Confined-interface-directed synthesis of Palladium single-atom catalysts on graphene/amorphous carbon

By Jiangbo Xi, Hongyu Sun, Zheye Zhang, Xianming Duan, Junwu Xiao, Fei Xiao, Limin Liu, Shuai Wang. Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 2018

157 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Abstract The maximized atomic efficiency of supported catalysts is highly desired in heterogeneous catalysis. Therefore, the design and development of active, stable, and atomic metal-based catalysts remains a formidable challenge. To tackle these problems, it is necessary to investigate the interaction between single atoms and supports. Theoretical calculations indicate that the Pd binding strength is higher on graphene/amorphous carbon (AC) than that on graphene or AC substrate. Based on these predictions, we present a facile confined-interface-directed synthesis route for the preparation of single-atom catalysts (SACs) in which Pd atoms are well-dispersed on the interface of double-shelled hollow carbon nanospheres with reduced graphene oxide (RGO) as the inner shell and AC as the outer shell. Owing to the synergetic effect of the RGO/AC confined interface and the atomically dispersed Pd, the as-made RGO@AC/Pd SAC achieves the maximum atomic efficiency (catalytic activity) of Pd species and exhibits an excellent stability in chemical catalysis. This confined-interface-directed synthesis method provides a novel direction to maximize the atomic efficiency, improve the activity, and enhance the stability of metal-based catalysts.

Subfields: Materials Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/60eb7e4b29dbd0e0cbd6c72c4f895c0e4c4aee44