Qingying Jia

Highly active oxygen reduction non-platinum group metal electrocatalyst without direct metal-nitrogen coordination.

Replacement of noble metals in catalysts for cathodic oxygen reduction reaction with transition metals mostly create active sites based on a composite of nitrogen-coordinated transition metal in close concert with non-nitrogen-coordinated carbon-embedded metal atom clusters. Here we report a non-platinum group metal electrocatalyst with an active site devoid of any direct nitrogen coordination to iron that outperforms the benchmark platinum-based catalyst in alkaline media and is comparable to its best contemporaries in acidic media. In situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy in conjunction with ex situ microscopy clearly shows nitrided carbon fibres with embedded iron particles that are not directly involved in the oxygen reduction pathway. Instead, the reaction occurs primarily on the carbon–nitrogen structure in the outer skin of the nitrided carbon fibres. Implications include the potential of creating greater active site density and the potential elimination of any Fenton-type process involving exposed iron ions culminating in peroxide initiated free-radical formation.

Activity descriptor identification for oxygen reduction on nonprecious electrocatalysts: linking surface science to coordination chemistry.

Developing nonprecious group metal based electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction is crucial for the commercial success of environmentally friendly energy conversion devices such as fuel cells and metal-air batteries. Despite recent progress, elegant bottom-up synthesis of nonprecious electrocatalysts (typically Fe-N(x)/C) is unavailable due to lack of fundamental understanding of molecular governing factors. Here, we elucidate the mechanistic origin of oxygen reduction on pyrolyzed nonprecious catalysts and identify an activity descriptor based on principles of surface science and coordination chemistry. A linear relationship, depicting the ascending portion of a volcano curve, is established between oxygen-reduction turnover number and the Lewis basicity of graphitic carbon support (accessed via C 1s photoemission spectroscopy). Tuning electron donating/withdrawing capability of the carbon basal plane, conferred upon it by the delocalized π-electrons, (i) causes a downshift of e(g)-orbitals (d(z(2))) thereby anodically shifting the metal ions redox potential and (ii) optimizes the bond strength between the metal ion and adsorbed reaction intermediates thereby maximizing oxygen-reduction activity.

Elucidating Oxygen Reduction Active Sites in Pyrolyzed Metal-Nitrogen Coordinated Non-Precious-Metal Electrocatalyst Systems.

Detailed understanding of the nature of the active centers in non-precious-metal-based electrocatalyst, and their role in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) mechanistic pathways will have a profound effect on successful commercialization of emission-free energy devices such as fuel cells. Recently, using pyrolyzed model structures of iron porphyrins, we have demonstrated that a covalent integration of the Fe–Nx sites into π-conjugated carbon basal plane modifies electron donating/withdrawing capability of the carbonaceous ligand, consequently improving ORR activity. Here, we employ a combination of in situ X-ray spectroscopy and electrochemical methods to identify the various structural and functional forms of the active centers in non-heme Fe/N/C catalysts. Both methods corroboratively confirm the single site 2e– × 2e– mechanism in alkaline media on the primary Fe2+–N4 centers and the dual-site 2e– × 2e– mechanism in acid media with the significant role of the surface bound coexisting Fe/FexOy nanoparticles (NPs) as the secondary active sites.

Ultrafine jagged platinum nanowires enable ultrahigh mass activity for the oxygen reduction reaction

