Pd single atoms cooperate with S vacancies in ZnIn_(2)S_(4) nanosheets for photocatalytic pure-water splitting

Photocatalytic water splitting has emerged as a new frontier for converting solar energy to green H_(2) and value-added chemicals.Nevertheless,great challenges still remain for developing efficient photocatalysts for pure water splitting without sacrificial agents.In this work,we demonstrate that doping hexagonal ZnIn_(2)S_(4)(ZIS) with Pd single atoms(Pd_(0.03)/ZIS) can serve as a highly efficient photocatalyst for pure water splitting to simultaneously produce H_(2) and H_(2)O_(2) without any sacrificial agents.Results from aberration-corrected high-angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy,X-ray fine spectroscopy,insitu electron paramagnetic resonance and diffuse Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy reveal that doping ZIS with Pd single atoms facilitates the formation of S vacancies(S_(v)),where the photogenerated electrons can transfer to Pd single atoms,as a result of enhanced separation of electron-hole pairs and improved photocatalytic performance.Impressively,Pd_(0.03)/ZIS displays a stoichiometric ratio of H_(2) and H_(2)O_(2) with the productivity of 1,037.9 and 1,021.4μmol g^(-1)h^(-1),respectively,which has largely outperformed pure ZIS and other reported catalysts for pure water splitting.This work provides an efficient photocatalyst for water splitting to produce H_(2) and H_(2)O_(2),which may attract rapid interest in materials science,chemistry,and heterogeneous catalysis.

Antimony oxides-protected ultrathin Ir-Sb nanowires as bifunctional hydrogen electrocatalysts

Developing electrocatalysts with fast kinetics and long-term stability for alkaline hydrogen oxidation reaction(HOR)and hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)is of considerable importance for the industrial production of green and sustainable energy.Here,an ultrathin Ir-Sb nanowires(Ir-Sb NWs)protected by antimony oxides(SbO_(x))was synthesized as an efficient bifunctional catalyst for both HOR and HER under alkaline media.Except from the much higher mass activities of Ir-Sb nanowires than those of Ir nanowires(Ir NWs)and commercial Pt/C,the SbO_(x) protective layer also contributes to the maintenance of morphology and anti-CO poisoning ability,leading to the long-term cycling performance in the presence of CO.Specifically,the Ir-Sb NW/SbO_(x) exhibits the highest catalytic activities,which are about 3.5 and 4.8 times to those of Ir NW/C and commercial Pt/C toward HOR,respectively.This work provides that the ultrathin morphology and H_(2)O-occupied Sb sites can exert the intrinsic high activity of Ir and effectively optimize the absorption of OH*both in alkaline HER/HOR electrolysis.

High-Performance H_(2) Photosynthesis from Pure Water over Ru−S Charge Transfer Channels

As a versatile energy carrier,H_(2) is considered as one of the most promising sources of clean energy to tackle the current energy crisis and environmental concerns,which can be produced from photocatalytic water splitting.However,solar-driven photocatalytic H_(2) production from pure water in the absence of sacrificial reagents remains a great challenge.Herein,we demonstrate that the incorporation of Ru single atoms(SAs)into ZnIn_(2)S_(4)(Ru-ZIS)can enhance the light absorption,reduce the energy barriers for water dissociation,and construct a channel(Ru-S)for separating photogenerated electron−hole pairs,as a result of a significantly enhanced photocatalytic water splitting process.Impressively,the productivity of H_(2) reaches 735.2μmol g^(-1) h^(-1) under visible light irradiation in the absence of sacrificial agents.The apparent quantum efficiency(AQE)for H_(2) evolution reaches 7.5% at 420 nm,with a solarto-hydrogen(STH)efficiency of 0.58%,which is much higher than the value of natural synthetic plants(~0.10%).Moreover,Ru-ZIS exhibits steady productivity of H_(2) even after exposure to ambient conditions for 330 days.This work provides a unique strategy for constructing charge transfer channels to promote the separation of photogenerated electron−hole pairs,which may motivate the fundamental researches on catalyst design for photocatalysis and beyond.

Single-Site Cu-Doped PdSn Wavy Nanowires for Highly Active,Stable,and CO-Tolerant Ethanol Oxidation Electrocatalysis

Developing a catalyst to break the tradeoff relation-ship between the catalytic activity and antipoisoning property toward the ethanol oxidation reaction(EOR)is of critical importance to the development of direct ethanol fuel cells(DEFCs),but remains challenging.Here,we developed a unique class of single-site Cu-doped PdSn wavy nanowires(denoted as SS Cu−PdSn WNWs)with promoted activity and durability toward alkaline EOR.Detailed characterizations reveal the atomic isolation of Cu species dispersed on the surface of the PdSn WNWs with distinct wavy structure and grain boundaries.The created SS Cu−PdSn WNWs exhibit an enhanced EOR performance in terms of mass activity,which is higher than those of PdSn WNWs,commercial Pd black,and commercial Pd/C,respectively.Moreover,the SS Cu−PdSn WNWs can also show improved stability as compared to other catalysts due to the improved antipoisoning property from the unique surface anchoring structure.Further investigations demonstrate that the doped SS Cu can strongly inhibit the adsorption of CO and promote the reaction process of EOR.DFT results reveal that the doped Cu shifts down the d-band center of PdSn,thereby modifying the adsorption of intermediates and reducing the reaction barrier of EOR.This work maps a pathway for optimally boosting EOR performance with surface engineering via atomic doping.