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Single-atom catalysts characterized by their novel electronic configurations and exceptional atomic utilization efficiency have emerged as potential alternatives to costly noble metal catalysts, garnering extensive research attention in various electrocatalytic fields. However, the inherent characteristics of single metal centers constrain their further application in catalyzing multi-electron reactions. In contrast, multi-atom catalysts (MACs), particularly dual-atom catalysts (DACs), possess multiple active metal sites that can significantly enhance catalytic performance through synergistic effects. This review summarizes recent developments in multi-atom catalysts, focusing on synthesis methods, design strategies, and the correlation between interatomic synergy and catalytic efficiency. Furthermore, we discuss their applications in key electrochemical reactions, including the hydrogen evolution reaction, oxygen reduction reaction, and oxygen evolution reaction. Finally, we outline the opportunities and challenges in this field to guide the development of high-efficiency catalysts for sustainable energy conversion applications.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/molecules30132818 | DOI Listing |
Molecules
June 2025
National Energy Key Laboratory for New Hydrogen-Ammonia Energy Technologies, Foshan Xianhu Laboratory, Foshan 528200, China.
Single-atom catalysts characterized by their novel electronic configurations and exceptional atomic utilization efficiency have emerged as potential alternatives to costly noble metal catalysts, garnering extensive research attention in various electrocatalytic fields. However, the inherent characteristics of single metal centers constrain their further application in catalyzing multi-electron reactions. In contrast, multi-atom catalysts (MACs), particularly dual-atom catalysts (DACs), possess multiple active metal sites that can significantly enhance catalytic performance through synergistic effects.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdv Mater
June 2025
Intelligent Polymer Research Institute, Innovation Campus, University of Wollongong, Squires Way, North Wollongong, NSW, 2500, Australia.
Multi-atom cluster (MACs) catalysts have recently attracted significant research interest for their potential to catalyze multi-electron reactions through cooperative interactions among adjacent active sites. However, the controllable synthesis of MACs and the electrocatalytic mechanism understanding of their synergistic effects remain challenging. Herein, we develop a defect engineering strategy to anchor bimetallic SnCu atomic clusters at defective graphene (SnCu-DG) via carbon defect-mediated atomic trapping, wherein edge defects act as confined reactors for cluster nucleation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAngew Chem Int Ed Engl
May 2025
Laboratory of Advanced Materials, State Key Laboratory of Porous Materials for Separation and Conversion, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China.
Photoreduction of CO using copper-based multi-atom catalysts (MACs) offers a potential approach to achieve value-added C products. However, achieving MACs with high metal contents and suppressing the thermodynamically favored competing ethylene production pathway remain challenging, thus leading to unsatisfactory performance in ethanol production. Herein, we developed a "pre-locking and nanoconfined polymerization" strategy for synthesis of an ultra-high-density Cu MAC with low-coordination triangular Cu motifs (Cu MAC) on polymeric carbon nitride mesoporous nanofibers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNat Nanotechnol
October 2024
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Single-atom catalysts (SACs) have attracted considerable research interest owing to their combined merits of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts. However, the uniform and isolated active sites of SACs fall short in catalysing complex chemical processes that simultaneously involve multiple intermediates. In this Review, we highlight an emerging class of catalysts with adjacent binary active centres, which is called integrative catalytic pairs (ICPs), showing not only atomic-scale site-to-site electronic interactions but also synergistic catalytic effects.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Bull (Beijing)
August 2024
Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria (Ministry of Education)/Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Pollution Control, Carbon Neutrality Interdisciplinary Science Center, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350,
The interplay between multi-atom assembly configurations and single atoms (SAs) has been gaining attention in research. However, the effect of long-term range interactions between SAs and multi-atom assemblies on the orbital filling characteristics has yet to be investigated. In this context, we introduced copper (Cu) doping to strengthen the interaction between cobalt (Co) nanoparticles (NPs) and Co SAs by promoting the spontaneous formation of Co-Cu alloy NPs that tends toward aggregation owing to its negative cohesive energy (-0.
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