Journal of Energy Chemistry ›› 2023, Vol. 76 ›› Issue (1): 622-630.DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.10.015

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Multiatom activation of single-atom electrocatalysts via remote coordination for ultrahigh-rate two-electron oxygen reduction

Xiaoqing Liua, Rui Chena, Wei Penga, Lichang Yinb, De'an Yanga, Feng Houa, Liqun Wangc, Ji Lianga,*   

  1. aKey Laboratory of Advanced Ceramics and Machining Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China;
    bShenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, Liaoning, China;
    cApplied Physics Department, College of Physics and Materials Science, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China
  • Received:2022-09-19 Revised:2022-10-10 Accepted:2022-10-11 Published:2023-01-10
  • Contact: *E-mail address: liangji@tju.edu.cn (J. Liang).

Abstract: Electrocatalytic oxygen reduction via a two-electron pathway (2e--ORR) is a promising and eco-friendly route for producing hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Single-atom catalysts (SACs) typically show excellent selectivity towards 2e--ORR due to their unique electronic structures and geometrical configurations. The very low density of single-atom active centers, however, often leads to unsatisfactory H2O2 yield rate, significantly inhibiting their practical feasibility. Addressing this, we herein introduce fluorine as a secondary doping element into conventional SACs, which does not directly coordinate with the single-atom metal centers but synergize with them in a remote manner. This strategy effectively activates the surrounding carbon atoms and converts them into highly active sites for 2e--ORR. Consequently, a record-high H2O2 yield rate up to 27 mol g-1 h-1 has been achieved on the Mo-F-C catalyst, with high Faradaic efficiency of 90%. Density functional theory calculations further confirm the very kinetically facile 2e--ORR over these additional active sites and the superiority of Mo as the single-atom center to others. This strategy thus not only provides a high-performance electrocatalyst for 2e--ORR but also should shed light on new strategies to significantly increase the active centers number of SACs.

Key words: Hydrogen peroxide, Oxygen reduction reaction, Two-electron pathway, Remote coordination, Electrocatalysis