Photochemical tuning of dynamic defects for high-performance atomically dispersed catalysts.

Developing active and stable atomically dispersed catalysts is challenging because of weak non-specific interactions between catalytically active metal atoms and supports. Here we demonstrate a general method for synthesizing atomically dispersed catalysts via photochemical defect tuning for controlling oxygen-vacancy dynamics, which can induce specific metal-support interactions. The developed synthesis method offers metal-dynamically stabilized atomic catalysts, and it can be applied to reducible metal oxides, including TiO2, ZnO and CeO2, containing various catalytically active transition metals, including Pt, Ir and Cu. The optimized Pt-DSA/TiO2 shows unprecedentedly high photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity, producing 164 mmol g-1 h-1 with a turnover frequency of 1.27 s-1. Furthermore, it generates 42.2 mmol gsub-1 of hydrogen via a non-recyclable-plastic-photoreforming process, achieving a total conversion of 98%; this offers a promising solution for mitigating plastic waste and simultaneously producing valuable energy sources.

Performance Enhancement of Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution through Coalescence-Induced Bubble Dynamics.

The evolution of electrogenerated gas bubbles during water electrolysis can significantly hamper the overall process efficiency. Promoting the departure of electrochemically generated bubbles during (water) electrolysis is therefore beneficial. For a single bubble, a departure from the electrode surface occurs when buoyancy wins over the downward-acting forces (e.g., contact, Marangoni, and electric forces). In this work, the dynamics of a pair of H2 bubbles produced during the hydrogen evolution reaction in 0.5 M H2SO4 using a dual platinum microelectrode system is systematically studied by varying the electrode distance and the cathodic potential. By combining high-speed imaging and electrochemical analysis, we demonstrate the importance of bubble-bubble interactions in the departure process. We show that bubble coalescence may lead to substantially earlier bubble departure as compared to buoyancy effects alone, resulting in considerably higher reaction rates at a constant potential. However, due to continued mass input and conservation of momentum, repeated coalescence events with bubbles close to the electrode may drive departed bubbles back to the surface beyond a critical current, which increases with the electrode spacing. The latter leads to the resumption of bubble growth near the electrode surface, followed by buoyancy-driven departure. While less favorable at small electrode spacing, this configuration proves to be very beneficial at larger separations, increasing the mean current up to 2.4 times compared to a single electrode under the conditions explored in this study.

Tuning the CO2 Reduction Selectivity of an Immobilized Molecular Ag Complex beyond CO.

The electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) to produce fuels and chemicals has garnered significant attention. However, achieving control over the selectivity of the resulting products remains a challenging task, particularly within molecular systems. In this study, we employed a molecular silver complex immobilized on graphitized mesoporous carbon (GMC) as a catalyst for converting CO2 into CO, achieving an impressive selectivity of over 90% at -1.05 V vs RHE. Notably, the newly formed silver nanoparticles emerged as the active sites responsible for this high CO selectivity rather than the molecular system. Intriguingly, the introduction of copper ions into the restructured Ag-nanoparticle-decorated carbon altered the product selectivity. At -1.1 V vs RHE in 0.1 M KCl, we achieved a high C2 selectivity of 75%. Furthermore, not only the Ag-Cu bimetallic nanoparticle but also the small-sized Ag-Cu nanocluster decorated over GMC was proposed as active sites during catalytic reactions. Our straightforward approach offers valuable insights for fine-tuning the product selectivity of immobilized molecular systems, extending beyond C1 products.

Iridium-Cooperated, Symmetry-Broken Manganese Oxide Nanocatalyst for Water Oxidation.

The water oxidation reaction, the most important reaction for hydrogen production and other sustainable chemistry, is efficiently catalyzed by the Mn4CaO5 cluster in biological photosystem II. However, synthetic Mn-based heterogeneous electrocatalysts exhibit inferior catalytic activity at neutral pH under mild conditions. Symmetry-broken Mn atoms and their cooperative mechanism through efficient oxidative charge accumulation in biological clusters are important lessons but synthesis strategies for heterogeneous electrocatalysts have not been successfully developed. Here, we report a crystallographically distorted Mn-oxide nanocatalyst, in which Ir atoms break the space group symmetry from I41/amd to P1. Tetrahedral Mn(II) in spinel is partially replaced by Ir, surprisingly resulting in an unprecedented crystal structure. We analyzed the distorted crystal structure of manganese oxide using TEM and investigated how the charge accumulation of Mn atoms is facilitated by the presence of a small amount of Ir.

