Solving the structure of "single-atom" catalysts using machine learning - assisted XANES analysis.

"Single-atom" catalysts (SACs) have demonstrated excellent activity and selectivity in challenging chemical transformations such as photocatalytic CO2 reduction. For heterogeneous photocatalytic SAC systems, it is essential to obtain sufficient information of their structure at the atomic level in order to understand reaction mechanisms. In this work, a SAC was prepared by grafting a molecular cobalt catalyst on a light-absorbing carbon nitride surface. Due to the sensitivity of the X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectra to subtle variances in the Co SAC structure in reaction conditions, different machine learning (ML) methods, including principal component analysis, K-means clustering, and neural network (NN), were utilized for in situ Co XANES data analysis. As a result, we obtained quantitative structural information of the SAC nearest atomic environment, thereby extending the NN-XANES approach previously demonstrated for nanoparticles and size-selective clusters.

Photoelectrochemical NADH regeneration is highly sensitive to the nature of electrode surface.

(Photo)electrochemistry enables the synthesis of high-value fine chemicals and highly selective activation of molecules that are difficult to prepare using conventional chemical methods. In this work, light-driven NADH (reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) regeneration is achieved using a molecular Rh(III) mediator on Si photoelectrodes. This process is observed to be highly sensitive to the surface nature of Si photoelectrodes, exhibiting an overpotential reduction up to 600 mV on Si nanowires (SiNWs) as compared to planar Si. The use of a molecular mediator and SiNWs enables 100% selectivity toward NADH synthesis within a broad potential window. The origin of the striking difference is identified as the multifaceted nature of SiNWs.

Selective CO2 Reduction Catalyzed by Single Cobalt Sites on Carbon Nitride under Visible-Light Irradiation.

Framework nitrogen atoms of carbon nitride (C3N4) can coordinate with and activate metal sites for catalysis. In this study, C3N4 was employed to harvest visible light and activate Co2+ sites, without the use of additional ligands, in photochemical CO2 reduction. Photocatalysts containing single Co2+ sites on C3N4 were prepared by a simple deposition method and demonstrated excellent activity and product selectivity toward CO formation. A turnover number of more than 200 was obtained for CO production using the synthesized photocatalyst under visible-light irradiation. Inactive cobalt oxides formed at relatively high cobalt loadings but did not alter product selectivity. Further studies with X-ray absorption spectroscopy confirmed the presence of single Co2+ sites on C3N4 and their important role in achieving selective CO2 reduction.

Co-Template Directed Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles in Mesoporous Titanium Dioxide.

A bottom-up synthetic methodology to encapsulate pre-synthesized, well-defined gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) into mesoporous titanium dioxide framework (Au@mTiO2 ) is reported. This method employs two structurally and chemically similar templates of amphiphilic block copolymers as well as poly(ethylene oxide)-tethered AuNPs, which showed excellent stability during sol-gel transition and thermal annealing at elevated temperatures. Such synthesis enabled precise control of sizes and loading of AuNPs within the mesoporous TiO2 framework. In light-driven methanol dehydrogenation, the presence of AuNPs significantly enhanced the photocatalytic activity of mTiO2 . This co-template-directed synthesis presents new opportunities to understand the effect of AuNP size in photocatalysis using Au@mTiO2 materials.

Photoelectrochemical CO2 Reduction by a Molecular Cobalt(II) Catalyst on Planar and Nanostructured Si Surfaces.

In the presence of a molecular Co(II) catalyst, CO2 reduction occurred at much less negative potentials on Si photoelectrodes than on an Au electrode. The addition of 1 % H2 O significantly improved the performance of the Co(II) catalyst. Photovoltages of 580 and 320 mV were obtained on Si nanowires and a planar Si photoelectrode, respectively. This difference likely originated from the fact that the multifaceted Si nanowires are better in light harvesting and charge transfer than the planar Si surface.

Re(I) NHC Complexes for Electrocatalytic Conversion of CO2.

