Highly Active Nanoperovskite Catalysts for Oxygen Evolution Reaction: Insights into Activity and Stability of Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3 and PrBaCo2O6
Bae Jung Kim, Xi Cheng, Daniel Abbott, Emiliana Fabbri, Francesco Bozza, Thomas Graule, Ivano Castelli, Luke Wiles, Nemanja Danilovic, Katherine Ayers, Nicola M… 展开作者
Bae Jung Kim, Xi Cheng, Daniel Abbott, Emiliana Fabbri, Francesco Bozza, Thomas Graule, Ivano Castelli, Luke Wiles, Nemanja Danilovic, Katherine Ayers, Nicola Marzari, Thomas Schmidt
It is shown that producing PrBaCo2O5 and Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3 nanoparticle by a scalable synthesis method leads to high mass activities for the oxygen evolution reaction with outstanding improvements by 10 and 50 times, respectively, compared to those prepared via the state of the art synthesis method. Here, detailed comparisons at both laboratory and industrial scales show that Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3 appears to be the most active and stable perovskite catalyst under alkaline conditions, while PrBaCo2O6 reveals thermodynamic instability described by the density functional theory based Pourbaix diagrams highlighting cation dissolution under oxygen evolution conditions. Operando Xray absorption spectroscopy is used in parallel to monitor electronic and structural changes of the catalysts during oxygen evolution reaction. The exceptional BSCF functional stability can be correlated to its thermodynamic metastability under oxygen evolution conditions as highlighted by Pourbaix diagram analysis. BSCF is able to dynamically self reconstruct its surface, leading to formation of Co based oxyhydroxide layers while retaining its structural stability. Differently, PBCO demonstrates a high initial oxygen evolution reaction activity while it undergoes a degradation process considering its thermodynamic instability under oxygen evolution conditions as anticipated by its Pourbaix diagram. Overall, this work demonstrates a synergetic approach of using both experimental and theoretical studies to understand the behavior of perovskite catalysts.
Catalysts for oxygen reduction and evolution reactions are at the heart of key renewable energy technologies including fuel cells and water splitting. Despite tremendous efforts, developing oxygen electrode catalysts with high activity at low costs remains a grand challenge. Here, we report a hybrid material of Co3O4 nanocrystals grown on reduced graphene oxide (GO) as a high-performance bi-functional catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). While Co3O4 or graphene oxide alone has little catalytic activity, their hybrid exhibits an unexpected, surprisin…
Symbolic regression (SR) is an emerging method for building analytical formulas to find models that best fit data sets. Here, SR was used to guide the design of new oxide perovskite catalysts with improved oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activities. An unprecedentedly simple descriptor, μ/t, where μ and t are the octahedral and tolerance factors, respectively, was identified, which accelerated the discovery of a series of new oxide perovskite catalysts with improved OER activity. We successfully synthesized five new oxide perovskites and characterized their OER activities. Remarkably, four of …
NiFe oxyhydroxide is one of the most promising oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts for renewable hydrogen production, and deciphering the identity and reactivity of the oxygen intermediates on its surface is a key challenge but is critical to understanding the OER mechanism as well as designing water-splitting catalysts with higher efficiencies. Here, we screened and utilized in situ reactive probes that can selectively target specific oxygen intermediates with high rates to investigate the OER intermediates and pathway on NiFe oxyhydroxide. Most importantly, the oxygen atom transfer (OA…
A palladium-based (Pd-based) core@shell catalyst can be modified to achieve the desired oxygen adsorption properties by selecting an appropriate core composition, surface alloying, and compressive strain. Herein, we present the effects of compressive strain, core composition, and surface alloying in Pd3Ni@PdIr(111), Pd3CuNi@PdIr(111), and Pd3Cu@PdIr(111) alloy-core@alloy-shell catalysts on dioxygen adsorption. Using experimental lattice parameters for the unstrained catalysts, -1% to -5%, the strain was systematically introduced. The calculated dioxygen-adsorption energies for the surface Pd a…
In order to estimate the reactivity of a large number of potentially complex heterogeneous catalysts while searching for novel and more efficient materials, physical as well as data-centric models have been developed for a faster evaluation of adsorption energies compared to first-principles calculations. However, global models designed to describe as many materials as possible might overlook the very few compounds that have the appropriate adsorption properties to be suitable for a given catalytic process. Here, the subgroup-discovery (SGD) local artificial-intelligence approach is used to id…
