In situ spectroscopy-guided engineering of rhodium single-atom catalysts for CO oxidation

Surface vacancy on PtTe2 for promoting CO oxidation through efficiently activating O2

Platinum group metal dichalcogenides (PtTe₂) with controllable thickness have been synthesized and confirmed to be promising electric and spintronic materials. Here, using the first-principles calculations, we demonstrate the potential application of PtTe₂ as catalyst substrate. Taking CO oxidation as model reaction, the importance of surface vacancy is clarified. It is found that surface vacancy on PtTe₂ could improve the stability and catalytic activity of the supported Pt atom. The details of CO oxidation processes indicate that surface vacancy could weaken the adsorption of reactants and speed up the formation and decomposition of OOCO intermediate on Pt catalysts. The underlying mechanisms for the improved activity are unveiled through comprehensively analyzing the charge transfer, density of states, and charge density difference. We hope that the current findings were beneficial for the research and development of efficient catalysts by collocating various single atom/cluster catalysts with different platinum group metal dichalcogenides.

A highly active Rh1/CeO2 single-atom catalyst for low-temperature CO oxidation

Rh₁/CeO₂ SAC is highly active for CO oxidation, which exhibits a high TOF of 0.41 s⁻¹via the Mars–van Krevelen mechanism.

Nanocluster and single-atom catalysts for thermocatalytic conversion of CO and CO2

We highlight different aspects of single-atom and nanocluster catalysts for CO₂ reduction and CO oxidation, including synthesis, dynamic restructuring, and trends in activity and selectivity.

Atomic site electrocatalysts for water splitting, oxygen reduction and selective oxidation

This review summarized the fabrication routes and characterization methods of atomic site electrocatalysts (ASCs) followed by their applications for water splitting, oxygen reduction and selective oxidation.

Versatile Applications of Metal Single-Atom @ 2D Material Nanoplatforms

Recently, emerging 2D material-supported metal single-atom catalysts (SACs) are receiving enormous attention in heterogeneous catalysis. Due to their well-defined, precisely located metal centers, unique metal-support interaction and identical coordination environment, these catalysts serve as excellent models for understanding the fundamental issues in catalysis as well as exhibiting intriguing practical applications. Understanding the correlations between metal-support combinations and the catalytic performance at the atomic level can be achieved on the SACs@2D materials nanoplatforms. Herein, recent advances of metal SACs on various types of 2D materials are reviewed, especially their exciting applications in the fields of chemicals, energy, and the environment. Based on the summary and perspectives, this work should contribute to the rational design of perfect metal SACs with versatile properties.

Reduction of N2O by H2 Catalyzed by Keggin-Type Phosphotungstic Acid Supported Single-Atom Catalysts: An Insight from Density Functional Theory Calculations

In the present paper, the mechanisms of N₂O reduction by H₂ were systemically examined over various polyoxometalate-supported single-atom catalysts (SACs) M₁/PTA (M = Fe, Co, Mn, Ru, Rh, Os, Ir, and Pt; PTA = [PW₁₂O₄₀]^3-) by means of density functional theory calculations. Among these M₁/PTA SACs, Os₁/PTA SAC possesses high activity for N₂O reduction by H₂ with a relatively low rate-determining barrier. The favorable catalytic pathway involves the first and second N₂O decomposition over the Os₁/PTA SAC and hydrogenation of the key species after the second N₂O decomposition. Molecular geometry and electronic structure analyses along the favorable reaction pathway indicate that a strong charge-transfer cooperative effect of metal and support effectively improves the catalytic activity of Os₁/PTA SAC. The isolated Os atom not only plays the role of adsorption and activation of the N₂O molecule but also works as an electron transfer medium in the whole reaction process. Meanwhile, the PTA support with very high redox stability has also been proven to be capable of transporting the electron to promote the whole reaction. We expect that our computation results can provide ideas for designing new SACs for N₂O reduction by using H₂ selective catalytic reduction technology.