Functional CeO_x nanoglues for robust atomically dispersed catalysts

Area of Science:

• Catalysis
• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Single-atom catalysts offer high efficiency but suffer from poor stability due to sintering.
• Existing anchoring methods on oxide supports can limit active sites or still lead to sintering.
• High temperatures and reducing conditions exacerbate catalyst instability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance the stability and reactivity of single-atom catalysts.
• To develop a general strategy for confining atomically dispersed metals.
• To overcome the limitations of current single-atom catalyst designs.

Main Methods:

• Confining atomically dispersed platinum (Pt) atoms on cerium oxide (CeO_x) nanoclusters ('nanoglues').
• Immobilizing these nanoglue islands onto a high-surface-area silica (SiO₂) support.
• Evaluating catalyst stability under oxidizing and reducing conditions at high temperatures.

Main Results:

• Platinum atoms remained dispersed on CeO_x nanoglues even at high temperatures.
• The catalyst exhibited significantly enhanced activity for carbon monoxide (CO) oxidation.
• Improved stability under reducing conditions was attributed to strong Pt-CeO_x affinity and nanoglue confinement.

Conclusions:

• The nanoglue strategy effectively confines single atoms, enhancing catalyst stability and reactivity.
• This approach offers a generalizable method for advancing single-atom catalyst applications.
• The findings move single-atom catalysts closer to practical industrial use.