Regulating the Coordination Environment of MOF-Templated Single-Atom Nickel Electrocatalysts for Boosting CO2 Reduction

The general synthesis and control of the coordination environment of single-atom catalysts (SACs) remains a great challenge. Herein, a general host–guest cooperative protection strategy has been developed to construct SACs by introducing polypyrrole (PPy) into a bimetallic metal–organic framework. As an example, the introduction of Mg²⁺ in MgNi-MOF-74 extends the distance between adjacent Ni atoms; the PPy guests serve as N source to stabilize the isolated Ni atoms during pyrolysis. As a result, a series of single-atom Ni catalysts (named Ni_SA-N_x-C) with different N coordination numbers have been fabricated by controlling the pyrolysis temperature. Significantly, the Ni_SA-N₂-C catalyst, with the lowest N coordination number, achieves high CO Faradaic efficiency (98 %) and turnover frequency (1622 h⁻¹), far superior to those of Ni_SA-N₃-C and Ni_SA-N₄-C, in electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction. Theoretical calculations reveal that the low N coordination number of single-atom Ni sites in Ni_SA-N₂-C is favorable to the formation of COOH* intermediate and thus accounts for its superior activity.     

Photocatalytic Free Radical-Controlled Synthesis of High-Performance Single-Atom Catalysts

Single-atom catalysts (SACs) have emerged as crucial players in catalysis research, prompting extensive investigation and application. The precise control of metal atom nucleation and growth has garnered significant attention. In this study, we present a straightforward approach for preparing SACs utilizing a photocatalytic radical control strategy. Notably, we demonstrate for the first time that radicals generated during the photochemical process effectively hinder the aggregation of individual atoms. By leveraging the cooperative anchoring of nitrogen atoms and crystal lattice oxygen on the support, we successfully stabilize the single atom. Our Pd₁/TiO₂ catalysts exhibit remarkable catalytic activity and stability in the Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reaction, which was 43 times higher than Pd/C. Furthermore, we successfully depose Pd atoms onto various substrates, including TiO₂, CeO₂, and WO₃. The photocatalytic radical control strategy can be extended to other single-atom catalysts, such as Ir, Pt, Rh, and Ru, underscoring its broad applicability.     

1,2,2,2-Tetrafluor-1-(trifluormethyl)ethylat als Nukleophil und oxydierendes Fluorierungsmittel für 2-Halogen-4,4,5,5-tetrakis(trifluormethyl)-1,3,2-dioxaphospholan

Syntheses and Crystal Structures of the Phases 6R? Cu_xM_1+yS₂ (M = Nb, Ta) Thermal decomposition of 2H? Cu_0.66MS₂ (M = Nb, Ta) results in the formation of 6R? Cu_xM_1+yS₂. Crystals can be obtained by chemical vapour transport reactions with iodine in a temperature gradient (1320–1220 K). The structures of four phases with trigonal symmetry (R3 m, Z = 6) were determined from single crystal x-ray diffraction data. Nb and Ta, resp., of the MS₂ partial structures have a trigonal prismatic coordination. The additional metal atoms are distributed at random only in S-octahedra (Nb, Ta) and -tetrahedra Cu sharing faces with MS₆-prisms. The sequence of the layers can be rationalized on the assumption of stabilizing interactions between metal atoms in adjacent layers.     

TiO2-supported Single-atom Catalysts: Synthesis,Structure, and Application

In recent years, single-atom catalysts(SACs) have attracted increasing attention in catalysis. However, their stability is considerably challenging. As a result, fine-tuning the interaction of metal single atoms(SA) with different types of supports has emerged as an effective strategy for improving their thermal and chemical stabilities. Owing to its non-toxicity, cost-effectiveness, high abundance, and excellent stability, as well as presence of rich, tunable, and reliable anchor sites for metal SA, TiO₂ has been extensively explored as a superior support for SACs. In this review, recent advances of TiO₂-supported SACs(M₁/TiO₂) are discussed, and synthetic strategies, structure elucidation, and catalytic applications are summarized. First, the recently developed synthetic strategies for M₁/TiO₂arehighlighted and summarized, identifying the major challenges for the precise fabrication of M₁/TiO₂. Subsequently, key characterization techniques for the structure identification of M₁/TiO₂are discussed. Next, catalytic applications of M₁/TiO₂ are highlighted, viz. photocatalysis, electrocatalysis, and thermocatalysis. In addition, the mechanism via geometric structures and electronic states of metal centers facilitate catalytic reactions is outlined. Finally, opportunities and challenges of M₁/TiO₂ in catalysis are discussed, which may inspire the future development of M₁/TiO₂ for multifunctional catalytic applications.     

