Hu Xu

Hu Xu

orcid

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

1Year (2026-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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27 June 2026 in Nanomaterials
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
WSWeiqiang Sun
Weiqiang Sun
TZTingting Zhou
Tingting Zhou
BHBoyu Han
Boyu Han
HXHu Xu
Hu Xu
Junqi WangJunqi Wang
Junqi Wang
BYBo Yu
Bo Yu
Regulation of surface acidity is critical for steering reaction pathways in catalytic biomass conversion; however, the modulation of Lewis acidity in MXene-supported single-atom catalysts remains poorly understood. In this work, density functional theory calculations were performed to systematically investigate how surface terminations coupled with metal identity govern the Lewis acidity of single-atom sites on Ti3C2-based MXenes. Two representative terminations (-O and -OH) were considered, and various metal atoms were anchored to construct single-atom catalysts. Formation energies were evaluated to assess thermodynamic stability, while NH3 adsorption energies were employed as a descriptor for Lewis acidity. The results reveal a pronounced termination-dependent modulation of acidity. Specifically, -OH termination disfavors single-atom stabilization, whereas -O termination ensures strong anchoring. Electronic structure analysis indicates that enhanced acidity originates from termination-induced electronic polarization and charge redistribution. This work establishes a structure–termination–acidity relationship and provides theoretical guidance for the rational design of MXene-based catalysts with tunable acidity.