High-throughput screening of heterogeneous transition metal dual-atom catalysts by synergistic effect for nitrate reduction to ammonia
Abstract
Nitrate reduction to ammonia has attracted much attention for nitrate (NO3-) removal and ammonia (NH3) production. Identifying promising catalyst for active nitrate electroreduction reaction (NO3RR) is critical to realize efficient upscaling synthesis of NH3 under low-temperature condition. For this purpose, by means of spin-polarized first-principles calculations, the NO3RR performance on a series of graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) supported double-atom catalysts (denoted as M1M2@g-CN) are systematically investigated. The synergistic effect of heterogeneous dual-metal sites can bring out tunable activity and selectivity for NO3RR. Amongst 21 candidates examined, FeMo@g-CN and CrMo@g-CN possess a high performance with low limiting potentials of -0.34 and -0.39 V, respectively. The activities can be attributed to a synergistic effect of the M1M2 dimer d orbitals coupling with the anti-bonding orbital of NO3-. The dissociation of deposited FeMo and CrMo dimers into two separated monomers is proved to be difficult, ensuring the kinetic stability of M1M2@g-CN. Furthermore, the dual-metal decorated on g-CN significantly reduces the bandgap of g-CN and broadens the adsorption window of visible light, implying its great promise for photocatalysis. This work opens a new avenue for future theoretical and experimental design related to NO3RR photo-/electrocatalysts.
- Publication:
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arXiv e-prints
- Pub Date:
- August 2023
- DOI:
- 10.48550/arXiv.2308.14439
- arXiv:
- arXiv:2308.14439
- Bibcode:
- 2023arXiv230814439S
- Keywords:
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- Condensed Matter - Materials Science
- E-Print:
- Adv. Funct. Mater. 2301493 (2023)