{"title":"Chalcogen heteroatoms doped nickel-nitrogen-carbon single-atom catalysts with asymmetric coordination for efficient electrochemical CO2 reduction","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/S1872-2067(24)60103-8","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The electronic configuration of central metal atoms in single-atom catalysts (SACs) is pivotal in electrochemical CO<sub>2</sub> reduction reaction (eCO<sub>2</sub>RR). Herein, chalcogen heteroatoms (e.g., S, Se, and Te) were incorporated into the symmetric nickel-nitrogen-carbon (Ni-N<sub>4</sub>-C) configuration to obtain Ni-<em>X</em>-N<sub>3</sub>-C (<em>X</em>: S, Se, and Te) SACs with asymmetric coordination presented for central Ni atoms. Among these obtained Ni-X-N<sub>3</sub>-C (X: S, Se, and Te) SACs, Ni-Se-N<sub>3</sub>-C exhibited superior eCO<sub>2</sub>RR activity, with CO selectivity reaching ~98% at −0.70 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE). The Zn-CO<sub>2</sub> battery integrated with Ni-Se-N<sub>3</sub>-C as cathode and Zn foil as anode achieved a peak power density of 1.82 mW cm<sup>–2</sup> and maintained remarkable rechargeable stability over 20 h. <em>In-situ</em> spectral investigations and theoretical calculations demonstrated that the chalcogen heteroatoms doped into the Ni-N<sub>4</sub>-C configuration would break coordination symmetry and trigger charge redistribution, and then regulate the intermediate behaviors and thermodynamic reaction pathways for eCO<sub>2</sub>RR. Especially, for Ni-Se-N<sub>3</sub>-C, the introduced Se atoms could significantly raise the d-band center of central Ni atoms and thus remarkably lower the energy barrier for the rate-determining step of *COOH formation, contributing to the promising eCO<sub>2</sub>RR performance for high selectivity CO production by competing with hydrogen evolution reaction.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":9832,"journal":{"name":"Chinese Journal of Catalysis","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":15.7000,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Chinese Journal of Catalysis","FirstCategoryId":"92","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1872206724601038","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"CHEMISTRY, APPLIED","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The electronic configuration of central metal atoms in single-atom catalysts (SACs) is pivotal in electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (eCO2RR). Herein, chalcogen heteroatoms (e.g., S, Se, and Te) were incorporated into the symmetric nickel-nitrogen-carbon (Ni-N4-C) configuration to obtain Ni-X-N3-C (X: S, Se, and Te) SACs with asymmetric coordination presented for central Ni atoms. Among these obtained Ni-X-N3-C (X: S, Se, and Te) SACs, Ni-Se-N3-C exhibited superior eCO2RR activity, with CO selectivity reaching ~98% at −0.70 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE). The Zn-CO2 battery integrated with Ni-Se-N3-C as cathode and Zn foil as anode achieved a peak power density of 1.82 mW cm–2 and maintained remarkable rechargeable stability over 20 h. In-situ spectral investigations and theoretical calculations demonstrated that the chalcogen heteroatoms doped into the Ni-N4-C configuration would break coordination symmetry and trigger charge redistribution, and then regulate the intermediate behaviors and thermodynamic reaction pathways for eCO2RR. Especially, for Ni-Se-N3-C, the introduced Se atoms could significantly raise the d-band center of central Ni atoms and thus remarkably lower the energy barrier for the rate-determining step of *COOH formation, contributing to the promising eCO2RR performance for high selectivity CO production by competing with hydrogen evolution reaction.
期刊介绍:
The journal covers a broad scope, encompassing new trends in catalysis for applications in energy production, environmental protection, and the preparation of materials, petroleum chemicals, and fine chemicals. It explores the scientific foundation for preparing and activating catalysts of commercial interest, emphasizing representative models.The focus includes spectroscopic methods for structural characterization, especially in situ techniques, as well as new theoretical methods with practical impact in catalysis and catalytic reactions.The journal delves into the relationship between homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis and includes theoretical studies on the structure and reactivity of catalysts.Additionally, contributions on photocatalysis, biocatalysis, surface science, and catalysis-related chemical kinetics are welcomed.