自支撑单原子膜电极在能源电催化中的应用

单原子催化剂的催化活性高, 稳定性强, 原子利用率高, 在能源电催化领域已被广泛研究. 然而, 粉末状(颗粒状)单原子催化材料存在工作电极制备过程复杂、 黏结剂添加降低导电性且占据催化材料的体积、 活性位点易被包埋等问题, 在作为电极材料催化能源转化过程时, 载量通常小于1 mg/cm², 反应电流密度不高于100 mA/cm². 与单原子催化剂相比, 自支撑单原子膜电极不仅具有单原子催化剂的诸多优势, 同时展现出整体式电极的特点, 例如无需添加黏结剂、 导电性好、 单原子活性位点暴露率高、 形貌与孔结构可调控等, 在大电流电催化反应、 高能量高功率密度电池等领域拥有应用前景. 本文综合评述了面向能源电催化应用的自支撑单原子膜电极的研究进展, 讨论了自支撑单原子膜电极的优势, 总结了自支撑单原子膜电极的合成方法, 包括自支撑基底上原位制备法、 静电纺丝法、 自组装法、 化学气相沉积与固相扩散法等, 介绍了其在析氢反应、 析氧反应、 电化学制过氧化氢反应、 锌空电池、 二氧化碳还原反应及锂硫电池中的应用, 并对该类电极的发展方向进行了展望.     

Advanced TEM Characterization for Single-atom Catalysts: from Ex-situ Towards In-situ

Clean energy innovation has triggered the development of single-atom catalysts(SACs) due to their excellent catalytic activity, high tunability and low cost. The success of SACs for many catalytic reactions has opened a new field, where the fundamentals of catalytic property-structure relationship at atomic level await exploration, and thus raises challenges for structural characterization. Among the characterization techniques for SACs, aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy(TEM) has become an essential tool for direct visualization of single atoms. In this review, we briefly summarize recent studies on SACs using advanced TEM. We first introduce TEM methods, which are particularly important for SACs characterization, and then discuss the applications of advanced TEM for SAC characterization, where not only atomic dispersion of single atoms can be studied, but also the distribution of elements and the valence state with local coordination can be resolved. We further extend our review towards in-situ TEM, which has increasing importance for the fundamental understanding of catalytic mechanism. Perspectives of TEM for SACs are finally discussed.     

Polymeric Carbon Nitride-based Single Atom Photocatalysts for CO2 Reduction to C1 Products

Photocatalytic CO₂ reduction to C₁ fuels is considered to be an important way for alleviating increasingly serious energy crisis and environmental pollution. Due to the environment-friendly, simple preparation, easy formation of highly-stable metal-nitrogen(M-N_x) coordination bonds, and suitable band structure, polymeric carbon nitride-based single-atom catalysts(C₃N₄-based SACs) are expected to become a potential for CO₂ reduction under visible-light irradiation. In this review, we summarize the recent advancement on C₃N₄-based SACs for photocatalytic CO₂ reduction to C₁ products, including the reaction mechanism for photocatalytic CO₂ reduction to C₁ products, the structure and synthesis methods of C₃N₄-based SACs and their applications toward photocatalytic CO₂ reduction reaction(CO₂RR) for C₁ production. The current challenges and future opportunities of C₃N₄-based SACs for photoreduction of CO₂ are also discussed.     

Single-atom catalysts for high-energy rechargeable batteries

Clean and sustainable electrochemical energy storage has attracted extensive attention. It remains a great challenge to achieve next-generation rechargeable battery systems with high energy density, good rate capability, excellent cycling stability, efficient active material utilization, and high coulombic efficiency. Many catalysts have been explored to promote electrochemical reactions during the charge and discharge process. Among reported catalysts, single-atom catalysts (SACs) have attracted extensive attention due to their maximum atom utilization efficiency, homogenous active centres, and unique reaction mechanisms. In this perspective, we summarize the recent advances of the synthesis methods for SACs and highlight the recent progress of SACs for a new generation of rechargeable batteries, including lithium/sodium metal batteries, lithium/sodium–sulfur batteries, lithium–oxygen batteries, and zinc–air batteries. The challenges and perspectives for the future development of SACs are discussed to shed light on the future research of SACs for boosting the performances of rechargeable batteries.

