Single-atom Pt on carbon nanotubes for selective electrocatalysis

Utilizing supported single atoms as catalysts presents an opportunity to reduce the usage of critical raw materials such as platinum,which are essential for electrochemical reactions such as hydrogen oxidation reaction(HOR).Herein,we describe the synthesis of a Pt single electrocatalyst inside single-walled carbon nanotubes(SWCNTs)via a redox reaction.Characterizations via electron microscopy,X-ray photoelectron microscopy,and X-ray absorption spectroscopy show the single-atom nature of the Pt.The electrochemical behavior of the sample to hydrogen and oxygen was investigated using the advanced floating electrode technique,which minimizes mass transport limitations and gives a thorough insight into the activity of the electrocatalyst.The single-atom samples showed higher HOR activity than state-of-the-art 30%Pt/C while almost no oxygen reduction reaction activity in the proton exchange membrane fuel cell operating range.The selective activity toward HOR arose as the main fingerprint of the catalyst confinement in the SWCNTs.

Potential industrial applications of photo/electrocatalysis: Recent progress and future challenges

Nowadays,the rapid development of the social economy inevitably leads to global energy and environmental crisis.For this reason,more and more scholars focus on the development of photocatalysis and/or electrocatalysis technology for the advantage in the sustainable production of high-value-added products,and the high efficiency in pollutants remediation.Although there is plenty of outstanding research has been put forward continuously,most of them focuses on catalysis performance and reaction mechanisms in laboratory conditions.Realizing industrial application of photo/electrocatalytic processes is still a challenge that needs to be overcome by social demand.In this regard,this review comprehensively summarized several explorations in thefield of photo/electrocatalytic reduction towards potential industrial applications in recent years.Special attention is paid to the successful attempts and the current status of photo/electrocatalytic water splitting,carbon dioxide conversion,resource utilization from waste,etc.,by using advanced reactors.The key problems and challenges of photo/electrocatalysis in future industrial practice are also discussed,and the possible development directions are also pointed out from the industry view.

Recent Advances in Mechanistic Understanding of Metal-Free Carbon Thermocatalysis and Electrocatalysis with Model Molecules

Metal-free carbon,as the most representative heterogeneous metal-free catalysts,have received considerable interests in electro-and thermo-catalytic reac-tions due to their impressive performance and sustainability.Over the past decade,well-designed carbon catalysts with tunable structures and heteroatom groups coupled with various characterization techniques have proposed numerous reaction mechanisms.However,active sites,key intermediate species,precise structure-activity relationships and dynamic evolution processes of carbon catalysts are still rife with controversies due to the monotony and limitation of used experimental methods.In this Review,we sum-marize the extensive efforts on model catalysts since the 2000s,particularly in the past decade,to overcome the influences of material and structure limitations in metal-free carbon catalysis.Using both nanomolecule model and bulk model,the real contribution of each alien species,defect and edge configuration to a series of fundamentally important reactions,such as thermocatalytic reactions,electrocatalytic reactions,were systematically studied.Combined with in situ techniques,isotope labeling and size control,the detailed reaction mechanisms,the precise 2D structure-activity relationships and the rate-determining steps were revealed at a molecular level.Furthermore,the outlook of model carbon catalysis has also been proposed in this work.

A post-modification strategy to precisely construct dual-atom sites for oxygen reduction electrocatalysis

Dual-atom catalysts(DACs) afford promising potential for oxygen reduction electrocatalysis due to their high atomic efficiency and high intrinsic activity.However,precise construction of dual-atom sites remains a challenge.In this work,a post-modification strategy is proposed to precisely fabricate DACs for oxygen reduction electrocatalysis.Concretely,a secondary metal precursor is introduced to the primary single-atom sites to introduce direct metal-metal interaction,which ensures the formation of desired atom pair structure during the subsequent pyrolysis process and allows for successful construction of DACs.The as-prepared FeCo-NC DAC exhibits superior oxygen reduction electrocatalytic activity with a half-wave potential of 0,91 V vs.reversible hydrogen electrode.Zn-air batteries equipped with the FeCo-NC DAC demonstrate higher peak power density than those with the Pt/C benchmark.More importantly,this post-modification strategy is demonstrated universal to achieve a variety of dual-atom sites.This work presents an effective synthesis methodology for precise construction of catalytic materials and propels their applications in energy-related devices.

