Efficient electrochemical CO[subscript 2] reduction to CO by metal and nitrogen co-doped carbon cata
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Gang, Yang↗
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Surface Engineering Strategy to Synthesize Bicomponent Carbons for Rechargeable Zinc-Air Batteries
Atomic Fe-N x moieties and nanosized FeCo species anchored on carbons have each been demonstrated to be among the most effective active components for oxygen reduction and evolution reactions (ORR/OER), respectively in rechargeable zinc -air batteries (ZABs). However, incorporating both of these components in a single catalyst presents a great challenge due to the trade-off in formation between them during hightemperature preparation. Herein, we integrate them into a bicomponent carbon through a surface engineering strategy. In this process, K 3 [Fe(CN) 6 ] is engineered on the surface of a precursor mixture consisting of polyaniline-coated graphene oxide and ZIF-67. This is followed by pyrolysis to produce the bicomponent carbon catalyst of FeCo nanoparticles modified carbon polyhedron (for accelerating the OER), supported on atomically dispersed Fe -N -doped carbon nanosheet (for boosting the ORR). The catalyst exhibits a small potential gap of 0.69 V for OER/ORR. In situ Raman spectroscopy demonstrates that spinel FeCo oxides may be responsible for OER. The use of this catalyst in ZABs achieves high power densities of 225 mW cm -2 in aqueous electrolyte and 164 mW cm -2 in solid-state electrolyte. Additionally, a small and stable voltage gap of 0.712 V at 10 mA cm -2 is maintained after 1035 discharge -charge cycles demonstrating the great application potential in energy devices.
An, Jia-Xing↗
Iron-based sulfur and nitrogen dual doped porous carbon as durable electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction
The widespread use of fuel cell technology is hampered by the use of expensive and scarce platinum metal in electrodes which is required to facilitate the sluggish oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). In this work, a viable synthetic approach was developed to prepare iron-based sulfur and nitrogen dual doped porous carbon (Fe@SNDC) for use in ORR. Benzimidazole, a commercially available monomer, was used as a precursor for N doped carbon and calcined with potassium thiocyanate at different temperatures to tune the pore size, nitrogen content and different types of nitrogen functionality such as pyridinic, pyrrolic and graphitic. The Fe@SNDC–950 with high surface area, optimum N content of about 5 at% and high amount of pyridinic and graphitic N displayed an onset potential and half-wave potential of 0.98 and 0.83 V vs RHE, respectively, in 0.1 M KOH solution. The catalyst also exhibits similar oxygen reduction reaction performance compared to Pt/C (20 wt%) in acidic media. Furthermore, when compared to commercially available Pt/C (20 wt%), Fe@SNDC–950 showed enhanced durability over 6 h and poison tolerance in case of methanol crossover with the concentration up to 3.0 M in oxygen saturated alkaline electrolyte. Finally, our study demonstrates that the presence of N and S along with Fe-N moieties synergistically served as ORR active sites while the high surface area with accessible pores allowed for efficient mass transfer and interaction of oxygen molecules to the active sites contributing to the ORR activity of the catalyst.
08 HYDROGEN↗
Stone-Wales defect-rich carbon-supported dual-metal single atom sites for Zn-air batteries
In this study, we aim to obtain a fundamental understanding of active sites near stone-wales (SW) defects rich nitrogen-doped graphene (DG) with specific coordination of carbon atom rings. It reveals that the SW rich defects ( e.g., pentagon (5), pentagon—octagon—pentagon ( i.e . 585), or pentagon-heptagon-heptagon-pentagon (5775) rings, appears correspondingly with carbon rings that brought active sites during catalytic reactions. Moreover, we anchored dual isolated metallic atoms (Ni/Fe) on DG support via linkers (O/N) called NiFe-DG. X-ray absorption spectroscopy indicates Ni/Fe metal single atoms are embedded via Fe-N 4 and Ni-N 4 coordination on DG surfaces. It exhibits high catalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) with an onset potential of 0.97 V, a half-wave potential of 0.86 V, and diffusion current density of 5.7 mA cm – 2 , which is at par with commercial Pt/C. The catalyst shows superior stability, retained 82% of the initial current density even after 12 h under an applied potential of 0.86 V. Similarly, the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) overpotential of 358 mV was achieved at 10 mA cm – 2 with a lower Tafel slope value (76 mV/dec) than commercial Pt/C. It maintains 85% stability for 12 h at a constant potential of 1.588 V, shows better stability than commercial Pt/C.