An activity lift for platinum Platinum is an excellent but expensive catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), which is critical for fuel cells. Alloying platinum with other metals can create shells of platinum on cores of less expensive metals, which increases its surface exposure, and compressive strain in the layer can also boost its activity (see the Perspective by Stephens et al.). Bu et al. produced nanoplates—platinum-lead cores covered with platinum shells—that were in tensile strain. These nanoplates had high and stable ORR activity, which theory suggests arises from the strain optimizing the platinum-oxygen bond strength. Li et al. optimized both the amount of surface-exposed platinum and the specific activity. They made nanowires with a nickel oxide core and a platinum shell, annealed them to the metal alloy, and then leached out the nickel to form a rough surface. The mass activity was about double the best reported values from previous studies. Science, this issue p. 1410, p. 1414; see also p. 1378 Improving the platinum (Pt) mass activity for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) requires optimization of both the specific activity and the electrochemically active surface area (ECSA). We found that solution-synthesized Pt/NiO core/shell nanowires can be converted into PtNi alloy nanowires through a thermal annealing process and then transformed into jagged Pt nanowires via electrochemical dealloying. The jagged nanowires exhibit an ECSA of 118 square meters per gram of Pt and a specific activity of 11.5 milliamperes per square centimeter for ORR (at 0.9 volts versus reversible hydrogen electrode), yielding a mass activity of 13.6 amperes per milligram of Pt, nearly double previously reported best values. Reactive molecular dynamics simulations suggest that highly stressed, undercoordinated rhombus-rich surface configurations of the jagged nanowires enhance ORR activity versus more relaxed surfaces.

Experimental Observation of Redox-Induced Fe–N Switching Behavior as a Determinant Role for Oxygen Reduction Activity

The commercialization of electrochemical energy conversion and storage devices relies largely upon the development of highly active catalysts based on abundant and inexpensive materials. Despite recent achievements in this respect, further progress is hindered by the poor understanding of the nature of active sites and reaction mechanisms. Herein, by characterizing representative iron-based catalysts under reactive conditions, we identify three Fe-N4-like catalytic centers with distinctly different Fe-N switching behaviors (Fe moving toward or away from the N4-plane) during the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), and show that their ORR activities are essentially governed by the dynamic structure associated with the Fe(2+/3+) redox transition, rather than the static structure of the bare sites. Our findings reveal the structural origin of the enhanced catalytic activity of pyrolyzed Fe-based catalysts compared to nonpyrolyzed Fe-macrocycle compounds. More generally, the fundamental insights into the dynamic nature of transition-metal compounds during electron-transfer reactions will potentially guide rational design of these materials for broad applications.

Structural and mechanistic basis for the high activity of Fe–N–C catalysts toward oxygen reduction

The development of efficient non-platinum group metal (non-PGM) catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is of paramount importance for clean and sustainable energy storage and conversion devices. The major bottleneck in developing Fe–N–C materials as the leading non-PGM catalysts lies in the poor understanding of the nature of active sites and reaction mechanisms. Herein, we report a scalable metal organic framework-derived Fe–N–C catalyst with high ORR activity demonstrated in practical H2/air fuel cells, and an unprecedented turnover frequency (TOF) in acid in rotating disk electrode. By characterizing the catalyst under both ex situ and operando conditions using combined microscopic and spectroscopic techniques, we show that the structures of active sites under ex situ and working conditions are drastically different. Resultantly, the active site proposed here, a non-planar ferrous Fe–N4 moiety embedded in distorted carbon matrix characterized by a high Fe2+/3+ redox potential, is in contrast with those proposed hitherto derived from ex situ characterizations. This site reversibly switches to an in-plane ferric Fe–N4 moiety poisoned by oxygen adsorbates during the redox transition, with the population of active sites controlled by the Fe2+/3+ redox potential. The unprecedented TOF of the active site is correlated to its near-optimal Fe2+/3+ redox potential, and essentially originated from its favorable biomimetic dynamic nature that balances the site-blocking effect and O2 dissociation. The porous and disordered carbon matrix of the catalyst plays pivotal roles for its measured high ORR activity by hosting high population of reactant-accessible active sites.

Activity Descriptor Identification for Oxygen Reduction on Platinum-Based Bimetallic Nanoparticles: In Situ Observation of the Linear Composition–Strain–Activity Relationship

