Work-Function-Modulated Ag Single-Atom Catalysts for Amino Alcohol Oxidation

Area of Science:

• Catalysis
• Materials Science
• Surface Chemistry

Background:

• Amino alcohol oxidation is crucial for synthesizing amino acids.
• Gold-based catalysts are conventionally used but expensive.
• Developing alternative, cost-effective catalysts is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and synthesize single-atom silver catalysts (Ag1/MOx) for amino alcohol oxidation.
• To investigate the role of metal oxide supports and their work functions in tuning silver catalyst performance.
• To demonstrate an efficient and selective oxidation pathway for producing amino acids.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of Ag1/MOx catalysts using a surface defect trapping strategy.
• Characterization of atomic dispersion and electronic states of silver atoms.
• Evaluation of catalytic activity and selectivity in monoethanolamine oxidation.

Main Results:

• Ag1/MOx catalysts exhibited atomic dispersion with tunable silver electronic states.
• Oxygen vacancies on reducible oxides served as effective anchoring sites for silver atoms.
• The work function of the support modulated silver electron density, influencing O2 activation.
• Achieved an initial rate of 0.81 mol h-1 gmetal-1 and 95.1% glycine selectivity.

Conclusions:

• A work-function-modulated strategy for designing single-atom silver oxidation catalysts was established.
• Ag1/MOx catalysts provide an efficient alternative to gold for amino alcohol oxidation.
• This approach enables the synthesis of amino acids from amino alcohols with high selectivity.