Naked metal nanoparticles from metal carbonyls in ionic liquids: Easy synthesis and stabilization

An overview with more than 160 references on the synthesis and stabilization of metal nanoparticles (M-NPs) from metal carbonyls, metal salts in ionic liquids (ILs) and in particular from metal carbonyls in ionic liquids is given. The synthesis of M-NPs can proceed by chemical reduction, thermolysis, photochemical decomposition, electroreduction, microwave and sonochemical irradiation. Commercially available metal carbonyls M_x(CO)_y are elegant precursors as they contain the metal atoms already in the zero-valent oxidation state needed for M-NPs. No extra reducing agent is necessary. The side product CO is largely given off to the gas phase and removed from the dispersion. The microwave induced thermal decomposition of metal carbonyls M_x(CO)_y in ILs provides an especially rapid and energy-saving access to M-NPs because of the ILs significant absorption efficiency for microwave energy due to their high ionic charge, high polarity and high dielectric constant. The electrostatic and steric properties of ionic liquids allow for the stabilization of M-NPs without the need of additional stabilizers, surfactants or capping ligands and are highlighted by pointing to the DLVO (Derjaugin–Landau–Verwey–Overbeek) and extra-DLVO theory. Examples for the direct use of M-NP/IL dispersions in hydrogenation catalysis of cyclohexene and benzene are given.     

General Synthesis of Sulfonate-Based Metal–Organic Framework Derived Composite of MxSy@N/S-Doped Carbon for High-Performance Lithium/Sodium Ion Batteries

A general and simple strategy is realized for the first time for the preparation of metal sulfide (M_xS_y) nanoparticles immobilized into N/S co-doped carbon (NSC) through a one-step pyrolysis method. The organic ligand 1,5-naphthalenedisulfonic acid in the metal–organic framework (MOF) precursor is used as a sulfur source, and metal ions are sulfurized in situ to form M_xS_y nanoparticles, resulting in the formation of M_xS_y/NSC (M=Fe, Co, Cu, Ni, Mn, Zn) composites. Benefiting from the M_xS_y nanoparticles and conductive carbon, a synergistic effect of the composite is achieved. For instance, the composite of Fe₇S₈/NSC as an anode displays excellent long-term cycling stability in lithium/sodium ion batteries. At 5 A g⁻¹, large capacities of 645 mA h g⁻¹ and 426.6 mA h g⁻¹ can be retained after 1500 cycles for the lithium-ion battery and after 1000 cycles for the sodium-ion battery, respectively.     

NO Reduction Over Noble Metal Ionic Catalysts

In last 40 years, catalysis for NO _x removal from exhaust gas has received much attention to achieve pollution free environment. CeO₂ has been found to play a major role in the area of exhaust catalysis due to its unique redox properties. In last several years, we have been exploring an entirely new approach of dispersing noble metal ions in CeO₂ and TiO₂ for redox catalysis. We have extensively studied Ce_1−x M _x O_2−δ (M = Pd, Pt, Rh), Ce_1−x−y A _x M _y O_2−δ (A = Ti, Zr, Sn, Fe; M = Pd, Pt) and Ti_1−x M _x O_2−δ (M = Pd, Pt, Rh, Ru) catalysts for exhaust catalysis especially NO reduction and CO oxidation, structure–property relation and mechanism of catalytic reactions. In these catalysts, lower valent noble metal ion substitution in CeO₂ and TiO₂ creates noble metal ionic sites and oxide ion vacancy. NO gets molecularly adsorbed on noble metal ion site and dissociatively adsorbed on oxide ion vacancy site. Dissociative chemisorption of NO on oxide ion vacancy leads to preferential conversion of NO to N₂ instead of N₂O over these catalysts. It has been demonstrated that these new generation noble metal ionic catalysts (NMIC) are much more catalytically active than conventional nano crystalline noble metal catalysts especially for NO reduction.     