Achieving high power performance and durability with low Pt loadings are critical challenges for proton exchange membrane fuel cells. PtCo catalysts developed on new carbon black supports show promise by simultaneously providing good oxygen reduction kinetics and local oxygen transport. We investigate the role of nanoscale morphology in the performance of these catalysts supported on accessible (HSC-e and HSC-f) and conventional (Ketjen Black) porous carbons using 3D electron tomography, nitrogen sorption, and electrochemical performance measurements. We find that the accessible porous carbons…
We report the growth of Al-catalysed ZnO nanowires (NWs) using a thermal evaporation technique.Before the growth, the substrates were covered with a distribution of Al nano-island that act as seeds. We found that the density of NWs increases as the density of seeds is increased, confirming the catalyst properties of Al. The critical parameters of growth are the substrate temperature, oxygen partial pressure and the thickness of the initial Al layer from which the seeds are formed. The results showed that the oxygen pressure has a strong influence on the structural characteristics: the nanowire…
It has been well established that nitrogen coordinated transition metal, TM-N$_{4}$-C (TM$=$Fe and Co) moieties, are responsible for the higher catalytic activity for the electrochemical oxygen reduction reaction. However, the results obtained using density functional theory calculations vary from one to another, which can lead to controversy. Herein, we assess the accuracy of the theoretical approach using different class of exchange-correlation functionals, i.e., Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE) and revised PBE (RPBE), those with the Grimme's semiempirical dispersion correction (PBE+D3 and RPBE+…
Unraveling a descriptor that is correlated with catalytic reactivity is essential for fast screening for the optimal catalysts for a given catalytic reaction. Herein, we propose bond-derived orbitalwise coordination number ($\overline{CN}^α$, $α$= $s$ or $d$) as a simple and accurate descriptor used for transition metal (TM) oxides that takes into account both geometrical and electronic structures around active sites, and avoids excessive computation burden. This descriptor has a strong scaling relation with the activity in oxygen electrochemistry, enabling us to readily screen for the optimal…
MXenes are a class of 2D/layered materials which are highly conductive, hydrophilic, have a large electrochemical surface area and are easily processible into electrodes for energy applications. Since the discovery of MXenes over ten years ago, these materials have been mainly used in the preparation of electrodes for batteries and supercapacitors. However, due to their aforementioned properties, MXenes could potentially be utilised as a component in the catalyst layer for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction (OER). This opinion piece will discuss some of the recent literature in the area of hybrid c…
To help understand the high activity of silver as an oxidation catalyst, e.g., for the oxidation of ethylene to epoxide and the dehydrogenation of methanol to formaldehyde, the interaction and stability of oxygen species at the Ag(111) surface has been studied for a wide range of coverages. Through calculation of the free energy, as obtained from density-functional theory and taking into account the temperature and pressure via the oxygen chemical potential, we obtain the phase diagram of O/Ag(111). Our results reveal that a thin surface-oxide structure is most stable for the temperature and p…
The high cost of platinum-based catalysts has hampered the commercialization of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Hence, the electronic structure and oxygen reduction ability of [Ti(IV)Pc]2+, Ti(II)Pc titanyl-phthalocyanines, and their tailored peripheral and axial ligand complexes were theoretically investigated to determine non-precious cathode catalysts. Our results revealed that the peripherally substituted and unsubstituted Ti(II)Pc triplet complexes can spontaneously reduce peroxide. The singlet [Ti(IV)Pc]2+ parent complex has a 6.45 eV barrier. However, fluorine substitu…
University of Illinois（伊利诺伊大学）；Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois（伊利诺伊大学材料研究实验室）；Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois（伊利诺伊大学贝克曼先进科学技术研究所）
A Critical Evaluation of a Self-Driving Laboratory for the Optimization of Electrodeposited Earth-Abundant Mixed-Metal Oxide Catalysts for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction (OER)
Reducible oxides are widely used catalyst supports that can increase oxidation reaction rates by transferring their lattice oxygen at the metal-support interface. The interfacial oxidation process is typically described in terms of a Mars-van Krevelen mechanism. However, many outstanding questions remain unanswered regarding the atomic-scale structure and dynamic meta-stability (i.e., fluxional behavior) of the interface $\textit{during catalysis}$. Here, we employ aberration-corrected $\textit{operando}$ electron microscopy to visualize the structural dynamics occurring at and near Pt/CeO$_{2…