Non-Kinetic Effects Convolute Activity and Tafel Analysis for the Alkaline Oxygen Evolution Reaction on NiFeOOH Electrocatalysts.

A large variety of nickel-based catalysts has been investigated for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline media. However, their reported activity, as well as Tafel slope values, vary greatly. To understand this variation, we studied electrodeposited Ni80 Fe20 OOH catalysts with different loadings at varying rotation rates, hydroxide concentrations, with or without sonication. We show that, at low current density (<5 mA cm-2 ), the Tafel slope value is ≈30 mV dec-1 for Ni80 Fe20 OOH. At higher polarization, the Tafel slope continuously increases and is dependent on rotation rate, loading, hydroxide concentration and sonication. These Tafel slope values are convoluted by non-kinetic effects, such as bubbles, potential-dependent changes in ohmic resistance and (internal) OH- gradients. As best practise, we suggest that Tafel slopes should be plotted vs. current or potential. In such a plot, it can be appreciated if there is a kinetic Tafel slope or if the observed Tafel slope is influenced by non-kinetic effects.

Capturing Manganese Oxide Intermediates in Electrochemical Water Oxidation at Neutral pH by In Situ Raman Spectroscopy.

Electrochemical water splitting is a promising means to produce eco-friendly hydrogen fuels. Inspired by the Mn4 CaO5 cluster in nature, substantial works have been performed to develop efficient manganese (Mn)-based heterogeneous catalysts. Despite improvements in catalytic activity, the underlying mechanism of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is not completely elucidated owing to the lack of direct spectroscopic evidence for the active Mn-oxo moieties. We identify water oxidation intermediates on the surface of Mn3 O4 nanoparticles (NPs) in the OER at neutral pH by in situ Raman spectroscopy. A potential-dependent Raman peak was detected at 760 cm-1 and assigned to the active MnIV =O species generated during water oxidation. Isotope-labeling experiments combined with scavenger experiments confirmed the generation of surface terminal MnIV =O intermediates in the Mn-oxide NPs. This study provides an insight into the design of systems for the observation of reaction intermediates.

Reversible and cooperative photoactivation of single-atom Cu/TiO2 photocatalysts.

The reversible and cooperative activation process, which includes electron transfer from surrounding redox mediators, the reversible valence change of cofactors and macroscopic functional/structural change, is one of the most important characteristics of biological enzymes, and has frequently been used in the design of homogeneous catalysts. However, there are virtually no reports on industrially important heterogeneous catalysts with these enzyme-like characteristics. Here, we report on the design and synthesis of highly active TiO2 photocatalysts incorporating site-specific single copper atoms (Cu/TiO2) that exhibit a reversible and cooperative photoactivation process. Our atomic-level design and synthetic strategy provide a platform that facilitates valence control of co-catalyst copper atoms, reversible modulation of the macroscopic optoelectronic properties of TiO2 and enhancement of photocatalytic hydrogen generation activity, extending the boundaries of conventional heterogeneous catalysts.

Probing the Structure and Binding Mode of EDTA on the Surface of Mn3O4 Nanoparticles for Water Oxidation by Advanced Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy.

Identification of the surface structure of nanoparticles is important for understanding the catalytic mechanism and improving the properties of the particles. Here, we provide a detailed description of the coordination modes of ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA) on Mn3O4 nanoparticles at the atomic level, as obtained by advanced electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. Binding of EDTA to Mn3O4 leads to dramatic changes in the EPR spectrum, with a 5-fold increase in the axial zero-field splitting parameter of Mn(II). This indicates significant changes in the coordination environment of the Mn(II) site; hence, the binding of EDTA causes a profound change in the electronic structure of the manganese site. Furthermore, the electron spin echo envelope modulation results reveal that two 14N atoms of EDTA are directly coordinated to the Mn site and a water molecule is coordinated to the surface of the nanoparticles. An Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy study shows that the Ca(II) ion is coordinated to the carboxylic ligands via the pseudobridging mode. The EPR spectroscopic results provide an atomic picture of surface-modified Mn3O4 nanoparticles for the first time. These results can enhance our understanding of the rational design of catalysts, for example, for the water oxidation reaction.

Tafel Slope Plot as a Tool to Analyze Electrocatalytic Reactions.

