1
|
Tian L, Gao X, Wang S, Chen C, Chen M, Guo W, Wang Z, Tai X, Han X, Xu C, Ruan Y, Zhu M, Xiong C, Yao T, Zhou H, Lin Y, Wu Y. Precise arrangement of metal atoms at the interface by a thermal printing strategy. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2310916120. [PMID: 38117856 PMCID: PMC10756259 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2310916120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 12/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The kinetics and pathway of most catalyzed reactions depend on the existence of interface, which makes the precise construction of highly active single-atom sites at the reaction interface a desirable goal. Herein, we propose a thermal printing strategy that not only arranges metal atoms at the silica and carbon layer interface but also stabilizes them by strong coordination. Just like the typesetting of Chinese characters on paper, this method relies on the controlled migration of movable nanoparticles between two contact substrates and the simultaneous emission of atoms from the nanoparticle surface at high temperatures. Observed by in situ transmission electron microscopy, a single Fe3O4 nanoparticle migrates from the core of a SiO2 sphere to the surface like a droplet at high temperatures, moves along the interface of SiO2 and the coated carbon layer, and releases metal atoms until it disappears completely. These detached atoms are then in situ trapped by nitrogen and sulfur defects in the carbon layer to generate Fe single-atom sites, exhibiting excellent activity for oxygen reduction reaction. Also, sites' densities can be regulated by controlling the size of Fe3O4 nanoparticle between the two surfaces. More importantly, this strategy is applicable to synthesize Mn, Co, Pt, Pd, Au single-atom sites, which provide a general route to arrange single-atom sites at the interface of different supports for various applications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lin Tian
- Deep Space Exploration Laboratory/School of Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei230026, China
| | - Xiaoping Gao
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei230026, China
| | - Sicong Wang
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei230026, China
| | - Cai Chen
- Deep Space Exploration Laboratory/School of Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei230026, China
| | - Min Chen
- Deep Space Exploration Laboratory/School of Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei230026, China
| | - Wenxin Guo
- Deep Space Exploration Laboratory/School of Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei230026, China
| | - Zhe Wang
- Preservation Technology, Advanced Research Center, Hefei Hualing Co., Ltd., Hefei230000, China
| | - Xiaolin Tai
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei230026, China
| | - Xiao Han
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei230026, China
| | - Chenxi Xu
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei230009, China
| | - Yaner Ruan
- Deep Space Exploration Laboratory/School of Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei230026, China
| | - Mengzhao Zhu
- Deep Space Exploration Laboratory/School of Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei230026, China
| | - Can Xiong
- Deep Space Exploration Laboratory/School of Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei230026, China
| | - Tao Yao
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei230026, China
| | - Huang Zhou
- Deep Space Exploration Laboratory/School of Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei230026, China
| | - Yue Lin
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei230026, China
| | - Yuen Wu
- Deep Space Exploration Laboratory/School of Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei230026, China
- Dalian National Laboratory for Clean Energy, Dalian116023, China
| |
Collapse
|