Xusheng Zheng

Isolation of Cu Atoms in Pd Lattice: Forming Highly Selective Sites for Photocatalytic Conversion of CO2 to CH4

Photocatalytic conversion of CO2 to CH4, a carbon-neutral fuel, represents an appealing approach to remedy the current energy and environmental crisis; however, it suffers from the large production of CO and H2 by side reactions. The design of catalytic sites for CO2 adsorption and activation holds the key to address this grand challenge. In this Article, we develop highly selective sites for photocatalytic conversion of CO2 to CH4 by isolating Cu atoms in Pd lattice. According to our synchrotron-radiation characterizations and theoretical simulations, the isolation of Cu atoms in Pd lattice can play dual roles in the enhancement of CO2-to-CH4 conversion: (1) providing the paired Cu-Pd sites for the enhanced CO2 adsorption and the suppressed H2 evolution; and (2) elevating the d-band center of Cu sites for the improved CO2 activation. As a result, the Pd7Cu1-TiO2 photocatalyst achieves the high selectivity of 96% for CH4 production with a rate of 19.6 μmol gcat-1 h-1. This work provides fresh insights into the catalytic site design for selective photocatalytic CO2 conversion, and highlights the importance of catalyst lattice engineering at atomic precision to catalytic performance.

Uncoordinated Amine Groups of Metal–Organic Frameworks to Anchor Single Ru Sites as Chemoselective Catalysts toward the Hydrogenation of Quinoline

Here we report a precise control of isolated single ruthenium site supported on nitrogen-doped porous carbon (Ru SAs/N-C) through a coordination-assisted strategy. This synthesis is based on the utilization of strong coordination between Ru3+ and the free amine groups (-NH2) at the skeleton of a metal-organic framework, which plays a critical role to access the atomically isolated dispersion of Ru sites. Without the assistance of the amino groups, the Ru precursor is prone to aggregation during the pyrolysis process, resulting in the formation of Ru clusters. The atomic dispersion of Ru on N-doped carbon can be verified by the spherical aberration correction electron microscopy and X-ray absorption fine structure measurements. Most importantly, this single Ru sites with single-mind N coordination can serve as a semihomogeneous catalyst to catalyze effectively chemoselective hydrogenation of functionalized quinolones.

Single‐Site Active Cobalt‐Based Photocatalyst with a Long Carrier Lifetime for Spontaneous Overall Water Splitting

An active and stable photocatalyst to directly split water is desirable for solar-energy conversion. However, it is difficult to accomplish overall water splitting without sacrificial electron donors. Herein, we demonstrate a strategy via constructing a single site to simultaneously promote charge separation and catalytic activity for robust overall water splitting. A single Co1 -P4 site confined on g-C3 N4 nanosheets was prepared by a facile phosphidation method, and identified by electron microscopy and X-ray absorption spectroscopy. This coordinatively unsaturated Co site can effectively suppress charge recombination and prolong carrier lifetime by about 20 times relative to pristine g-C3 N4 , and boost water molecular adsorption and activation for oxygen evolution. This single-site photocatalyst exhibits steady and high water splitting activity with H2 evolution rate up to 410.3 μmol h-1  g-1 , and quantum efficiency as high as 2.2 % at 500 nm.

Supported Rhodium Catalysts for Ammonia–Borane Hydrolysis: Dependence of the Catalytic Activity on the Highest Occupied State of the Single Rhodium Atoms

Supported metal nanocrystals have exhibited remarkable catalytic performance in hydrogen generation reactions, which is influenced and even determined by their supports. Accordingly, it is of fundamental importance to determine the direct relationship between catalytic performance and metal-support interactions. Herein, we provide a quantitative profile for exploring metal-support interactions by considering the highest occupied state in single-atom catalysts. The catalyst studied consisted of isolated Rh atoms dispersed on the surface of VO2 nanorods. It was observed that the activation energy of ammonia-borane hydrolysis changed when the substrate underwent a phase transition. Mechanistic studies indicate that the catalytic performance depended directly on the highest occupied state of the single Rh atoms, which was determined by the band structure of the substrates. Other metal catalysts, even with non-noble metals, that exhibited significant catalytic activity towards NH3 BH3 hydrolysis were rationally designed by adjusting their highest occupied states.

Atomic-level insights in optimizing reaction paths for hydroformylation reaction over Rh/CoO single-atom catalyst

Rh-based heterogeneous catalysts generally have limited selectivity relative to their homogeneous counterparts in hydroformylation reactions despite of the convenience of catalyst separation in heterogeneous catalysis. Here, we develop CoO-supported Rh single-atom catalysts (Rh/CoO) with remarkable activity and selectivity towards propene hydroformylation. By increasing Rh mass loading, isolated Rh atoms switch to aggregated clusters of different atomicity. During the hydroformylation, Rh/CoO achieves the optimal selectivity of 94.4% for butyraldehyde and the highest turnover frequency number of 2,065 h−1 among the obtained atomic-scale Rh-based catalysts. Mechanistic studies reveal that a structural reconstruction of Rh single atoms in Rh/CoO occurs during the catalytic process, facilitating the adsorption and activation of reactants. In kinetic view, linear products are determined as the dominating products by analysing reaction paths deriving from the two most stable co-adsorbed configurations. As a bridge of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis, single-atom catalysts can be potentially applied in other industrial reactions.

