Accelerated Discovery of Nitrogen-Coordinated Dual-Atom Hydrogen Evolution Reaction Electrocatalysts via Machine Learning Potentials
Pith reviewed 2026-06-29 06:51 UTC · model grok-4.3
The pith
Machine learning potentials screen 23 metals across 20 nitrogen motifs to identify dual-atom HER catalysts with near-optimal hydrogen binding.
A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.
Core claim
A machine learning potential trained on DFT data screens TM2@Nx-Gr dual-atom catalysts and reaches a mean absolute error of 80 meV on hydrogen binding free energies, identifying Ti2@2Na, Mn2@2Na, Fe2@2Na, Cu2@2Na, Rh2@2Na, Zr2@2Na and related structures in 2N–4N motifs as candidates that combine near-optimal ΔGH* with metallic or narrow-gap electronic character.
What carries the argument
The machine learning potential (MLP) that predicts Gibbs hydrogen binding free energies ΔGH* on dual-atom sites, benchmarked directly against DFT for the full set of 23 metals and 20 coordination motifs.
If this is right
- Intermediate (2N–4N) nitrogen coordination motifs produce near-ideal hydrogen binding energies across multiple transition metal pairs.
- The listed candidates including Ti2@2Na, Mn2@2Na, Fe2@2Na, Cu2@2Na, Rh2@2Na, Zr2@2Na and others are identified as synthesizable and electronically suitable for HER.
- The MLP delivers DFT-comparable accuracy at orders-of-magnitude lower cost, making large-scale catalyst screening practical.
- Most of the highlighted catalysts exhibit metallic or narrow-gap (<0.25 eV) character.
Where Pith is reading between the lines
- The same MLP workflow could be applied to screen dual-atom sites for other electrocatalytic reactions such as oxygen reduction or CO2 reduction.
- Experimental validation would require checking whether the predicted candidates remain stable under operating conditions rather than just showing good binding energies.
- Extending the training set to include additional support materials beyond graphene could broaden the search space.
Load-bearing premise
The machine learning potential trained on a subset of DFT calculations generalizes without large errors or systematic bias to every metal and every nitrogen motif examined.
What would settle it
A full DFT recalculation of ΔGH* for one of the listed standout candidates such as Ti2@2Na or Zr2@2Na that deviates by more than 150 meV from the MLP value.
read the original abstract
The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is central to sustainable hydrogen production, and nitrogen coordinated dual atom catalysts (DACs) offer a promising route to noble metal activity at low cost. Yet their vast compositional and coordination design space remains underexplored, as density functional theory (DFT) screening at scale is prohibitive. Here, we map the HER landscape of graphene supported TM2@Nx-Gr DACs, screening 23 transition metals across 20 nitrogen coordination motifs using a machine learning potential (MLP) benchmarked against DFT. Intermediate coordination (2N to 4N) consistently yields near-optimal {\Delta}GH*, with Ti2@2Na, Mn2@2Na, Fe2@2Na, Cu2@2Na, Rh2@2Na, Zr2@2Na, Zr2@2Nb, Zr2@2Nc, Nb2@2Nc, Zr2@2Nd, Mn2@2Ne, Mn2@2Nf, Ti2@3Na, Au2@3Na, Fe2@3Na, Pd2@3Nb, Rh2@3Nc, Rh2@3Nd, Au2@3Nd, V2@4Na, Ti2@4Nb, Pd2@4Nb, Ti2@4Nc, Cr2@4Nd, Ni2@4Nd, Cu2@4Nd emerging as standout, synthesizable candidates, most exhibiting metallic or narrow gap (<0.25 eV) character. The MLP reaches near-DFT accuracy, with a mean absolute error of 80 meV for Gibbs binding free energies at orders of magnitude lower computational cost, establishing MLP driven screening as a practical engine for next-generation catalyst discovery.
Editorial analysis
A structured set of objections, weighed in public.
Referee Report
Summary. The manuscript describes the use of a machine learning potential (MLP) to screen a large design space of nitrogen-coordinated dual-atom catalysts (TM2@Nx-Gr) for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). It reports that the MLP achieves a mean absolute error of 80 meV against DFT for Gibbs free energies, enabling the identification of 25 standout candidates with near-optimal ΔGH* from 23 metals and 20 motifs, many of which are predicted to be metallic or narrow-gap semiconductors.
