MXenes Spontaneously Form Active and Selective Single-Atom Centers under Anodic Polarization Conditions

Single-atom catalysts (SACs) have emerged as a new class of materials for the development of active and selective catalysts. These materials are commonly based on anchoring a noble transition metal to some kind of carrier. In the present work, we demonstrate that MXenes─two-dimensional materials with application in energy storage and conversion─spontaneously form SAC-like sites under anodic polarization conditions, using the applied electrode potential as a probe to form catalytically active surface sites reminiscent of a SAC-like structure. Combining ab initio molecular dynamics simulations and electronic structure calculations in the density functional theory framework, we demonstrate that only the SAC-like sites rather than the basal planes of MXenes are highly active and selective for the oxygen evolution or chlorine evolution reactions, respectively. Our findings may simplify synthetic routes toward the formation of active and selective SAC-like sites and could pave the way for the development of smart materials by incorporating fundamental principles from nature into material discovery: while the pristine form of the material is inactive, the application of an electrode potential activates the material by the formation of active and selective single-atom centers.