Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 18, 2026

Tuning Oxide Properties by Oxygen Vacancy Control During Growth and Annealing
Published on: June 9, 2023
Tuning Reaction Pathways by Controlling Atomic Assembly on Oxide Clusters
Chenliang Ye1,2, Zhiguo Wang1, Zhiming Li2,3
1Hebei Key Laboratory of Energy Storage Technology and Integrated Energy Utilization, North China Electric Power University, Baoding, Hebei, China.
None:
Precisely controlling the assembly of atomic sites on oxide clusters (< 1 nm) represents an expanded yet challenging strategy for tuning catalytic performance. Here, we construct two well-defined model catalysts, single-atomic Pt on CuOx clusters (Pt1-CuOx/CN) and triple-atomic Pt on CuOx clusters (Pt3-CuOx/CN), and employ methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) as a probe to unravel the role of atomic assembly in governing catalytic mechanisms. Pt1-CuOx/CN enables a CO-free pathway, achieving an ultrahigh formate selectivity of 80%-99% over a wide potential window (0.6-1.0 V vs. RHE). In contrast, Pt3-CuOx/CN follows a hybrid pathway involving both formate and CO routes, delivering significantly higher mass activity than that of Pt1-CuOx/CN and the commercial Pt/C, alongside high resistance to CO poisoning. Isolated Pt sites in Pt1-CuOx/CN impose a prohibitively uphill free-energy change for the key *COH intermediate (2.15 eV), effectively suppressing CO generation. Conversely, triangular Pt sites in Pt3-CuOx/CN form a robust electronic localization center via deep 5d orbital hybridization, facilitating d→π* electron back-donation and stabilizing *COH adsorption in a triple hollow-site configuration, lowering the limiting free-energy requirement for the CO pathway. This work reveals the role of atomic-scale assembly on oxide clusters in dictating catalytic mechanism and performance, opening new avenues for precise design of advanced electrocatalysts.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Reaction Mechanisms: Rate-limiting Step Approximation
Introduction to Mechanisms of Enzyme Catalysis
Introduction to Mechanisms of Enzyme Catalysis
Reaction Mechanisms
For instance, the decomposition of ozone appears to follow a mechanism with two steps:
E2 Reaction: Kinetics and Mechanism
Heterogeneous Catalysis