25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
Four-Coordinate Fe N 2 and Imido Complexes Supported by a Hemilabile NNC Heteroscorpionate Ligand
Inspired by mechanistic proposals for N 2 reduction at the nitrogenase FeMo cofactor, we report herein a new, strongly σ-donating heteroscorpionate ligand featuring two weak-field pyrazoles and an alkyl donor. This ligand supports four-coordinate Fe(I)-N 2 , Fe(II)-Cl, and Fe(III)-imido complexes, which we have characterized using a variety of spectroscopic and computational methods. Structural and quantum mechanical analysis reveal the nature of the Fe–C bonds to be essentially invariant between the complexes, with conversion between the (formally) low-valent Fe-N 2 and high-valent Fe-imido complexes mediated by pyrazole hemilability. This presents a useful strategy for substrate reduction at such low-coordinate centers and suggests a mechanism by which FeMoco might accommodate the binding of both π-acidic and π-basic nitrogenous substrates.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
4-Electron Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR) with Iron Phthalocyanine (FePc) Functionalized Nanowire Templated-3D Fuzzy Graphene (NT-3DFG)
Iron phthalocyanine (FePc) is a promising alternative to platinum-based catalysts for sustainable energy devices; however, the plane-symmetry of Fe-N 4 sites, random aggregation, and poor conductivity of FePc present major barriers for their application as oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalysts. Here, we report the synergistic effects of FePc electrocatalysts supported by a nanowire-templated three-dimensional fuzzy graphene (FePc@NT-3DFG) substrate. The in situ functionalized oxygen groups (iFOGs) at the edge of NT-3DFG localize Fe active sites in FePc under alkaline ORR conditions. With a uniform FePc distribution through many single layers of graphene, the NT-3DFG substrates improve O 2 adsorption and catalytic activity while stabilizing the electrochemical activity during reactions. The FePc@NT-3DFG catalyst exhibits fast ORR kinetics with an extremely low Tafel slope of 28.3 ± 2.7 mV dec −1 , a higher half-wave potential of 0.911 ± 0.004 V (vs RHE), and notable long-term stability at 0.5 V (vs RHE) of 96.0 ± 0.4% retention after 30 h. Surface chemistry spectra validate electronic configuration modification of Fe at the iFOGs. Density functional theory calculations indicate that the extra layers of graphene improve oxygen adsorption. Moreover, additional exploration of other transition metal phthalocyanines supports the effects of iFOGs through the transition toward 4e − ORR. This work offers an expanded strategy for active site modification through edge-based graphene substrates for 4e − ORR.
X-ray absorption spectroscopy↗
Wood Carbon Based Single-Atom Catalyst for Rechargeable Zn–Air Batteries
Low-cost and efficient oxygen reduction reaction (ORR)/oxygen evolution reaction (OER) bifunctional electrocatalysts are vital for the applications of rechargeable Zn-air batteries (ZABs). Given the high catalytic activity of single-atom catalysts (SACs), preparing SACs on a large scale for ZABs is desirable but remains challenging. Herein, in situ formation of single-atom Fe-N-C catalysts on plate wood-based porous carbon is achieved via a facile Lewis acid pretreatment and carbonization process. Lewis acid FeCl3 pretreatment on the cell wall of wood not only produces abundant microchannels but also successfully introduces atomically dispersed Fe-N active species into the hierarchical structure. Such uniformly dispersive SACs on the hierarchical structure enhance the ORR/OER performance and durability. A ZAB using the catalyst in the cathode shows a high power density (70.2 mW cm -2 , at quasi solid state) and long-term stability. This work provides a new path for the large-scale preparation of high-performance SACs.