The modular construction of ligands around an N-heterocyclic carbene building block represents a flexible synthetic strategy for tuning the electronic properties of metal complexes. Herein, methylbenzimidazolium-pyridine and methylbenzimidazolium-pyrimidine proligands are constructed in high yield using recently established transition-metal-free techniques. Subsequent chelation to ReCl(CO)5 furnishes ReCl(N-methyl-N'-2-pyridylbenzimidazol-2-ylidine)(CO)3 and ReCl(N-methyl-N'-2-pyrimidylbenzimidazol-2-ylidine)(CO)3. These Re(I) NHC complexes are shown to be capable of mediating the two-electron conversion of CO2 following one-electron reduction; the Faradaic efficiency for CO formation is observed to be >60% with minor H2 and HCO2H production. Data from cyclic voltammetry is presented and compared to well-studied ReCl(2,2'-bipyridine)(CO)3 and MnBr(2,2'-bipyridine)(CO)3 systems. Results from density functional theory computations, infrared spectroelectrochemistry, and chemical reductions are also discussed.

Solar CO2 reduction using a molecular Re(I) catalyst grafted on SiO2via amide and alkyl amine linkages.

Heterogenized molecular catalysts have shown interesting activities in different chemical transformations. In our previous studies, a molecular catalyst, Re(bpy)(CO)3Cl where bpy is 2,2'-bipyridine, was covalently attached to silica surfaces via an amide linkage for use in photocatalytic CO2 reduction. Derivatizing the bpy ligand with electron-withdrawing amide groups led to detrimental effects on the catalytic activity of Re(bpy)(CO)3Cl. In this study, an alkyl amine linkage is utilized to attach Re(bpy)(CO)3Cl onto SiO2 in order to eliminate the detrimental effects of the amide linkage by breaking the conjugation between the bpy ligand and the amide group. However, the heterogenized Re(I) catalyst containing the alkyl amine linkage demonstrates even lower activity than the one containing the amide linkage in photocatalytic CO2 reduction. Infrared studies suggest that the presence of the basic amine group led to the formation of a photocatalytically inactive Re(I)-OH species on SiO2. Furthermore, the amine group likely contributes to the stabilization of a surface Re(I)-carboxylato species formed upon light irradiation, resulting in the low activity of the heterogenized Re(I) catalyst containing the alkyl amine linkage.

Well-defined surface catalytic sites for solar CO2 reduction: heterogenized molecular catalysts and single atom catalysts.

Exciting progress has been made in the area of solar fuel generation by CO2 reduction. New photocatalytic materials containing well-defined surface catalytic sites have emerged in recent years, including heterogenized molecular catalysts and single atom catalysts. This Feature Article summarizes our recent research in this area, together with brief discussions of relevant literature. In our effort to obtain heterogenized molecular catalysts, a diimine-tricarbonyl Re(I) complex and a tetraaza macrocyclic Co(III) compound were covalently attached to different surfaces, and the effects of ligand derivatization and surface characteristics on their structures and photocatalytic activities were investigated. Single atom catalysts combine the advantages of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis. A single-site cobalt catalyst was prepared on graphitic carbon nitride, which demonstrated excellent activity in selective CO2 reduction under visible-light irradiation. Doping carbon nitride with carbon was found to have profound effects on the structure and activity of the single-site cobalt catalyst. Our research achievements are presented to emphasize how spectroscopic techniques, including infrared, UV-visible, electron paramagnetic resonance, and X-ray absorption spectroscopies, could be combined with catalyst synthesis and computation modeling to understand the structures and properties of well-defined surface catalytic sites at the molecular level. This article also highlights challenges and opportunities in the broad context of solar CO2 reduction.

Probing active sites for carbon oxides hydrogenation on Cu/TiO2 using infrared spectroscopy.

