[Article] Advanced Design of Metal Nanoclusters and Single Atoms
Abstract
This article presents the systematic design and preparation of single atoms and nanoclusters of Fe, Ni, Co, Cu, and Mn embedded in a well-defined C1N1-type material with internal cavities of 0.6 nm based on four N atoms. The N atoms serve as anchoring points for the nucleation of small nanoclusters of different metals through the creation of metal-nitrogen (TM-N4) bonds. Pyrolysis at 800°C yields TM@CNx-type structure where TM is the transition metal. The synthesis method provides three advantages: highly efficient electrocatalysts, excellent control of nucleation points, and advanced and transferable design that opens the door to the design of bi-, tri-, and multifunctional electrocatalysts based on the synergistic role of different transition metals. An in-depth analysis of the mechanisms of the three electrochemical reactions is provided through computational modeling.
The first author, Javier QUÍLEZ-BERMEJO, conducted this work in our laboratories thanks to the co-financing granted by the TALiSMAN2 project co-financed by the ERDF.
Authors
J. Quílez-Bermejo, S. García-Dalí, A. Daouli, A. Zitolo, R.L.S. Canevesi, M. Emo, M.T. Izquierdo, M. Badawi, Alain Celzard, Vanessa Fierro
Scientific magazine
Advanced Functional Materials, February; 20th 2023
DOI