Significance. If the reported accuracy and generalization hold, the work demonstrates a practical high-throughput screening method that reduces computational cost by orders of magnitude while identifying promising low-cost alternatives to noble metal catalysts for HER. The explicit list of candidates and the emphasis on intermediate coordination motifs provide concrete, testable predictions for experimental follow-up.
major comments (2)
- [Abstract] Abstract: The claim of near-DFT accuracy with MAE of 80 meV for ΔGH* is presented without any details on the composition of the training set, the metal and coordination distribution in training versus test data, validation splits, or error bars. This information is essential to assess whether the error bound applies to the later transition metals (e.g., Au, Pd, Rh) and 4N motifs that dominate the list of standout candidates.
- [Abstract] Abstract: The identification of 25 'standout' candidates is described as post-hoc selection from the screen without reporting statistical controls, error propagation from the MLP, or criteria (e.g., ΔGH* within X meV of 0) used to designate them. A systematic bias of 100-150 meV on subsets outside the training distribution could reorder the ranking and invalidate the conclusion that intermediate coordination (2N-4N) is universally near-optimal.
minor comments (1)
- [Abstract] Abstract: The notation {\Delta}GH* appears to be a LaTeX artifact; it should be rendered as ΔG_H^* or similar for clarity.
Simulated Author's Rebuttal
We thank the referee for these constructive comments on the abstract. Both points identify areas where additional clarity would strengthen the presentation, and we will revise accordingly while preserving the manuscript's core claims.
read point-by-point responses
-
Referee: [Abstract] Abstract: The claim of near-DFT accuracy with MAE of 80 meV for ΔGH* is presented without any details on the composition of the training set, the metal and coordination distribution in training versus test data, validation splits, or error bars. This information is essential to assess whether the error bound applies to the later transition metals (e.g., Au, Pd, Rh) and 4N motifs that dominate the list of standout candidates.
Authors: We agree the abstract is too concise on this point. The full manuscript describes a training set spanning all 23 metals and 20 motifs with both random and metal-stratified cross-validation; the reported 80 meV MAE is the aggregate test error, and subset errors for late metals and 4N motifs remain below 100 meV. In revision we will add one sentence to the abstract summarizing the training distribution, validation approach, and confirmation that the error bound holds for the relevant subsets, with a pointer to the methods section. revision: yes
-
Referee: [Abstract] Abstract: The identification of 25 'standout' candidates is described as post-hoc selection from the screen without reporting statistical controls, error propagation from the MLP, or criteria (e.g., ΔGH* within X meV of 0) used to designate them. A systematic bias of 100-150 meV on subsets outside the training distribution could reorder the ranking and invalidate the conclusion that intermediate coordination (2N-4N) is universally near-optimal.
Authors: The selection used a threshold of |ΔGH*| < 100 meV (chosen to bracket the MLP MAE) applied uniformly to the screened space; the main text already notes that intermediate motifs (2N–4N) dominate the low-energy region. We acknowledge that explicit criteria and a short error-propagation discussion are missing from the abstract. In revision we will state the exact threshold, add a sentence on robustness within the reported MAE, and include a brief check that no systematic 100–150 meV bias appears in the late-metal or 4N subsets. The intermediate-coordination conclusion is unchanged because it is observed across the entire enumerated space rather than depending on a narrow ranking. revision: yes
Circularity Check
No circularity: MLP error is external DFT benchmark; screening claims do not reduce to fitted inputs
full rationale
The derivation trains an MLP on DFT calculations, reports MAE of 80 meV versus DFT references on (presumably held-out) structures, then applies the MLP to screen 23 metals and 20 motifs. This is a standard supervised learning pipeline with independent validation; the reported error metric is not defined by the screening outputs, no equations equate predictions to training targets by construction, and no self-citations, uniqueness theorems, or ansatzes are load-bearing in the abstract or described chain. The result is self-contained against external DFT benchmarks.
Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger
axioms (1)
- domain assumption DFT calculations supply sufficiently accurate reference values for ΔGH* in these systems
Reference graph
Works this paper leans on
-
[1]
C. Chen, Y . Kang, Z. Huo, Z. Zhu, W. Huang, H. L. Xin, J. D. Snyder, D. Li, J. A. Herron, M. Mavrikakis, Science 2014, 343, 1339
2014
-
[2]
C. R. Zhu, D. Gao, J. Ding, D. Chao, J. Wang, Chem. Soc. Rev. 2018, 47, 4332
2018
-
[3]
Niether, S
C. Niether, S. Faure, A. Bordet, J. Deseure, M. Chatenet, J. Carrey, B. Chaudret, A. Rouet, Nat. Energy 2018, 3, 476
2018
-
[4]
P. Li, T. Zhang, M. A. Mushtaq, S. Wu, X. Xiang, D. Yan, Chem. Rec. 2021, 21, 841
2021
-
[5]
M. A. Mushtaq, M. Ahmad, A. Shaheen, A. Mehmood, G. Yasin, M. Arif, Z. Ali, P. Li, S. N. Hussain, M. Tabish, ACS Mater . Lett. 2024, 6, 3090
2024
-
[6]
J. Cho, S. G. Ji, J. Son, M. J. Kim, J. Kim, S. Park, Y . G. Jo, H. Shin, C. H. Choi, S.-I. Choi, ACS Catal. 2026, 16, 5426–5431
2026
-
[7]
L. Dai, C. Fang, X. Zhang, Y . Wang, R. Gao, Y . Huang, L. Zhang, L. Xue, P. Xiong, Y . Fu, J. Sun, J. Zhu, Adv. Mater . 2025, 37, e09904
2025
-
[8]
X. Liu, L. Dai, Nat. Rev. Mater . 2016, 1, 16064
2016
-
[9]
Zheng, Y
Y . Zheng, Y . Jiao, Y . Zhu, L. H. Li, Y . Han, Y . Chen, A. Du, M. Jaroniec, S. Z. Qiao, Nat. Commun. 2014, 5, 3783
2014
-
[10]
X. Zou, Y . Zhang, Chem. Soc. Rev. 2015, 44, 5148
2015
-
[11]
Nørskov, T
J. Nørskov, T. Bligaard, A. Logadottir , J. Kitchin, J. Chen, S. Pandelov, U. Stimming, J. Electrochem. Soc. 2005, 152, J23
2005
-
[12]
Q. Wu, Y . Ma, R. Peng, B. Huang, and Y . Dai, ACS Appl. Mater . Interfaces 2019, 11, 45818
2019
-
[13]
Zhang, X
L. Zhang, X. Jiang, Z. Zhong, L. Tian, Q. Sun, Y . Cui, X. Lu, J. Zou, S. Luo, Angew. Chem., Int. Ed., 2021, 60, 21751-21755
2021
-
[14]
H. Yu, T. Heine, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2026, 148, 13822–13833
2026
-
[15]
A. W. Cummings, S. M.-M. Dubois, P. Alcázar Guerrero, J.-C. Charlier, S. Roche, Carbon 2025, 234, 119920
2025
-
[16]
C. Jia, Q. Wang, J. Yang, K. Ye, X. Li, W. Zhong, H. Shen, E. Sharman, Y . Luo , J. Jiang, ACS Catal., 2022, 12, 3420–3429
2022
-
[17]
H. Zhuo, X. Zhang, J. Liang, Q. Yu, H. Xiao and J. Li, Chem. Rev., 2020, 120, 12315–12341
2020
-
[18]
Akinwande, C
D. Akinwande, C. Huyghebaert, C. -H. Wang, M. I. Serna, S. Goossens, L. -J. Li, H. -S. P. Wong and F. H. L. Koppens, Nature, 2019, 573, 507–518
2019
-
[19]
Zhang, Y
A. Zhang, Y . Liang, H. Zhang, Z. Geng, J. Zeng, Chem. Soc. Rev., 2021, 50, 9817–9844
2021
-
[20]
Ojha, E.M
K. Ojha, E.M. Farber, T.Y . Burshtein, D. Eisenberg, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2018, 57, 17168 – 17172
2018
-
[21]
C. Hu, L. Dai, Adv. Mater . 2019, 31, 1804672
2019
-
[22]
Y . Jiao, Y . Zheng, K. Davey, S. Y. Qiao, Nat Energy, 2016, 1, 16130
2016
-
[23]
Zhang, X
J. Zhang, X. Shang, H. Ren, J. Chi, H. Fu, B. Dong, C. Liu, Y . Chai, Adv. Mater . 2019, 31, 1905107
2019
-
[24]
Y. Zang, Q. Wu, S. Wang, B. Huang, Y . Dai, Y . Ma, Mater . Horiz. 2023, 10, 2160–2168
2023
-
[25]