The valorization of carbon oxides on metal/metal oxide catalysts has been extensively investigated because of its ecological and economical relevance. However, the ambiguity surrounding the active sites in such catalysts hampers their rational development. Here, in situ infrared spectroscopy in combination with isotope labeling revealed that CO molecules adsorbed on Ti3+ and Cu+ interfacial sites in Cu/TiO2 gave two disparate carbonyl peaks. Monitoring each of these peaks under various conditions enabled tracking the adsorption of CO, CO2, H2, and H2O molecules on the surface. At room temperature, CO was initially adsorbed on the oxygen vacancies to produce a high frequency CO peak, Ti3+-CO. Competitive adsorption of water molecules on the oxygen vacancies eventually promoted CO migration to copper sites to produce a low-frequency CO peak. In comparison, the presence of gaseous CO2 inhibits such migration by competitive adsorption on the copper sites. At temperatures necessary to drive CO2 and CO hydrogenation reactions, oxygen vacancies can still bind CO molecules, and H2 spilled-over from copper also competed for adsorption on such sites. Our spectroscopic observations demonstrate the existence of bifunctional active sites in which the metal sites catalyze CO2 dissociation whereas oxygen vacancies bind and activate CO molecules.

Reduction of CO2 on a tricarbonyl rhenium(I) complex: modeling a catalytic cycle.

Tricarbonyl rhenium(I) complexes, such as Re(bpy)(CO)(3)Cl where bpy = 2,2'-bipyridyl, have demonstrated superior activity in catalyzing CO(2) reduction in the presence of sacrificial electron donors. We have utilized density functional theory (DFT) to investigate a potential pathway for formate production via a rhenium-hydride insertion mechanism in the presence of triethylamine (TEA). On the basis of prior studies, we re-examined the role of TEA and studied a catalytic cycle for CO(2) reduction in which TEA functions as both the hydrogen atom and the electron donor for reducing CO(2) into formate. The catalytic cycle is found to be exothermic with inclusion of solvation and may be viewed as a two-electron reduction of CO(2) because the net result is a transfer of hydride from TEA to CO(2). In addition, we have identified structures of key intermediates in the CO(2)-reduction process and found that the insertion step has a very modest barrier in acetonitrile. These findings provide a molecular-level understanding to formate production via CO(2) reduction mediated by transition-metal complexes. A theoretical investigation is underway to elucidate the formation of carbon monoxide, another common product in Re-catalyzed CO(2) reduction.

Surface Basicity of Metal@TiO2 to Enhance Photocatalytic Efficiency for CO2 Reduction.

Photocatalytic reduction of CO2 to valuable chemical fuels is of broad interest, given its potential to activate stable greenhouse CO2 using renewable energy input. We report how to choose the right metal cocatalysts in combination with the surface basicity of TiO2 to enhance their photocatalytic efficiency for CO2 photoreduction. Uniform ligand-free metal nanoparticles (NPs) of Ag, Cu, Au, Pd, and Pt, supported on TiO2, are active for CO2 photoreduction using water as an electron donor. The group XI metals show a high selectivity to CO and Ag/TiO2 is most active to produce CO at a rate of 5.2 µmol g-1 h-1. The group X metals, e.g., Pd and Pt, mainly generate hydrocarbons including methane and ethane, and Pd/TiO2 is slightly more active in methane production at a rate of 2.4 µmol g-1 h-1. The activity of these photocatalysts can be enhanced by varying the surface basicity of TiO2 with primary amines. However, proton reduction selectivity is greatly enhanced in the presence of amine except amine-modified Ag/TiO2, which shows an activity enhancement by 2.4 times solely for CO2 photoreduction as compared to that without amines without switching its selectivity to proton reduction. Using in situ infrared spectroscopy and CO stripping voltammetry, we demonstrate that the improvement of electron density and the low proton affinity of metal cocatalysts are of key importance in CO2 photoreduction. As a systematic study, our results provide a guideline on the right choice of metals in combination of the surface functionality to tune the photocatalytic efficiency of supported metal NPs on TiO2 for selective CO2 photoreduction.

