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Electron Configuration Modulation of Nickel Single Atoms for Elevated Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution
Author(s) -
Jin Xixiong,
Wang Rongyan,
Zhang Lingxia,
Si Rui,
Shen Meng,
Wang Min,
Tian Jianjian,
Shi Jianlin
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.201914565
Subject(s) - photocatalysis , materials science , atom (system on chip) , photochemistry , nickel , catalysis , excited state , electron , metal , water splitting , hydrogen atom , irradiation , carbon atom , nanotechnology , chemical physics , chemistry , atomic physics , physics , metallurgy , biochemistry , alkyl , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics , computer science , nuclear physics , embedded system
The emerging metal single‐atom catalyst has aroused extensive attention in multiple fields, such as clean energy, environmental protection, and biomedicine. Unfortunately, though it has been shown to be highly active, the origins of the activity of the single‐atom sites remain unrevealed to date owing to the lack of deep insight on electronic level. Now, partially oxidized Ni single‐atom sites were constructed in polymeric carbon nitride (CN), which elevates the photocatalytic performance by over 30‐fold. The 3d orbital of the partially oxidized Ni single‐atom sites is filled with unpaired d‐electrons, which are ready to be excited under irradiation. Such an electron configuration results in elevated light response, conductivity, charge separation, and mobility of the photocatalyst concurrently, thus largely augmenting the photocatalytic performance.