Operando NMR methods for studying electrocatalysis

The combination of electrochemical measurements with spectroscopic characterizations provides valuable insights into reaction mechanisms.Nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR)spectroscopy,as a powerful technique due to its atomic specificity and versatility in studying gas,liquid,and solid,allows the study of electrolyte solution,catalyst and catalyst-adsorbate interfaces.When applied in operando,NMR can offer molecular-level insights into various electrochemical processes.Operando NMR has been applied extensively in battery research,but relatively underexplored for electrocatalysis in the past two decades.In this mini review,we first introduce the operando electrochemical NMR setups,categorized by different probe designs.Then we review the applications of operando NMR for monitoring the electrolyte solution and the catalyst-adsorbate interface.Considering the high environmental impact of electrochemical conversion of CO_(2)into value-added products,we zoom in to the use of operando NMR in studying electrochemical CO_(2)reduction.Finally,we provide our perspective on further developing and applying operando NMR methods for understanding the complex reaction network of Cu-catalyzed electrochemical CO_(2)reduction.

Mutual Self‑Regulation of d‑Electrons of Single Atoms and Adjacent Nanoparticles for Bifunctional Oxygen Electrocatalysis and Rechargeable Zinc‑Air Batteries

Rechargeable zinc-air batteries(ZABs)are a promising energy conversion device,which rely critically on electrocatalysts to accelerate their rate-determining reactions such as oxygen reduction(ORR)and oxygen evolution reactions(OER).Herein,we fabricate a range of bifunctional M-N-C(metal-nitrogen-carbon)catalysts containing M-Nx coordination sites and M/MxC nanoparticles(M=Co,Fe,and Cu)using a new class ofγ-cyclodextrin(CD)based metal-organic framework as the precursor.With the two types of active sites interacting with each other in the catalysts,the obtained Fe@C-FeNC and Co@C-CoNC display superior alkaline ORR activity in terms of low half-wave(E1/2)potential(~0.917 and 0.906 V,respectively),which are higher than Cu@C-CuNC(~0.829 V)and the commercial Pt/C(~0.861 V).As a bifunctional electrocatalyst,the Co@C-CoNC exhibits the best performance,showing a bifunctional ORR/OER overpotential(ΔE)of~0.732 V,which is much lower than that of Fe@C-FeNC(~0.831 V)and Cu@C-CuNC(~1.411 V),as well as most of the robust bifunctional electrocatalysts reported to date.Synchrotron X-ray absorption spectroscopy and density functional theory simulations reveal that the strong electronic correlation between metallic Co nanoparticles and the atomic Co-N4 sites in the Co@C-CoNC catalyst can increase the d-electron density near the Fermi level and thus effectively optimize the adsorption/desorption of intermediates in ORR/OER,resulting in an enhanced bifunctional electrocatalytic performance.The Co@C-CoNC-based rechargeable ZAB exhibited a maximum power density of 162.80 mW cm^(−2) at 270.30 mA cm^(−2),higher than the combination of commercial Pt/C+RuO2(~158.90 mW cm^(−2) at 265.80 mA cm^(−2))catalysts.During the galvanostatic discharge at 10 mA cm^(−2),the ZAB delivered an almost stable discharge voltage of 1.2 V for~140 h,signifying the virtue of excellent bifunctional ORR/OER electrocatalytic activity.

Advances on Axial Coordination Design of Single‑Atom Catalysts for Energy Electrocatalysis:A Review

Single-atom catalysts(SACs)have garnered increasingly growing attention in renewable energy scenarios,especially in electrocatalysis due to their unique high efficiency of atom utilization and flexible electronic structure adjustability.The intensive efforts towards the rational design and synthesis of SACs with versatile local configurations have significantly accelerated the development of efficient and sustainable electrocatalysts for a wide range of electrochemical applications.As an emergent coordination avenue,intentionally breaking the planar symmetry of SACs by adding ligands in the axial direction of metal single atoms offers a novel approach for the tuning of both geometric and electronic structures,thereby enhancing electrocatalytic performance at active sites.In this review,we briefly outline the burgeoning research topic of axially coordinated SACs and provide a comprehensive summary of the recent advances in their synthetic strategies and electrocatalytic applications.Besides,the challenges and outlooks in this research field have also been emphasized.The present review provides an in-depth and comprehensive understanding of the axial coordination design of SACs,which could bring new perspectives and solutions for fine regulation of the electronic structures of SACs catering to high-performing energy electrocatalysis.