Highly Crystalline Mesoporous Titania Loaded with Monodispersed Gold Nanoparticles: Controllable Metal-Support Interaction in Porous Materials.

We report the syntheses of mesoporous Au/TiO2 hybrid photocatalysts with ordered and crystalline frameworks using co-assembly of organosilane-containing colloidal amphiphile micelles (CAMs) and poly(ethylene oxide)-modified gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) as templates. The assembled CAMs can convert to inorganic silica during calcination at elevated temperatures, providing extraordinary thermal stability to preserve the porosity of TiO2 and the nanostructures of AuNPs. Well-defined AuNPs supported within mesoporous TiO2 (Au@mTiO2) can be prepared using thermal annealing at temperatures up to 800 °C. High-temperature treatment (≥500 °C) under air is found to not only improve the crystallinity of TiO2 but also induce oxidative strong metal-support interactions (SMSIs) at Au/TiO2 interfaces. For oxidative SMSIs, the surface oxidation of AuNPs can generate positively charged Auδ+ species, while TiO2 gets reduced simultaneously. Using photocatalytic oxidation of benzyl alcohol as a model reaction, Au@mTiO2 calcined at 600 °C for 12 h exhibited the best activity under UV irradiation, while Au@mTiO2 calcined at 600 °C for 2 h showed the best activity under visible light. The delicate balance between the crystallinity and porosity of TiO2 and the SMSIs at Au-TiO2 interfaces is found to impact the photocatalytic activity of these hybrid materials.

The important role of tetrahedral Ti4+ sites in the phase transformation and photocatalytic activity of TiO2 nanocomposites.

Highly photoactive, tetrahedral Ti4+ sites can be created, other than in zeolite cavities and on silica substrate, in mixed-phase TiO2 nanocomposites. The tetrahedral Ti4+ species was shown to be an intermediate formed during the thermally driven phase transformation from anatase to rutile.

Acetylacetonate anchors for robust functionalization of TiO2 nanoparticles with Mn(II)-terpyridine complexes.

A novel class of derivatized acetylacetonate (acac) linkers for robust functionalization of TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) under aqueous and oxidative conditions is reported. The resulting surface adsorbate anchors are particularly relevant to engineering photocatalytic and photovoltaic devices since they can be applied to attach a broad range of photosensitizers and photocatalytic complexes and are not affected by humidity. Acac is easily modified by CuI-mediated coupling reactions to provide a variety of scaffolds, including substituted terpy complexes (terpy = 2,2':6,2''-terpyridine), assembled with ligands coordinated to transition-metal ions. Since Mn-terpy complexes are known to be effective catalysts for oxidation chemistry, functionalization with Mn(II) is examined. This permits visible-light sensitization of TiO2 nanoparticles due to interfacial electron transfer, as evidenced by UV-vis spectroscopy of colloidal thin films and aqueous suspensions. The underlying ultrafast interfacial electron injection is complete on a subpicosecond time scale, as monitored by optical pump-terahertz probe transient measurements and computer simulations. Time-resolved measurements of the Mn(II) EPR signal at 6 K show that interfacial electron injection induces Mn(II) --> Mn(III) photooxidation, with a half-time for regeneration of the Mn(II) complex of ca. 23 s.

Microwave-assisted deposition of a highly active cobalt catalyst on mesoporous silica for photochemical CO2 reduction.

Coupling with robust surfaces is a promising approach to improve the stability and recyclability of highly active molecular catalysts. This study builds on our prior success to deposit a Co(iii) cyclam complex, where cyclam is 1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane, on mesoporous silica via a microwave-assisted process. The Co(iii) complex was successfully deposited on the silica surface through reacting with silanol groups in the silica mesopores. The resulting surface Co(iii) catalyst was characterized by different techniques and tested in photochemical CO2 reduction in the presence of p-terphenyl as a photosensitizer. The synthesized Co(iii) catalyst showed significantly higher activity and selectivity than the unbound Co(iii) cyclam complex and a surface Co(iii) catalyst prepared by other methods. Microwave-assisted heating was found to be essential for the deposition of uniform Co(iii) sites in the silica mesopores, which likely accounts for the superior activity and selectivity of the synthesized surface Co(iii) catalyst.