Investigation of the Support Effect in Atomically Dispersed Pt on WO3−x for Utilization of Pt in the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Single‐atom catalysts (SACs) have attracted growing attention because they maximize the number of active sites, with unpredictable catalytic activity. Despite numerous studies on SACs, there is little research on the support, which is essential to understanding SAC. Herein, we systematically investigated the influence of the support on the performance of the SAC by comparing with single‐atom Pt supported on carbon (Pt SA/C) and Pt nanoparticles supported on WO_3?x (Pt NP/WO_3?x). The results revealed that the support effect was maximized for atomically dispersed Pt supported on WO_3?x (Pt SA/WO_3?x). The Pt SA/WO_3?x exhibited a higher degree of hydrogen spillover from Pt atoms to WO_3?x at the interface, compared with Pt NP/WO_3?x, which drastically enhanced Pt mass activity for hydrogen evolution (up to 10 times). This strategy provides a new framework for enhancing catalytic activity for HER, by reducing noble metal usage in the field of SACs.     

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.     

Photocatalytic Activity of Supported Metal Nanoparticles and Single Atoms

Photocatalysis has been known as one of the promising technologies due to its eco-friendly nature. However, the potential application of many photocatalysts is limited owing to their large bandgaps and inefficient use of the solar spectrum. One strategy to overcome this problem is to combine the advantages of heteroatom-containing supports with active metal centers to accurately adjust the structural parameters. Metal nanoparticles (MNPs) and single atom catalysts (SACs) are excellent candidates due to their distinctive coordination environment which enhances photocatalytic activity. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), covalent organic frameworks (COFs) and carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) have shown great potential as catalyst support for SACs and MNPs. The numerous combinations of organic linkers with various heteroatoms and metal ions provide unique structural characteristics to achieve advanced materials. This review describes the recent advancement of the modified MOFs, COFs and g-C₃N₄ with SACs and NPs for enhanced photocatalytic applications with emphasis on environmental remediation.     

Controlling the Oxidation State of Pt Single Atoms for Maximizing Catalytic Activity

Single-atom catalysts (SACs) have emerged as promising materials in heterogeneous catalysis. Previous studies reported controversial results about the relative level in activity for SACs and nanoparticles (NPs). These works have focused on the effect of metal atom arrangement, without considering the oxidation state of the SACs. Here, we immobilized Pt single atoms on defective ceria and controlled the oxidation state of Pt SACs, from highly oxidized (Pt⁰: 16.6 at %) to highly metallic states (Pt⁰: 83.8 at %). The Pt SACs with controlled oxidation states were then employed for oxidation of CO, CH₄, or NO, and their activities compared with those of Pt NPs. The highly oxidized Pt SACs presented poorer activities than Pt NPs, whereas metallic Pt SACs showed higher activities. The Pt SAC reduced at 300 °C showed the highest activity for all the oxidations. The Pt SACs with controlled oxidation states revealed a crucial missing link between activity and SACs.     

Next-nearest neighbour contributions to the XPS binding energies and XANES absorption energies of P and As in transition-metal arsenide phosphides MAs1−yPy having the MnP-type structure

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic (XPS) and X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopic (XANES) measurements have been made for several series of metal arsenide phosphides MAs_1−yP_y (M=Co, Fe, Cr) that adopt the MnP-type structure. The P and As XPS binding energies (BEs) and XANES absorption energies of the metal arsenide phosphides do not follow the trend observed for the simple binary phosphides or arsenides, a deviation that arises from the combination of nearest and next-nearest neighbour contributions acting on the P or As photoemission or absorption site. The P 2p_3/2 BEs and K-edge absorption energies are lower in MAs_1−yP_y than in MP because the P atoms are more negatively charged and because the P photoemission or absorption site is screened to a greater extent by less positively charged nearest-neighbour M atoms and more negatively charged next-nearest neighbour P atoms. The As L₃- and K-edge absorption energies are higher in MAs_1−yP_y than in MAs primarily because the As atoms are less negatively charged. The M charge has been evaluated from analysis of the M 2p XPS spectra and the M L- and K-edge XANES spectra.     

