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Updated: Jan 15, 2026

Synthesis and Performance Characterizations of Transition Metal Single Atom Catalyst for Electrochemical CO2 Reduction
Published on: April 10, 2018
Designing single-atom catalysts: bridging metal-support interaction and adsorption energy optimization
Huaizhen Cui1,2, Jiaqi Zhang1, Chen Chen1
1Engineering Research Center of Advanced Rare Earth Materials, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University Beijing 100084 China cchen@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn.
Abstract:
Single-atom catalysts (SACs) offer exceptional potential for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), yet their practical application is hindered by an incomplete understanding of structure-activity relationships at the atomic scale. Traditional descriptors fail to fully explain the adsorption behavior of key oxygen intermediates, creating a fundamental gap in catalyst design. This review addresses this limitation by introducing a "structure-adsorption" framework that clarifies how metal-support interactions (MSIs) can be tuned through coordination engineering, such as spin configuration, axial coordination, and atomic distance. Our analysis demonstrates that optimal OER activity arises from a balance between orbital hybridization and electrostatic effects, providing clear design principles for next-generation SACs aimed at sustainable energy conversion.
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