Journal Article

Topotactic reduction of layered double hydroxides for atomically thick two-dimensional non-noble-metal alloy

Pengsong Li;Qixian Xie;Lirong Zheng;Guang Feng;Yingjie Li;Zhao Cai;Yongmin Bi;Yaping Li;Yun Kuang;Xiaoming Sun;Xue Duan

2017

Overview

Layered double hydroxides （LDHs） have been widely used as catalysts owingto their tunable structure and atomic dispersion of high-valence metal ions;however, limited tunability of electronic structure and valence states havehindered further improvement in their catalytic performance. Herein, we reducedultrathin LDH precursors in situ and topotactically converted them to atomicallythick （N2 nm） two-dimensional （2D） multi-metallic, single crystalline alloynanosheets with highly tunable metallic compositions. The as-obtained alloynanosheets not only maintained the vertically aligned ultrathin 2D structure,but also inherited the atomic dispersion of the minor metallic compositions ofthe LDH precursors, even though the atomic percentage was higher than 20%,which is far beyond the reported percentages for single-atom dispersions （usuallyless than 0.1%）. Besides, surface engineering of the alloy nanosheets can finely tunethe surface electronic structure for catalytic applications. Such in situ topotacticconversion strategy has introduced a novel approach for atomically dispersedalloy nanostructures and reinforced the synthetic methodology for ultrathin 2Dmetal-based catalysts.

• Publisher: Tsinghua University Press
• Subject: Atomic structure / Atomic/Molecular Structure and Spectra / atomic;dispersion / atomic;thickness / Biomedicine / Biotechnology / catalysis / Catalysts / Catalytic converters / Chemistry and Materials Science / Condensed Matter Physics / Electronic structure / Hydroxides / Materials Science / Metal ions / Nanostructure / Nanotechnology / Noble metals / non-noble-metal;alloy / Research Article / two-dimensional;（2D）nanosheets