonstrate that under such conditions a dense EDL is formed, which hinders the diffusion of CO2 towards the Ag111 electrocatalyst surface. By combining DFT calculations and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations we identify favorable pathways for CO2 reduction directly over the EDL without the need for adsorption to the catalyst surface. The dense EDL promotes homogeneous phase reduction of CO2via electron transfer from the surface to the electrolyte. Such an outer-sphere mechanism favors the formation of formate as the CO2RR product. The formate can undergo dehydration to CO via a transition state stabilized by solvated alkali cations in the EDL. In addition to the commonly accepted inner-sphere mechanism for e− transfer, we show that an outer-sphere electron transfer from the cathode to CO2 is operable at high overpotentials.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivek Sinha
- Inorganic Systems Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Delft University of Technology Delft The Netherlands
| | - Elena Khramenkova
- Inorganic Systems Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Delft University of Technology Delft The Netherlands
| | - Evgeny A Pidko
- Inorganic Systems Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Delft University of Technology Delft The Netherlands
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6
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Kapse S, Narasimhan S, Thapa R. Descriptors and graphical construction for in silico design of efficient and selective single atom catalysts for the eNRR. Chem Sci 2022; 13:10003-10010. [PMID: 36128233 PMCID: PMC9430735 DOI: 10.1039/d2sc02625b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Outline a screening protocol that uses density functional theory calculations to simultaneously optimize with respect to multiple criteria, thereby successfully identifying catalysts that are highly selective and also result in low overpotentials for ammonia production through eNRR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samadhan Kapse
- Department of Physics, SRM University – AP, Amaravati 522 240, Andhra Pradesh, India
| | - Shobhana Narasimhan
- Theoretical Sciences Unit and School of Advanced Materials, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore 560 064, Karnataka, India
| | - Ranjit Thapa
- Department of Physics, SRM University – AP, Amaravati 522 240, Andhra Pradesh, India
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7
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Huang J, Li M, Eslamibidgoli MJ, Eikerling M, Groß A. Cation Overcrowding Effect on the Oxygen Evolution Reaction. JACS AU 2021; 1:1752-1765. [PMID: 34723278 PMCID: PMC8549051 DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.1c00315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
The influence of electrolyte ions on the catalytic activity of electrode/electrolyte interfaces is a controversial topic for many electrocatalytic reactions. Herein, we focus on an effect that is usually neglected, namely, how the local reaction conditions are shaped by nonspecifically adsorbed cations. We scrutinize the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at nickel (oxy)hydroxide catalysts, using a physicochemical model that integrates density functional theory calculations, a microkinetic submodel, and a mean-field submodel of the electric double layer. The aptness of the model is verified by comparison with experiments. The robustness of model-based insights against uncertainties and variations in model parameters is examined, with a sensitivity analysis using Monto Carlo simulations. We interpret the decrease in OER activity with the increasing effective size of electrolyte cations as a consequence of cation overcrowding near the negatively charged electrode surface. The same reasoning could explain why the OER activity increases with solution pH on the RHE scale and why the OER activity decreases in the presence of bivalent cations. Overall, this work stresses the importance of correctly accounting for local reaction conditions in electrocatalytic reactions to obtain an accurate picture of factors that determine the electrode activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Huang
- Institute
of Theoretical Chemistry, Ulm University, 89069 Ulm, Germany
- Institute
of Energy and Climate Research, IEK-13: Theory and Computation of
Energy Materials, Forschungszentrum Jülich
GmbH, 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Mengru Li
- Institute
of Theoretical Chemistry, Ulm University, 89069 Ulm, Germany
| | - Mohammad J. Eslamibidgoli
- Institute
of Energy and Climate Research, IEK-13: Theory and Computation of
Energy Materials, Forschungszentrum Jülich
GmbH, 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Michael Eikerling
- Institute
of Energy and Climate Research, IEK-13: Theory and Computation of
Energy Materials, Forschungszentrum Jülich
GmbH, 52425 Jülich, Germany
- Jülich
Aachen Research Alliance: JARA-Energy, 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Axel Groß
- Institute
of Theoretical Chemistry, Ulm University, 89069 Ulm, Germany
- Helmholtz
Institute Ulm (HIU) Electrochemical Energy Storage, 89069 Ulm, Germany
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