Abstract
Single-atom catalysts (SACs) are advantageous because every active atom is exposed at the surface, ensuring maximum utilization of catalytically active metals. To optimize the effectiveness of SACs, every atomic site needs to contribute to an accelerated reaction and retain this performance over extended use. The state-of-the-art approach for optimizing the catalytic properties of these atomic sites is through metal–support interactions. In this Review, we present the concept of co-catalytic interactions, in which both the single atom and the support are directly involved in catalysis by binding intermediates to enhance and alter the reaction mechanism. The power of this concept is highlighted for a range of important electrocatalytic reactions. First, we investigate the role of single atoms and supports in the reaction mechanism and explore the SAC designs that have successfully enhanced performance. We then discuss the synthetic targets and strategies for producing SACs that achieve co-reactant, functional group or intermediate binding for co-catalyst metal–support interactions. Finally, we offer a perspective on the future of SAC research and on the opportunities in co-catalytic metal–support interactions to further elevate electrocatalytic performance.
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Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge funding under the Australian Research Council’s Discovery Project (R.D.T., DP200100143 and DP230100596; J.J.G., DP210102698), Centre of Excellence (R.D.T., CE230100032) and Training Centre IC210100056 and National Health and Medical Research Council Investigator grant (J.J.G., GNT1196648). S.V.S. acknowledges support from the Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship. They also acknowledge support from Microscopy Australia and the Mark Wainwright Analytical Centre and Electron Microscope Unit at the University of New South Wales.
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L.G., S.V.S. and R.D.T. researched data for the article. L.G. and R.D.T. contributed substantially to the discussion of the content. L.G., J.J.G. and R.D.T. wrote the article. All authors reviewed and/or edited the manuscript before submission.
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Gloag, L., Somerville, S.V., Gooding, J.J. et al. Co-catalytic metal–support interactions in single-atom electrocatalysts. Nat Rev Mater 9, 173–189 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41578-023-00633-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41578-023-00633-2
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