Chinese Journal of Catalysis ›› 2025, Vol. 74: 411-424.DOI: 10.1016/S1872-2067(25)64691-2

• Articles • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Insights into the couple-decouple spin state shifting of graphdiyne-supported d8 state Fe dual-atom catalysts

Xiaohui Zhua, Haoran Xingb, Guangyu Hea, Hai Xiaoc, Yinjuan Chena,*(), Jun Lid,e   

  1. aKey Laboratory of Advanced Catalytic Materials and Technology, Advanced Catalysis and Green Manufacturing Collaborative Innovation Center, Changzhou University, Changzhou 213164, Jiangsu, China
    bState Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Street, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu, China
    cDepartment of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
    dDepartment of Chemistry and Engineering Research Center of Advanced Rare-Earth Materials of Ministry of Education, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
    eFundamental Science Center of Rare Earths, Ganjiang Innovation Academy, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ganzhou 341119, Jiangxi, China
  • Received:2025-01-06 Accepted:2025-03-18 Online:2025-07-18 Published:2025-07-20
  • Contact: *E-mail: chen_yinjuan@hotmail.com (Y. Chen).
  • Supported by:
    Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province(BK20220618);Postgraduate Research & Practice Innovation Program of Jiangsu Province(KYCX24_3199);NSFC Center for Single-Atom Catalysis(22388102)

Abstract:

Dual-atom catalysts (DACs), a natural extension of single-atom catalysts (SACs), have emerged as a prominent focal point in the field of heterogeneous catalysis, particularly in the context of chemical and energy conversion processes. Despite the fact that the catalytic activity of DACs is significantly modulated by the electronic structure of the catalyst, understanding how electron spin states are affected by variations in topology and geometric structure remains challenging and relatively unexplored. Herein, we propose the rational design of stable DACs composed of two iron atoms anchored on pristine graphdiyne (GDY), Fe2-GDYn. A comprehensive and systematic investigation was carried out to elucidate the electronic configuration and spin states involved in the deliberate convergence towards the magnetic ground state, with the aim of uncovering the structure-spin relationship. Through an in-depth analysis of spin populations, electronic localization/delocalization, and the chemical bonding characteristics of the central metal atoms and the GDY skeleton, it was revealed that the spin coupling between the two iron atoms is preponderantly dictated by adjacent short-range Fe-Fe interactions. Conversely, spin decoupling can be attributed to the long-range π-bond component within the linkage. Moreover, geometric and chemical bonding asymmetries were found to induce orbital and spin splitting in iron atoms possessing an electronic configuration of d8. These findings provide important insights into the relationship between topology and spin, thereby presenting novel strategies for the rational design of spin-manipulated DACs.

Key words: Dual-atom catalysts, Graphdiyne, Rational design, Electronic structure, Spin state