Acetic acid-assisted mild dealloying of fine CuPd nanoalloys achieving compressive strain toward high-efficiency oxygen reduction and ethanol oxidation electrocatalysis

Dealloying by which the transition metal is partially or completely leached from an alloy precursor is an effective way to optimize the fundamental effects for further enhancing the electrocatalysis of a catalyst.Herein,to address the deficiencies associated with the commonly used dealloying methods,for example,electrochemical and sulfuric acid/nitric acid treatment,we report an acetic acid-assisted mild strategy to dealloy Cu atoms from the outer surface layers of CuPd alloy nanoparticles to achieve high-efficiency electrocatalysis for oxygen reduction and ethanol oxidation in an alkaline electrolyte.The leaching of Cu atoms by acetic acid exerts an additional compressive strain effect on the surface layers and exposes more active Pd atoms,which is beneficial for boosting the catalytic performance of a dealloyed catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)and the ethanol oxidation reaction(EOR).In particular,for ORR,the CuPd nanoparticles with a Pd/Cu molar ratio of 2:1 after acetic dealloying show a half-wave potential of 0.912 V(vs.RHE)and a mass activity of 0.213 AmgPd^(-1) at 0.9 V,respectively,while for EOR,the same dealloyed sample has a mass activity and a specific activity of 8.4 Amg^(-1) and 8.23 mA cm^(-2),respectively,much better than their dealloyed counterparts at other temperatures and commercial Pd/C as well as a Pt/C catalyst.

Scalable solid-phase synthesis of defect-rich graphene for oxygen reduction electrocatalysis

Defect-engineered carbon materials have been emerged as promising electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)in metal-air batteries.Developing a facile strategy for the preparation of highly active nanocarbon electrocatalysts remains challenging.Herein,a low-cost and simple route is developed to synthesize defective graphene by pyrolyzing the mixture of glucose and carbon nitride.Molecular dynamics simulations reveal that the graphene formation is ascribed to two-dimensional layered feature of carbon nitride,and high compatibility of carbon nitride/glucose systems.Structural measurements suggest that the graphene possesses rich edge and topological defects.The graphene catalyst exhibits higher power density than commercial Pt/C catalyst in a primary Zn-air battery.Combining experimental results and theoretical thermodynamic analysis,it is identified that graphitic nitrogen-modified topological defects at carbon framework edges are responsible for the decent ORR performance.The strategy presented in this work can be can be scaled up readily to fabricate defective carbon materials.

Inner-pore reduction nucleation of palladium nanoparticles in highly conductive wurster-type covalent organic frameworks for efficient oxygen reduction electrocatalysis

Covalent organic frameworks(COFs)have emerged as a class of promising supports for electrocatalysis because of their advantages including good crystallinity,highly ordered pores,and structural diversity.However,their poor conductivity represents the main obstruction to their practical application.Here,we reported a novel synthesis strategy for synergistically endowing a triphenylamine-based COFs with improved electrical conductivity and excellent catalytic activity for oxygen reduction,via the in-situ redox deposition and confined growth of palladium nanoparticles inside the porous structure of COFs using reductive triphenylamine frameworks as reducing agent;meanwhile,the triphenylamine unit was oxidized to radical cation structure and affords radical cation COFs with conductivity as high as3.2*10^(-1) S m^(-1).Such a uniform confine palladium nanoparticle on highly conductive COFs makes it an efficient electrocatalyst for four-electron oxygen reduction reaction(4e-ORR),showing excellent activities and fast kinetics with a remarkable half-wave potential(E_(1/2))of 0.865 V and an ultralow Tafel slope of 39.7 mV dec^(-1) in alkaline media even in the absence of extra commercial conductive fillers.The generality of this strategy was proved by preparing the different metal and metal alloy nanoparticles supported on COFs(Au@COF,Pt@COF,AuPd@COF,AgPd@COF,and PtPd@COF)using reductive triphenylamine frameworks as reducing agent.This work not only provides a facile strategy for the fabrication of highly conductive COF supported ORR electrocatalysts,but also sheds new light on the practical application of Zn-air battery.