Ternary Sulfides: Model Compounds for the Correlation of Crystal Structure and Magnetic Properties

Relationships between crystal structure and magnetic properties enable an insight into the nature of the binding of atoms or ions in the solid state. Suitable as model substances are transition metal compounds in which the collective bonds that are generally present are directively degraded by incorporation of diamagnetic cations. This requirement of progressive degradation is met with in sulfides of the general composition A_xM_yS_z, where A ? alkali metal and M ? transition metal.     

Quantum chemistry of quantum size‐effects in semiconductors: Small clusters electronic structure calculations

Ab initio RHF SCF calculations are used for some small clusters M_xX_y, where M=Cd, Ag; X=S, I; and x, y≤7. Variation of electronic structure with size for some clusters with the bulklike tetrahedral coordination and with the lower symmetry allows one to predict their possible geometries which are compared with experimental data on the existence of the clusters. The chemical‐bonding factor (the chemical nature of bounded atoms, coordination number for metal and nonmetal atoms, hybridization, etc.) is of more importance for properties of the clusters than is the familiar quantum confinement effect of semiconductor clusters. The essential difference in regularities of small cluster formation is analyzed for CdS‐ and AgI‐based structures. ©1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quant Chem 71: 337–341, 1999     

Stabilizing Low-Valence Single Atoms by Constructing Metalloid Tungsten Carbide Supports for Efficient Hydrogen Oxidation and Evolution

Designing novel single-atom catalysts (SACs) supports to modulate the electronic structure is crucial to optimize the catalytic activity, but rather challenging. Herein, a general strategy is proposed to utilize the metalloid properties of supports to trap and stabilize single-atoms with low-valence states. A series of single-atoms supported on the surface of tungsten carbide (M-WC_x, M=Ru, Ir, Pd) are rationally developed through a facile pyrolysis method. Benefiting from the metalloid properties of WC_x, the single-atoms exhibit weak coordination with surface W and C atoms, resulting in the formation of low-valence active centers similar to metals. The unique metal-metal interaction effectively stabilizes the low-valence single atoms on the WC_x surface and improves the electronic orbital energy level distribution of the active sites. As expected, the representative Ru-WC_x exhibits superior mass activities of 7.84 and 62.52 A mg_Ru⁻¹ for the hydrogen oxidation and evolution reactions (HOR/HER), respectively. In-depth mechanistic analysis demonstrates that an ideal dual-sites cooperative mechanism achieves a suitable adsorption balance of H_ad and OH_ad, resulting in an energetically favorable Volmer step. This work offers new guidance for the precise construction of highly active SACs.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Niobium Substituted Hexagonal Tungsten Bronzes

Alkali metal tungsten bronzes, M_xWO₃, and its niobium substituted forms, M_xNb_yW_1‐yO₃, have been prepared with M = K and Rb and nominal compositions of x = 0.20, 0.25, 0.30 and 0.0 ≤ y ≤ 0.20 at temperatures between 600 and 900?C. The X‐ray powder patterns reveal that single phases of niobium substituted hexagonal tungsten bronze (HTB) can be prepared for x = 0.2, y ≤ 0.05 ; x = 0.25, y ≤ 0.125 and x = 0.3, y ≤ 0.15. Investigations of the optical reflectivity and the infrared absorption of Rb_0.3Nb_yW_1‐yO₃ indicate a decreasing concentration of free carrier with increasing niobium content.     

The atomic-level regulation of single-atom site catalysts for the electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction

The electrochemical CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR) is viewed as a promising way to remove the greenhouse gas CO₂ from the atmosphere and convert it into useful industrial products such as methane, methanol, formate, ethanol, and so forth. Single-atom site catalysts (SACs) featuring maximum theoretical atom utilization and a unique electronic structure and coordination environment have emerged as promising candidates for use in the CO₂RR. The electronic properties and atomic structures of the central metal sites in SACs will be changed significantly once the types or coordination environments of the central metal sites are altered, which appears to provide new routes for engineering SACs for CO₂ electrocatalysis. Therefore, it is of great importance to discuss the structural regulation of SACs at the atomic level and their influence on CO₂RR activity and selectivity. Despite substantial efforts being made to fabricate various SACs, the principles of regulating the intrinsic electrocatalytic performances of the single-atom sites still needs to be sufficiently emphasized. In this perspective article, we present the latest progress relating to the synthesis and catalytic performance of SACs for the electrochemical CO₂RR. We summarize the atomic-level regulation of SACs for the electrochemical CO₂RR from five aspects: the regulation of the central metal atoms, the coordination environments, the interface of single metal complex sites, multi-atom active sites, and other ingenious strategies to improve the performance of SACs. We highlight synthesis strategies and structural design approaches for SACs with unique geometric structures and discuss how the structure affects the catalytic properties.

