Isolated single metal atoms or small clusters dispersed on high-surface-area supports have recently demonstrated remarkable activity and selectivity for a variety of catalytic reactions. The interaction of the deposited metal atoms or clusters with the support surface forms new ensembles that provide unique catalytic properties. One of the challenges in developing supported single atom catalysts (SACs) is the identification of the geometric location of the single atoms with respect to the support surface structure and the electronic property of the surface ensembles. Anchoring of the isolated single metal atoms or small clusters onto the surfaces of the supports is critical. Aberration-corrected electron microscopy techniques have proved to be invaluable for unambiguously identifying the nature of the metal dispersion and the structural relationship between the isolated single metal atoms/clusters and the surface atomic structure of the supports. Recent characterization of isolated individual metal atoms/clusters and their interactions with crystalline support surfaces provide new insights into the stability of supported metal single atoms/clusters. The challenges in fully understanding the nature of supported metal single atoms/clusters include the electron transfer processes and the vertical location of the individual metal atoms with respect to the surface atoms of the support materials. Imaging of noble metal single atoms/clusters on various types of metal oxide supports and the catalytic performances of the corresponding catalysts will be discussed [*].<br/> <br/>*This work was supported by the start-up fund of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences of Arizona State University and the National Science Foundation under CHE-1465057. The author acknowledges the use of facilities in the John M. Cowley Center for High Resolution Electron Microscopy at Arizona State University.

Challenges in characterizing the nature of supported single atoms and clusters

251st National Meeting (2016)

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