3D printing of single atom catalysts pioneered

3D printing of single atom catalysts
pioneered

January 9 2023, by Susan Bogle

Chemical reaction. Credit: Australian Nuclear Science and Technology
Organisation (ANSTO)

A large international collaboration led by Prof Shizhang Qiao, an
Australian Laureate Fellow at the University of Adelaide has developed

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a straightforward and cost-effective synthesizing approach using a 3D
printing technique to produce single-atom catalysts (SACs)—potentially
paving the way for large-scale commercial production with broad
industrial applications.

The research has been published in Nature Synthesis.

The team mailed in samples to the Australian Synchrotron during the
COVID lockdown for materials characterization using the X-ray
absorption spectroscopy (XAS) beamline.

A catalyst is a substance that is designed to drive a specific chemical
reaction to convert chemicals to other, less harmful, valuable industrial
products. The efficiency at which a given catalyst aids the reaction is
often found to be determined by its surface area.

For example, a bulk metallic cobalt foil may aid in chemical reductions,
but the same number of cobalt atoms in the form of nanoparticles would
be significantly more efficient given the greater surface area available
for the reaction to take place.

Taken to its extreme, single-atom catalysts (SACs) refer to individual
metal atoms, not bonding to metal but often dispersed uniformly on a
fixed substrate (such as carbon), offering the highest possible value of
atom economy.

The ideal atom economy, known as 100% atom economy, for a chemical
reaction is a process in which all reactant atoms are found in the desired
product.

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Synthesis procedure for 3D-printed SACs. Credit: Xie, F., Cui, X., Zhi, X. et al.
A general approach to 3D-printed single-atom catalysts. Nat. Synth (2023)

The isolated metal atoms have unique and novel physical and chemical
properties, driving efficient and tailored catalytic reactions with
extremely high catalytic activity.

However, current production methods of wet-chemical processes,
mechano-chemical abrasion, thermal shockwave, and laser irradiation
are considered complex, costly and impractical for mass production.

"We have developed a synthesis approach that allows the use of 3D
printing to fabricate single-atom catalysts. Our method has the potential
to be more cost-effective and simpler than current approaches,"
explained Prof. Qiao.

3D printing allows the customization of geometric designs from
millimeters to meters, which is important for industrial applications.

The combination of 3D printing and single-atom catalysts provides a
promising but simplified way to manufacture SACs at different scales.

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"This novel combination has the potential to advance Australia's status as
a global leader in tackling the effects of climate change and help us take
the lead in new techniques to make chemicals that benefit society," said
Prof. Qiao.

Dr Bernt Johannessen at the X-ray absorption spectroscopy beamline at
ANSTO's Australian Synchrotron. Credit: Australian Nuclear Science and
Technology Organisation (ANSTO)

Senior scientist Dr. Bernt Johannessen, also a co-author on the paper and
long-time collaborator, carried out measurements on the XAS beamline
for the research team across multiple beamtime allocations (and multiple
COVID lockdowns).

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"Pleasingly, we were able to confirm that the 3D printing technique had
                                   produced a material consisting of isolated single atom sites as opposed to
                                   nanoparticles or clusters of atoms. The instrument allows us to
                                   differentiate between cobalt bonding to light elements, like carbon, or
                                   cobalt bonding to other cobalt to form nanoparticles," confirmed by Dr.
                                   Johannessen.

                                   "The larger clusters you have, the less effective they will be as single-
                                   atom catalysts, so the confirmation of the isolated nature of single-atom
                                   sites is crucial to the project conclusions and potential industrial
                                   applications.

                                   "The XAS Beamline at ANSTO has been integral to a number of high-
                                   profile studies in this field over the past several years now, and we are
                                   looking forward to seeing how our user community continues to grow
                                   over the years ahead."

                                    More information: Fangxi Xie et al, A general approach to 3D-
                                   printed single-atom catalysts, Nature Synthesis (2023). DOI:
                                   10.1038/s44160-022-00193-3

                                   Provided by Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
                                   (ANSTO)

                                   Citation: 3D printing of single atom catalysts pioneered (2023, January 9) retrieved 29 January
                                   2024 from https://phys.org/news/2023-01-3d-atom-catalysts.html

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