1
|
Tian Z, Zhang Q, Liu T, Chen Y, Antonietti M. Emerging Two-Dimensional Carbonaceous Materials for Electrocatalytic Energy Conversions: Rational Design of Active Structures through High-Temperature Chemistry. ACS Nano 2024; 18:6111-6129. [PMID: 38368617 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.3c12198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
Electrochemical energy conversion and storage technologies involving controlled catalysis provide a sustainable way to handle the intermittency of renewable energy sources, as well as to produce green chemicals/fuels in an ecofriendly manner. Core to such technology is the development of efficient electrocatalysts with high activity, selectivity, long-term stability, and low costs. Here, two-dimensional (2D) carbonaceous materials have emerged as promising contenders for advancing the chemistry in electrocatalysis. We review the emerging 2D carbonaceous materials for electrocatalysis, focusing primarily on the fine engineering of active structures through thermal condensation, where the design, fabrication, and mechanism investigations over different types of active moieties are summarized. Interestingly, all the recipes creating two-dimensionality on the carbon products also give specific electrocatalytic functionality, where the special mechanisms favoring 2D growth and their consequences on materials functionality are analyzed. Particularly, the structure-activity relationship between specific heteroatoms/defects and catalytic performance within 2D metal-free electrocatalysts is highlighted. Further, major challenges and opportunities for the practical implementation of 2D carbonaceous materials in electrocatalysis are summarized with the purpose to give future material design guidelines for attaining desirable catalytic structures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhihong Tian
- Engineering Research Center for Nanomaterials, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, P. R. China
| | - Qingran Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, P. R. China
| | - Tianxi Liu
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education, School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, P. R. China
| | - Yinguang Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, P. R. China
| | - Markus Antonietti
- Department of Colloid Chemistry, Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Potsdam 14476, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
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 2023; 19:e2302338. [PMID: 37267930 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202302338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Xu C, Zhang YP, Zheng TL, Wang ZQ, Zhao YM, Guo PP, Lu C, Yang KZ, Wei PJ, He QG, Gong XQ, Liu JG. Contracted Fe-N 5-C 11 Sites in Single-Atom Catalysts Boosting Catalytic Performance for Oxygen Reduction Reaction. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2023. [PMID: 37379231 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c03982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/30/2023]
Abstract
Promoting the catalyst performance for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in energy conversion devices through controlled manipulation of the structure of catalytic active sites has been a major challenge. In this work, we prepared Fe-N-C single-atom catalysts (SACs) with Fe-N5 active sites and found that the catalytic activity of the catalyst with shrinkable Fe-N5-C11 sites for ORR was significantly improved compared with the catalyst bearing normal Fe-N5-C12 sites. The catalyst C@PVI-(TPC)Fe-800, prepared by pyrolyzing an axial-imidazole-coordinated iron corrole precursor, exhibited positive shifted half-wave potential (E1/2 = 0.89 V vs RHE) and higher peak power density (Pmax = 129 mW/cm2) than the iron porphyrin-derived counterpart C@PVI-(TPP)Fe-800 (E1/2 = 0.81 V, Pmax = 110 mW/cm2) in 0.1 M KOH electrolyte and Zn-air batteries, respectively. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) analysis of C@PVI-(TPC)Fe-800 revealed a contracted Fe-N5-C11 structure with iron in a higher oxidation state than the porphyrin-derived Fe-N5-C12 counterpart. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations demonstrated that C@PVI-(TPC)Fe-800 possesses a higher HOMO energy level than C@PVI-(TPP)Fe-800, which can increase its electron-donating ability and thus help achieve enhanced O2 adsorption as well as O-O bond activation. This work provides a new approach to tune the active site structure of SACs with unique contracted Fe-N5-C11 sites that remarkably promote the catalyst performance, suggesting significant implications for catalyst design in energy conversion devices.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chao Xu
- Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials, School of Chemistry & Molecular Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, P. R. China
| | - Yan-Ping Zhang
- Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials, Centre for Computational Chemistry and Research Institute of Industrial Catalysis, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, P. R. China
| | - Tian-Long Zheng
- College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310027, P. R. China
| | - Zhi-Qiang Wang
- Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials, Centre for Computational Chemistry and Research Institute of Industrial Catalysis, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, P. R. China
| | - Ye-Min Zhao
- Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials, School of Chemistry & Molecular Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, P. R. China
| | - Peng-Peng Guo
- Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials, School of Chemistry & Molecular Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, P. R. China
| | - Chen Lu
- Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials, School of Chemistry & Molecular Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, P. R. China
| | - Kun-Zu Yang
- Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials, School of Chemistry & Molecular Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, P. R. China
| | - Ping-Jie Wei
- Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials, School of Chemistry & Molecular Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, P. R. China
| | - Qing-Gang He
- College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310027, P. R. China
| | - Xue-Qing Gong
- Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials, Centre for Computational Chemistry and Research Institute of Industrial Catalysis, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, P. R. China
| | - Jin-Gang Liu
- Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials, School of Chemistry & Molecular Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, P. R. China
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Jiang W, Low BQL, Long R, Low J, Loh H, Tang KY, Chai CHT, Zhu H, Zhu H, Li Z, Loh XJ, Xiong Y, Ye E. Active Site Engineering on Plasmonic Nanostructures for Efficient Photocatalysis. ACS Nano 2023; 17:4193-4229. [PMID: 36802513 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.2c12314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Plasmonic nanostructures have shown immense potential in photocatalysis because of their distinct photochemical properties associated with tunable photoresponses and strong light-matter interactions. The introduction of highly active sites is essential to fully exploit the potential of plasmonic nanostructures in photocatalysis, considering the inferior intrinsic activities of typical plasmonic metals. This review focuses on active site-engineered plasmonic nanostructures with enhanced photocatalytic performance, wherein the active sites are classified into four types (i.e., metallic sites, defect sites, ligand-grafted sites, and interface sites). The synergy between active sites and plasmonic nanostructures in photocatalysis is discussed in detail after briefly introducing the material synthesis and characterization methods. Active sites can promote the coupling of solar energy harvested by plasmonic metal to catalytic reactions in the form of local electromagnetic fields, hot carriers, and photothermal heating. Moreover, efficient energy coupling potentially regulates the reaction pathway by facilitating the excited state formation of reactants, changing the status of active sites, and creating additional active sites using photoexcited plasmonic metals. Afterward, the application of active site-engineered plasmonic nanostructures in emerging photocatalytic reactions is summarized. Finally, a summary and perspective of the existing challenges and future opportunities are presented. This review aims to deliver some insights into plasmonic photocatalysis from the perspective of active sites, expediting the discovery of high-performance plasmonic photocatalysts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wenbin Jiang
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore 138634, Republic of Singapore
| | - Beverly Qian Ling Low
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore 138634, Republic of Singapore
| | - Ran Long
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Jingxiang Low
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Hongyi Loh
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore 138634, Republic of Singapore
| | - Karen Yuanting Tang
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore 138634, Republic of Singapore
| | - Casandra Hui Teng Chai
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore 138634, Republic of Singapore
| | - Houjuan Zhu
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore 138634, Republic of Singapore
| | - Hui Zhu
- Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Republic of Singapore
| | - Zibiao Li
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore 138634, Republic of Singapore
- Institute of Sustainability for Chemicals, Energy and Environment (ISCE2), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore 138634, Republic of Singapore
| | - Xian Jun Loh
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore 138634, Republic of Singapore
- Institute of Sustainability for Chemicals, Energy and Environment (ISCE2), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore 138634, Republic of Singapore
| | - Yujie Xiong
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Enyi Ye
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore 138634, Republic of Singapore
- Institute of Sustainability for Chemicals, Energy and Environment (ISCE2), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore 138634, Republic of Singapore
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Ebert MCCJC, Morley KL, Volpato JP, Schmitzer AR, Pelletier JN. Asymmetric mutations in the tetrameric R67 dihydrofolate reductase reveal high tolerance to active-site substitutions. Protein Sci 2014; 24:495-507. [PMID: 25401264 DOI: 10.1002/pro.2602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2014] [Revised: 11/07/2014] [Accepted: 11/10/2014] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Type II R67 dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) is a bacterial plasmid-encoded enzyme that is intrinsically resistant to the widely-administered antibiotic trimethoprim. R67 DHFR is genetically and structurally unrelated to E. coli chromosomal DHFR and has an unusual architecture, in that four identical protomers form a single symmetrical active site tunnel that allows only one substrate binding/catalytic event at any given time. As a result, substitution of an active-site residue has as many as four distinct consequences on catalysis, constituting an atypical model of enzyme evolution. Although we previously demonstrated that no single residue of the native active site is indispensable for function, library selection here revealed a strong bias toward maintenance of two native protomers per mutated tetramer. A variety of such "half-native" tetramers were shown to procure native-like catalytic activity, with similar KM values but kcat values 5- to 33-fold lower, illustrating a high tolerance for active-site substitutions. The selected variants showed a reduced thermal stability (Tm ∼12°C lower), which appears to result from looser association of the protomers, but generally showed a marked increase in resilience to heat denaturation, recovering activity to a significantly greater extent than the variant with no active-site substitutions. Our results suggest that the presence of two native protomers in the R67 DHFR tetramer is sufficient to provide native-like catalytic rate and thus ensure cellular proliferation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maximilian C C J C Ebert
- Département de Biochimie, Université de Montréal, C.P. 6128, Succursale Centre-Ville, Montréal, Québec, H3C 3J7, Canada; PROTEO, the Québec Network for Protein Function, Structure and Engineering, Québec, Canada; CGCC, the Center for Green Chemistry and Catalysis, Montréal, Canada
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|