A cobalt(Ⅱ)porphyrin with a tethered imidazole for efficient oxygen reduction and evolution electrocatalysis

Electrocatalytic oxygen reduction and evolution reactions are involved in new energy conversion and storage technologies,such as various fuel cells and metal-air batteries and also water splitting devices[1,2].However,both reactions are very slow in kinetics,and thus catalysts are required[3,4].

Single-atom electrocatalysis: a new approach to in vivo electrochemical biosensing

Modulation of interfacial electron transfer has been proven to pave a new approach to in vivo electrochemical monitoring of brain chemistry;however,designing and establishing highly efficient electrocatalytic scheme towards neurochemicals remain a longstanding challenge.Here,we find that recently established single-atom catalyst(SAC)can be used for catalyzing the electrochemical process of physiologically relevant chemicals and thus offers a new avenue to in vivo electrochemical biosensing.To prove this new concept,we used Co single-atom catalyst(Co-SAC),in which the atomic active sites are dispersed in ordered porous N-doping carbon matrix at atomic level,as an example of SACs for analyzing glucose as the physiologically relevant model chemicals.We found that Co-SAC catalyzes the electrochemical oxidation of hydrogen peroxide(H2O2)at a low potential of ca.+0.05 V(vs.Ag/AgCl).This property was further used for developing an oxidase-based glucose biosensor that was used subsequently as a selective detector of an online electrochemical system(OECS)for continuous monitoring of microdialysate glucose in rat brain.The OECS with Co-SAC-based glucose biosensor as the online detector was well responsive to glucose without interference from other electroactive species in brain microdialysate.This study essentially offers a new approach to in vivo electrochemical analysis with SACs as electrocatalysts to modulate interfacial electron transfer.

Single-atom catalysts for the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide into hydrocarbons and oxygenates

The electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide offers a sound and economically viable technology for the electrification and decarbonization of the chemical and fuel industries.In this technology,an electrocatalytic material and renewable energy-generated electricity drive the conversion of carbon dioxide into high-value chemicals and carbon-neutral fuels.Over the past few years,single-atom catalysts have been intensively studied as they could provide near-unity atom utilization and unique catalytic performance.Single-atom catalysts have become one of the state-of-the-art catalyst materials for the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide.However,it remains a challenge for single-atom catalysts to facilitate the efficient conversion of carbon dioxide into products beyond carbon monoxide.In this review,we summarize and present important findings and critical insights from studies on the electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction reaction into hydrocarbons and oxygenates using single-atom catalysts.It is hoped that this review gives a thorough recapitulation and analysis of the science behind the catalysis of carbon dioxide into more reduced products through singleatom catalysts so that it can be a guide for future research and development on catalysts with industry-ready performance for the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide into high-value chemicals and carbon-neutral fuels.

