Oxide-supported precious metals are among the most widely used industrial catalysts. Significant efforts have been placed into developing synthetic protocols to reduce the metal nanoparticle size due to their expense. At the limit of these efforts is the deposition of single precious metal atoms on supports. Due to challenges associated with the synthesis and characterization of single precious metal atoms on oxide supports, reactivity of dispersed metal atoms on oxide supports remains a contentious topic. Here we will describe a catalyst architecture where single Pt and Rh atoms are deposited on very small oxide particles (&lt; 5 nm diameter), effectively minimizing cluster formation, and allowing for characterization of the local structure and reactivity of these species. We will highlight recent results where characterization by microscopy, spectroscopy and theoretical calculations is coupled with detailed experimental mechanistic analysis to understand how these dispersed metal species catalyze chemical reactions.<br/>

Catalyst architecture for stable, atomically dispersed Pt-group metals enables mechanistic analysis of reactivity

255th National Meeting (2018)

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