Single-Atom Catalysis

Single-atom catalysis, also known as catalysis by single-atom catalysts (SACs), has gained a lot of interest recently as a novel development in the heterogeneous catalysis area. SACs are projected to be able to bridge the heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysis since they possess the benefits of both types of catalysts. Prof. Zhang Tao and colleagues' significant 2011 study was the first to use the phrase "single-atom catalysis." The catalysis community has been progressively coming around to this idea in recent years, and it has opened up new possibilities. Catalysis using a "single-atom catalyst" (SAC), also known as a catalyst that only has isolated single atoms scattered on a support, is referred to as single-atom catalysis. In contrast to common heterogeneous catalysts, which have a variety of active sites, the most significant structural characteristic of SACs is their isolated, individual atoms dispersed on the support, which not only maximises the metal's atomic efficiency but also provides more uniform, well-defined active sites. For many processes, this makes SACs more active and selective than typical heterogeneous nanocatalysts, and it causes them to behave like homogeneous catalysts in terms of local structure and catalytic activity.