Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 20, 2026

Experimental Methods for Efficient Solar Hydrogen Production in Microgravity Environment
Published on: December 3, 2019
Frontier-orbital modulation of rhodium single-atom catalysts for enhanced hydrogen evolution
Rouna Jia1,2, Zongyan Liu1,2, Yang Wang3,4
1State Key Laboratory of Tropic Ocean Engineering Materials and Materials Evaluation, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Hainan University, Haikou, China.
None:
Single-atom catalysts (SACs) are promising for hydrogen evolution due to their maximal atomic utilization and discrete energy levels. Modulating metal-support interactions is key to tailoring their activity and stability, yet achieving precise control and mechanistic insight remains challenging and controversial. Here, we construct a rhodium single-atom catalyst model system, with Rh atoms anchored on a series of MoSxSe2-x supports (RhSA-MoSxSe2-x, 0 ≤ x ≤ 2), enabling gradient modulation of metal-support frontier orbital interactions through systematic tuning the anion composition. The elevated lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) of MoSxSe2-x support narrows the energy gap with the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) of Rh atoms, strengthening metal-support orbital hybridization to enhance stability and further amending the LUMO of Rh atoms to optimize both the hydroxide and hydrogen adsorption for high activity. The apex RhSA-MoSSe catalyst, with optimal HOMO-LUMO hybridization, achieves favorable hydrogen evolution reaction activity and stability simultaneously. This work offers fundamental insights into the metal-support frontier orbital interaction in SACs and establishes a rational design framework for high activity and stability electrocatalysis.
More Related Videos
12:08Catalytic Reactions at Amine-Stabilized and Ligand-Free Platinum Nanoparticles Supported on Titania During Hydrogenation of Alkenes and Aldehydes
Published on: June 24, 2022
10:57Synthesis and Performance Characterizations of Transition Metal Single Atom Catalyst for Electrochemical CO2 Reduction
Published on: April 10, 2018
Related Concept Videos
Reduction of Alkenes: Asymmetric Catalytic Hydrogenation
The metal catalyst used can be either heterogeneous or homogeneous. When hydrogenation of an alkene generates a chiral center, a pair of enantiomeric products is expected to form. However, an enantiomeric excess of one of the products can be facilitated using an enantioselective reaction or an...
Heterogeneous Catalysis
Catalysis
Catalysis
Reduction of Alkenes: Catalytic Hydrogenation
Metals like palladium, platinum, and nickel are commonly used in their solid forms — fine powder on an inert surface. As these catalysts remain insoluble in the reaction mixture, they are referred to as heterogeneous catalysts.
The hydrogenation process takes place on the surface of...
Reduction of Alkynes to cis-Alkenes: Catalytic Hydrogenation
Like alkenes, alkynes can be reduced to alkanes in the presence of transition metal catalysts such as Pt, Pd, or Ni. The reaction involves two sequential syn additions of hydrogen via a cis-alkene intermediate.