Pyridinic N is widely regarded as the active center while pyrrolic N has low‐activity in metal‐free N‐doped carbon for electrocatalytic CO_(2) reduction reaction(CO_(2)RR)to CO,but this viewpoint remains open to qu...Pyridinic N is widely regarded as the active center while pyrrolic N has low‐activity in metal‐free N‐doped carbon for electrocatalytic CO_(2) reduction reaction(CO_(2)RR)to CO,but this viewpoint remains open to question.In this study,through density functional theoretical calculations,we first illustrate that the intrinsic activity of pyrrolic N is high enough for effectively catalyzing CO_(2)RR,however,due to the interplay with the neighboring pyridinic N sites,the activity of pyrrolic N is dramatically suppressed.Then,experimentally,metal‐free N‐doped carbon spheres(NCS)electrocatalysts without significant pyridinic N content are prepared for CO_(2)RR.The pyrrolic N in NCS shows a direct‐positive correlation with the performance for CO_(2)RR,representing the active center with high activity.The optimum NCS could produce syngas with a wide range of CO/H_(2) ratio(0.09 to 12)in CO_(2)RR depending on the applied potential,meanwhile,the best selectivity of 71%for CO can be obtained.Intentionally adding a small amount of pyridinic N to the optimum NCS dramatically decreases the activity for CO_(2)RR,further verifying the suppressed activity of pyrrolic N sites by the neighboring pyridinic N sites.This work reveals the interaction between a variety of N species in N‐doped carbon,and the potential of pyrrolic N as the new type of active site for electrocatalysts,which can improve our understanding of the electrocatalysis mechanism and be helpful for the rational design of high‐efficient electrocatalysts.展开更多
Unveiling the active site of an electrocatalyst is fundamental for the development of efficient electrode material.For the two-electron water oxidation to produce H_(2)O_(2),competitive reactions,including four-and on...Unveiling the active site of an electrocatalyst is fundamental for the development of efficient electrode material.For the two-electron water oxidation to produce H_(2)O_(2),competitive reactions,including four-and one-electron water oxidation and surface reconstruction derived from the high-oxidative environment co-existed,leading to great challenges to identify the real active sites on the electrode.In this work,Ti/TiO_(2)-based electrodes calcined under air,nitrogen,or urea atmospheres were selected as electrocatalysts for two-electron water oxidation.Electrochemical analyses were applied to evaluate the catalytic activity and selectivity.The morphological and current change on the electrode surface were determined by scanning electrochemical microscopy,while the chemical and valence evolutions with depth distributions were tested by XPS combined with cluster argon ion sputtering.The results demonstrated that Ti/TiO_(2) nanotube arrays served as the support,while the functional groups of carbonyl groups and pyrrolic nitrogen derived from the co-pyrolysis with urea were the active sites for the H_(2)O_(2) production.This finding provided a new horizon to design efficient catalysts for H_(2)O_(2) production.展开更多
The title compound was obtained as a by product in a contraction reaction by using DIC as a coupling reagent. X ray diffraction shows the title compound is a pyrrolinenitroxide radical urea. Two crystallographically i...The title compound was obtained as a by product in a contraction reaction by using DIC as a coupling reagent. X ray diffraction shows the title compound is a pyrrolinenitroxide radical urea. Two crystallographically independent molecules possess different conformations but the identical bond distances and angles. Based on the molecular structure a possible reaction mechanism is proposed for the reaction of DIC and carboxylic acid.展开更多
文摘Pyridinic N is widely regarded as the active center while pyrrolic N has low‐activity in metal‐free N‐doped carbon for electrocatalytic CO_(2) reduction reaction(CO_(2)RR)to CO,but this viewpoint remains open to question.In this study,through density functional theoretical calculations,we first illustrate that the intrinsic activity of pyrrolic N is high enough for effectively catalyzing CO_(2)RR,however,due to the interplay with the neighboring pyridinic N sites,the activity of pyrrolic N is dramatically suppressed.Then,experimentally,metal‐free N‐doped carbon spheres(NCS)electrocatalysts without significant pyridinic N content are prepared for CO_(2)RR.The pyrrolic N in NCS shows a direct‐positive correlation with the performance for CO_(2)RR,representing the active center with high activity.The optimum NCS could produce syngas with a wide range of CO/H_(2) ratio(0.09 to 12)in CO_(2)RR depending on the applied potential,meanwhile,the best selectivity of 71%for CO can be obtained.Intentionally adding a small amount of pyridinic N to the optimum NCS dramatically decreases the activity for CO_(2)RR,further verifying the suppressed activity of pyrrolic N sites by the neighboring pyridinic N sites.This work reveals the interaction between a variety of N species in N‐doped carbon,and the potential of pyrrolic N as the new type of active site for electrocatalysts,which can improve our understanding of the electrocatalysis mechanism and be helpful for the rational design of high‐efficient electrocatalysts.
基金Project(2021JJ30792) supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province,ChinaProject(52170031) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of ChinaProject supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities,China。
文摘Unveiling the active site of an electrocatalyst is fundamental for the development of efficient electrode material.For the two-electron water oxidation to produce H_(2)O_(2),competitive reactions,including four-and one-electron water oxidation and surface reconstruction derived from the high-oxidative environment co-existed,leading to great challenges to identify the real active sites on the electrode.In this work,Ti/TiO_(2)-based electrodes calcined under air,nitrogen,or urea atmospheres were selected as electrocatalysts for two-electron water oxidation.Electrochemical analyses were applied to evaluate the catalytic activity and selectivity.The morphological and current change on the electrode surface were determined by scanning electrochemical microscopy,while the chemical and valence evolutions with depth distributions were tested by XPS combined with cluster argon ion sputtering.The results demonstrated that Ti/TiO_(2) nanotube arrays served as the support,while the functional groups of carbonyl groups and pyrrolic nitrogen derived from the co-pyrolysis with urea were the active sites for the H_(2)O_(2) production.This finding provided a new horizon to design efficient catalysts for H_(2)O_(2) production.
文摘The title compound was obtained as a by product in a contraction reaction by using DIC as a coupling reagent. X ray diffraction shows the title compound is a pyrrolinenitroxide radical urea. Two crystallographically independent molecules possess different conformations but the identical bond distances and angles. Based on the molecular structure a possible reaction mechanism is proposed for the reaction of DIC and carboxylic acid.