Kinetic and nonkinetic contributions to the Tafel slope value can be separated using a Tafel slope plot, where a constant Tafel slope region indicates kinetic meaningfulness. Here, we compare the Tafel slope values obtained from linear sweep voltammetry to the values obtained from chronoamperometry and impedance spectroscopy, and we apply the Tafel slope plot to various electrocatalytic reactions. We show that similar Tafel slope values are observed from the different techniques under high-mass-transport conditions for the oxygen evolution reaction on NiFeOOH in 0.2 M KOH. However, for the alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction and the CO2 reduction reaction, no horizontal Tafel slope regions were observed. In contrast, we obtained the expected Tafel slope of 30 mV/dec for the HER on Pt in 1 M HClO4. We argue that widespread application of the Tafel slope plot, or similar numerical differentiation techniques, would result in an improved comparison of kinetic data for many electrocatalytic reactions when the traditional Tafel plot analysis is ambiguous.

Luminescence Thermometry Probes Local Heat Effects at the Platinum Electrode Surface during Alkaline Water Electrolysis.

Accurate determination of the temperature dynamics at the electrode surface is crucial for advancing electrocatalysis, particularly in the development of stable materials that aid energy conversion and storage technologies. Here, lanthanide-based in situ luminescence thermometry was used to probe local heat effects at the platinum electrode surface during alkaline water electrolysis. It is demonstrated that the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) induces a more significant temperature increase compared to the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) under the same electrochemical conditions. This difference is attributed to variations in overpotential heating and local effects on Joule heating. Furthermore, local heat effects are not observed at increased electrolyte concentrations during the HER, whereas substantial temperature variations (up to 2 K) are detected for the OER at higher electrolyte concentrations. Our observations highlight the potential of in situ luminescence thermometry to measure interfacial temperature effects during electrocatalytic reactions.

Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework-Derived Pt-Co in Nanofibrous Networks as Stable Oxygen Reduction Electrocatalysts with Low Pt Loading.

Proton-exchange membrane fuel cell technology is a key component in the future zero-carbon energy system, generating power from carbon-free fuels, such as green hydrogen. However, the high Pt loading in conventional fuel cell electrodes to maintain electrocatalytic activity and durability, especially on the cathode for oxygen reduction, is the Achilles heel for the worldwide deployment of fuel cell technologies. To minimize Pt consumption for oxygen reduction, we synthesized Pt-Co-based electrocatalysts with meticulous structuring from micrometer to the atomic scale based on reaction pathways. The resulting Pt-Co-based electrocatalysts contain only 1.9 wt% Pt, which is 20 times lower than the conventional Pt-C catalysts for fuel cells. By utilizing electrospinning and in situ synthesis, we anchored three-dimensionally structured zeolitic imidazolate frameworks on continuously connected nanofibrous electrospun mats. The Pt-Co@Pt-free nanowire (PC@PFN) electrocatalysts contain Pt-Co nanoparticles (NPs) and non-Pt elements, Co-containing sites comprising NPs, nanoclusters, and N-coordinated Co single atoms. Despite the ultralow Pt loading in PC@PFN, the mass activity exceeds the U.S. Department of Energy 2025 target by 2.8 times and retains 85.5% of the initial activity after 80,000 durability test cycles, possibly owing to synergistic reaction pathways between Pt and non-Pt sites.

Solutal Marangoni effect determines bubble dynamics during electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution.

Understanding and manipulating gas bubble evolution during electrochemical water splitting is a crucial strategy for optimizing the electrode/electrolyte/gas bubble interface. Here gas bubble dynamics are investigated during the hydrogen evolution reaction on a well-defined platinum microelectrode by varying the electrolyte composition. We find that the microbubble coalescence efficiency follows the Hofmeister series of anions in the electrolyte. This dependency yields very different types of H2 gas bubble evolution in different electrolytes, ranging from periodic detachment of a single H2 gas bubble in sulfuric acid to aperiodic detachment of small H2 gas bubbles in perchloric acid. Our results indicate that the solutal Marangoni convection, induced by the anion concentration gradient developing during the reaction, plays a critical role at practical current density conditions. The resulting Marangoni force on the H2 gas bubble and the bubble departure diameter therefore depend on how surface tension varies with concentration for different electrolytes. This insight provides new avenues for controlling bubble dynamics during electrochemical gas bubble formation.

Ru-Doped Co3O4 Nanoparticles as Efficient and Stable Electrocatalysts for the Chlorine Evolution Reaction.

