journal article·2025-09Open access

Non‐Metal Silicon Single‐Atom Catalysts with Unsymmetrically Tetradentate O 3 N 1 Moiety Enabling Ampere‐Level H 2 O 2 Electrosynthesis

Zhixing Mou, Yuewen Mu, Lijia Liu, Daili Cao, Shuai Chen, Wenjun Yan, Haiqing Zhou, Ting‐Shan Chan, Lo‐Yueh Chang, Junjie Guo, Xiujun Fan

Small· Volume 21· Issue 36

Abstract

Abstract The development of efficient and stable catalysts for scalable and sustainable hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) electrosynthesis via two‐electron oxygen reduction reaction (2e‐ORR) is of great significance to replace the high‐pollution anthraquinone oxidation process. Herein, O/N dual‐coordinated silicon (Si) single‐atom catalysts (SACs) uniformly immobilized on N‐doped graphene (SiO 3 ‐NC) are successfully synthesized using silicate as Si dopant via controllable solvothermal and nitridation processes. In the synthesize reaction, Si centers convert from Si–O 3 planar triangle to unsymmetrical Si–O 3 N 1 tetrahedron, which effectively modify the electronic distribution of the carbon matrix, providing high‐density active sites for electrocatalytic H 2 O 2 production. SiO 3 ‐NC catalysts achieve industrial‐relevant current densities for H 2 O 2 production with a record‐high productivity of 63.69 mol h −1 g cat. −1 , while maintaining exceptional Faradaic efficiencies and stability. In situ spectroscopic studies and theoretical calculations uncover that the unsymmetrically Si–O 3 N 1 configuration acts as an active center, which affords near‐optimal binding strength for OOH* adsorption and accelerates the kinetics of H 2 O 2 formation, thus promoting 2e‐ORR process.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion · Fuel Cells and Related Materials · Advanced battery technologies research

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Engineering Research Center of Energy Storage Materials and Devices Ministry of Education School of Chemistry Xi'an Jiaotong University Xi'an 710049 China

Institute of Crystalline Materials Shanxi University Taiyuan Shanxi 030006 China

Department of Chemistry University of Western Ontario London Ontario N6A 5B7 Canada

State Key Laboratory of Coal Conversion Institute of Coal Chemistry Chinese Academy of Sciences Taiyuan 030001 China

Key Laboratory of Low‐Dimensional Quantum Structures and Quantum Control of Ministry of Education Department of Physics Hunan Normal University Changsha 410081 China

National Synchrotron Radiation Research Centre 101 Hsin‐Ann Road Hsinchu 30076 Taiwan

Key Laboratory of Interface Science and Engineering in Advanced Materials Ministry of Education Taiyuan 030024 China

Instrumental Analysis Center Taiyuan University of Technology Taiyuan 030024 China

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China

References (56)

