Do you know about single-atom catalysis? ? ? ?
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Catalysis is a core technology in the chemical industry, having a profound impact on the development of human society and modern science; the Nobel Prize has been awarded 8 times to those who have made contributions in the field of catalysis. Academician Li Yadong said that the concept of catalysis was introduced in the 19th century, while catalysts saw widespread application in the 20th century and began to benefit humanity. The ammonia synthesis catalyst produced fertilizer, while the Ziegler-Natta catalyst led to the creation of plastics. Currently, catalytic processes also play a key role in industries such as petrochemicals and coal chemicals. There are many types of catalysis, including heterogeneous catalysis and homogeneous catalysis, among which about 90% of catalytic processes fall under heterogeneous catalysis. “The single-atom catalysis, also known as single-atom site catalysis, which is what I am currently researching, refers to a process in which the active sites responsible for catalysis are located on individual atoms; it is a single-site catalytic process. Currently, it is mainly applied to nanoparticle catalysts in heterogeneous catalysis, with the aim of significantly improving the utilization efficiency of metal atoms. ”Academician Li Yadong explained that, of course, this type of single-center catalytic phenomenon also exists in homogeneous catalysis, where it is known as single-molecule catalysis. This catalytic method is not yet widely recognized. Compared to traditional nanocatalysts, single-atom catalysts exhibit higher atomic utilization and activity. “If we compare active sites to chairs, traditional nanocatalysis is akin to many people sitting on a row of chairs and undergoing reactions, whereas single-atom catalysis allows only one molecule or functional group to adsorb on each chair and react. ”Academician Li Yadong provided a visual explanation of the single-atom catalysis process. Single-atom catalysis is a method that allows for more precise control over chemical reactions; theoretically, it enables 100% atom utilization, thereby significantly increasing the yield and selectivity of reaction products. In fact, researchers initially did not focus on single-atom catalysis; they were engaged in research related to nanocatalysis. However, during the research on gold nanocatalysts, researchers discovered the existence of single-atom catalysts. In one experiment, the originally uniform gold nanoparticles underwent agglomeration after the reaction. These particles assumed a monatomic state on the inner walls of the flask and exhibited catalytic activity. As a result of this accidental discovery, Academician Li Yadong began to engage in research on single-atom catalysts in 2015.
The concept of single-atom catalysts has been proposed for many years, but no systematic progress or development has taken place; the key issue lies in the lack of simple and feasible methods for synthesizing such catalysts. In the nearly decade of research that followed, Academician Li Yadong, drawing on the experience accumulated over several decades in the synthesis of nanomaterials, led his team to systematically develop synthetic methods for single-atom catalysts that are designable, controllable, and universal. This method has enabled the large-scale synthesis of single-atom catalysts with high-loading central metals and uniform microstructures; the team has also used this method to develop a toolkit based on single-atom catalysts. After tens of thousands of experiments, they managed to convert almost all of the important catalytic elements in the periodic table into single-atom catalysts. Currently, this toolbox is largely complete, containing hundreds of single-atom catalysts. “If discovering single-atom catalysts during experiments and conducting experimental validation was our first step in the field of single-atom catalysis, then developing synthetic methods and creating a toolbox is our second step. Now, we are working on the third step: achieving the large-scale industrial application of single-atom catalysts. ”Academician Li Yadong said. As Academician Li Yadong said, single-atom catalysts have demonstrated excellent performance already at the laboratory stage, and the intermediate and early stages of research on single-atom catalysis have been largely completed. It is an urgent task to work together with the industry to promote the industrial application of catalysts. “Our traditional Chinese medicine shop is now ready, and it’s time to prescribe treatments based on the different symptoms of various diseases. ”He said it humorously. Academician Li Yadong gave an example: “For instance, the exhaust gas purifiers used in current fuel-powered vehicles are mainly nanocatalysts. If single-atom catalysis technology is employed, it can significantly reduce usage costs and more effectively cut down pollutant emissions.” ” So, how far is single-atom catalysis from large-scale industrial application at present? \"It can be said that the era of industrialization of single-atom catalysis has already begun.\" The pilot tests for the automotive exhaust catalyst mentioned above, as well as for the lubricating oil hydrogenation catalyst, are currently in progress. If everything goes well, an evaluation of the results could take place by the end of this year, enabling the establishment of larger-scale demonstration facilities. Optimistically, within the next two to three years, single-atom catalysis will achieve large-scale industrial application in related fields. ” “However, we must also be aware that despite significant progress in the research of single-atom catalysts, there are still some technical challenges, including catalyst stability, large-scale production, and cost-effectiveness. ”Academician Li Yadong said. At the end of the interview, Academician Li Yadong said to the journalists, “The discovery and synthetic preparation of single-atom catalysis give us the confidence and hope to challenge humanity’s limits in material science, striving to achieve atomic-level precision manufacturing.” Once industrial demonstration of single-atom catalysis technology is successful, humanity may move from the micro-nano era to a new era of single atoms and single molecules. We hope that this technology will benefit humanity and bring new advantages to academia and the industry. ”