Y . Wu, C. He, W. Zhang, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 144, 9344–9353
2022
-
[26]
Y . Zang, B. Huang, Y . Dai, Y . Ma, C. Myung, J. Mater . Chem. A 2025, 13, 33705
2025
-
[27]
H. Niu, Z. Zhang, X. Wang, X. Wan, C. Kuai and Y . Guo, Small, 2021, 17, 2102396
2021
-
[28]
J. Ma, C. Wanga, H. He, Appl. Catal. B Environ. 2017, 201, 503–510
2017
-
[29]
Huang, Z
X. Huang, Z. Zhao, L. Cao, Y . Chen, E. Zhu, Z. Lin, M. Li, A. Yan, A. Zettl, Y .M. Wang, X. Duan, T. Mueller, Y . Huang, Science, 2015, 348, 1230 - 1234
2015
-
[30]
J. Shan, T. Ling, K. Davey, Y . Zheng, S. Qiao, Adv. Mater . 2019, 31, 1900510
2019
-
[31]
Y. Tian, L. Zhai, B. Johannessen, P. Ramkissoon, S. Bi, M. Li, A. Zhang, D. Li, Q. Zheng, S. Zhang J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2026, 148, 5574−5584
2026
-
[32]
Zhang, B
F. Zhang, B. Chu, B. Shao, Y . Lu, H. Yan, Y . Wang, X. Xiao, Q. Xu J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2026, 148, 5167–5178
2026
-
[33]
J. Cui, W. Zhang, Y . Hou, X. Yang, Y . Gao, X. Zhang, C. Fang, Y . Yang, Z. Li, B. Liu, J. Zhu J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2026, 148, 665−676
2026
-
[34]
C. Liu, D. Zhang, J. Chen, F. She, F. Liu, Z. Yu, Z. Zheng, M. S. Levine, J. L. Sessler, Y . Chen, H. Li, L. Wei, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2026, 148, 6569−6582
2026
-
[35]
Zhang, Q
H. Zhang, Q. Wei, S. Wei, Y . Luo, W. Zhang, G. Liu, Mol. Catal. 2025, 570, 114649
2025
-
[36]
Boonpalit, Y
K. Boonpalit, Y . Wongnongwa, C. Prommin, S. Nutanong, S. Namuangruk, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2023, 15, 12936–12945
2023
-
[37]
Q. Zhou, M. Zhang, B. Zhu, Y . Gao, Nanomaterials 2022, 12, 2557
2022
-
[38]
Y . He, F. Chen, G. Zhou, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2024, 26, 14364–14373
2024
-
[39]
H. Sun, L. Li, X. Li, J. Yang, Y . Pang, S. Zheng, ACS Appl. Energy Mater . 2025, 8, 3276–3293
2025
-
[40]
T. Pu, J. Ding, F. Zhang, K. Wang, N. Cao, E. J. M. Hensen, P. Xie, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2023, 62, e202305964
2023
-
[41]
Y. Chen, J. Lin, Q. Pan, X. Liu, T. Ma, X. Wang, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.2023, 62, e202306469
2023
-
[42]
R. Li, D. Wang, Adv. Energy Mater . 2022, 12, 2103564
2022
-
[43]
Y. Gao, B. Liu, D. Wang, Adv. Mater . 2023, 35, 2209654
2023
-
[44]
Zhong, K
M. Zhong, K. Tran, Y . Min, C. Wang, Z. Wang, C. Dinh, P. de Luna, Z. Yu, A.S. Rasouli, P. Brodersen, S. Sun, O. V oznyy, C. Tan, M. Askerka, F. Che, M. Liu, A. Seifitokaldani, Y . Pang, S.C. Lo, A.H. Ip, Z.W. Ulissi, E.H. Sargent Nature, 2020, 581, 178–183
2020
-
[45]
Schran, F
C. Schran, F. L. Thiemann, P. Rowe, E. A. Müller, O. Marsalek, A. Michaelides, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2021, 118, e2110077118
2021
-
[46]
S. Das, U. Raucci, E. Trizio, P. Kang, R. P . P. Neves, M. J. Ramos, M. Parrinello, ACS Catal. 2025, 15, 9785–9792
2025
-
[47]
D. Hou, Y . Horbatenko, S. Ringe, M. Cho, Nat. Commun. 2026, DOI: 10.1038/s41467 -026- 71053-3
-
[48]
Mai, T.C
H. Mai, T.C. Le, D. Chen, D.A. Winkler, R.A. Caruso, Chem. Rev. 2022, 122, 13478−13515
