Fabricating Dual‐Atom Iron Catalysts for Efficient Oxygen Evolution Reaction: A Heteroatom Modulator Approach

• DOI: 10.1002/anie.202007221
• Publication Date: 2020-06-22T14:48:45Z
• Authors: Yong‐Sheng Wei; Liming Sun; Miao Wang; Jinhua Hong; Lianli Zou; Hongwen Liu; Yu Wang; Mei Zhang; Zheng Liu; Yinwei Li; Satoshi Horike; Kazu Suenaga; Qiang Xu
• Keywords: Nanoclusters; Heteroatom; Isostructural; Moiety

Understanding the thermal aggregation behavior of metal atoms is important for synthesis supported clusters. Here, derived from a metal-organic framework encapsulating trinuclear FeIII2 FeII complex (denoted as Fe3 ) within channels, well-defined nitrogen-doped carbon layer fabricated an ideal support stabilizing generated iron nanoclusters. Atomic replacement by other metal(II) ions (e.g., ZnII /CoII via synthesizing isostructural trinuclear-complex precursors (Fe2 Zn/Fe2 Co), namely "heteroatom modulator approach", inhibiting Fe toward nanoclusters with formation stable dimer in optimal metal-nitrogen moiety, clearly identified direct transmission electron microscopy and X-ray absorption fine structure analysis. The dimer, serving cooperative metal-metal site, acts efficient oxygen evolution catalyst. Our findings offer atomic insight to guide future design ultrasmall clusters bearing outstanding catalytic capabilities.