Synthesis of MnM-NC (M=Ga, In, Sn) Dual-single-atom Catalysts for Efficient Electrocatalytic Oxygen Reduction

Abstract

Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is an important reaction in the field of energy conversion and storage. Manganese-based catalysts are expected to be alternative candidates to iron-based or platinum-group catalysts by virtue of their low cost, good stability and resistance to Fenton reaction. The easily tunable localized p-orbitals of p-block metals and the d-orbitals of manganese can hybridize, which facilitates the oxygen reduction process. Here, we have designed and synthesized a series of dual-single-atom catalysts that consist of Mn and p-block metal single atoms dispersed on N-doped carbon, denoted as MnM-NC (M=Ga/In/Sn). After introducing p-block metal single atoms, the half-wave potential of the catalysts increases to 0.85 V (vs. RHE), and the stability is also improved and even better than that of commercial Pt/C. Theoretical calculations show that the dual-single-atom sites could adjust the d-band center of the Mn site, weakening the adsorption strength of the intermediate *OH, thus improving the ORR catalytic activity. This work provides insights into the coupling of Mn-NC species materials with p-block metals to improve ORR performance, as well as inspires more structural and application innovations of p-block metals in the ORR research field.

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
03 Jul 2025
Accepted
28 Aug 2025
First published
29 Aug 2025

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2025, Accepted Manuscript

Synthesis of MnM-NC (M=Ga, In, Sn) Dual-single-atom Catalysts for Efficient Electrocatalytic Oxygen Reduction

Y. Cui, Y. Liu, J. Li, H. Ma, T. Pan, H. Wei, X. Shi, X. Zhou, P. Zhang, W. Niu, S. Sun, M. Yang, W. Huang, J. Ma and H. Cheng, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2025, Accepted Manuscript , DOI: 10.1039/D5TA05397H

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