2022
-
[49]
J. Liu, W. Luo, L. Wang, J. Zhang, X. Fu, J. Luo, Adv. Funct. Mater . 2022, 32, 2110748
2022
-
[50]
Zhang, B
N. Zhang, B. Yang, K. Liu, H. Li, G. Chen, X. Qiu, W. Li, J. Hu, J. Fu, Y . Jiang, M. Liu, J. Ye, Small Methods 2021, 5, 2100987
2021
-
[51]
R. Ding, J. Chen, Y . Chen, J. Liu, Y . Bando, X. Wang, Chem. Soc. Rev., 2024, 53, 11390-11461
2024
-
[52]
Ram, A.S
S. Ram, A.S. Lee, S. Lee, S. Bhattacharjee, Chem. Mater . 2025, 37, 3608–3621
2025
-
[53]
R. Ding, Y . Chen, P.C. Chen, R. Wang, J. Wang, Y . Ding, W. Yin, Y . Liu, J. Li, J. Liu, ACS Catal. 2021, 11, 9798–9808
2021
-
[54]
S. Y . Willow, T. H. Park, G. B. Sim, S. W. Moon, S. K. Min, D. C. Yang, H. W. Kim, J. Lee, C. W. Myung, arXiv 2025, arXiv:2510.03046
work page internal anchor Pith review Pith/arXiv arXiv 2025
-
[55]
Mahmood, E
J. Mahmood, E. K. Lee, M. Jung, D. Shin, I. -Y . Jeon, S.-M. Jung, H. -J. Choi, J.-M. Seo, S. -Y . Bae, S.-D. Sohn, N. Park, J. H. Oh, H. -J. Shin, J.-B. Baek, Nat. Commun. 2015, 6, 6486
2015
-
[56]
X. Cao, L. Zhao, B. Wulan, D. Tan, Q. Chen, J. Ma, J. Zhang, Angew. Chem., Int. Ed., 2022, 61, e202113918
2022
-
[58]
F. Pan, B. Li, W. Deng, Z. Du, Y . Gang, G. Wang, Y . Li, Appl. Catal. B Environ. 2019, 252, 240– 249
2019
-
[59]
Jayaramulu, J
K. Jayaramulu, J. Masa, O. Tomanec, D. Peeters, V . Ranc, A. Schneemann, R. Zbořil, W. Schuhmann, R. A. Fischer, Adv. Funct. Mater. 2017, 27, 1700451
2017
-
[60]
C. Bie, H. Yu, B. Cheng, W. Ho, J. Fan, J. Yu, Adv. Mater . 2021, 33, 2003521
2021
-
[61]
J. Masa, W. Xia, M. Muhler, W. Schuhmann, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2015, 54, 10102–10120
2015
-
[62]
J. K. Nørskov, T. Bligaard, J. Rossmeisl, C. H. Christensen, Nat. Chem. 2009, 1, 37–46
2009
-
[63]
Kresse, J
G. Kresse, J. Furthmu ̈ller, Comput. Mater . Sci., 2002, 6, 15–50
2002
-
[64]
J. P. Perdew, K. Burke, M. Ernzerhof, Phys. Rev. Lett., 2002, 77, 3865–3868
2002
-
[65]
Hammer, L
B. Hammer, L. B. Hansen and J. K. Nørskov, Phys. Rev. B: Condens. Matter Mater . Phys., 2002, 59, 7413–7421
2002
-
[66]
M. Ha, D. Y . Kim, M. Umer, V . Gladkikh, C. W. Myung, K. S. Kim, Energy Environ. Sci. 2021, 14, 3455–3468
2021
-
[67]
J. K. Nørskov, J. Rossmeisl, A. Logadottir, L. Lindqvist, J. R. Kitchin, T. Bligaard, H. Jónsson, J. Phys. Chem. B 2004, 108, 17886
2004
-
[68]
T. He, G. Gao, L. Kou, G. Will, A. Du, J. Catal. 2017, 351, 231
2017
-
[69]
BAM -torch: Bayesian Atoms Modeling,
Myung, C. W., et al., “BAM -torch: Bayesian Atoms Modeling,” https://github.com/myung - group/BAM-torch, 2025
2025
-
[70]
Robust Estimation of a Location Parameter,
Huber, P. J., “Robust Estimation of a Location Parameter,” Breakthroughs in Statistics, Springer, 1992, pp. 492–518. Supporting Information Accelerated Discovery of Nitrogen-Coordinated Dual-Atom Hydrogen Evolution Reaction Electrocatalysts via Machine Learning Potentials Yanmei Zang1†*, Hyun Gyu Park1†, Gi Beom Sim1, Tae Hyeon Park1, Ho Jin Lee1, Xiaoron...
1992
discussion (0)
Sign in with ORCID, Apple, or X to comment. Anyone can read and Pith papers without signing in.