An official website of the United States government
Only when the interfacial charge separation is enhanced and the CO 2 activation is improved, can the heterojunction nanocomposite photocatalyst be brought into full play for the CO 2 reduction reaction (CO 2 RR). Here, Er 3+ single atom composite photocatalysts were successfully constructed based on both the special role of Er 3+ single atoms and the special advantages of the SrTiO 3 :Er 3+ /g-C 3 N 4 heterojunction in the field of photocatalysis for the first time. As we expected, the SrTiO 3 :Er 3+ /g-C 3 N 4 (22.35 and 16.90 μmol g −1 h −1 for CO and CH 4 ) exhibits about 5 times enhancement in visible-light photocatalytic activity compared to pure g-C 3 N 4 (4.60 and 3.40 μmol g −1 h −1 for CO and CH 4 ). In particular, the photocatalytic performance of SrTiO 3 :Er 3+ /g-C 3 N 4 is more than three times higher than that of SrTiO 3 /g-C 3 N 4 . From Er 3+ fluorescence quenching measurements, photoelectrochemical studies, transient PL studies and DFT calculations, it is verified that a small fraction of surface doping of Er 3+ formed Er single-atoms on SrTiO 3 building an energy transfer bridge between the interface of SrTiO 3 and g-C 3 N 4 , resulting in enhanced interfacial charge separation. Aberration-corrected high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (AC HAADF-STEM) and adsorption energy calculations demonstrated that the exposed Er single-atoms outside the interface on SrTiO 3 preferentially activate the adsorbed CO 2 , leading to the high photoactivity for the CO 2 RR. A novel enhanced photocatalytic mechanism was proposed, in which Er single-atoms play dual roles of an energy transfer bridge and activating CO 2 to promote charge separation. This provides new insights and feasible routes to develop highly efficient photocatalytic materials by engineering rare-earth single-atom doping.
more »
« less
Dual Functions of CO 2 Molecular Activation and 4 f Levels as Electron Transport Bridge in Dysprosium Single Atom Composite Photocatalysts with Enhanced Visible‐Light Photoactivities
Abstract The effect of rare earth (RE) single atoms on photocatalytic activity is very complex due to its special electronic configuration, which leads to few reports on the RE single atoms. Here, Dy3+single atom composite photocatalysts are successfully constructed based on both the special role of Dy3+and the special advantages of CdS/g‐C3N4heterojunction in the field of photocatalysis. The results show that an efficient way of electron transfer is provided to promote charge separation, and the dual functions of CO2molecular activation of rare‐earth single atom and 4flevels as electron transport bridge are fully exploited. It is exciting that under visible‐light irradiation, the catalytic performance of CdS:Dy3+/g‐C3N4is≈6.9 times higher than that of pure g‐C3N4. The catalytic performance of CdS:Dy3+and CdS:Dy3+/g‐C3N4are≈7 and≈13.7 times higher than those of pure CdS, respectively. Besides, not all RE ions are suitable for charge transfer bridges, which is not only related to the 4flevels of RE ions but also related to the bandgap structure of CdS and g‐C3N4. The pattern of combining single‐atom catalysis and heterojunction opens up new methods for enhancing photocatalytic activity.