Despite recent progress in developing active and durable oxygen reduction catalysts with reduced Pt content, lack of elegant bottom-up synthesis procedures with knowledge over the control of atomic arrangement and morphology of the Pt–alloy catalysts still hinders fuel cell commercialization. To follow a less empirical synthesis path for improved Pt-based catalysts, it is essential to correlate catalytic performance to properties that can be easily controlled and measured experimentally. Herein, using Pt–Co alloy nanoparticles (NPs) with varying atomic composition as an example, we show that the atomic distribution of Pt-based bimetallic NPs under operating conditions is strongly dependent on the initial atomic ratio by employing microscopic and in situ spectroscopic techniques. The PtxCo/C NPs with high Co content possess a Co concentration gradient such that Co is concentrated in the core and gradually depletes in the near-surface region, whereas the PtxCo/C NPs with low Co content possess a relatively uniform distribution of Co with low Co population in the near-surface region. Despite their different atomic structure, the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity of PtxCo/C and Pt/C NPs is linearly related to the bulk average Pt–Pt bond length (RPt–Pt). The RPt–Pt is further shown to contract linearly with the increase in Co/Pt composition. These linear correlations together demonstrate that (i) the improved ORR activity of PtxCo/C NPs over pure Pt NPs originates predominantly from the compressive strain and (ii) the RPt–Pt is a valid strain descriptor that bridges the activity and atomic composition of Pt-based bimetallic NPs.

Asymmetric Volcano Trend in Oxygen Reduction Activity of Pt and Non-Pt Catalysts: In Situ Identification of the Site-Blocking Effect

Proper understanding of the major limitations of current catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is essential for further advancement. Herein by studying representative Pt and non-Pt ORR catalysts with a wide range of redox potential (Eredox) via combined electrochemical, theoretical, and in situ spectroscopic methods, we demonstrate that the role of the site-blocking effect in limiting the ORR varies drastically depending on the Eredox of active sites; and the intrinsic activity of active sites with low Eredox have been markedly underestimated owing to the overlook of this effect. Accordingly, we establish a general asymmetric volcano trend in the ORR activity: the ORR of the catalysts on the overly high Eredox side of the volcano is limited by the intrinsic activity; whereas the ORR of the catalysts on the low Eredox side is limited by either the site-blocking effect and/or intrinsic activity depending on the Eredox.

Identification of catalytic sites in cobalt-nitrogen-carbon materials for the oxygen reduction reaction

Single-atom catalysts with full utilization of metal centers can bridge the gap between molecular and solid-state catalysis. Metal-nitrogen-carbon materials prepared via pyrolysis are promising single-atom catalysts but often also comprise metallic particles. Here, we pyrolytically synthesize a Co–N–C material only comprising atomically dispersed cobalt ions and identify with X-ray absorption spectroscopy, magnetic susceptibility measurements and density functional theory the structure and electronic state of three porphyrinic moieties, CoN4C12, CoN3C10,porp and CoN2C5. The O2 electro-reduction and operando X-ray absorption response are measured in acidic medium on Co–N–C and compared to those of a Fe–N–C catalyst prepared similarly. We show that cobalt moieties are unmodified from 0.0 to 1.0 V versus a reversible hydrogen electrode, while Fe-based moieties experience structural and electronic-state changes. On the basis of density functional theory analysis and established relationships between redox potential and O2-adsorption strength, we conclude that cobalt-based moieties bind O2 too weakly for efficient O2 reduction.Nitrogen-doped carbon materials with atomically dispersed iron or cobalt are promising for catalytic use. Here, the authors show that cobalt moieties have a higher redox potential, bind oxygen more weakly and are less active toward oxygen reduction than their iron counterpart, despite similar coordination.

Unraveling the Nature of Sites Active toward Hydrogen Peroxide Reduction in Fe-N-C Catalysts

Abstract Fe‐N‐C catalysts with high O2 reduction performance are crucial for displacing Pt in low‐temperature fuel cells. However, insufficient understanding of which reaction steps are catalyzed by what sites limits their progress. The nature of sites were investigated that are active toward H2O2 reduction, a key intermediate during indirect O2 reduction and a source of deactivation in fuel cells. Catalysts comprising different relative contents of FeNxCy moieties and Fe particles encapsulated in N‐doped carbon layers (0–100 %) show that both types of sites are active, although moderately, toward H2O2 reduction. In contrast, N‐doped carbons free of Fe and Fe particles exposed to the electrolyte are inactive. When catalyzing the ORR, FeNxCy moieties are more selective than Fe particles encapsulated in N‐doped carbon. These novel insights offer rational approaches for more selective and therefore more durable Fe‐N‐C catalysts.