Single-atom catalysts are reviewed, aiming to achieve optimized properties to boost electrochemical performances of high-energy batteries.     

Operando Stability of Single-Atom Electrocatalysts

Single-atom catalysts (SACs) are appealing next-generation catalysts for various electrochemical technologies. Along with significant breakthroughs in their initial activity, SACs now face the next challenge for their viable applications, insufficient operational stability. In this Minireview, we summarize the current knowledge of SAC degradation mechanisms mainly based on Fe−N−C SACs, some of the most investigated SACs. Recent studies on isolated metal, ligand, and support degradations are introduced, and the underlying fundamentals of each degradation path are categorized into active site density (SD) and turnover frequency (TOF) losses. Finally, we discuss the challenges and prospects for the future outlook of stable SACs.     

电解水金属单原子催化剂的研究进展

氢能因其能量密度高、清洁无污染等特点,作为替代化石燃料的能源载体得到了广泛的研究.如何清洁高效地制备氢气受到了大量研究者的关注.当前,以化石能源的热反应所得副产氢气是主要来源.然而,采用该类方法不仅不能摆脱化石能源的使用以及温室气体的排放,还会造成生产氢气的纯度不高,碳氧化物杂质浓度过高的问题,严重影响氢气的后续使用.采用可再生能源(太阳能、风能等)所产富余电,进行电解水制氢,产生的氢气不含碳氧化合物杂质,纯度很高,可以真正实现碳的零排放,被认为是未来氢气来源的重要方式.目前,电解水制氢在制氢市场的所占份额较小,而造成这样局面的主要因素是该过程中的高能耗问题.为了降低能耗,开发高效催化剂加速两个电极上的电解反应的动力学尤为重要.近年,金属单原子催化剂(SACs)因其独特的结构,在很多研究中被用作电解水催化剂,进而开发出大量高性能的金属单原子电解水催化剂.本文综述了近年SACs在电解水催化方面的应用.首先,针对电解水反应本身,总结了阴阳极两侧的电极反应机制以及影响电极催化性能的关键吸附中间物种;然后,根据载体的不同,即合金、碳以及其它化合物将SACs分为三类,总结了相关电解水催化研究现状,并且针对不同类型SACs目前的发展情况,提出了它们各自存在的问题.其次,进一步总结了影响SACs电解水催化活性的因素,提出了四种决定SACs催化性能的影响因子,分别为金属原子的固有元素性质、配位环境、几何结构和负载量;同时讨论了这四类影响因素对SACs催化活性的影响机制,总结了调控各类影响因素的方法,为SACs的设计提出了一些建议.最后,展望了SACs在电解水催化中的应用,探讨了SACs在催化剂设计及催化机制研究方面的问题,提出了SACs在电解水催化中的未来发展方向.     

General Synthesis of Single-Atom Catalysts for Hydrogen Evolution Reactions and Room-Temperature Na-S Batteries

Herein, we report a comprehensive strategy to synthesize a full range of single-atom metals on carbon matrix, including V, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Ge, Mo, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag, In, Sn, W, Ir, Pt, Pb, and Bi. The extensive applications of various SACs are manifested via their ability to electro-catalyze typical hydrogen evolution reactions (HER) and conversion reactions in novel room-temperature sodium sulfur batteries (RT-Na-S). The enhanced performances for these electrochemical reactions arisen from the ability of different single active atoms on local structures to tune their electronic configuration. Significantly, the electrocatalytic behaviors of diverse SACs, assisted by density functional theory calculations, are systematically revealed by in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction and in situ transmission electronic microscopy, providing a strategic library for the general synthesis and extensive applications of SACs in energy conversion and storage.     

Single-atom Catalysts Based on Layered Double Hydroxides

Single-atom catalysts(SACs) have attracted much attention for their superior catalytic performance in various fields. It has been widely accepted that the selection of appropriate substrates is crucial to the fabrication and application of SACs. Layered double hydroxides(LDHs) have been developed as one of the promising substrates for single-atoms due to their unique adjustable supramolecular structures. In this review, we comprehensively sort out the research of SACs based on LDHs. By analyzing the characteristics of LDHs and the single-atoms, respectively, the preparation strategies of SACs by using LDHs are summarized. Their applications as efficient catalysts in electrocatalysis, photocatalysis and thermal catalysis are then discussed. Finally, we summarize the opportunities and challenges for the rational design and application expansion of SACs based on LDHs in the future.     

