Stable Confinement of Black Phosphorus Quantum Dots on Black Tin Oxide Nanotubes: A Robust, Double‐Active Electrocatalyst toward Efficient Nitrogen Fixation

Abstract

A conceptually new, metal‐free electrocatalyst, black phosphorus (BP) is presented, which is further downsized to quantum dots (QDs) for larger surface areas, and thus, more active sites than the bulk form. However, BP QDs are prone to agglomeration, which inevitably results in the loss of active sites. Besides, their poor conductivity is not favorable for charge transport during electrolysis. To solve these problems, an electrochemically active, electrically conductive matrix, black tin oxide (SnO2−x) nanotubes, is employed for the first time. Through facile self‐assembly, BP QDs are stably confined on the SnO2−x nanotubes due to Sn‐P coordination, resulting in a robust, double‐active electrocatalyst. Benefiting from their synergistic superiority, the BP@SnO2−x nanotubes deliver impressively high ammonia yield and Faradaic efficiency, which represent a successful attempt toward advanced hybrid electrocatalysts for ambient nitrogen fixation.

Confining Chainmail‐Bearing Ni Nanoparticles in N‐doped Carbon Nanotubes for Robust and Efficient Electroreduction of CO2

“…Generally, their structures and performances could be well maintained during the reaction [26,37] . Catalysts with strong metal‐support interactions or heterointerfaces coupled by chemical bonds are particularly stable in the catalytic processes [38–42] . However, their controllable synthesis and mass production still remain challenging.…”

Carbon‐Nanoplated CoS@TiO2 Nanofibrous Membrane: An Interface‐Engineered Heterojunction for High‐Efficiency Electrocatalytic Nitrogen Reduction

“…For instance, the Co 2p 3/2 component is deconvolved into three peaks, that is, the Co−S peak at 778.3 eV, the Co−O peak at 781.4 eV, and the satellite peak at 786.7 eV . The presence of the Co−O peak also proves the coordination between cobalt and oxygen, enabling intimate coupling of CoS and TiO 2 which is favorable for charge transfer . As for the S 2p spectrum (Figure d), the binding energies at 162.2 and 163.5 eV are typical for S 2− species of CoS .…”

Electrospun Inorganic Nanofibers for Oxygen Electrocatalysis: Design, Fabrication, and Progress

“…Benefitting from the integrated merits, including the well-controlled structure and composition, flexible property, superior mechanical strength, and mass production features, the electrospinning technique offers promising and vast opportunities in the energy conversion/storage field. [30][31][32][33] Compared to nanofibers synthesized via other methods, such as template-directed assembly methods, [34] chemical vapor deposition (CVD), [35] solution-growth, [36] the electrospun nanofibers (denoted as ENFs) possess the following overwhelming merits: i) excellent structural and compositional tenability; ii) high aspect ratio, oriented charge transfer pathways and large specific surface area; iii) robust and open composite architecture of the electrospun continuous and interpenetrating networks; iv) high strength and mechanical flexibility; v) the potential of controllable largescale synthesis. More importantly, the cost control of mass production, especially for multi-component composite fibers, is acceptable for industrial application.…”