Metal atoms dispersed on the oxide supports constitute a large category of single-atom catalysts. In this review, oxide supported single-atom catalysts are discussed about their synthetic procedures, characterizations, and reaction mechanism in thermocatalysis, such as water–gas shift reaction, selective oxidation/hydrogenation, and coupling reactions. Some typical oxide materials, including ferric oxide, cerium oxide, titanium dioxide, aluminum oxide, and so on, are intentionally mentioned for the unique roles as supports in anchoring metal atoms and taking part in the catalytic reactions. The interactions between metal atoms and oxide supports are summarized to give a picture on how to stabilize the atomic metal centers, and rationally tune the geometric structures and electronic states of single atoms. Furthermore, several directions in fabricating single-atom catalysts with improved performance are proposed on the basis of state-of-the-art understanding in metal-oxide interactions.

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