Qin Yanyang, Zhao Wenshan, Xia Chenfeng, Yu Li-Juan, Song Fei, Zhang Jianrui, Wu Tiantian, Cao Rui, Ding Shujiang, Xia Bao Yu, Su Yaqiong
School of Chemistry, Engineering Research Center of Energy Storage Materials and Devices of Ministry of Education, National Innovation Platform (Center) for Industry-Education Integration of Energy Storage Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, 710049, Xi'an, China.
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Material Chemistry for Energy Conversion and Storage (Ministry of Education), Hubei Key Laboratory of Material Chemistry and Service Failure, Hubei Engineering Research Center for Biomaterials and Medical Protective Materials, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), 430074, Wuhan, China.
Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2024 Jun 3;63(23):e202404763. doi: 10.1002/anie.202404763. Epub 2024 May 2.
The electrochemical CO reduction reaction (eCORR) to multicarbon products has been widely recognized for Cu-based catalysts. However, the structural changes in Cu-based catalysts during the eCORR pose challenges to achieving an in-depth understanding of the structure-activity relationship, thereby limiting catalyst development. Herein, we employ constant-potential density functional theory calculations to investigate the sintering process of Cu single atoms of Cu-N-C single-atom catalysts into clusters under eCORR conditions. Systematic constant-potential ab initio molecular dynamics simulations revealed that the leaching of Cu-(CO) moieties and subsequent agglomeration into clusters can be facilitated by synergistic adsorption of H and eCORR intermediates (e.g., CO). Increasing the Cu concentration or the applied potential can efficiently suppress Cu sintering. Both microkinetic simulations and experimental results further confirm that sintered Cu clusters play a crucial role in generating C products. These findings provide significant insights into the dynamic evolution of Cu-based catalysts and the origin of their activity toward C products during the eCORR.
基于铜的催化剂将电化学CO还原反应(eCORR)转化为多碳产物已得到广泛认可。然而,在eCORR过程中,基于铜的催化剂的结构变化对深入理解结构-活性关系构成挑战,从而限制了催化剂的开发。在此,我们采用恒电位密度泛函理论计算来研究在eCORR条件下,Cu-N-C单原子催化剂中的Cu单原子烧结成簇的过程。系统的恒电位从头算分子动力学模拟表明,H和eCORR中间体(如CO)的协同吸附可促进Cu-(CO)部分的浸出以及随后聚集成簇。增加Cu浓度或施加的电位可以有效抑制Cu烧结。微观动力学模拟和实验结果均进一步证实,烧结的Cu簇在生成C产物中起着关键作用。这些发现为基于铜的催化剂在eCORR过程中的动态演变及其对C产物的活性起源提供了重要见解。
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