Porous single crystal niobium nitride and tantalum nitride nanocubes boost catalytic performance

Abstract

Porous single crystals provide more active sites for improving catalytic activity and stability attributed to their properties, such as a continuous lattice, a complete lattice arrangement and a large specific surface area. Here, we have grown porous hexahedral Ta₃N₅ and Nb₄N₅ microcrystals from nonporous hexahedral KTaO₃ and NaNbO₃. The results show that the ethane conversion rates of Ta₃N₅ and Nb₄N₅ single crystals at 680 °C were 23% and 21%, respectively, and the ethylene selectivity of both reached 90%. Meanwhile, the performance remained durable even after 50 hours of continuous operation. The outcome of this research paves a feasible path for the development and application of other porous nitride single crystal materials.