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He J, Butson JD, Gu R, Loy ACM, Fan Q, Qu L, Li GK, Gu Q. MXene-Supported Single-Atom Electrocatalysts. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2025; 12:e2414674. [PMID: 40150844 PMCID: PMC12061334 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202414674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2024] [Revised: 02/19/2025] [Indexed: 03/29/2025]
Abstract
MXenes, a novel member of the 2D material family, shows promising potential in stabilizing isolated atoms and maximizing the atom utilization efficiency for catalytic applications. This review focuses on the role of MXenes as support for single-atom catalysts (SACs) for various electrochemical reactions, namely the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), oxygen evolution reaction (OER), oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO2RR), and nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR). First, state-of-the-art characterization and synthesis methods of MXenes and MXene-supported SACs are discussed, highlighting how the unique structure and tunable functional groups enhance the catalytic performance of pristine MXenes and contribute to stabilizing SAs. Then, recent studies of MXene-supported SACs in different electrocatalytic areas are examined, including experimental and theoretical studies. Finally, this review discusses the challenges and outlook of the utilization of MXene-supported SACs in the field of electrocatalysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianan He
- Department of Chemical EngineeringThe University of MelbourneParkvilleVIC3010Australia
| | - Joshua D. Butson
- Department of Chemical EngineeringThe University of MelbourneParkvilleVIC3010Australia
| | - Ruijia Gu
- Department of Chemical EngineeringThe University of MelbourneParkvilleVIC3010Australia
| | - Adrian Chun Minh Loy
- Department of Chemical EngineeringThe University of MelbourneParkvilleVIC3010Australia
| | - Qining Fan
- Department of Chemical EngineeringThe University of MelbourneParkvilleVIC3010Australia
| | - Longbing Qu
- Department of Chemical EngineeringThe University of MelbourneParkvilleVIC3010Australia
| | - Gang Kevin Li
- Department of Chemical EngineeringThe University of MelbourneParkvilleVIC3010Australia
| | - Qinfen Gu
- Department of Chemical EngineeringThe University of MelbourneParkvilleVIC3010Australia
- Australian SynchrotronANSTO800 Blackburn RdClaytonVIC3168Australia
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2
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Wang L, Dou Y, Gan R, Zhao Q, Ma Q, Liao Y, Cheng G, Zhang Y, Wang D. The Single Atom Anchoring Strategy: Rational Design of MXene-Based Single-Atom Catalysts for Electrocatalysis. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2025; 21:e2410772. [PMID: 39945089 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202410772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2024] [Revised: 02/03/2025] [Indexed: 03/20/2025]
Abstract
Single-atom catalysts (SACs) are a class of catalysts with low dosage, low cost, and the presence of metal atom-carrier interactions with high catalytic activity, which are considered to possess significant potential in the field of electrocatalysis. The most important aspect in the synthesis of SACs is the selection of suitable carriers. Metal carbides, nitrides, or carbon-nitrides (MXenes) are widely used as a new type of 2D materials with good electrical conductivity and tunable surface properties. The abundance of surface functional groups and vacancy defects on MXenes is an ideal anchoring site for metal single atoms and is therefore regarded as a good carrier for single-atom loading. In this work, the preparation method of MXenes, the loading mode of SACs, the characterization of the catalysts, and the electrochemical catalytic performance are described in detail, and some of the hot issues of the current research and future research directions are also summarized. The aim of this work is to promote the development of MXene-based SACs within the realm of electrocatalysis. With ongoing research and innovation, these materials are expected to be crucial in the future of energy conversion and storage solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lixiang Wang
- School of Chemistry, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610031, China
| | - Yuhai Dou
- Institute of Energy Materials Science, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200093, China
| | - Rong Gan
- School of Chemistry, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610031, China
| | - Qin Zhao
- School of Chemistry, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610031, China
| | - Quanlei Ma
- School of Chemistry, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610031, China
| | - Yijing Liao
- School of Chemistry, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610031, China
| | - Guidan Cheng