Rare earth alloy nanomaterials in electrocatalysis

With the rapid development of society and economy, the excessive consumption of fossil energy has led to the global energy and environment crisis. In order to explore the sustainable development of new energy, research based on electrocatalysis has attracted extensive attention in the academic circle. The main challenge in this field is to develop nano-catalysts with excellent electrocatalytic activity and selectivity for target products. The state of the active site in catalyst plays a decisive role in the activity and selectivity of the reaction. In order to design efficient and excellent catalysts, it is an effective means to adjust the electronic structure of catalysts. Electronic effects are also called ligand effects. By alloying with rare earth(RE) elements, electrons can be redistributed between RE elements and transition metal elements, achieving accurate design of the electronic structure of the active site in the alloy. Because of the unique electronic structure of RE, it has been paid attention in the field of catalysis. The outermost shell structure of RE elements is basically the same as that of the lower shell, except that the number of electrons in the 4f orbital is different, but the energy level is similar, so their properties are very similar. When RE elements form compounds, both the f electrons in the outermost shell and the d electrons in the lower outer shell can participate in bonding. In addition, part of the 4f electrons in the third outer shell can also participate in bonding.In order to improve the performance of metal catalysts, alloying provides an effective method to design advanced functional materials. RE alloys can integrate the unique electronic structure and catalytic behavior of RE elements into metal materials, which not only provides an opportunity to adjust the electronic structure and catalytic activity of the active component, but also enhances the structural stability of the alloy and is expected to significantly improve the catalytic performance of the catalyst. From the perspective of electronic and catalytic activity, RE elements have unique electronic configuration and lanthanide shrinkage effect. Alloying with RE elements will make the alloy have more abundant electronic structure, activity, and spatial arrangement, effectively adjusting the reaction kinetics of the electrochemical process of the catalyst. In this paper, the composition,structure, synthesis of RE alloys and their applications in the field of electrocatalysis are summarized, including the hydrogen evolution reaction, the oxygen evolution reaction, the oxygen reduction reaction, the methanol oxidation reaction, the ethanol oxidation reaction, and other catalytic reactions. At the same time, the present challenges of RE alloy electrocatalytic materials are summarized and their future development direction is pointed out. In the field of electrocatalysis, the cost of catalyst is too high and the stability is not strong. Therefore, the testing process should be related to the actual application, and the test method should be standardized, so as to carry forward the field of electrocatalysis.

p-d Orbital Hybridization Engineered Single-Atom Catalyst for Electrocatalytic Ammonia Synthesis

The rational design of metal single-atom catalysts(SACs)for electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction(NRR)is challenging.Two-dimensional metal-organic frameworks(2DMOFs)is a unique class of promising SACs.Up to now,the roles of individual metals,coordination atoms,and their synergy effect on the electroanalytic performance remain unclear.Therefore,in this work,a series of 2DMOFs with different metals and coordinating atoms are systematically investigated as electrocatalysts for ammonia synthesis using density functional theory calculations.For a specific metal,a proper metal-intermediate atoms p-d orbital hybridization interaction strength is found to be a key indicator for their NRR catalytic activities.The hybridization interaction strength can be quantitatively described with the p-/d-band center energy difference(Δd-p),which is found to be a sufficient descriptor for both the p-d hybridization strength and the NRR performance.The maximum free energy change(ΔG_(max))andΔd-p have a volcanic relationship with OsC_(4)(Se)_(4)located at the apex of the volcanic curve,showing the best NRR performance.The asymmetrical coordination environment could regulate the band structure subtly in terms of band overlap and positions.This work may shed new light on the application of orbital engineering in electrocatalytic NRR activity and especially promotes the rational design for SACs.

Atom-level interfacial synergy of single-atom site catalysts for electrocatalysis

Single-atom site catalysts(SACs)have made great achievements due to their nearly 100%atomic utilization and uniform active sites.Regulating the surrounding environment of active sites,including electron structure and coordination environment via atom-level interface regulation,to design and construct an advanced SACs is of great significance for boosting electrocatalytic reactions.In this review,we systemically summarized the fundamental understandings and intrinsic mechanisms of SACs for electrocatalytic applications based on the interface site regulations.We elaborated the several different regulation strategies of SACs to demonstrate their ascendancy in electrocatalytic applications.Firstly,the interfacial electronic interaction was presented to reveal the electron transfer behavior of active sites.Secondly,the different coordination structures of metal active center coordinated with two or three non-metal elements were also summarized.In addition,other atom-level interfaces of SACs,including metal atom–atom interface,metal atom-X-atom interface(X:non-metal element),metal atom-particle interface,were highlighted and the corresponding promoting effect towards electrocatalysis was disclosed.Finally,we outlooked the limitations,perspectives and challenges of SACs based on atomic interface regulation.

Standard-state entropies and their impact on the potential-dependent apparent activation energy in electrocatalysis

The apparent activation energy,Eapp,is a common measure in thermal catalysis to discuss the activity and limiting steps of catalytic processes on solid-state materials.Recently,the electrocatalysis community adopted the concept of Eappand combined it with the Butler-Volmer theory.Certain observations though,such as potential-dependent fluctuations of Eapp,are yet surprising because they conflict with the proposed linear decrease in Eappwith increasing overpotential.The most common explanation for this finding refers to coverage changes upon alterations in the temperature or the applied electrode potential.In the present contribution,it is demonstrated that the modulation of surface coverages cannot entirely explain potential-dependent oscillations of Eapp,and rather the impact of entropic contributions of the transition states has been overlooked so far.In the case of a nearly constant surface coverage,these entropic contributions can be extracted by a dedicated combination of Tafel plots and temperature-dependent experiments.