Wide proliferation of low temperature hydrogen fuel cell systems, a key part of the hydrogen economy, is hindered by degradation of the platinum cathode catalyst. Here, we provide a device level assessment of the molecular scale catalyst degradation phenomena, using advanced operando X-ray scattering tomography tailored for device-scale imaging. Each cell component, including the catalyst, carbon support, polymer electrolyte, and liquid water can be simultaneously mapped, allowing for deep correlative analysis. Chemical and thermal gradients formed inside the operating fuel cell produce highly…
Extensive density-functional theory calculations, and taking into account temperature and pressure, affords a comprehensive picture of the behavior and interaction of oxygen and Ag(111), and provides valuable insight into the function of silver as an oxidation catalyst. The obtained phase-diagram reveals the most stable species present in a given environment and thus identifies (and excludes) possibly active oxygen species. In particular, for the conditions of ethylene epoxidation, a thin oxide-like structure is most stable, suggesting that such atomic O species are actuating the catalysis, in…
Pt/Graphene and Pt/MnO2-Graphene catalysts have been prepared by microwave-assisted polyol process. Electrochemical results show that Pt/MnO2-Graphene has higher electrocatalytic activity and stability. Furthermore, carbon riveted Pt/MnO2-Graphene catalyst has been designed and synthesized on the basis of in situ carbonization of L-ascorbic acid. The stability for carbon riveted Pt/MnO2-catalyst is significantly enhanced.
Hydrogen is a promising energy carrier and key agent for many industrial chemical processes1. One method for generating hydrogen sustainably is via the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), in which electrochemical reduction of protons is mediated by an appropriate catalyst-traditionally, an expensive platinum-group metal. Scalable production requires catalyst alternatives that can lower materials or processing costs while retaining the highest possible activity. Strategies have included dilute alloying of Pt2 or employing less expensive transition metal alloys, compounds or heterostructures (e.g…
We report here results of our density functional theory based computational studies of the electronic structure of the Pd-Co alloy electrocatalysts and energetics of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) on their surfaces. The calculations have been performed for the (111) surfaces of pure Pd, Pd0.75Co0.25 and Pd0.5Co0.5 alloys, as well as of the surface segregated Pd/Pd0.75Co0.25 alloy. We find the hybridization of dPd and dCo electronic states to be the main factor controlling the electrocatalytic properties of Pd/Pd0.75Co0.25. Namely the dPd - dCo hybridization causes low energy shift of the …
Machine learning is ideally suited for the pattern detection in large uniform datasets, but consistent experimental datasets on catalyst studies are often small. Here we demonstrate how a combination of machine learning and first-principles calculations can be used to extract knowledge from a relatively small set of experimental data. The approach is based on combining a complex machine-learning model trained on a computational library of transition-state energies with simple linear regression models of experimental catalytic activities and selectivities from the literature. Using the combined…
Rational combination holds the key for non-precious metal oxides and economic carbon materials to the creation of high performance air electrode materials. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs)-supported manganese oxides composite catalysts (CMnCs) were obtained by reacting commercial CNTs with MnO$_4^-$ in diluted H$_2$SO$_4$ with cancelling conventional hydrothermal processing or adding surfantant templates. CMnCs were then assembled into commercial air cathodes equipped in metal air fuel cells. CNTs demonstrated structurally much defective. Outer CNT walls were cracked into graphene nano pieces yet remai…
The d-band center descriptor based on the adsorption strength of adsorbate has been widely used in understanding and predicting the catalytic activity in various metal catalysts. However, its applicability is unsure for the single-atom-anchored two-dimensional (2D) catalysts. Here, taking the hydrogen (H) adsorption on the single-atom-anchored 2D basal plane as example, we examine the influence of orbitals interaction on the bond strength of hydrogen adsorption. We find that the adsorption of H is formed mainly via the hybridization between the 1s orbital of H and the vertical dz2 orbital of a…
The role of catalyst stability on the adverse effects of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) formation rates in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is investigated for Pt, Pt binary (PtX, X = Co, Ru, Rh, V, Ni) and ternary (PtCoX, X = Ir, Rh) catalysts. The selectivity of these catalysts towards H2O2 formation in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) was measured on a rotating ring disc electrode. These measured values were used in conjunction with local oxygen and proton concentrations to estimate local H2O2 formation rates in a PEMFC anode and cathode. The effect of H2O2 formation rates on the m…