- School of Chemistry, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610031, China
| | - Yan Zhang
- School of Chemistry, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610031, China
| | - Dingsheng Wang
- Engineering Research Center of Advanced Rare Earth Materials, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
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3
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Razzaq S, Faridi S, Kenmoe S, Usama M, Singh D, Meng L, Vines F, Illas F, Exner KS. MXenes Spontaneously Form Active and Selective Single-Atom Centers under Anodic Polarization Conditions. J Am Chem Soc 2025; 147:161-168. [PMID: 39680582 PMCID: PMC11726547 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c08518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2024] [Revised: 11/26/2024] [Accepted: 11/27/2024] [Indexed: 12/18/2024]
Abstract
Single-atom catalysts (SACs) have emerged as a new class of materials for the development of active and selective catalysts. These materials are commonly based on anchoring a noble transition metal to some kind of carrier. In the present work, we demonstrate that MXenes─two-dimensional materials with application in energy storage and conversion─spontaneously form SAC-like sites under anodic polarization conditions, using the applied electrode potential as a probe to form catalytically active surface sites reminiscent of a SAC-like structure. Combining ab initio molecular dynamics simulations and electronic structure calculations in the density functional theory framework, we demonstrate that only the SAC-like sites rather than the basal planes of MXenes are highly active and selective for the oxygen evolution or chlorine evolution reactions, respectively. Our findings may simplify synthetic routes toward the formation of active and selective SAC-like sites and could pave the way for the development of smart materials by incorporating fundamental principles from nature into material discovery: while the pristine form of the material is inactive, the application of an electrode potential activates the material by the formation of active and selective single-atom centers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samad Razzaq
- Faculty of
Chemistry, Theoretical Catalysis and Electrochemistry, University Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstraße 5, Essen 45141, Germany
| | - Shohreh Faridi
- Faculty of
Chemistry, Theoretical Catalysis and Electrochemistry, University Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstraße 5, Essen 45141, Germany
| | - Stephane Kenmoe
- Faculty of
Chemistry, Department of Theoretical Chemistry, University Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstraße 5, Essen 45141, Germany
| | - Muhammad Usama
- Faculty of
Chemistry, Theoretical Catalysis and Electrochemistry, University Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstraße 5, Essen 45141, Germany
| | - Diwakar Singh
- Faculty of
Chemistry, Theoretical Catalysis and Electrochemistry, University Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstraße 5, Essen 45141, Germany
| | - Ling Meng
- Departament
de Ciència de Materials i Química Física &
Institut de Química Teòrica i Computacional (IQTCUB), Universitat de Barcelona, c/Martí i Franquès 1−11, Barcelona 08028, Spain
| | - Francesc Vines
- Departament
de Ciència de Materials i Química Física &
Institut de Química Teòrica i Computacional (IQTCUB), Universitat de Barcelona, c/Martí i Franquès 1−11, Barcelona 08028, Spain
| | - Francesc Illas
- Departament
de Ciència de Materials i Química Física &
Institut de Química Teòrica i Computacional (IQTCUB), Universitat de Barcelona, c/Martí i Franquès 1−11, Barcelona 08028, Spain
| | - Kai S. Exner
- Faculty of
Chemistry, Theoretical Catalysis and Electrochemistry, University Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstraße 5, Essen 45141, Germany
- Cluster
of Excellence RESOLV, Bochum 44801, Germany
- Center
for
Nanointegration (CENIDE) Duisburg-Essen, Duisburg 47057, Germany
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4
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Xue Z, Tan R, Tian J, Hou H, Zhang X, Zhao Y. Designing asymmetrical TMN 4 sites via phosphorus or sulfur dual coordination as high-performance electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction. J Colloid Interface Sci 2024; 667:679-687. [PMID: 38670011 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2024.04.095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2024] [Revised: 04/09/2024] [Accepted: 04/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
