Dual Atom Catalysts Through Explosion

Dual atom catalysts (DACs) have attracted extensive attention due to their synergistic effects in enhancing various catalytic reactions, opening up new research directions in the fields of chemistry and material science. Strategically, constructing bimetallic pairs with asymmetric active sites is a key strategy for further improving DACs performances. However, achieving the universal synthesis of a structurally controllable library for DACs supported on inorganic materials remains a significant challenge. In this work, we propose a general strategy for synthesizing asymmetric DACs (A-DACs) through molecular explosion, which can transiently generate extreme conditions in a confined space, offering capabilities that are difficult to realize by conventional approaches. Using this technology, we successfully prepared and systematically characterized 15 kinds of A-DACs containing different metal combinations (Cu-Fe, Cu-Co, Fe-Pt, Ni-Cu, Pt-Pd etc.) and loaded them onto different inorganic carriers (Ti₃C₂T_x, TiN, TiO₂, CeO₂, MoS₂, etc.). Moreover, Cu₁Fe₁/Ti₃C₂T_x and Pt₁Pd₁/MoS₂ are selected as model catalysts to investigate their worthwhile applications in diverse electrochemical reactions. This study provides an ingenious method for the rational design of atomic dispersed catalysts, which is of great significance in the fields of energy conversion and environmental governance scenarios.