Chemical Research in Chinese Universities ›› 2022, Vol. 38 ›› Issue (5): 1123-1138.doi: 10.1007/s40242-022-2224-5

• Reviews • Previous Articles     Next Articles

TiO2-supported Single-atom Catalysts: Synthesis, Structure, and Application

LIU Zailun1, SUN Like1, ZHANG Qitao1, TENG Zhenyuan2, SUN Hongli1, SU Chenliang1   

  1. 1. International Collaboration Laboratory of 2D Materials for Optoelectronics Science and Technology of Ministry of Education, Institute of Microscale Optoelectronics, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, P. R. China;
    2. Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology, Kitakyushu 804-8550, Japan
  • Received:2022-06-30 Online:2022-10-01 Published:2022-10-08
  • Contact: ZHANG Qitao, SU Chenliang E-mail:qitao-zhang@szu.edu.cn;chmsuc@szu.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.21805191, 21972094, 22102102), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(No.2021T140472), the Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation, China(No.2020A1515010982), the Shenzhen Science and Technology Program, China(Nos.20200812122947002, 20200812160737002, RCJC20200714114434086, 827-000421).

Abstract: In recent years, single-atom catalysts(SACs) have attracted increasing attention in catalysis. However, their stability is considerably challenging. As a result, fine-tuning the interaction of metal single atoms(SA) with different types of supports has emerged as an effective strategy for improving their thermal and chemical stabilities. Owing to its non-toxicity, cost-effectiveness, high abundance, and excellent stability, as well as presence of rich, tunable, and reliable anchor sites for metal SA, TiO2 has been extensively explored as a superior support for SACs. In this review, recent advances of TiO2-supported SACs(M1/TiO2) are discussed, and synthetic strategies, structure elucidation, and catalytic applications are summarized. First, the recently developed synthetic strategies for M1/TiO2arehighlighted and summarized, identifying the major challenges for the precise fabrication of M1/TiO2. Subsequently, key characterization techniques for the structure identification of M1/TiO2are discussed. Next, catalytic applications of M1/TiO2 are highlighted, viz. photocatalysis, electrocatalysis, and thermocatalysis. In addition, the mechanism via geometric structures and electronic states of metal centers facilitate catalytic reactions is outlined. Finally, opportunities and challenges of M1/TiO2 in catalysis are discussed, which may inspire the future development of M1/TiO2 for multifunctional catalytic applications.

Key words: Single-atom catalyst, TiO2 support, Synthetic strategy, Characterization, Catalytic application