25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
Excited-state structural conformations of Fe-amido photosensitizers revealed by picosecond X-ray absorption spectroscopy
Ultrafast X-ray spectroscopy and modelling were used to characterize distortions in the photo-generated quintet state of Fe sensitizers bearing hybrid N-heterocycle/amido ligands. Photoexcitation induces a 0.10–0.35 Å Fe–N elongation that is smaller for d(Fe–N amido ) compared to d(Fe-N heterocycle ), suggesting that the partial expansion of the Fe–N bonds involving the N-heterocyclic ligands is critical to the rapid population of ligand-field states.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Developing Platinum-Group-Metal-Free Catalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Acid: Beyond the Single Metal Site
This project is to develop M (x) -N-C catalysts with dense multiple metal center (MMC) sites to meet the DOE 2025 activity target of 0.044 mA/cm 2 at 0.9 V IR-free ., as well as other goals such as durability. We have made important contributions to both catalyst development and fundamental understandings of the active sites in M-N-C catalysts in this project. We successfully made M (x) -N-C catalysts with some multiple metal center (MMC) sites by combining ionothermal carbonization with chemical vapor deposition (CVD). These catalysts, however, are not as active as the most active single-atom Fe-N-C catalysts made by the similar CVD process, owing likely to the low site density and the presence of inorganic Fe species such as iron carbides and nanoparticles. The most significant accomplishments we achieved in this project are: (1) we unraveled the formation pathway of Fe-N 4 sites during pyrolysis step-by-step and identified the trans-metalation mechanism, in collaboration with Deborah Myers and her colleagues at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL); (2) inspired by this finding, we pioneered the CVD synthesis of M-N-C catalysts (M = Mn, Fe, and Co), in which the Fe-N-C catalyst by CVD demonstrated an ORR activity of 33 mA/cm 2 at 0.9 V in H 2 -O 2 proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), very close to the ultimate goal of 35 mA/cm 2 of our project. This catalyst is the first Fe-N-C catalyst that contains only D1 sites without the D2 sites; whereas D1 and D2 sites have been always identified by Mossbauer in previous Fe-N-C catalysts. This finding helps to understand what the D1 and D2 sites are and their roles in catalyzing the ORR. (3) by improving the mass transport of the carbon matrix prior to the CVD process, the revised Fe-N-C catalyst made by CVD delivered a maximum power density of 0.53 W/cm 2 in H 2 -air PEMFCs. The improvement strategy was partly inspired by the computational modeling work by Adam Weber from LBNL, the Co-PI of this project, by developing, coding, and exercising a continuum level model of transport phenomena within a PGM-free catalyst layer. The model demonstrated that local resistances combined with limited site density of the PGM-free catalyst can result in limiting currents and poor polarization performance. The model also gave design guidance for impact of ECSA and overall catalyst-layer thickness. However, both Fe-N-C and Co-N-C catalysts developed by CVD showed poor durability in PEMFCS, in comparison with the traditional M-N-C catalysts synthesized via regular pyrolysis process. Consequently, we did not achieve the proposed durability targets. Despite so, we believe the FeNC-CVD catalysts with the poor durability and D1 sites only provides an excellent platform to understand the degradation mechanism of Fe-N-C in PEMFCs, the most important challenge in the development of M-N-C catalysts.
08 HYDROGEN↗
Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes with Confined Chalcogens as the Catalysts and Electrodes for Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Fuel Cells
The goal of this project is to synthesize and characterize a new non-metal electro-catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) for fuel cell applications. The intended catalyst is a composite material composed of sulfur chains encapsulated in narrow diameter single-walled carbon nanotubes (S@SWNTs). S@SWNTs were successfully synthesized through sulfur vapor infusion method, and validated with Raman spectroscopy. However, the electrochemical analysis on the ORR catalytic activity of S@SWNTs indicated that it had low ORR catalytic activity. Our theoretical study based on density functional theory (DFT) revealed that the poor oxygen adsorption (low binding energy) on the surface of S@SWNTs was the bottleneck of the entire catalytic reaction. The focus of the project was subsequently pivoted to the development of a new non-noble metal ORR catalyst that could provide durability in acidic electrolyte. The hypothesis was to encapsulate small iron (Fe) clusters in SWNTs (Fe@SWNTs) can provide ORR electro-catalytic activity and long durability in acidic environment. DFT-based computational studies were carried out to explore the feasibility of the Fe@SWNTs catalyst. The theoretical study indicated that Fe@SWNTs indeed could catalyze the ORR with lower theoretical overpotential than platinum (Pt). However, its weaker bonding energy with oxygen was the bottleneck of the overall reaction. On the other hand, Fe clusters (composed of 7 Fe atoms) encapsulated in nitrogen-doped SWNTs (Fe 7 @N 4 WSNTs) showed proper oxygen adsorption by the Fe cluster and low theoretical overpotential of ORR. Comparing to the Fe single atom catalyst on N-doped SWNTs (Fe-N 4 SWNTs), which is one the best non-noble metal ORR catalysts reported in the literature, the Fe 7 @N 4 WSNTs showed lower overpotential and better resistance to acidic environment. Fe encapsulated N-doped SWNTs were synthesized with ferrocene as the Fe precursors through vapor infusion method, and experimental validate is underway. This study theoretically demonstrated the feasibility of a new type of non-noble metal electro-catalyst for ORR that could have high catalytic activity and long durability.
