Issue 11, 2022

In situ TEM visualization of single atom catalysis in solid-state Na–O2 nanobatteries

Abstract

Single-atom catalysts (SACs) exhibit high catalytic activities in many systems including metal–air batteries. However, the fundamental catalytic mechanism of SACs during the charge/discharge process is still unclear. Herein, we report a real-time imaging of the microscopic evolution of single-atom Co/reduced graphene oxide (SA-Co/rGO) in Na–O2 nanobatteries via an in situ environmental transmission electron microscope. Clearly, Na2O2 spheres were formed on the surface of the SA-Co/rGO scaffold during discharging, which can be easily decomposed during charging. In contrast, the formation and decomposition of Na2O2 on bare rGO without SACs were very sluggish. Moreover, a coin cell Na–O2 battery with an SA-Co/rGO air cathode also displays superior performance to a bare rGO cathode. DFT calculations reveal that the local coordination environment (Co + 4N) played a key role in tuning the charge density and oxidation states of the isolated Co active sites, thus activating O2 molecules and facilitating the oxygen reduction reaction/oxygen evolution reaction processes. This study suggests that SA-Co/rGO may be a promising catalyst for enhancing the performance of Na–O2 batteries.

Graphical abstract: In situ TEM visualization of single atom catalysis in solid-state Na–O2 nanobatteries

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
20 Sept. 2021
Accepted
07 Nov. 2021
First published
08 Nov. 2021

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2022,10, 6096-6106

In situ TEM visualization of single atom catalysis in solid-state Na–O2 nanobatteries

H. Sun, Q. Liu, Z. Gao, L. Geng, Y. Li, F. Zhang, J. Yan, Y. Gao, K. Suenaga, L. Zhang, Y. Tang and J. Huang, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2022, 10, 6096 DOI: 10.1039/D1TA08080F

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