单原子材料在二氧化碳催化中的技术经济分析与产业化应用前景

近年来, 随着科学研究的不断深入, 单原子催化剂由于具有高活性与高选择性等突出特点被广泛挖掘和应用. 作为连接多相与均相催化的桥梁, 单原子催化剂已经成为催化领域的重要研究对象之一, 具有广泛的工业化应用前景. 本文对单原子催化剂的发展历程、 特点及其在不同领域的应用进行了概括, 综合评述了当前CO₂还原领域的技术经济分析, 并首次对单原子材料催化转化CO₂进行了技术经济分析与计算. 最后, 对单原子催化剂在CO₂还原领域中工业化应用的未来发展方向及亟需解决的关键科学和技术问题进行了展望, 以期推动单原子催化材料的进一步广泛应用.     

基于单原子催化剂的光热催化转化：原理和应用

在以碳中和为目标的全球共识下,太阳能作为一种取之不竭用之不尽的绿色环保能源被认为是替代传统化石燃料最有潜力的方式。在各种太阳能转换技术中,光热催化不仅可以最大化利用太阳能,在光场和热场双重驱动力作用下,还可以显著提升化学反应速率,引起广泛的研究兴趣。以孤立的单个原子均匀分散在载体上形成的单原子催化剂具有100%原子利用率、优异的催化活性、热稳定性等优势。因此,将单原子催化剂应用于光热催化开始受到越来越多的关注。本综述介绍了光催化、热催化和光热催化的基本原理和特征,同时列举一些典型的例子。随后以不同载体作为分类标准,总结了单原子光热催化应用的前沿研究进展。最后,提出了该催化体系所面临的挑战和未来的发展方向。本文旨在全面了解单原子催化剂在太阳能驱动光热催化领域的研究现状并为未来发展提供可行的建议。     

Recent Advances of Single-atom Catalysts for Electro-catalysis

Single-atom catalysis is the “hot spot” in the field of catalysis due to the special geometries, electronic states, and their unique catalytic performance. Single-atom catalysts(SACs), isolated metal atoms dispersed on the support, show the highest atom efficiency, cutting down the potential cost in the industrial process. Consequently, this “homo-hetero” catalyst could be a promising candidate for the next-generation catalysts. The applications for the SACs are widely reported, like gas-solid reactions, organic reactions, and electro-catalysis. In this mini- review, we will focus on the recent work of SACs on electro-catalysis, including hydrogen evolution reaction(HER), oxygen reduction reaction(ORR), oxygen evolution reaction(OER), CO₂ reduction reaction(CO₂ RR), and nitrogen reduction reaction(NRR).     

金属单原子催化剂在电催化二氧化碳和水裂解的研究进展

利用电催化技术开发新型能源,是替代传统能源的一种新策略,大量使用化石燃料导致的环境问题有望会通过此技术的发展而得到良好解决,设计并制备出高效稳定的电催化剂对于新型能源技术开发应用至关重要.单原子催化剂(SACs)在载体上具有原子分布的活性位点,是催化领域的新兴材料,具有美好的应用前景,现已成为电催化领域的研究热点.在此综述中,详细阐述了单原子电催化剂的一般载体、制备方法及其先进表征方法,系统总结了单原子电催化剂在能量转化和环境保护(CO₂还原、水裂解)方面的应用.同时,基于各种单原子催化剂研究的最新进展,简单阐述了催化机制,讨论了单原子催化剂在电催化方向的发展挑战和前景,希望为单原子电催化剂的合成、设计和应用提供经验,以更好地促进电催化能量转换方面的发展.     

Single‐Atom Electrocatalysts

Recent years have witnessed a dramatic increase in the production of sustainable and renewable energy. However, the electrochemical performances of the various systems are limited, and there is an intensive search for highly efficient electrocatalysts by more rational control over the size, shape, composition, and structure. Of particular interest are the studies on single‐atom catalysts (SACs), which have sparked new interests in electrocatalysis because of their high catalytic activity, stability, selectivity, and 100 % atom utilization. In this Review, we introduce innovative syntheses and characterization techniques for SACs, with a focus on their electrochemical applications in the oxygen reduction/evolution reaction, hydrogen evolution reaction, and hydrocarbon conversion reactions for fuel cells (electrooxidation of methanol, ethanol, and formic acid). The electrocatalytic performance is further considered at an atomic level and the underlying mechanisms are discussed. The ultimate goal is the tailoring of single atoms for electrochemical applications.     

