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1. O-coordinated W-Mo dual-atom catalyst for pH-universal electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution

   https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aba6586  

   Yang, Yang; Qian, Yumin; Li, Haijing; Zhang, Zhenhua; Mu, Yuewen; Do, David; Zhou, Bo; Dong, Jing; Yan, Wenjun; Qin, Yong; et al (June 2020, Science Advances)

   Single-atom catalysts (SACs) maximize the utility efficiency of metal atoms and offer great potential for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Bimetal atom catalysts are an appealing strategy in virtue of the synergistic interaction of neighboring metal atoms, which can further improve the intrinsic HER activity beyond SACs. However, the rational design of these systems remains conceptually challenging and requires in-depth research both experimentally and theoretically. Here, we develop a dual-atom catalyst (DAC) consisting of O-coordinated W-Mo heterodimer embedded in N-doped graphene (W 1 Mo 1 -NG), which is synthesized by controllable self-assembly and nitridation processes. In W 1 Mo 1 -NG, the O-bridged W-Mo atoms are anchored in NG vacancies through oxygen atoms with W─O─Mo─O─C configuration, resulting in stable and finely distribution. The W 1 Mo 1 -NG DAC enables Pt-like activity and ultrahigh stability for HER in pH-universal electrolyte. The electron delocalization of W─O─Mo─O─C configuration provides optimal adsorption strength of H and boosts the HER kinetics, thereby notably promoting the intrinsic activity. 

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2. Geometrical variations of two manganese(II) complexes with closely related quinoline-based tripodal ligands

   https://doi.org/10.1107/S2056989021009786  

   Frey, Steven T.; Ballot, Jasper G.; Hands, Allison; Cirka, Haley A.; Rinaolo, Katheryn C.; Phalkun, Nich N.; Kaur, Manpreet; Jasinski, Jerry P. (October 2021, Acta Crystallographica Section E Crystallographic Communications)

   Structural analyses of the compounds di-μ-acetato-κ 4 O : O ′-bis{[2-methoxy- N , N -bis(quinolin-2-ylmethyl)ethanamine-κ 4 N , N ′, N ′′, O ]manganese(II)} bis(tetraphenylborate) dichloromethane 1.45-solvate, [Mn 2 (C 23 O 2 ) 2 (C 23 H 23 N 3 O) 2 ](C 24 H 20 B)·1.45CH 2 Cl 2 or [Mn(DQMEA)(μ-OAc) 2 Mn(DQMEA)](BPh 4 ) 2 ·1.45CH 2 Cl 2 or [1] (BPh 4 ) 2 ·1.45CH 2 Cl 2 , and (acetato-κ O )[2-hydroxy- N , N -bis(quinolin-2-ylmethyl)ethanamine-κ 4 N , N ′, N ′′, O ](methanol-κ O )manganese(II) tetraphenylborate methanol monosolvate, [Mn(CH 3 COO)(C 22 H 21 N 3 O)(CH 3 OH)](C 24 H 20 B)·CH 3 OH or [Mn(DQEA)(OAc)(CH 3 OH)]BPh 4 ·CH 3 OH or [2] BPh 4 ·CH 3 OH, by single-crystal X-ray diffraction reveal distinct differences in the geometry of coordination of the tripodal DQEA and DQMEA ligands to Mn II ions. In the asymmetric unit, compound [1] (BPh 4 ) 2 ·(CH 2 Cl 2 ) 1.45 crystallizes as a dimer in which each manganese(II) center is coordinated by the central amine nitrogen, the nitrogen atom of each quinoline group, and the methoxy-oxygen of the tetradentate DQMEA ligand, and two bridging-acetate oxygen atoms. The symmetric Mn II centers have a distorted, octahedral geometry in which the quinoline nitrogen atoms are trans to each other resulting in co-planarity of the quinoline rings. For each Mn II center, a coordinated acetate oxygen participates in C—H...O hydrogen-bonding interactions with the two quinolyl moieties, further stabilizing the trans structure. Within the crystal, weak π – π stacking interactions and intermolecular cation–anion interactions stabilize the crystal packing. In the asymmetric unit, compound [2] BPh 4 ·CH 3 OH crystallizes as a monomer in which the manganese(II) ion is coordinated to the central nitrogen, the nitrogen atom of each quinoline group, and the alcohol oxygen of the tetradentate DQEA ligand, an oxygen atom of OAc, and the oxygen atom of a methanol ligand. The geometry of the Mn II center in [2] BPh 4 ·CH 3 OH is also a distorted octahedron, but the quinoline nitrogen atoms are cis to each other in this structure. Hydrogen bonding between the acetate oxygen atoms and hydroxyl (O—H...O) and quinolyl (C—H...O and N—H...O) moieties of the DQEA ligand stabilize the complex in this cis configuration. Within the crystal, dimerization of complexes occurs by the formation of a pair of intermolecular O3—H3...O2 hydrogen bonds between the coordinated hydroxyl oxygen of the DQEA ligand of one complex and an acetate oxygen of another. Additional hydrogen-bonding and intermolecular cation–anion interactions contribute to the crystal packing. 

