近日，中国科学院赣江创新研究院廖伍平团队报道了电流辅助双原子催化剂通过原子接力先后促进低温丙烷燃烧。2026年1月26日出版的《自然-化学》杂志发表了这项成果。

单原子催化剂虽能最大化原子利用率，但其活性位点多样性有限，这为多步骤燃烧过程（特别是针对具有高C–H键能的低碳烷烃）带来了挑战。

研究组采用电流辅助策略，在锑掺杂氧化锡载体上合成了双原子Pt–Nb催化剂，用于低温丙烷活化与燃烧。该催化体系在低温条件下（T₉₀ < 200 °C）即可实现丙烷完全转化，并于220 °C达到27.67 × 10^-3s^-1的高转换频率。此外，催化剂表现出优异的耐水性，且在电流辅助下贵金属用量可降低80%以上。

进一步的系统原位实验与理论模拟表明，电流辅助使铌原子与铂原子邻近分布，促进了丙烷中C–H键的解离与二氧化碳的脱附；同时电流削弱了铌侧附近的Pt–O键，促进了晶格氧的活化与释放。这种电流辅助的级联式原子接力机制，为开发下一代绿色催化剂提供了新思路。

附：英文原文

Title: Current-assisted dual-atom catalyst sequentially boosts low-temperature propane combustion through atomic relay

Author: Fang, Yangfei, Han, Xinyu, Liu, Kaijie, Yuan, Zhaoxu, Li, Yannan, Tao, Songyun, Zhang, Zeshu, Rao, Cheng, Fu, Qi, Peng, Guan, Yang, Xiangguang, Wang, Dingsheng, Zhang, Yibo, Liao, Wuping

Issue&Volume: 2026-01-26

Abstract: Single-atom catalysts maximize atomic utilization but the limited diversity of their functional sites presents challenges in multistep combustion processes, particularly for low-carbon alkanes with high C–H bond energies. Here we synthesized a dual-atom Pt–Nb catalyst using antimony tin oxide for low-temperature propane activation and combustion using a current-assisted strategy. This catalytic system achieves complete propane conversion at low temperatures (T90<200°C), with a high turnover frequency at 220°C of 27.67×103s1. Moreover, the catalyst exhibits outstanding water resistance and significantly reduces the use of precious metal by over 80% under current assistance. Further systematic in situ experiments and theoretical simulations indicate that the proximity of current-assisted niobium atoms to platinum atoms facilitates the dissociation of C–H bonds in propane and the desorption of carbon dioxide, while the electric current weakens the Pt–O bonds near the niobium side, promoting the activation and release of lattice oxygen. This stepwise-boosting, current-assisted atomic relay mechanism offers a promising strategy for developing next-generation green catalysts.

DOI: 10.1038/s41557-025-02062-w

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41557-025-02062-w