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Updated: Oct 5, 2025

Synthesis and Performance Characterizations of Transition Metal Single Atom Catalyst for Electrochemical CO2 Reduction
Published on: April 10, 2018
Modulating the Local Coordination Environment of Single-Atom Catalysts for Enhanced Catalytic Performance in
Gracita M Tomboc1, Taekyung Kim1, Sangmin Jung1
1Department of Chemistry and Research Institute for Natural Sciences, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea.
Abstract:
Single-atom catalysts (SACs) hold the promise of utilizing 100% of the participating atoms in a reaction as active catalytic sites, achieving a remarkable boost in catalytic efficiency. Thus, they present great potential for noble metal-based electrochemical application systems, such as water electrolyzers and fuel cells. However, their practical applications are severely hindered by intrinsic complications, namely atom agglomeration and relocation, originating from the uncontrollably high surface energy of isolated single-atoms (SAs) during postsynthetic treatment processes or catalytic reactions. Extensive efforts have been made to develop new methodologies for strengthening the interactions between SAs and supports, which could ensure the desired stability of the active catalytic sites and their full utilization by SACs. This review covers the recent progress in SACs development while emphasizing the association between the regulation of coordination environments (e.g., coordination atoms, numbers, sites, structures) and the electrocatalytic performance of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The crucial role of coordination chemistry in modifying the intrinsic properties of SACs and manipulating their metal-loading, stability, and catalytic properties is elucidated. Finally, the future challenges of SACS development and the industrial outlook of this field are discussed.
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