Fuel cells offer an alternative to burning fossil fuels, but use platinum as a catalyst which is expensive and scarce. Cheap, alternative catalysts could enable fuel cells to become serious contenders in the green energy sector. One promising class of catalyst for electrochemical oxygen reduction is iron-containing, nanostructured, nitrogen-doped carbon. The catalytic activity of such N-doped carbons has improved vastly over the years bringing industrial applications ever closer. Stoichiometric carbon nitride powder has only been observed in recent years. It has nitrogen content up to 57% and …
Heterogeneous catalysts based on sub-nanometer metal clusters often exhibit strongly size-dependent properties, and the addition or removal of a single atom can make all the difference. Identifying the most active species and deciphering the reaction mechanism is extremely difficult, however, because it is often not clear how the catalyst evolves in operando. Here, we utilize a combination of atomically resolved scanning probe microscopies, spectroscopic techniques, and density functional theory (DFT)-based calculations to study CO oxidation by a model Pt/Fe3O4(001) single-atom catalyst. We de…
A new dual plasma coating process to produce platinum-free catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction in a fuel cell is introduced. The catalysts thus produced were analysed with various methods. Electrochemical characterisation was carried out by cyclic voltammetry, rotating ring- and rotating ring-disk electrode. The surface porosity of the different catalysts thus obtained was characterised with the nitrogen gas adsorption technique and scanning electron microscopy was used to determine the growth mechanisms of the films. It is shown that catalytically active compounds can be produced with…
Electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) based on complexes of iron and nitrogen in a carbon matrix (Fe-N-C) are a promising alternative to platinum group metal (PGM) based catalysts in polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells. Further improvements of Fe-N-C catalysts would benefit from model thin film studies of activity and stability of catalytic sites, but synthesis of Fe-N-C model thin films is challenging. Here we report on synthesis and characterization of Fe-N-C thin films produced by co-sputtering iron and carbon in a reactive nitrogen atmosphere onto removable gla…
Combining first-principles modeling and symbolic regression for designing efficient single-atom catalysts in Oxygen Evolution Reaction on Mo$_2$CO$_2$ MXenes
该研究结合第一性原理建模、ESSI 分析与符号回归，筛选 Mo$_2$CO$_2$ MXenes 上的 OER 单原子催化剂，发现 Cu 过电位最低，并提取关键描述符与过电位公式。
Recently, two kinds of mesoporous catalysts with high propylene selectivity in propane dehydrogenation (PDH) process has been successfully synthesized. The first proposed catalyst is SAPO-34 molecular sieve with hierarchical tuned nanostructure. The second catalyst is a novel bi-phase SAPO-34/ZSM-5 zeolite hierarchical composite utilized with TPA-SAPO-34 exchanged core cystals being wrapped by ZSM-5 zeolite particles. In this contribution, the physico-chemical properties of the catalysts were analyzed by XRD, FESEM and N2 adsorption-desorption techniques and their catalytic activity and life t…
An effective method for increasing the electrocatalytic activity of metallic glasses (MGs) in hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is reported. This method applies a noble metal hybridization strategy to design a highly reactive catalyst for alkaline HER based on MGs with a nano-porous structure. The porous structure provides an abundance of active sites and exposes a large specific surface area to the electrolyte, thus effectively improving the activity of the HER catalysts. The doping of Au element can create electronic defects, adjust the electronic structure, change the electronic interaction…
We use multi-scale modeling to analyze laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) measurements of the CO oxidation reaction over Pd(100) at near-ambient reaction conditions. Integrating density-functional theory based kinetic Monte Carlo simulations of the active catalyst into fluid-dynamical simulations of the mass transport inside the reactor chamber we calculate the reaction product concentration directly above the catalyst surface. Comparing corresponding data calculated for different surface models against the measured LIF signals we can discriminate the one that predominantly actuates the experime…
