Fine-tuning of the coordination environment of single-atom catalysts(SACs)is effective to optimize their catalytic performances,yet it remains challenging due to the vulnerability of SACs.Herein,we report a new approa...Fine-tuning of the coordination environment of single-atom catalysts(SACs)is effective to optimize their catalytic performances,yet it remains challenging due to the vulnerability of SACs.Herein,we report a new approach to engineering the coordination environment of M-N-C(M=Fe,Co,and Ni)SACs by using glutamic acid as the N/C source and pyrolysis atmosphere as a regulator.Compared with that in N2,NH3 was able to promote the doping of N at 7<700℃yet etch the N-species at higher temperatures,by which the M-N coordination number(CN)and the electronic structure were delicately tuned.It was found that the electron density of Ni single atoms increased with the decrease of Ni-N CN.As a consequence,the capability of Ni-N-C to dissociate H2 was greatly enhanced and a higher catalytic activity in chemoselective hydrogenation of functionalized nitroarenes was achieved.Moreover,this modulation method could be applied to other transition metals including Fe and Co.In particular,the as-synthesized Co-N-C SAC afforded a turnover frequency of 152.3 h~1 with 99%selectivity to 3-vinylaniline in the hydrogenation of 3-nitrostyrene,which was the highest ever reported thus far and was at least one order of magnitude more active than state-of-the-art noble-metal-free M-N-C catalysts,demonstrating the great potential of engineering the coordination environment of SACs.展开更多
基金supported by the National Key Technology R&D Program of China(No.2020YFA0710202)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.U1662130,21690080,21690084,and 21721004)the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(No.XDB17020100)。
文摘Fine-tuning of the coordination environment of single-atom catalysts(SACs)is effective to optimize their catalytic performances,yet it remains challenging due to the vulnerability of SACs.Herein,we report a new approach to engineering the coordination environment of M-N-C(M=Fe,Co,and Ni)SACs by using glutamic acid as the N/C source and pyrolysis atmosphere as a regulator.Compared with that in N2,NH3 was able to promote the doping of N at 7<700℃yet etch the N-species at higher temperatures,by which the M-N coordination number(CN)and the electronic structure were delicately tuned.It was found that the electron density of Ni single atoms increased with the decrease of Ni-N CN.As a consequence,the capability of Ni-N-C to dissociate H2 was greatly enhanced and a higher catalytic activity in chemoselective hydrogenation of functionalized nitroarenes was achieved.Moreover,this modulation method could be applied to other transition metals including Fe and Co.In particular,the as-synthesized Co-N-C SAC afforded a turnover frequency of 152.3 h~1 with 99%selectivity to 3-vinylaniline in the hydrogenation of 3-nitrostyrene,which was the highest ever reported thus far and was at least one order of magnitude more active than state-of-the-art noble-metal-free M-N-C catalysts,demonstrating the great potential of engineering the coordination environment of SACs.