Electrochemical CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR) is a promising way to remove CO₂ and convert it into useful industrial products. Single-atom site catalysts provide opportunities to regulate the active sites of CO₂RR catalysts at the atomic level.     

Semiempirical and ab-initio calculations of semiconductor clusters: variation of structure and symmetry with size for different compounds

Semiempirical (by extended Hückel method) and ab initio RHF SCF calculations are used for the wide range of cluster structures M_xX_y, where M = Cd,Ag; X = S,I: semiempirical - up to M₂₀X₃₅, and ab initio - for small clusters less than ten atoms. Variation of electronic structure with size for the fragments with tetrahedral coordination (bulklike sphalerite structures) and for some clusters of the lower symmetry allows to predict their possible geometries which are compared with experimental data. The chemical bonding factor (the chemical nature of bounded atoms, coordination number for metal and non-metal atoms, hybridization, etc) is of more importance in properties of the clusters than the familiar quantum confinement effect of semiconductor clusters (like CdS, CdSe, PbS, etc. ). The essential difference in regularities of small cluster formation is analysed for CdS- and AgI- based structures.     

One‐Pot Cooperation of Single‐Atom Rh and Ru Solid Catalysts for a Selective Tandem Olefin Isomerization‐Hydrosilylation Process

Realizing the full potential of oxide‐supported single‐atom metal catalysts (SACs) is key to successfully bridge the gap between the fields of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis. Here we show that the one‐pot combination of Ru₁/CeO₂ and Rh₁/CeO₂ SACs enables a highly selective olefin isomerization‐hydrosilylation tandem process, hitherto restricted to molecular catalysts in solution. Individually, monoatomic Ru and Rh sites show a remarkable reaction specificity for olefin double‐bond migration and anti‐Markovnikov α‐olefin hydrosilylation, respectively. First‐principles DFT calculations ascribe such selectivity to differences in the binding strength of the olefin substrate to the monoatomic metal centers. The single‐pot cooperation of the two SACs allows the production of terminal organosilane compounds with high regio‐selectivity (>95 %) even from industrially‐relevant complex mixtures of terminal and internal olefins, alongside a straightforward catalyst recycling and reuse. These results demonstrate the significance of oxide‐supported single‐atom metal catalysts in tandem catalytic reactions, which are central for the intensification of chemical processes.     

Regulating the Coordination Environment of MOF‐Templated Single‐Atom Nickel Electrocatalysts for Boosting CO2 Reduction

The general synthesis and control of the coordination environment of single‐atom catalysts (SACs) remains a great challenge. Herein, a general host–guest cooperative protection strategy has been developed to construct SACs by introducing polypyrrole (PPy) into a bimetallic metal–organic framework. As an example, the introduction of Mg²⁺ in MgNi‐MOF‐74 extends the distance between adjacent Ni atoms; the PPy guests serve as N source to stabilize the isolated Ni atoms during pyrolysis. As a result, a series of single‐atom Ni catalysts (named Ni_SA‐N_x‐C) with different N coordination numbers have been fabricated by controlling the pyrolysis temperature. Significantly, the Ni_SA‐N₂‐C catalyst, with the lowest N coordination number, achieves high CO Faradaic efficiency (98 %) and turnover frequency (1622 h^?1), far superior to those of Ni_SA‐N₃‐C and Ni_SA‐N₄‐C, in electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction. Theoretical calculations reveal that the low N coordination number of single‐atom Ni sites in Ni_SA‐N₂‐C is favorable to the formation of COOH* intermediate and thus accounts for its superior activity.