Professor Lan Ling’s Team Publishes in Nature Communications: Surface frustrated Lewis pairs in titanium nitride enable gas phase heterogeneous CO2 photocatalysis

On December 5, 2024, Professor Lan Ling’s research team published their latest study, titled “Surface frustrated Lewis pairs in titanium nitride enable gas-phase heterogeneous CO₂ photocatalysis,” in Nature Communications. This collaborative research involved the University of Toronto and Tongji University, with Ph.D. student Yunjie Zou as the first author. Professors Geoffrey A. Ozin (University of Toronto) and Lan Ling (Tongji University) are co-corresponding authors, and Tongji University serves as the lead corresponding institution.

Using titanium nitride as a model catalyst, Professor Lan Ling’s research team explored a novel amine-based frustrated Lewis pair system (M–NH₂•••M), which is formed through hydrogen spillover on the titanium nitride surface. This system facilitates the activation of CO₂ by promoting the formation of a carbamate intermediate. In addition to experimental observations, the researchers conducted comprehensive theoretical calculations that provided insights into the mechanism underlying this process. This study expands the chemical landscape of FLP catalysts from the traditional oxide-hydroxides to metal nitrides. The findings offer novel perspectives on the design and development of FLP catalysts based on metal nitride frameworks.

Article link: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-54951-2