Evaluating the electro-sensing behaviors of single-atom catalysts based on mechanistic insights

Single-atom catalysts (SACs) have been widely applied as electrocatalysts due to their excellent catalytic ability, selectivity, and stability, which are also key aspects considered for electro-sensing interfaces. Typical SACs are catalytic single atoms dispersed over oxide-, sulfide-, or carbon-based material supports. In this review, the electrocatalytic mechanisms of SACs are briefly summarized. SACs can increase the reactivity and modulate the reaction pathway via redox mediating, adsorbing to the preferred reactant/intermediate, and cooperating with other active sites either from the substrate or from a nearby heteroatom. Based on the mechanistic insights of SACs, this review aims to provide some inspirations for future applications of SACs in the design of efficient electro-sensing interfaces.     

Single‐Atom Catalysts for the Electrocatalytic Reduction of Nitrogen to Ammonia under Ambient Conditions

Powered by renewable electricity, the electrochemical reduction of nitrogen to ammonia is proposed as a promising alternative to the energy‐ and capital‐intensive Haber–Bosch process, and has thus attracted much attention from the scientific community. However, this process suffers from low NH₃ yields and Faradaic efficiency. The development of more effective electrocatalysts is of vital importance for the practical applications of this reaction. Of the reported catalysts, single‐atom catalysts (SACs) show the significant advantages of efficient atom utilization and unsaturated coordination configurations, which offer great scope for optimizing their catalytic performance. Herein, progress in state‐of‐the‐art SACs applied in the electrocatalytic N₂ reduction reaction (NRR) is discussed, and the main advantages and challenges for developing more efficient electrocatalysts are also highlighted.     

单原子配位结构及与载体相互作用的调控用于二氧化碳电催化还原

The combustion of fossil fuels increases atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentrations, leading to adverse impacts on the planetary radiation balance and, consequently, on the climate. Fossil fuel utilization has contributed to a marked rise in global temperatures, now at least 1.2 ℃ above 'pre-industrial' levels. To meet the 2015 Paris Agreement target of 1.5 ℃ above pre-industrial levels, considerable efforts are required to efficiently capture and utilize CO₂. Among the different strategies developed for converting CO₂, electrochemical CO₂ reduction (ECR) to valuable chemicals using renewable energy is expected to revolutionize the manufacture of sustainable "green" chemicals, thereby achieving a closed anthropogenic carbon cycle. However, CO₂ is a thermodynamically stable and kinetically inert molecule that requires high electrical energy to bend the linear O＝C＝O bond by attacking the C atom. To facilitate the ECR with good energy efficiency, it is essential to lower the reaction overpotential as well as maintain a high current density and desirable product selectivity; therefore, the design and development of advanced electrocatalysts are crucial. A plethora of heterogeneous and homogeneous materials has been explored in the ECR. Among these materials, single-atom catalysts (SACs) have been the focus of most extensive research in the context of ECR. A SAC with isolated metal atoms dispersed on a supporting host exhibits a unique electronic structure, well-defined coordination environment, and an extremely high atom utilization maximum; thus, SACs have emerged as promising materials over the last two decades. Single-atom catalysis has covered the periodic table from d-block and ds-block metals to p-block metals. The types of support materials for SACs, ranging from metal oxides to tailored carbon materials, have also expanded. The adsorption strength and catalytic activity of SACs can be effectively tuned by modulating the central metal and local coordination structure of the SACs. In this article, we discuss the progress made to date in the field of single-atom catalysis for promoting ECR. We provide a comprehensive review of state-of-the-art SACs for the ECR in terms of product distribution, selectivity, partial current density, and performance stability. Special attention is paid to the modification of SACs to improve the ECR efficiency. This includes tailoring the coordination of the heteroatom, constructing bimetallic sites, engineering the morphologies and surface defects of supports, and regulating surface functional groups. The correlation of the coordination structure of SACs and metal-support interactions with ECR performance is analyzed. Finally, development opportunities and challenges for the application of SACs in the ECR, especially to form multi-carbon products, are presented.     

