Electronic metal-support interactions in single-atom catalysts

Abstract

The synthesis of single-atom catalysts and the control of the electronic properties of catalytic sites to arrive at superior catalysts is a major challenge in heterogeneous catalysis. A stable supported single-atom silver catalyst with a controllable electronic state was obtained by anti-Ostwald ripening. An electronic perturbation of the catalytic sites that is induced by a subtle change in the structure of the support has a strong influence on the intrinsic reactivity. The higher depletion of the 4d electronic state of the silver atoms causes stronger electronic metal-support interactions, which leads to easier reducibility and higher catalytic activity. These results may improve our understanding of the nature of electronic metal-support interactions and lead to structure-activity correlations. Electronic metal-support interactions (EMSI): A supported single-atom silver catalyst with a controllable electronic state has been developed. An electronic perturbation of the catalytic sites that is induced by subtle changes in the structure of the support has a crucial influence on the intrinsic reactivity of the catalyst. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.