Black phosphorus-hosted single-atom catalyst for electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction

黑磷负载的单原子催化剂用于电催化N2还原

Designing highly selective and efficient singleatom electrocatalysts is essential for ammonia production under ambient conditions. This paper describes a density functional theory study on exploring the performance trends of transition metal complexes with P-based ligands in nitrogen reduction reaction(NRR) and further develops a design principle for high-performance single-atom catalysts(SACs)of NRR. Among the explored catalysts, W@BP(0.40 eV),Ta@BP(0.47 eV), and Nb@BP(0.53 eV) are identified as remarkable candidates with low free energy change in the potential-limiting step, high stability and high electrical conductivity for NRR. It is worth noting that almost all SACs with P-based ligands exhibit high NRR selectivity, due to the fact that they adsorb *N_(2) more strongly than *H. The adsorption free energy of *N_(2) H can be considered as a descriptor for the intrinsic activity trends in NRR. Furthermore, by constructing a volcano plot of the activity against the electronic charge on metal centers, it is demonstrated that the metal center with a moderate amount of positive charge can promote the catalytic performance of NRR.

设计和开发高选择性、高活性的单原子电催化剂是实现在常规环境条件下合成氨的关键.本论文利用密度泛函理论对P配体在N_(2)还原反应(NRR)中的应用前景进行了预测,并且提出了一种高性能NRR单原子催化剂的设计准则.理论计算结果显示, W@BP(0.40 eV)、Ta@BP(0.47 eV)和Nb@BP(0.53 eV)由于具有低反应自由能、高稳定性和导电性,在高效电催化NRR中潜力巨大.特别是,几乎所有金属中心对*N_(2)中间体的吸附能力都比*H更强,这表明以P为配体的单原子催化剂具有较强的NRR选择性,且*N_(2)H中间体的吸附自由能可作为描述符,反映这一系列催化剂的催化活性.此外,计算结果显示,金属中心向P配体转移的电子数目与NRR活性存在着火山关系,带有适度正电荷的金属中心具有优异的电催化NRR活性.该发现为高性能单原子催化剂的设计提供了理论指导.