Role of N in Transition-Metal-Nitrides for Anchoring Platinum-Group Metal Atoms toward Single-Atom Catalysis

Single-atom catalysts (SACS) with a maximum atom utilization efficiency have received growing attention in heterogeneous catalysis. The supporting substrate that provides atomic-dispersed anchoring sites and the local electronic environment in these catalysts is crucial to their activity and stability. Here, inspired by N-doped graphene substrate, the role of N is explored in transition metal nitrides for anchoring single metal atoms toward single-atom catalysis. A pore-rich metallic vanadium nitride (VN) nanosheet is fabricated as one supporting-substrate example, whose surface features abundant unsaturated N sites with lower binding energy than that of widely used N-doped graphene. Impressively, it is found that this support can anchor nearly all platinum-group single atoms (e.g., platinum, palladium, iridium, and ruthenium), and even be extendable to multiple SACs, i.e., binary (Pt/Pd) and ternary (Pt/Pd/Ir). As a proof-of-concept application for hydrogen production, Pt-based SAC (Pt-1-VN) performs excellently, exhibiting a mass activity up to 22.55 A mg(Pt)(-1), at 0.05 V and a high turnover frequency value close to 0.350 H-2 s(-1), superior to commercial platinum/carbon catalyst. The catalyst's durability can be further improved by using binary (Pt1Pd1-VN) SAC. This work provides inexpensive and durable nitride-based support, giving a possible pathway for universally constructing platinum-group SACs.