A Universal Electrochemical Synthetic Strategy for the Direct Assembly of Single‐Atom Catalysts

Abstract

Single‐atom catalysts (SACs) have been one of the frontiers in the field of catalysis in recent years owing to their high atomic utilization and unique electronic structure. To facilitate the practical application of single‐atom, it is vital to develop a sustainable, facile single‐atom preparation method with mass production potential. Herein, a universal one‐step electrochemical synthesis strategy is proposed, and various metal–organic framework‐supported SACs (including Pt, Au, Ir, Pd, Ru, Mo, Rh, and W) are straightforwardly obtained by simply replacing the guest metal precursors. As a proof‐of‐concept, the electrosynthetic Pt‐based catalysts exhibit outstanding activity and stability in the electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). This study not only enriches the single‐atom synthesis methodology, but also extends the scenario of electrochemical synthesis, opening up new avenues for the design of advanced electro‐synthesized catalysts.

Correlating active sites and oxidative species in single-atom catalyzed Fenton-like reactions

“…Compared to the pyrolysis method, the low-temperature synthesis strategy can better regulate the coordination structure of SACs by preserving the coordination characteristics of precursors. 59,157 This approach is promising for constructing SACs with well-defined coordination environments. Typical low-temperature synthesis methods, such as electrodeposition and photodeposition, finely tune the coordination environment of SACs by modifying the properties of surface functional groups.…”

High-valent iron single-atom catalysts for improved overall water splitting via a reduced energy barrier and stabilization of the active center

“…3 Electrochemical water splitting is the most efficient, clean, and environmentally safe strategy for producing green hydrogen among numerous available approaches. 4,5 High electrolytic overpotential is a limitation of commercial water electrolysis, which requires a high cell voltage (1.8–2.0 V). The design of efficient electrocatalytic materials is a key to lowering energy consumption.…”