Iron atomic cluster supported on Co/NC having superior water oxidation activity over iron single atom

Jian Du; Yunxuan Ding; Yu Guo; Licheng Sun; Fei Li

iScience (Aug 2023)

Iron atomic cluster supported on Co/NC having superior water oxidation activity over iron single atom

Jian Du,
Yunxuan Ding,
Yu Guo,
Licheng Sun,
Fei Li

Affiliations

Jian Du: State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, DUT-KTH Joint Education and Research Centre on Molecular Devices, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China; Center of Artificial Photosynthesis for Solar Fuels and Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Westlake University, Hangzhou 310024, China; Institute of Natural Sciences, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou 310024, China
Yunxuan Ding: Center of Artificial Photosynthesis for Solar Fuels and Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Westlake University, Hangzhou 310024, China; Institute of Natural Sciences, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou 310024, China
Yu Guo: Center of Artificial Photosynthesis for Solar Fuels and Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Westlake University, Hangzhou 310024, China; Institute of Natural Sciences, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou 310024, China
Licheng Sun: State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, DUT-KTH Joint Education and Research Centre on Molecular Devices, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China; Center of Artificial Photosynthesis for Solar Fuels and Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Westlake University, Hangzhou 310024, China; Institute of Natural Sciences, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou 310024, China; Corresponding author
Fei Li: State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, DUT-KTH Joint Education and Research Centre on Molecular Devices, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China; Corresponding author

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 26, no. 8
p. 107339

Abstract

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Summary: Carbon-supported iron-cobalt bimetallic electrocatalysts usually exhibit robust catalytic activity toward the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). However, the spatial isolation of Fe species at atomic level on cobalt-carbon solid remains a great challenge for practical catalytic applications in the OER. Here, we report the fabrication of CoFe bimetal porous carbon electrocatalysts by pyrolysis of molecularly defined iron complexes such as FePc (Pc = phthalocyanine) and Fe(acac)3 pre-encapsulated in the cavities of zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF)-67. With this unique strategy, high-loading atomic Fe nanoclusters (Fe-ACs) and Fe single atoms (Fe-SAs) were supported on Co/NC hybrids relying on the size of the molecular Fe precursors. The former exhibited superior OER performance to the single Fe atom-decorated Co/NC, as well as other ZIF-67-derived electrocatalysts. Theoretical modulation suggests Co as the OER active site for Fe-ACs@Co/NC at the in situ-formed FeOOH-ACs/Co3O4 interface, while Fe was proposed as the active site for Fe-SAs@Co/NC.

Published in iScience

ISSN: 2589-0042 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United States
LCC subjects: Science
Website: http://www.cell.com/iscience/home

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