Sustainable chlorine cycle enabled by single atom catalysis.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 41298343.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-025-65505-5 and PMC identifier 12657996.
- Licence recorded as CC BY-NC-ND.
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Abstract
In the pursuit of sustainable development, the world faces two key challenges: effective waste management and improved energy efficiency. In this context, it is necessary to propose a chlorine-centered sustainable solution, as the related industries consume large amounts of electricity and precious metals while generating significant quantities of plastic waste. Here, we report a chloride electrocatalyst of titanium nitride-supported ruthenium single-atoms (Ru1@TiN) that exhibits high efficiency for chlorine evolution reaction of NaCl in multi-conditions, with a nearly 100% selectivity in a wide range of pH values, potentially saving some of the electricity for the chlor-alkali industry. Moreover, Ru1@TiN can decompose polyvinyl chloride waste into chlorine and other valuable chemicals, providing an approach to plastic upcycling and green chlorine production. A coordination-derived activation mechanism on TiN support is uncovered and a dynamic polyatomic active site is proposed to explain the achieved catalytic performances. This work will benefit developing sustainable chlorine chemical industries.