The electrochemical chlorine evolution reaction (CER) is one of the most important electrochemical reactions. Typically, iridium (Ir)- or ruthenium (Ru)-based mixed metal oxides have been used as electrocatalysts for the CER due to their high activities and durabilities. However, the scarcity of Ir and Ru has indicated the need to develop alternative earth-abundant transition-metal-based CER catalysts. In this study, we report a Co3O4 nanoparticle (NP) catalyst synthesized by a hydrothermal method. Furthermore, Ru was successfully incorporated into the Co3O4 NPs (RuxCo3-xO4 NPs) for further improvement of catalytic performance in chlorine generation. Electrokinetic analyses combined with in situ X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) results suggested an identical CER mechanism for the Co3O4 NPs and RuxCo3-xO4 NPs. Various characterization techniques demonstrated that the homogeneous substitution of Ru4+ ions into the Co3+ octahedral sites enhanced the structural disorder and changed the electronic state of Co3O4, resulting in additional exposed active sites. Remarkably, the Ru0.09Co2.91O4 NP electrode exhibited outstanding stability for more than 150 h even at a high current density of 500 mA/cm2, which shows its commercial viability for active chlorine generation.

Metal Halide Perovskites for Solar Fuel Production and Photoreactions.

Photocatalysis is an easily configurable and cost-effective technology for the conversion of solar energy into chemical energy. Recently, increasing attention has been given to metal halide perovskite (MHP) photocatalysts because of the development of stabilization strategies for MHPs under reaction conditions. From this perspective, we first describe several substantial breakthroughs in the photocatalytic application of MHPs. Performance trends in the solar fuel production applications of MHPs, including photocatalytic H2 generation and photocatalytic CO2 reduction reactions, are then described. Recent developments to extend the use of MHPs to various photocatalytic organic transformations are also highlighted. Finally, we propose several scientific challenges for the practical implications of MHPs for solar fuel production and various photoreactions.

Complex Impedance Analysis on Charge Accumulation Step of Mn3O4 Nanoparticles during Water Oxidation.

The development of efficient water-oxidizing electrocatalysts is a key issue for achieving high performance in the overall water electrolysis technique. However, the complexity of multiple electron transfer processes and large activation energies have been regarded as major bottlenecks for efficient water electrolysis. Thus, complete electrochemical processes, including electron transport, charge accumulation, and chemical bond formation/dissociation, need to be analyzed for establishing a design rule for film-type electrocatalysts. In light of this, complex capacitance analysis is an effective tool for investigating the charge accumulation and dissipation processes of film-type electrocatalysts. Here, we conduct complex capacitance analysis for the Mn3O4 nanocatalyst, which exhibits superb catalytic activity for water oxidation under neutral conditions. Charge was accumulated on the catalyst surface by the change in Mn valence between Mn(II) and Mn(IV) prior to the rate-determining O-O bond forming step. Furthermore, we newly propose the dissipation ratio (D) for understanding the energy balance between charge accumulation and charge consumption for chemical O-O bond formation. From this analysis, we reveal the potential- and thickness-dependent contribution of the charge accumulation process on the overall catalytic efficiency. We think that an understanding of complex capacitance analysis could be an effective methodology for investigating the charge accumulation process on the surface of general film-type electrocatalysts.

Revealing Structural Disorder in Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon for a Low-Loss Photonic Platform at Visible Frequencies.

The high refractive index of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) at optical frequencies is an essential property for the efficient modulation of the phase and amplitude of light. However, substantial optical loss represented by its high extinction coefficient prevents it from being utilized widely. Here, the bonding configurations of a-Si:H are investigated, in order to manipulate the extinction coefficient and produce a material that is competitive with conventional transparent materials, such as titanium dioxide and gallium nitride. This is achieved by controlling the hydrogenation and silicon disorder by adjusting the chemical deposition conditions. The extinction coefficient of the low-loss a-Si:H reaches a minimum of 0.082 at the wavelength of 450 nm, which is lower than that of crystalline silicon (0.13). Beam-steering metasurfaces are demonstrated to validate the low-loss optical properties, reaching measured efficiencies of 42%, 62%, and 75% at the wavelengths of 450, 532, and 635 nm, respectively. Considering its compatibility with mature complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor processes, the low-loss a-Si:H will provide a platform for efficient photonic operating in the full visible regime.

Mechanistic Investigation of Biomass Oxidation Using Nickel Oxide Nanoparticles in a CO2-Saturated Electrolyte for Paired Electrolysis.