Cu single-atom electrocatalyst on nitrogen-containing graphdiyne for CO_(2)electroreduction to CH4

Developing Cu single-atom catalysts(SACs)with well-defined active sites is highly desirable for producing CH4 in the electrochemical CO_(2)reduction reaction and understanding the structure-property relationship.Herein,a new graphdiyne analogue with uniformly distributed N2-bidentate(note that N2-bidentate site=N^N-bidentate site;N2¹dinitrogen gas in this work)sites are synthesized.Due to the strong interaction between Cu and the N2-bidentate site,a Cu SAC with isolated undercoordinated Cu-N2 sites(Cu1.0/N2-GDY)is obtained,with the Cu loading of 1.0 wt%.Cu1.0/N2-GDY exhibits the highest Faradaic efficiency(FE)of 80.6%for CH4 in electrocatalytic reduction of CO_(2)at-0.96 V vs.RHE,and the partial current density of CH4 is 160 mA cm^(-2).The selectivity for CH4 is maintained above 70%when the total current density is 100 to 300 mA cm^(-2).More remarkably,the Cu1.0/N2-GDY achieves a mass activity of 53.2 A/mgCu toward CH4 under-1.18 V vs.RHE.In situ electrochemical spectroscopic studies reveal that undercoordinated Cu-N2 sites are more favorable in generating key*COOH and*CHO intermediate than Cu nanoparticle counterparts.This work provides an effective pathway to produce SACs with undercoordinated Metal-N2 sites toward efficient electrocatalysis.

A p-n WO_(3)/SnSe_(2) Heterojunction for Efficient Photo-assisted Electrocatalysis of the Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Water splitting is important to the conversion and storage of renewable energy,but slow kinetics of the oxygen evolution reaction(OER)greatly limits its utility.Here,under visible light illumination,the p-n WO_(3)/SnSe_(2)(WS)heterojunction significantly activates OER catalysis of CoFe-layered double hydroxide(CF)/carbon nanotubes(CNTs).Specifically,the catalyst achieves an overpotential of 224 mV at 10 mA cm^(-2)and a small Tafel slope of 47 mV dec^(-1),superior to RuO_(2)and most previously reported transition metal-based OER catalysts.The p-n WS heterojunction shows strong light absorption to produce photogenerated carriers.The photogenerated holes are trapped by CF to suppresses the charge recombination and facilitate charge transfer,which accelerates OER kinetics and boost the activity for the OER.This work highlights the possibility of using heterojunctions to activate OER catalysis and advances the design of energy-efficient catalysts for water oxidation systems using solar energy.

Boric Acid-Assisted Pyrolysis for High-Loading Single-Atom Catalysts to Boost Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Zn-Air Batteries

The emerging of single-atom catalysts(SACs)offers a great opportunity for the development of advanced energy storage and conversion devices due to their excellent activity and durability,but the actual mass production of high-loading SACs is still challenging.Herein,a facile and green boron acid(H_(3)BO_(3))-assisted pyrolysis strategy is put forward to synthesize SACs by only using chitosan,cobalt salt and H_(3)BO_(3)as precursor,and the effect of H_(3)BO_(3)is deeply investigated.The results show that molten boron oxide derived from H_(3)BO_(3)as ideal high-temperature carbonization media and blocking media play important role in the synthesis process.As a result,the acquired Co/N/B tri-doped porous carbon framework(Co-N-B-C)not only presents hierarchical porous structure,large specific surface area and abundant carbon edges but also possesses high-loading single Co atom(4.2 wt.%),thus giving rise to outstanding oxygen catalytic performance.When employed as a catalyst for air cathode in Zn-air batteries,the resultant Co-N-B-C catalyst shows remarkable power density and long-term stability.Clearly,our work gains deep insight into the role of H_(3)BO_(3)and provides a new avenue to synthesis of high-performance SACs.