Atomic Dispersed Hetero-Pairs for Enhanced Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction

• Published in: Nano-micro letters Vol. 16; no. 1; pp. 4 - 13
• Main Authors: Jin, Zhaoyong, Yang, Meiqi, Dong, Yilong, Ma, Xingcheng, Wang, Ying, Wu, Jiandong, Fan, Jinchang, Wang, Dewen, Xi, Rongshen, Zhao, Xiao, Xu, Tianyi, Zhao, Jingxiang, Zhang, Lei, Singh, David J., Zheng, Weitao, Cui, Xiaoqiang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Singapore Springer Nature Singapore 01.12.2024; Springer Nature B.V; SpringerOpen
• Subjects: Ad-desorption energy; Adsorption; Atomic dispersed catalyst; Carbon dioxide; Catalytic activity; Chemical reduction; CO2 reduction reaction; Desorption; Dispersion; Electrocatalysis; Engineering; Hetero-diatomic pair; Iron; Linear scaling relation; Molybdenum; Nanoscale Science and Technology; Nanotechnology; Nanotechnology and Microengineering; Optimization; Stability; Linear scaling relation; reduction reaction; Atomic dispersed catalyst; Hetero-diatomic pair; CO; Ad-desorption energy
• ISSN: 2311-6706; 2150-5551; 2150-5551
• DOI: 10.1007/s40820-023-01214-2

Highlights A unique atomic dispersed hetero-pair was successfully synthesized, consisting of Mo-Fe di-atoms anchored on N-doped carbon carrier. This strategy breaks the linear scaling relationships of electrocatalytic CO 2 reduction by simultaneously regulating the *COOH adsorption energy and *CO desorption energy. The as-prepared MoFe–N–C exhibits excellent performance for CO 2 RR to CO with a high turnover frequency (TOF) of 3336.21 h −1 , CO Faradaic efficiency (FE CO ) of 95.96% at − 0.60 V (versus RHE) and outstanding stability. Electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO 2 RR) involves a variety of intermediates with highly correlated reaction and ad-desorption energies, hindering optimization of the catalytic activity. For example, increasing the binding of the *COOH to the active site will generally increase the *CO desorption energy. Breaking this relationship may be expected to dramatically improve the intrinsic activity of CO 2 RR, but remains an unsolved challenge. Herein, we addressed this conundrum by constructing a unique atomic dispersed hetero-pair consisting of Mo-Fe di-atoms anchored on N-doped carbon carrier. This system shows an unprecedented CO 2 RR intrinsic activity with TOF of 3336 h −1 , high selectivity toward CO production, Faradaic efficiency of 95.96% at − 0.60 V and excellent stability. Theoretical calculations show that the Mo-Fe diatomic sites increased the *COOH intermediate adsorption energy by bridging adsorption of *COOH intermediates. At the same time, d-d orbital coupling in the Mo-Fe di-atom results in electron delocalization and facilitates desorption of *CO intermediates. Thus, the undesirable correlation between these steps is broken. This work provides a promising approach, specifically the use of di-atoms, for breaking unfavorable relationships based on understanding of the catalytic mechanisms at the atomic scale.