Improving the stability of electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) through materials design has received less attention than improving their catalytic activity. We explored the effect of Mn addition to a cobalt oxide for stabilizing the catalyst by comparing Na-containing CoOx and (Co0.7Mn0.3)Ox films electrodeposited in alkaline solution. The obtained disordered films were classified as layered oxides using X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). The CoOx films showed a constant decrease in the catalytic activity during cycling, confirmed by oxygen detection, while that of (Co0.…
The search for highly efficient and low-cost catalysts is one of the main driving forces in catalytic chemistry. Current strategies for the catalyst design focus on increasing the number and activity of local catalytic sites, such as the edge-sites of molybdenum disulfides in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Here, we propose and demonstrate a different principle that goes beyond local site optimization by utilizing topological electronic states, a global property of the material, to spur catalytic activity. For HER, we have found excellent catalysts among the transition-metal monopnictid…
We present a density-functional theory based Wulff construction of the equilibrium shape of RuO2 particles in an oxygen environment. The obtained intricate variations of the crystal habit with the oxygen chemical potential allow for a detailed discussion of the dependence on the oxidizing pretreatment observed in recent powder catalyst studies. The analysis specifically indicates an incomplete particle shape equilibration in previously employed low temperature calcination. Equilibrated particles could be active CO oxidation catalysts with long-term stability in oxidizing feed and then represen…
We reveal a correlation between the M-X bond energy descriptor EMX for the optimal catalyst in a family of stoichiometry MiXj, and an intensive quantity defined as the standard enthalpy of the catalyzed reaction normalized to one mole of element X transferred by this reaction from reactants to products. M is a transition element, and the stoichiometry MiXj is fixed at the solid/fluid interface by the reaction conditions. We illustrate this for a relevant set of reactions involved in solar energy and industrial applications such as oxygen evolution, oxygen reduction and hydrogen evolution in el…
In recent years, single-atom catalysts attracted lots of attention because of their high catalytic activity, selectivity, stability, maximum atom utilization, exceptional performance, and low cost. Single-atom catalyst contains isolated individual atom which are coordinated with the surface atoms of support such as a metal oxide or 2d - materials. In this review article, we present the advancement in single-atom catalysis in recent years with a focus on the various synthesis methods and their application in catalytic reactions. We also demonstrate the reaction mechanism of a single-atom cataly…
Nitrogen doping of the carbon is an important method to improve the performance and durability of catalysts for proton exchange membrane fuel cells by platinum-nitrogen and carbon-nitrogen bonds. This study shows that p-phenyl groups and graphitic N acting bridges linking platinum and the graphene/carbon black (the ratio graphene/carbon black=2/3) hybrid support materials achieved the average size of platinum nanoparticles with (4.88 +/- 1.79) nm. It improved the performance of the lower-temperature hydrogen fuel cell up to 0.934 W cm-2 at 0.60 V, which is 1.55 times greater than that of comme…
The chemical structure of cobalt--polypyrrole -- produced by a dual plasma process -- is analysed by means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), near edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (NEXAFS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive X-Ray spectroscopy (EDX) and extended x-ray absorption spectroscopy (EXAFS).It is shown that only nanoparticles of a size of 3\,nm with the low temperature crystal structure of cobalt are present within the compound. Besides that, cobalt--nitrogen and carbon--oxygen structures are observed. Furthermore, more and more cobalt--nitrogen structures are produc…
Advanced materials for electrocatalytic and photoelectrochemical water splitting are central to the area of renewable energy. Here, we developed a solvothermal synthesis of MoS2 nanoparticles selectively on reduced graphene oxide (RGO) sheets suspended in solution. The resulting MoS2/RGO hybrid material possessed nanoscopic few-layer MoS2 structures with abundant exposed edges stacked onto graphene, in strong contrast to large aggregated MoS2 particles grown freely in solution without GO. The MoS2/RGO hybrid exhibited superior electrocatalytic activity in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) …
Developing single atom catalysts (SACs) for chemical reactions of vital importance in renewable energy sector has emerged as a need of the hour. In this perspective, transition metal based SACs with monolayer phosphorous (phosphorene) as the supporting material are scrutinized for their electrocatalytic activity towards oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) from first principle calculations. The detailed screening study has confirmed a breaking of scaling relationship between ORR/OER intermediates resulting in varied activity tre…
