A strong international collaboration between Professor Thomas Vosegaard from the Department of Chemistry and iNANO at Aarhus University, and colleagues from ETH Zurich and ENS Lyon, has led to significant advances in NMR methodology thereby enabling the study of so-called SACs (single-atom catalysts) at a molecular level. This will lead to rational design strategies for future SACs.

SACs represent a rapidly advancing class of catalytic materials where isolated metal atoms are atomically dispersed on well-defined supports. This maximises atom efficiency by exposing nearly all metal atoms as active sites. SACs bridge the gap between homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis by combining the high activity and selectivity of molecular catalysts with the thermal and mechanical stability of solid catalysts. Their unique structure allows for efficient catalytic reactions with minimal use of precious metals, making SACs highly attractive for sustainable chemistry and industrial applications.

In this paper, Thomas and co-workers use ¹⁹⁵Pt solid-state NMR spectroscopy to identify the best type of support for dispersed Pt-atoms. The resulting spectra serve as detailed fingerprints, revealing the coordination environments specific to each SAC. This new NMR approach lays the foundation for optimising SACs by tracking how different synthesis parameters and reaction conditions influence atomic coordination.

Congratulations to Thomas and co-workers!

Link to the scientific article:
Coordination environments of Pt single-atom catalysts from NMR signatures

Kontakt
Professor Thomas Vosegaard
Aarhus Universitet
Institut for Kemi
Email: tv@chem.au.dk