more »
« less
- Award ID(s):
- 1945558
- PAR ID:
- 10449469
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Advanced Functional Materials
- Volume:
- 31
- Issue:
- 38
- ISSN:
- 1616-301X
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
-
Abstract Anionic ancillary ligands play a critical role in the construction of rare earth (RE) metal complexes due to the large influence on the stability of the molecule and engendering emergent electronic properties that are of interest in a plethora of applications. Supporting ligands comprising oxygen donor atoms are highly pursued in RE chemistry owing to the high oxophilicity innate to these ions. The scarcely employed bis(acyl)phosphide (BAP) ligands feature oxygen coordination sites and contain a phosphide backbone rendering it attractive for RE‐coordination chemistry. Here, we integrate bis(mesitoyl)phosphide (mesBAP) as an ancillary ligand into REIIIchemistry to generate the first dinuclear trivalent RE complexes containing BAP ligands; [{mesBAP}2RE(THF)(μ‐Cl)]2(RE=Y, (1), Gd (2), and Dy (3); THF=tetrahydrofuran). Each RE center is ligated to two monoanionicmesBAP ligands, one THF molecule and one chloride ion. All three molecules were characterized through single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction,31P NMR, IR and UV‐Vis spectroscopy.31P,1H and13C NMR on the diamagnetic yttrium congener1confirm asymmetric ligand coordination. DFT calculations conducted on2provided insight into the electronic structure. The magnetic properties of2and3were investigated via SQUID magnetometry. The GdIIIions exhibit weak antiferromagnetic coupling, corroborated by DFT results.more » « less
-
Abstract The development of low‐cost and efficient electrocatalysts for nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) at ambient conditions is crucial for NH3synthesis and provides an alternative to the traditional Harber‐Bosch process. Herein, by means of density functional theory (DFT) computations, the catalytic performance of a series of single metal atoms supported on graphitic carbon nitride (g‐C3N4) for NRR is evaluated. Among all the candidates, the Gibbs free energy change of the potential‐determining step for five single‐atom catalysts (SACs), namely Ti, Co, Mo, W, and Pt atoms supported on g‐C3N4monolayer, is lower than that on the Ru(0001) stepped surface. In particular, the single tungsten (W) atom anchored on g‐C3N4(W@g‐C3N4) exhibits the highest catalytic activity toward NRR with a limiting potential of −0.35 V via associative enzymatic pathway, and can well suppress the competing hydrogen evolution reaction. The high NRR activity and selectivity of W@g‐C3N4are attributed to its inherent properties, such as significant positive charge and large spin moment on the W atom, excellent electrical conductivity, and moderate adsorption strength with NRR intermediates. This work opens up a new avenue of N2reduction for renewable energy supplies and helps guide future development of single‐atom catalysts for NRR and other related electrochemical process.more » « less
-
Abstract An extended series of rare‐earth metal calcium germanides have been synthesized and structurally characterized. The compounds have the general formulaRE5−xCaxGe4(1.5<x<3.6;RE=rare‐earth metal; Ce, Nd, Sm, Tb−Lu) and their structures have been established from single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction methods. They crystallize with the Gd5Si4‐type in the orthorhombic space groupPnma(No. 62;Z=4; Pearson symboloP36), where the germanium atoms are interconnected into two kinds of Ge2‐dimers, formally [Ge2]6−. These studies show that Ca can be successfully incorporated into the hostRE5Ge4structure, whereby trivalent rare‐earth metal atoms can be substituted by divalent calcium atoms. Rare‐earth metal and calcium atoms are arranged in distorted trigonal prisms and cubes, centered by either Ge or Ca atoms. On one of the metal sites, the substitution is preferential and in 9 out of the 10 refined structures, the Wyckoff site 4cis found almost exclusively occupied by Ca. On the other two metal sites the substitution patterns appear to be governed by the mismatch between the size of theRE3+and Ca2+ions. This work further demonstrates the ability for the Gd5Si4structure type to accommodate the substitution of a non‐magnetic element while maintaining the global structural integrity.more » « less
-
Abstract Single‐atom catalysts have demonstrated interesting activity in a variety of applications. In this study, we prepared single Co2+sites on graphitic carbon nitride (C3N4), which was doped with carbon for enhanced activity in visible‐light CO2reduction. The synthesized materials were characterized with a variety of techniques, including microscopy, X‐ray powder diffraction, UV‐vis spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, and X‐ray absorption spectroscopy. Doping C3N4with carbon was found to have profound effect on the photocatalytic activity of the single Co2+sites. At relatively low levels, carbon doping enhanced the photoresponse of C3N4in the visible region and improved charge separation upon photoactivation, thereby enhancing the photocatalytic activity. High levels of carbon doping were found to be detrimental to the photocatalytic activity of the single Co2+sites by altering the structure of C3N4and generating defect sites responsible for charge recombination.more » « less
