Lanthanide-Bridged Dual-Atom Catalysts for Efficient Chlorine Electrosynthesis
Wen-Da Zhang1,2, Lulu Chen3, Yongbiao Mu4
1Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, P. R. China.
Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
|June 30, 2026
Summary
Researchers developed a novel "mortise-and-tenon" strategy using a tulip-shaped covalent organic framework (Tu-COF) to create heteronuclear dual-atom catalysts (DACs). The Ru-Ce catalyst shows exceptional performance in the chlorine evolution reaction (CER), offering high efficiency and stability.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science and Engineering
- Electrochemistry
- Catalysis
Background:
- The chlorine evolution reaction (CER) is crucial for industrial chlor-alkali processes and water treatment.
- Current CER methods face challenges with high energy consumption and limited selectivity.
- Developing efficient and selective electrocatalysts is essential for advancing CER technologies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design and synthesize novel heteronuclear dual-atom catalysts (DACs) for improved CER performance.
- To investigate the structure-activity relationship of these DACs using experimental and computational methods.
- To demonstrate a generalizable strategy for constructing advanced electrocatalysts.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of a tulip-shaped covalent organic framework (Tu-COF) precursor.
- Construction of heteronuclear Ru-Ln dual-atom catalysts (DACs) via a "mortise-and-tenon" strategy.
- Electrocatalytic performance evaluation in a flow cell, including chronoamperometry and Faradaic efficiency measurements.
- Mechanistic studies using in situ characterization and Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations.
Main Results:
- The Ru-Ce catalyst, synthesized using the Tu-COF precursor, exhibited superior CER performance.
- Achieved high current density (150 mA cm⁻²) at a low overpotential (1.45 V vs. RHE) with near 100% Faradaic efficiency for Cl₂ evolution.
- Demonstrated excellent long-term stability (>500 h) in a flow cell.
- DFT calculations revealed that the Ce atom modulates the electronic structure of the Ru center, optimizing Cl adsorption and facilitating Cl-Cl coupling while suppressing competing reactions.
Conclusions:
- The "mortise-and-tenon" strategy using Tu-COF is effective for precise construction of heteronuclear DACs.
- The Ru-Ce catalyst shows significant potential for efficient and selective chlorine evolution.
- Lanthanide-mediated electronic engineering is a promising approach for designing high-performance electrocatalysts.
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