The development ofhighly efficient oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts based on more cost-effective and earth-abundant elements is of great significance and still faces a huge challenge. In this work, a series of transition metal (TM)embedding a newly-defined monolayer carbon nitride phase is theoretically profiled and constructed as a catalytic platform for OER studies. Typically, a four-step screening strategy was proposed to rapidly identified high performance candidates and the coordination structure and catalytic performance relationship was thoroughly analyzed. Moreover, the eliminating criterion was established to condenses valid range based on the Gibbs free energy of OH*. Our results reveal that the as-constructed 2FeCN/P exhibits superior activity toward OER with an ultralow overpotential of 0.25 V, at the same time, the established 3FeCN/S configuration performed well as abifunctional OER/ORR electrocatalysis with extremely low overpotential ηOER/ηORR of 0.26/0.48 V. Overall, this work provides an effective framework for screening advanced OER catalysts, which can also be extended to other complex multistep catalytic reactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhe Xue
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center of Ministry of Education and Shanxi Province for High-performance Al/Mg Alloy Materials, North University of China, Taiyuan 030051, China; State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao 066004, Hebei, China
| | - Rui Tan
- College of Physics and Electronics Engineering, Hengyang Normal University, Hengyang 421002, China
| | - Jinzhong Tian
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center of Ministry of Education and Shanxi Province for High-performance Al/Mg Alloy Materials, North University of China, Taiyuan 030051, China
| | - Hua Hou
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center of Ministry of Education and Shanxi Province for High-performance Al/Mg Alloy Materials, North University of China, Taiyuan 030051, China; School of Materials Science and Engineering, Taiyuan University of Science and Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
| | - Xinyu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao 066004, Hebei, China.
| | - Yuhong Zhao
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center of Ministry of Education and Shanxi Province for High-performance Al/Mg Alloy Materials, North University of China, Taiyuan 030051, China; Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Materials Genome Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China.
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5
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Huang T, Yang ZX, Li L, Wan H, Leng C, Huang GF, Hu W, Huang WQ. Dipole Effect on Oxygen Evolution Reaction of 2D Janus Single-Atom Catalysts: A Case of Rh Anchored on the P6 m2-NP Configurations. J Phys Chem Lett 2024; 15:2428-2435. [PMID: 38394780 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c03148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
Catalytic performance of single-atom catalysts (SACs) relies fundamentally on the electronic nature and local coordination environment of the active site. Here, based on a machine-learning (ML)-aided density functional theory (DFT) method, we reveal that the intrinsic dipole in Janus materials has a significant impact on the catalytic activity of SACs, using 2D γ-phosphorus carbide (γ-PC) as a model system. Specifically, a local dipole around the active site is a key degree to tune the catalytic activity and can be used as an important descriptor with a high feature importance of 17.1% in predicting the difference of adsorption free energy (ΔGO* - ΔGOH*) to assess the activity of the oxygen evolution reaction. As a result, the catalytic performance of SACs can be tuned by an intrinsic dipole, in stark contrast to those external stimuli strategies previously used. These results suggest that dipole engineering and the revolutionary DFT-ML hybrid scheme are novel approaches for designing high-performance catalysts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Huang
- Department of Applied Physics, School of Physics and Electronics, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
| | - Zi-Xuan Yang
- Department of Applied Physics, School of Physics and Electronics, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
| | - Lei Li
- Department of Applied Physics, School of Physics and Electronics, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
| | - Hui Wan
- Department of Applied Physics, School of Physics and Electronics, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
- School of Materials and Environmental Engineering, Changsha University, Changsha 410082, China
| | - Can Leng
- College of Intelligent Manufacture, Hunan First Normal University, Changsha 410205, China
| | - Gui-Fang Huang
- Department of Applied Physics, School of Physics and Electronics, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
| | - Wangyu Hu
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
| | - Wei-Qing Huang
- Department of Applied Physics, School of Physics and Electronics, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
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