A Universal Synthesis of Single‐Atom Catalysts via Operando Bond Formation Driven by Electricity

Single-atom catalysts (SACs), featuring highly uniform active sites, tunable coordination environments, and synergistic effects with support, have emerged as one of the most efficient catalysts for various reactions, particularly for electrochemical CO<sub>2</sub> reduction (ECR). However, the scalability of SACs is restricted due to the limited choice of available support and problems that emerge when preparing SACs by thermal deposition. Here, an in situ reconstruction method for preparing SACs is developed with a variety of atomic sites, including nickel, cadmium, cobalt, and magnesium. Driven by electricity, different oxygen-containing metal precursors, such as MOF-74 and metal oxides, are directly atomized onto nitrogen-doped carbon (NC) supports, yielding SACs with variable metal active sites and coordination structures. The electrochemical force facilitates the in situ generation of bonds between the metal and the supports without the need for additional complex steps. A series of MN<sub>x</sub>O<sub>y</sub> (M denotes metal) SACs on NC have been synthesized and utilized for ECR. Among these, NiN<sub>x</sub>O<sub>y</sub> SACs using Ni-MOF-74 as a metal precursor exhibit excellent ECR performance. This universal and general SAC synthesis strategy at room temperature is simpler than most reported synthesis methods to date, providing practical guidance for the design of the next generation of high-performance SACs.

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Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Science
Published
2024-09-13
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202401814
Citations
12
Primary Topic
CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
1.23

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article

A Universal Synthesis of Single‐Atom Catalysts via Operando Bond Formation Driven by Electricity

Tai‐Sing Wu, Alex W. Robertson, Molly Meng‐Jung Li, Libing Zhang et al.
12 citations
Advanced Science
CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
1.23
article

A Universal Synthesis of Single‐Atom Catalysts via Operando Bond Formation Driven by Electricity

Tai‐Sing Wu, Alex W. Robertson, Molly Meng‐Jung Li, Libing Zhang, Song Ki Hong, Jun-Young Choi, Leiduan Hao, Zhenyu Sun, Xinyu Zhan, Xiaofu Sun, Y. L. Soo, Yousung Jung, Liang Xu, Xinyi Tan, Pei Xiong
article en
12 citations

Abstract

Single-atom catalysts (SACs), featuring highly uniform active sites, tunable coordination environments, and synergistic effects with support, have emerged as one of the most efficient catalysts for various reactions, particularly for electrochemical CO<sub>2</sub> reduction (ECR). However, the scalability of SACs is restricted due to the limited choice of available support and problems that emerge when preparing SACs by thermal deposition. Here, an in situ reconstruction method for preparing SACs is developed with a variety of atomic sites, including nickel, cadmium, cobalt, and magnesium. Driven by electricity, different oxygen-containing metal precursors, such as MOF-74 and metal oxides, are directly atomized onto nitrogen-doped carbon (NC) supports, yielding SACs with variable metal active sites and coordination structures. The electrochemical force facilitates the in situ generation of bonds between the metal and the supports without the need for additional complex steps. A series of MN<sub>x</sub>O<sub>y</sub> (M denotes metal) SACs on NC have been synthesized and utilized for ECR. Among these, NiN<sub>x</sub>O<sub>y</sub> SACs using Ni-MOF-74 as a metal precursor exhibit excellent ECR performance. This universal and general SAC synthesis strategy at room temperature is simpler than most reported synthesis methods to date, providing practical guidance for the design of the next generation of high-performance SACs.

Advanced ScienceVol. 11(41)
Beijing Institute of Technology (CN), Seoul National University (KR), Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HK), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), National Tsing Hua University (TW), University of Warwick (GB), National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (TW), Institute of Chemistry (CN), Beijing University of Chemical Technology (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, National Key Research and Development Program of China, Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
Openalex Percentile: Top 23%
CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
1.23
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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