Atomically Strained Metal Sites for Highly Efficient and Selective Photooxidation

Strain engineering is an attractive strategy for improving the intrinsic catalytic performance of heterogeneous catalysts. Manipulating strain on the short-range atomic scale to the local structure of the catalytic sites is still challenging. Herein, we successfully achieved atomic strain modulation on ultrathin layered vanadium oxide nanoribbons by an ingenious intercalation chemistry method. When trace sodium cations were introduced between the V₂O₅ layers (Na⁺-V₂O₅), the V-O bonds were stretched by the atomically strained vanadium sites, redistributing the local charges. The Na⁺-V₂O₅ demonstrated excellent photooxidation performance, which was approximately 12 and 14 times higher than that of pristine V₂O₅ and VO₂, respectively. Complementary spectroscopy analysis and theoretical calculations confirmed that the atomically strained Na⁺-V₂O₅ had a high surficial charge density, improving the activation of oxygen molecules and contributing to the excellent photocatalytic property. This work provides a new approach for the rational design of strain-equipped catalysts for selective photooxidation reactions.