Solvothermal Synthesis of Ternary Cu2MoS4 Nanosheets: Structural Characterization at the Atomic Level

Cu2 MoS4 nanosheets are synthesized by a solvothermal method in which the Cu2 O starting material acts as a sacrificial template. The microstructure of the Cu2 MoS4 nanosheets is characterized at the atomic level, and the growth mechanism is monitored at the nanoscale through systematic time-dependent experiments. As a result, the unprecedented observation of the allotropic phase change in Cu2 MoS4 that occurs during the solvothermal process is possible.

Enhancing both selectivity and coking-resistance of a single-atom Pd1/C3N4 catalyst for acetylene hydrogenation

Selective hydrogenation is an important industrial catalytic process in chemical upgrading, where Pd-based catalysts are widely used because of their high hydrogenation activities. However, poor selectivity and short catalyst lifetime because of heavy coke formation have been major concerns. In this work, atomically dispersed Pd atoms were successfully synthesized on graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) using atomic layer deposition. Aberration-corrected high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) confirmed the dominant presence of isolated Pd atoms without Pd nanoparticle (NP) formation. During selective hydrogenation of acetylene in excess ethylene, the g-C3N4-supported Pd NP catalysts had strikingly higher ethylene selectivities than the conventional Pd/Al2O3 and Pd/SiO2 catalysts. In-situ X-ray photoemission spectroscopy revealed that the considerable charge transfer from the Pd NPs to g-C3N4 likely plays an important role in the catalytic performance enhancement. More impressively, the single-atom Pd1/C3N4 catalyst exhibited both higher ethylene selectivity and higher coking resistance. Our work demonstrates that the single-atom Pd catalyst is a promising candidate for improving both selectivity and coking-resistance in hydrogenation reactions.

Synergetic interaction between neighbouring platinum monomers in CO 2 hydrogenation

Exploring the interaction between two neighbouring monomers has great potential to significantly raise the performance and deepen the mechanistic understanding of heterogeneous catalysis. Herein, we demonstrate that the synergetic interaction between neighbouring Pt monomers on MoS2 greatly enhanced the CO2 hydrogenation catalytic activity and reduced the activation energy relative to isolated monomers. Neighbouring Pt monomers were achieved by increasing the Pt mass loading up to 7.5% while maintaining the atomic dispersion of Pt. Mechanistic studies reveal that neighbouring Pt monomers not only worked in synergy to vary the reaction barrier, but also underwent distinct reaction paths compared with isolated monomers. Isolated Pt monomers favour the conversion of CO2 into methanol without the formation of formic acid, whereas CO2 is hydrogenated stepwise into formic acid and methanol for neighbouring Pt monomers. The discovery of the synergetic interaction between neighbouring monomers may create a new path for manipulating catalytic properties.Neighbouring Pt monomers work in synergy, leading to a distinct CO2 hydrogenation pathway and enhanced activity.

Modulation of Metal and Insulator States in 2D Ferromagnetic VS2 by van der Waals Interaction Engineering

2D transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) are currently the key to the development of nanoelectronics. However, TMDCs are predominantly nonmagnetic, greatly hindering the advancement of their spintronic applications. Here, an experimental realization of intrinsic magnetic ordering in a pristine TMDC lattice is reported, bringing a new class of ferromagnetic semiconductors among TMDCs. Through van der Waals (vdW) interaction engineering of 2D vanadium disulfide (VS2 ), dual regulation of spin properties and bandgap brings about intrinsic ferromagnetism along with a small bandgap, unravelling the decisive role of vdW gaps in determining the electronic states in 2D VS2 . An overall control of the electronic states of VS2 is also demonstrated: bond-enlarging triggering a metal-to-semiconductor electronic transition and bond-compression inducing metallization in 2D VS2 . The pristine VS2 lattice thus provides a new platform for precise manipulation of both charge and spin degrees of freedom in 2D TMDCs availing spintronic applications.

Van der Waals Heterostructures Comprised of Ultrathin Polymer Nanosheets for Efficient Z‐Scheme Overall Water Splitting

Inspired by natural photosynthesis, Z-scheme photocatalytic systems are very appealing for achieving efficient overall water splitting. Developing metal-free Z-scheme photocatalysts for overall water splitting, however, still remains challenging. The construction of polymer-based van der Waals heterostructures as metal-free Z-scheme photocatalytic systems for overall water splitting is described using aza-fused microporous polymers (CMP) and C2 N ultrathin nanosheets as O2 - and H2 -evolving catalysts, respectively. Although neither polymer is able to split pure water using visible light, a 2:1 stoichiometric ratio of H2 and O2 was observed when aza-CMP/C2 N heterostructures were used. A solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency of 0.23 % was determined, which could be further enhanced to 0.40 % by using graphene as the solid electron mediator to promote the interfacial charge-transfer process. This study highlights the potential of polymer photocatalysts for overall water splitting.