08 HYDROGEN↗
Recent progress in the durability of Fe-N-C oxygen reduction electrocatalysts for polymer electrolyte fuel cells
This mini-review article review focuses on the very recent advancements in the stability and durability under operating fuel cell conditions of Fe-N-C electrocatalysts oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts. The most prominent degradation mechanisms of active site demetallation and carbon corrosion, both resulting in a relatively rapid initial performance loss, are introduced and elaborated on through recent published work, with emphasis on the role of H 2 O 2 radicals in these two likely catalysts degradation mechanisms. Here, the current state of Fe-N-C electrocatalysts is also discussed and several specific improvements are proposed as necessary to advance these materials towards a state of competitive stability and durability.
25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
Materials Data on FeN by Materials Project
FeN is Molybdenum Carbide MAX Phase-like structured and crystallizes in the hexagonal P6_3/mmc space group. The structure is three-dimensional. Fe3+ is bonded to six equivalent N3- atoms to form a mixture of edge, corner, and face-sharing FeN6 octahedra. The corner-sharing octahedral tilt angles are 46°. All Fe–N bond lengths are 2.02 Å. N3- is bonded to six equivalent Fe3+ atoms to form a mixture of distorted edge and corner-sharing NFe6 pentagonal pyramids.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Materials Data on Fe3N by Materials Project
Fe3N is Upper Bainite structured and crystallizes in the hexagonal P6_322 space group. The structure is three-dimensional. Fe is bonded in a bent 120 degrees geometry to two equivalent N atoms. Both Fe–N bond lengths are 1.90 Å. N is bonded to six equivalent Fe atoms to form corner-sharing NFe6 octahedra. The corner-sharing octahedral tilt angles are 50°.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Materials Data on Fe2N by Materials Project
Fe2N is zeta iron carbide-like structured and crystallizes in the orthorhombic Pbcn space group. The structure is three-dimensional. Fe is bonded in a 3-coordinate geometry to three equivalent N atoms. There are a spread of Fe–N bond distances ranging from 1.87–1.96 Å. N is bonded to six equivalent Fe atoms to form a mixture of edge and corner-sharing NFe6 octahedra. The corner-sharing octahedra tilt angles range from 48–49°.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Materials Data on Fe2N by Materials Project
Fe2N is beta Vanadium nitride structured and crystallizes in the trigonal P-31m space group. The structure is three-dimensional. Fe is bonded in a distorted T-shaped geometry to three N atoms. There is one shorter (1.91 Å) and two longer (1.92 Å) Fe–N bond length. There are two inequivalent N sites. In the first N site, N is bonded to six equivalent Fe atoms to form corner-sharing NFe6 octahedra. The corner-sharing octahedral tilt angles are 48°. In the second N site, N is bonded to six equivalent Fe atoms to form a mixture of edge and corner-sharing NFe6 octahedra. The corner-sharing octahedral tilt angles are 48°.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Materials Data on Fe4N by Materials Project
Fe4N crystallizes in the cubic Pm-3m space group. The structure is three-dimensional. there are two inequivalent Fe sites. In the first Fe site, Fe is bonded in a linear geometry to four equivalent Fe and two equivalent N atoms. All Fe–Fe bond lengths are 2.60 Å. Both Fe–N bond lengths are 1.84 Å. In the second Fe site, Fe is bonded to twelve equivalent Fe atoms to form FeFe12 cuboctahedra that share corners with twelve equivalent FeFe12 cuboctahedra, faces with six equivalent FeFe12 cuboctahedra, and faces with eight equivalent NFe6 octahedra. N is bonded to six equivalent Fe atoms to form NFe6 octahedra that share corners with six equivalent NFe6 octahedra and faces with eight equivalent FeFe12 cuboctahedra. The corner-sharing octahedral tilt angles are 0°.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Materials Data on Fe8N by Materials Project
Fe8N crystallizes in the tetragonal I4/mmm space group. The structure is three-dimensional. there are three inequivalent Fe sites. In the first Fe site, Fe is bonded in a distorted body-centered cubic geometry to eight equivalent Fe atoms. All Fe–Fe bond lengths are 2.55 Å. In the second Fe site, Fe is bonded in a single-bond geometry to one N atom. The Fe–N bond length is 1.83 Å. In the third Fe site, Fe is bonded in a single-bond geometry to four equivalent Fe and one N atom. The Fe–N bond length is 1.96 Å. N is bonded in an octahedral geometry to six Fe atoms.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Materials Data on FeN by Materials Project
FeN is Zincblende, Sphalerite structured and crystallizes in the cubic F-43m space group. The structure is three-dimensional. Fe3+ is bonded to four equivalent N3- atoms to form corner-sharing FeN4 tetrahedra. All Fe–N bond lengths are 1.83 Å. N3- is bonded to four equivalent Fe3+ atoms to form corner-sharing NFe4 tetrahedra.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