单原子催化的关键进展与未来挑战

单原子催化剂(SACs)兼具均相与多相催化剂的双重优势, 表现出最大化的原子利用率、 超高的本征活性与选择性以及易与产物分离的特点, 受到人们的广泛关注. 然而, 由于单个原子较高的表面能以及不稳定性, 设计与制备单原子催化剂仍是一大挑战. 本文综合评述了近年来单原子催化剂的稳定化策略、 高载量催化剂的制备方法以及批量制备技术等方面的关键研究进展, 并简要分析了单原子催化剂未来发展所面临的问题与挑战, 最后对单原子催化的发展方向进行了展望.     

单原子催化的最新进展

单原子催化剂由于其自身兼具均相催化剂的"孤立活性位点"和多相催化剂易于循环使用的特点,近年来受到了广泛关注.本综述概括了2015至2016年单原子催化领域的重要进展,重点介绍了新的催化剂制备方法、单原子金催化剂在CO氧化中的进展、单原子钯/铂催化的选择性加氢反应以及铂或非贵金属单原子催化剂在电化学中的应用等.在催化剂的合成方面,用传统的湿化学方法制备的单原子催化剂通常金属负载量较低,使得催化剂的常规表征比较困难.最近发展的一系列新型合成方法例如原子层沉积法、高温蒸汽转移法、光介还原法以及热解法等制备M?N?C等非贵金属催化剂等,尽管有不同程度的局限性,但均可以成功制备高负载量的单原子催化剂.单原子催化剂的载体得到了拓展,除传统的金属氧化物外,金属有机框架材料和二维材料等均被用于单原子催化剂的制备.在单原子催化剂的应用方面,金由于较高的电负性和与氧的弱相互作用能力,因而与氧化物载体作用较弱,不易形成单原子催化剂.但近期报道了成功制备的单原子金催化剂,在CO氧化反应、乙醇脱氢和二烯加氢反应中都有不错的进展.本文还介绍了铂和钯单原子(合金)催化剂在加氢反应中的优异活性及选择性,表明了单原子催化剂在选择性上的优势.将一种金属掺杂到另一种金属基底中制备的单原子合金催化剂也因其特异的性能备受关注.此外,对于化工生产中典型的均相催化反应,如氢甲酰化,单原子催化剂在无外加膦配体的情况下表现出高活性的同时还能很好地控制化学选择性,甚至达到令人满意的区域选择性,从实验上证明了单原子催化剂有望作为沟通均相催化和多相催化的桥梁.单原子催化剂在电催化和光催化中也得到了快速发展.铂单原子催化剂因其高原子利用率和高稳定性,在析氢反应和氧还原反应中有着良好的应用前景.另一方面,非贵金属特别是Co单原子催化剂在光电催化中因其优异的活性和巨大潜力得到了较深入的研究.除了上述进展,单原子催化领域还有许多基本问题需要继续深入研究,对单原子催化剂更加全面透彻的认识将为设计发展新型催化体系,扩展单原子催化领域提供指导和借鉴.     

单原子配位结构及与载体相互作用的调控用于二氧化碳电催化还原

电催化二氧化碳还原(ECR) 制备高值化学品被认为是在碳中和背景下实现可再生能源存储及降低CO₂浓度的一种有效策略。为了实现此目标,催化剂的开发与设计是ECR研究的关键。单原子催化剂(SACs) 因其独特的电子结构、明确的配位环境和极高的原子利用率,近年来在ECR领域引起了广泛关注。通过调节SACs的中心金属元素种类和局部配位结构,可有效调节SACs对CO₂和其还原中间体的吸附强度和催化活性。本文总结了SACs在ECR领域所取得的最新研究进展,重点讨论了SACs的配位结构及其与载体之间的相互作用对催化活性的影响以及相关调控策略,最后,提出了SACs应用于ECR所面临的机遇与挑战。     

Synthesis and application of single-atom catalysts in sulfur cathode for high-performance lithium–sulfur batteries

Lithium–sulfur(Li-S) batteries are regarded as one of the most promising energy storage devices because of their low cost, high energy density, and environmental friendliness. However, Li-S batteries suffer from sluggish reaction kinetics and serious “shuttle effect” of lithium polysulfides(LiPSs), which causes rapid decay of battery capacity and prevent their practical application. To address these problems, introducing single-atom catalysts(SACs) is an effective method to improve the electroch...