A highly efficient CO2 electrolysis system could be created by introducing biomass oxidation as an alternative anodic reaction to the sluggish oxygen evolution reaction in a CO2-saturated and near-neutral electrolyte. Here, we successfully demonstrate anodic biomass oxidation by synthesizing 5 nm nickel oxide nanoparticles (NiO NPs). NiO NPs show a unique electrocatalytic activity for 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) oxidation under near-neutral conditions, exhibiting an anodic current onset (1 mA cm-2) at 1.524 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode and a total Faradaic efficiency of ≤70%. Electrokinetic and in situ ultraviolet-visible spectroscopic analyses suggest that a redox active nickel hydroxide species is formed on the surface of NiO electrocatalysts during HMF oxidation, and this oxidation of Ni(II) hydroxide to Ni(III) oxyhydroxide could be the rate-determining step. This mechanistic study of biomass oxidation in a CO2-saturated electrolyte provides insight into constructing a highly efficient system for the paired electrolysis of CO2 reduction and biomass oxidation.

Spectroscopic capture of a low-spin Mn(IV)-oxo species in Ni-Mn3O4 nanoparticles during water oxidation catalysis.

High-valent metal-oxo moieties have been implicated as key intermediates preceding various oxidation processes. The critical O-O bond formation step in the Kok cycle that is presumed to generate molecular oxygen occurs through the high-valent Mn-oxo species of the water oxidation complex, i.e., the Mn4Ca cluster in photosystem II. Here, we report the spectroscopic characterization of new intermediates during the water oxidation reaction of manganese-based heterogeneous catalysts and assign them as low-spin Mn(IV)-oxo species. Recently, the effects of the spin state in transition metal catalysts on catalytic reactivity have been intensely studied; however, no detailed characterization of a low-spin Mn(IV)-oxo intermediate species currently exists. We demonstrate that a low-spin configuration of Mn(IV), S = 1/2, is stably present in a heterogeneous electrocatalyst of Ni-doped monodisperse 10-nm Mn3O4 nanoparticles via oxo-ligand field engineering. An unprecedented signal (g = 1.83) is found to evolve in the electron paramagnetic resonance spectrum during the stepwise transition from the Jahn-Teller-distorted Mn(III). In-situ Raman analysis directly provides the evidence for Mn(IV)-oxo species as the active intermediate species. Computational analysis confirmed that the substituted nickel species induces the formation of a z-axis-compressed octahedral C4v crystal field that stabilizes the low-spin Mn(IV)-oxo intermediates.

Highly Selective Active Chlorine Generation Electrocatalyzed by Co3O4 Nanoparticles: Mechanistic Investigation through in Situ Electrokinetic and Spectroscopic Analyses.

The reaction mechanism of electrochemical chloride oxidation at neutral pH is different from that at acidic pH, in which a commercial chlor-alkali process has been developed. Different proton concentrations and accelerated hydrolysis of the generated chlorine into hypochlorous acid at high pH can change the electrokinetics and stability of reaction intermediates. We have investigated a unique reaction mechanism of Co3O4 nanoparticles for chloride oxidation at neutral pH. In contrast with water oxidation, the valency of cobalt was not changed during chloride oxidation. Interestingly, a new intermediate of Co-Cl was captured spectroscopically, distinct from the reaction intermediate at acidic pH. In addition, Co3O4 nanoparticles exhibited high selectivity for active chlorine generation at neutral pH, comparable to commercially available RuO2-based catalysts. We believe that this study provides insight into designing efficient electrocatalysts for active chlorine generation at neutral pH, which can be practically applied to electrochemical water treatment coupled to hydrogen production.

High-Density Single-Layer Coating of Gold Nanoparticles onto Multiple Substrates by Using an Intrinsically Disordered Protein of α-Synuclein for Nanoapplications.

Functional graffiti of nanoparticles onto target surface is an important issue in the development of nanodevices. A general strategy has been introduced here to decorate chemically diverse substrates with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in the form of a close-packed single layer by using an omni-adhesive protein of α-synuclein (αS) as conjugated with the particles. Since the adsorption was highly sensitive to pH, the amino acid sequence of αS exposed from the conjugates and its conformationally disordered state capable of exhibiting structural plasticity are considered to be responsible for the single-layer coating over diverse surfaces. Merited by the simple solution-based adsorption procedure, the particles have been imprinted to various geometric shapes in 2-D and physically inaccessible surfaces of 3-D objects. The αS-encapsulated AuNPs to form a high-density single-layer coat has been employed in the development of nonvolatile memory, fule-cell, solar-cell, and cell-culture platform, where the outlying αS has played versatile roles such as a dielectric layer for charge retention, a sacrificial layer to expose AuNPs for chemical catalysis, a reaction center for silicification, and biointerface for cell attachment, respectively. Multiple utilizations of the αS-based hybrid NPs, therefore, could offer great versatility to fabricate a variety of NP-integrated advanced materials which would serve as an indispensable component for widespread applications of high-performance nanodevices.