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Updated: Feb 4, 2026

Synthesis and Performance Characterizations of Transition Metal Single Atom Catalyst for Electrochemical CO2 Reduction
Published on: April 10, 2018
Crystal facet engineering of Pt1/Co3O4 single-atom catalysts for highly selective hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde
Liyun Huang1,2, Zheng Zhang1, Qingdi Sun1
1Key Laboratory of Bioinorganic and Synthetic Chemistry of Ministry of Education, Fine Chemical Industry Research Institute, School of Chemistry, IGCME, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China. hexiaohui@mail.sysu.edu.cn.
Abstract:
The catalytic performance of single-atom Pt1/Co3O4 catalysts in the selective hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde (CAL) is systematically investigated with a focus on crystal facet effects. Three distinct Co3O4 morphologies-cubic (Co3O4-c), truncated octahedral (Co3O4-t), and octahedral (Co3O4-o)-are synthesized to expose different facets. Among them, Pt1/Co3O4-c exhibits superior selectivity (78.1% towards cinnamyl alcohol) and conversion (97.8%) under mild conditions. Structural characterization methods combined with density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the exposed (100) facets in Co3O4-c promote stronger electron transfer to Pt single atoms, enhancing the preferential hydrogenation of the CO bond over the CC bond. These findings provide valuable insights into facet-dependent electronic modulation in single-atom catalysis, facilitating the rational design of efficient catalysts for selective hydrogenation.
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