Billiard Catalysis at Ti3C2 MXene/MAX Heterostructure for Efficient Nitrogen FixationShow others and affiliations
2022 (English)In: Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, ISSN 0926-3373, E-ISSN 1873-3883, Vol. 317, p. 121755-, article id 121755Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Electrocatalytic ammonia (NH3) conversion under ambient atmosphere is crucial to mimic the nature's nitrogen cycle. But currently it is always interrupted by the HER process which is more competitive. Herein, we tactically cultivate a series of incompletely etched Ti3AlC2 MAX / Ti3C2 MXene based heterostructure catalysts whose composition can be finely tuned through regulation of the LiF percentage in mixed chemical etching agent. Notably, the surface potential difference between MAX and MXene is ~40 mV, indicating that the electron can be readily transferred from MAX to MXene across the interfaces, which is favorable for N2 fixation, yielding an outstanding Faradic efficiency of 36.9%. Furthermore, density functional theory calculations reveal the billiard-like catalysis mechanism, where the intermediates are alternatively adsorbed on MAX or MXene surfaces. Meanwhile, the rate-determining step of *NH → *NH2 possesses an energy barrier of 0.96 eV on the hetero-interface which follows associative distal mechanism. This work opens a new frontier of heterostructured catalyst for balancing electrical conductivity and catalytic activity in electrocatalysis.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Elsevier BV , 2022. Vol. 317, p. 121755-, article id 121755
Keywords [en]
Electro-catalysis, Nitrogen reduction reaction, MXene, MAX heterostructure, Surface diffusion, Billiard catalysis
National Category
Condensed Matter Physics
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-319546DOI: 10.1016/j.apcatb.2022.121755ISI: 000854093600001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85134722755OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-319546DiVA, id: diva2:1701185
Note
QC 20221005
2022-10-052022-10-052022-12-05Bibliographically approved