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3. Plasma-Assisted Surface Nitridation of Proton Intercalatable WO ₃ for Efficient Electrocatalytic Ammonia Synthesis

   https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.5c01034  

   Zhang, Zhiyuan; Kondratowicz, Christopher; Smith, Jacob; Kucheryavy, Pavel; Ouyang, Junjie; Xu, Yijie; Desmet, Elizabeth; Kurdziel, Sophia; Tang, Eddie; Adeleke, Micheal; et al (June 2025, ACS Energy Letters)

   Electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction (eNRR) offers a green pathway for NH3 production from N2 and H2O under ambient conditions. Transition metal oxynitrides (TMOxNy) are among the most promising catalysts but face challenges in achieving high yield and faradaic efficiency (FE). This work develops a hybrid WOxNy/WO3 catalyst with a unique heterogeneous interfacial complexion (HIC) structure. This design enables in situ generation and delivery of highly active hydrogen atoms (H*) in acidic electrolytes, promoting nitrogen hydrogenation and formation of nitrogen vacancies (Nv) on the WOxNy surface. This significantly enhances the selectivity of eNRR for NH3 synthesis while suppressing hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). A simple two-step fabrication process—microwave hydrothermal growth followed by plasma-assisted surface nitridation—was developed to fabricate the designed catalyst electrode, achieving an NH3 yield of 3.2 × 10-10 mol·cm-2·s-1 with 40.1% FE, outperforming most TMN/TMOxNy electrocatalysts. Multiple control experiments confirm that the eNRR follows a HIC-enhanced Mars-van Krevelen (MvK) mechanism. 

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4. Identifying Catalytic Active Sites of Trimolybdenum Phosphide (Mo ₃ P) for Electrochemical Hydrogen Evolution

   https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.201900516  

   Kondori, Alireza; Esmaeilirad, Mohammadreza; Baskin, Artem; Song, Boao; Wei, Jialiang; Chen, Wei; Segre, Carlo_U; Shahbazian‐Yassar, Reza; Prendergast, David; Asadi, Mohammad (May 2019, Advanced Energy Materials)

   Abstract Solid‐state electrocatalysis plays a crucial role in the development of renewable energy to reshape current and future energy needs. However, finding an inexpensive and highly active catalyst to replace precious metals remains a big challenge for this technology. Here, tri‐molybdenum phosphide (Mo₃P) is found as a promising nonprecious metal and earth‐abundant candidate with outstanding catalytic properties that can be used for electrocatalytic processes. The catalytic performance of Mo₃P nanoparticles is tested in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The results indicate an onset potential of as low as 21 mV, H₂formation rate, and exchange current density of 214.7 µmol s⁻¹g⁻¹_cat(at only 100 mV overpotential) and 279.07 µA cm⁻², respectively, which are among the closest values yet observed to platinum. Combined atomic‐scale characterizations and computational studies confirm that high density of molybdenum (Mo) active sites at the surface with superior intrinsic electronic properties are mainly responsible for the remarkable HER performance. The density functional theory calculation results also confirm that the exceptional performance of Mo₃P is due to neutral Gibbs free energy (ΔG_H*) of the hydrogen (H) adsorption at above 1/2 monolayer (ML) coverage of the (110) surface, exceeding the performance of existing non‐noble metal catalysts for HER. 

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5. Defect-rich and ultrathin N doped carbon nanosheets as advanced trifunctional metal-free electrocatalysts for the ORR, OER and HER

   https://doi.org/10.1039/c8ee03276a  

   Jiang, Hao; Gu, Jinxing; Zheng, Xusheng; Liu, Min; Qiu, Xiaoqing; Wang, Liangbing; Li, Wenzhang; Chen, Zhongfang; Ji, Xiaobo; Li, Jie (January 2019, Energy & Environmental Science)

   Rational design and facile preparation of non-noble trifunctional electrocatalysts with high performance, low cost and strong durability for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) are highly demanded, but remain as a big challenge. Herein, we report a spontaneous gas-foaming method to prepare nitrogen doped ultrathin carbon nanosheets (NCNs) by simply pyrolysing a mixture of citric acid and NH 4 Cl. Under the optimized pyrolysis temperature (carbonized at 1000 °C) and mass ratio of precursors (1 : 1), the synthesized NCN-1000-5 sample possesses an ultrathin sheet structure, an ultrahigh specific surface area (1793 m 2 g −1 ), and rich edge defects, and exhibits low overpotential and robust stability for the ORR, OER and HER. By means of density functional theory (DFT) computations, we revealed that the intrinsic active sites for the ORR, OER and HER are the carbon atoms located at the armchair edge and adjacent to the graphitic N dopants. When practically used as a catalyst in rechargeable Zn–air batteries, a high energy density (806 W h kg −1 ), a low charge/discharge voltage gap (0.77 V) and an ultralong cycle life (over 330 h) were obtained at 10 mA cm −2 for NCN-1000-5. This work not only presents a versatile strategy to develop advanced carbon materials with ultrahigh specific surface area and abundant edge defects, but also provides useful guidance for designing and developing multifunctional metal-free catalysts for various energy-related electrocatalytic reactions. 

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