Show source-provided references
1. 10.1038/s41563-019-0571-510.1038/s41563-019-0571-5 ↗
2. 10.1002/anie.20050377910.1002/anie.200503779 ↗
3. 10.1038/nmat379510.1038/nmat3795 ↗
4. 10.1038/s41929-019-0402-810.1038/s41929-019-0402-8 ↗
5. 10.1016/j.chempr.2021.08.00710.1016/j.chempr.2021.08.007 ↗
6. 10.1002/adma.20220084010.1002/adma.202200840 ↗
7. 10.1002/anie.20190555410.1002/anie.201905554 ↗
8. 10.1002/anie.20211444110.1002/anie.202114441 ↗
9. 10.1002/anie.20201135810.1002/anie.202011358 ↗
10. 10.1021/acsnano.3c0166210.1021/acsnano.3c01662 ↗
11. 10.1016/j.cej.2022.13899810.1016/j.cej.2022.138998 ↗
12. 10.1016/j.apcatb.2018.05.04610.1016/j.apcatb.2018.05.046 ↗
13. 10.1002/cssc.20220179510.1002/cssc.202201795 ↗
14. 10.1039/D3GC02856A10.1039/D3GC02856A ↗
15. 10.1002/smll.20210382410.1002/smll.202103824 ↗
16. 10.1002/anie.20200391710.1002/anie.202003917 ↗
17. 10.1021/acs.jpcc.8b0920310.1021/acs.jpcc.8b09203 ↗
18. 10.1002/adma.20230824310.1002/adma.202308243 ↗
19. 10.1038/s41467-020-16848-810.1038/s41467-020-16848-8 ↗
20. 10.1039/C4TA05937A10.1039/C4TA05937A ↗
21. 10.1016/0021-9797(68)90272-510.1016/0021-9797(68)90272-5 ↗
22. 10.1016/j.carbon.2008.08.01310.1016/j.carbon.2008.08.013 ↗
23. 10.1016/j.carbon.2021.02.08910.1016/j.carbon.2021.02.089 ↗
24. 10.1038/nnano.2008.36510.1038/nnano.2008.365 ↗
25. 10.1103/PhysRevLett.112.24680310.1103/PhysRevLett.112.246803 ↗
26. 10.1002/adma.20160547310.1002/adma.201605473 ↗
27. 10.1002/smll.20190029610.1002/smll.201900296 ↗
28. 10.1002/adfm.20210164510.1002/adfm.202101645 ↗
29. 10.1016/j.jcis.2017.01.01610.1016/j.jcis.2017.01.016 ↗
30. 10.1002/admi.20170083910.1002/admi.201700839 ↗
31. 10.1002/adma.20160547310.1002/adma.201605473 ↗
32. 10.1007/s12274-014-0444-910.1007/s12274-014-0444-9 ↗
33. 10.1002/aenm.20200078910.1002/aenm.202000789 ↗
34. Li D. · Am. Mineral. · 1994 · 79 · 622
35. 10.1016/j.nanoen.2019.05.08310.1016/j.nanoen.2019.05.083 ↗
36. 10.1103/PhysRevB.58.901810.1103/PhysRevB.58.9018 ↗
37. 10.1016/j.elspec.2014.07.00310.1016/j.elspec.2014.07.003 ↗
38. 10.1021/acs.chemmater.7b0330610.1021/acs.chemmater.7b03306 ↗
39. 10.1016/j.jnoncrysol.2007.07.02710.1016/j.jnoncrysol.2007.07.027 ↗
40. 10.1111/j.1151-2916.1990.tb07589.x10.1111/j.1151-2916.1990.tb07589.x ↗
41. 10.1016/S0032-3861(02)00027-710.1016/S0032-3861(02)00027-7 ↗
42. 10.1103/PhysRevB.92.01410710.1103/PhysRevB.92.014107 ↗
43. 10.1016/j.surfcoat.2017.01.01310.1016/j.surfcoat.2017.01.013 ↗
44. 10.1016/j.scriptamat.2011.04.01210.1016/j.scriptamat.2011.04.012 ↗
45. 10.1038/s41467-019-11992-210.1038/s41467-019-11992-2 ↗
46. 10.1021/jacs.0c1063610.1021/jacs.0c10636 ↗
47. 10.1038/s41467-022-30337-010.1038/s41467-022-30337-0 ↗
48. 10.1002/ange.20210188010.1002/ange.202101880 ↗
49. 10.1002/(SICI)1097-4555(199704)28:4<219::AID-JRS88>3.0.CO;2-F10.1002/(SICI)1097-4555(199704)28:4<219::AID-JRS88>3.0.CO;2-F ↗
50. 10.1038/s41929-018-0044-210.1038/s41929-018-0044-2 ↗
51. 10.1016/j.apcatb.2010.07.03010.1016/j.apcatb.2010.07.030 ↗
52. 10.1038/s41929-017-0017-x10.1038/s41929-017-0017-x ↗
53. 10.1021/nl802409q10.1021/nl802409q ↗
54. 10.1002/adma.20210795410.1002/adma.202107954 ↗
55. 10.1016/j.chempr.2018.07.00510.1016/j.chempr.2018.07.005 ↗
56. 10.1038/s41467-020-19309-410.1038/s41467-020-19309-4 ↗