Janus effect of FeCo dual atom catalyst with Co as active center in acidic oxygen reduction reaction

Abstract Dual-atom catalysts (DACs) represent a frontier in heterogeneous electrocatalysis for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in proton exchange membrane fuel cells. However, the dynamic evolution of active-site structure complicates mechanistic understanding. Herein, alloyed Fe-Co DACs with st...

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Main Authors: Long-Ji Yuan, Zhen-Yu Miao, Xu-Lei Sui, Chi-Feng Lee, Qi Li, Mei-Jie Yin, Li-Xiao Shen, Ying-Rui Lu, Zi-Gang Zhao, Yu-Zhe Liu, Lin-Sheng Zhu, Wei Gong, Wen-Liang Feng, Hsiao-Tsu Wang, Guo-Xu Zhang, Zhen-Bo Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-08-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-62728-4
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author Long-Ji Yuan
Zhen-Yu Miao
Xu-Lei Sui
Chi-Feng Lee
Qi Li
Mei-Jie Yin
Li-Xiao Shen
Ying-Rui Lu
Zi-Gang Zhao
Yu-Zhe Liu
Lin-Sheng Zhu
Wei Gong
Wen-Liang Feng
Hsiao-Tsu Wang
Guo-Xu Zhang
Zhen-Bo Wang
author_facet Long-Ji Yuan
Zhen-Yu Miao
Xu-Lei Sui
Chi-Feng Lee
Qi Li
Mei-Jie Yin
Li-Xiao Shen
Ying-Rui Lu
Zi-Gang Zhao
Yu-Zhe Liu
Lin-Sheng Zhu
Wei Gong
Wen-Liang Feng
Hsiao-Tsu Wang
Guo-Xu Zhang
Zhen-Bo Wang
author_sort Long-Ji Yuan
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Dual-atom catalysts (DACs) represent a frontier in heterogeneous electrocatalysis for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in proton exchange membrane fuel cells. However, the dynamic evolution of active-site structure complicates mechanistic understanding. Herein, alloyed Fe-Co DACs with strong Fe-Co bonds are synthesized via molecular chelation and ionic coupling strategies. In-situ spectroscopy combined with theoretical calculation reveals the Janus effect of Fe-Co dual-atom sites: Co serves as the primary catalytic center for the 4e- process with Fe as the cooperative sites to absorb the *OH. This division-of-labor mechanism lowers the theoretical overpotential from 1.14 V to 0.43 V for acidic oxygen reduction reaction. Thus, the catalyst achieves a 0.852 V half-wave potential and 1.14 W cm−2 power density (2.0 bar H₂-O₂), sustaining 81% peak power after 10,000 cycles. These findings clarify DAC configuration-mechanism relationships, guiding the design of high-performance DACs.
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publisher Nature Portfolio
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series Nature Communications
spelling doaj-art-97b95640ccc340b5b4aaa73b8a1f1c532025-08-20T04:02:54ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-08-0116111410.1038/s41467-025-62728-4Janus effect of FeCo dual atom catalyst with Co as active center in acidic oxygen reduction reactionLong-Ji Yuan0Zhen-Yu Miao1Xu-Lei Sui2Chi-Feng Lee3Qi Li4Mei-Jie Yin5Li-Xiao Shen6Ying-Rui Lu7Zi-Gang Zhao8Yu-Zhe Liu9Lin-Sheng Zhu10Wei Gong11Wen-Liang Feng12Hsiao-Tsu Wang13Guo-Xu Zhang14Zhen-Bo Wang15College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen UniversitySchool of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of TechnologyCollege of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen UniversityBachelor’s Program in Advanced Materials Science, Tamkang UniversityCollege of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen UniversityCollege of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen UniversityCollege of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen UniversityNational Synchrotron Radiation Research Center, Hsinchu Science ParkSchool of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of TechnologyCollege of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen UniversityCollege of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen UniversityCollege of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen UniversityCollege of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen UniversityBachelor’s Program in Advanced Materials Science, Tamkang UniversitySchool of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of TechnologyCollege of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen UniversityAbstract Dual-atom catalysts (DACs) represent a frontier in heterogeneous electrocatalysis for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in proton exchange membrane fuel cells. However, the dynamic evolution of active-site structure complicates mechanistic understanding. Herein, alloyed Fe-Co DACs with strong Fe-Co bonds are synthesized via molecular chelation and ionic coupling strategies. In-situ spectroscopy combined with theoretical calculation reveals the Janus effect of Fe-Co dual-atom sites: Co serves as the primary catalytic center for the 4e- process with Fe as the cooperative sites to absorb the *OH. This division-of-labor mechanism lowers the theoretical overpotential from 1.14 V to 0.43 V for acidic oxygen reduction reaction. Thus, the catalyst achieves a 0.852 V half-wave potential and 1.14 W cm−2 power density (2.0 bar H₂-O₂), sustaining 81% peak power after 10,000 cycles. These findings clarify DAC configuration-mechanism relationships, guiding the design of high-performance DACs.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-62728-4
spellingShingle Long-Ji Yuan
Zhen-Yu Miao
Xu-Lei Sui
Chi-Feng Lee
Qi Li
Mei-Jie Yin
Li-Xiao Shen
Ying-Rui Lu
Zi-Gang Zhao
Yu-Zhe Liu
Lin-Sheng Zhu
Wei Gong
Wen-Liang Feng
Hsiao-Tsu Wang
Guo-Xu Zhang
Zhen-Bo Wang
Janus effect of FeCo dual atom catalyst with Co as active center in acidic oxygen reduction reaction
Nature Communications
title Janus effect of FeCo dual atom catalyst with Co as active center in acidic oxygen reduction reaction
title_full Janus effect of FeCo dual atom catalyst with Co as active center in acidic oxygen reduction reaction
title_fullStr Janus effect of FeCo dual atom catalyst with Co as active center in acidic oxygen reduction reaction
title_full_unstemmed Janus effect of FeCo dual atom catalyst with Co as active center in acidic oxygen reduction reaction
title_short Janus effect of FeCo dual atom catalyst with Co as active center in acidic oxygen reduction reaction
title_sort janus effect of feco dual atom catalyst with co as active center in acidic oxygen reduction reaction
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-62728-4
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