Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 18, 2026

Synthesis of Metal Nanoparticles Supported on Carbon Nanotube with Doped Co and N Atoms and its Catalytic Applications in Hydrogen Production
Published on: December 6, 2021
Single-atom cocatalysts engineer proton microenvironments for efficient alkaline hydrogen evolution
Guang Yang1,2, Minghao Yang1,2, Zeshuo Meng1,2
1School of Nano Technology and Nano Bionics, University of Science and Technology of China Hefei 230026 China ycui2015@sinano.ac.cn.
Abstract:
Single-atom catalysts (SACs) are traditionally designed as the primary active sites for catalytic reactions. Here, we advance a fundamentally different conceptual framework by redefining single-atom sites as cocatalytic regulators that orchestrate reaction microenvironments rather than directly participating in catalytic turnover. Taking alkaline hydrogen evolution (HER) on Ru nanoparticles as a model reaction, we demonstrate through DFT calculations that Mo, W, and Cr single-atom cocatalysts-although intrinsically poor in hydrogen adsorption-significantly optimize the ΔG H* of neighboring Ru sites. Guided by this prediction, we synthesize Mo-Ru@CNT, which achieves near-zero overpotential at 10 mA cm-2, a Tafel slope of 25.34 mV dec-1, and a turnover frequency of 15.49 s-1 at an overpotential of 100 mV-far exceeding the performance of Ru@CNT without cocatalysts. Multi-scale characterization further revealed that the role of the single-atom cocatalyst extends beyond electronic modulation. The introduction of Mo/W/Cr single-atom sites can in situ generate Brønsted acidic sites during the reaction, regulating the proton concentration near the Ru sites and constructing a proton-enriched acid-like interfacial microenvironment on the Ru surface. This work redefines the functional scope of single-atom materials from active centers to cocatalytic regulators, opening a new design dimension for complex multi-step electrocatalytic reactions.
More Related Videos
10:57Synthesis and Performance Characterizations of Transition Metal Single Atom Catalyst for Electrochemical CO2 Reduction
Published on: April 10, 2018
06:32A Simple, Low-cost, and Robust System to Measure the Volume of Hydrogen Evolved by Chemical Reactions with Aqueous Solutions
Published on: August 17, 2016
Related Concept Videos
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...
Heterogeneous Catalysis
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...
Catalysis
Catalysis
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.