Three-Dimensional Graphene-TiO2 Nanocomposite Photocatalyst Synthesized by Covalent Attachment.

We report the synthesis of a three-dimensional graphene (3DG)-TiO2 nanocomposite by covalently attaching P25 TiO2 nanoparticles onto pristine 3DG through a perfluorophenyl azide-mediated coupling reaction. The TiO2 nanoparticles were robustly attached on the 3DG surface, with minimal particle agglomeration. In photocatalytic CO2 reduction, the 3DG-TiO2 nanocomposite demonstrated excellent activity, about 11 times higher than that of the P25 TiO2 nanoparticles. The enhanced activity can be partially attributed to the highly dispersed state of the P25 TiO2 nanoparticles on the 3DG substrate. This 3DG-based system offers a new platform for fabricating photocatalytic materials with enhanced activities.

CO2 reduction with Re(i)-NHC compounds: driving selective catalysis with a silicon nanowire photoelectrode.

The CO2-reduction activity of two Re(i)-NHC complexes is investigated employing a silicon nanowire photoelectrode to drive catalysis. Photovoltages greater than 440 mV are observed along with excellent selectivity towards CO over H2 formation. The observed selectivity towards CO production correlates with strong adsorption of the catalysts on the photoelectrode surface.

Photocatalytic CO2 reduction using a molecular cobalt complex deposited on TiO2 nanoparticles.

Hybrid photocatalysts were prepared by depositing a macrocyclic cobalt complex on TiO2 surfaces. Upon UV light irradiation, photoexcited electrons in TiO2 nanoparticles were transferred to the surface cobalt catalyst for CO2 reduction.

Adsorption and Photochemical Properties of a Molecular CO2 Reduction Catalyst in Hierarchical Mesoporous ZSM-5: An In Situ FTIR Study.

As part of our recent effort to attach well-defined molecular photocatalysts to solid-state surfaces, this present study investigates adsorption and photochemical properties of a tricarbonyl rhenium(I) compound, Re(bpy)(CO)3Cl (bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine), in hierarchical mesoporous ZSM-5. The molecular Re(I) catalyst, a Ru(bpy)3(2+) photosensitizer, and an amine-based electron donor were coadsorbed in the mesopores of the hierarchical ZSM-5 through simple liquid-phase adsorption. The functionalized ZSM-5 was then characterized with infrared and UV-visible spectroscopies and was tested in CO2 reduction photocatalysis at the gas-surface interface. In the mesoporous ZSM-5, CO2 molecules were adsorbed on the amine electron-donor molecules as bicarbonate, which would release CO2 upon light irradiation to react with the Re(I) catalyst. The formation of important reaction intermediates, particularly a Re-carboxylato species, was revealed with in situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in combination with isotopic labeling. The experimental results indicate that hierarchical mesoporous zeolites are promising host materials for molecular photocatalysts and that zeolite mesopores are potential "reaction vessels" for CO2 reduction photocatalysis at the gas-solid interface.

Energy conversion in natural and artificial photosynthesis.

Modern civilization is dependent upon fossil fuels, a nonrenewable energy source originally provided by the storage of solar energy. Fossil-fuel dependence has severe consequences, including energy security issues and greenhouse gas emissions. The consequences of fossil-fuel dependence could be avoided by fuel-producing artificial systems that mimic natural photosynthesis, directly converting solar energy to fuel. This review describes the three key components of solar energy conversion in photosynthesis: light harvesting, charge separation, and catalysis. These processes are compared in natural and in artificial systems. Such a comparison can assist in understanding the general principles of photosynthesis and in developing working devices, including photoelectrochemical cells, for solar energy conversion.