Atomic-Level Design and Understanding of Hydroxyl-Mediated Ag Sites with Catalytic Versatility

Regulating the size of active centers in catalysts exerts a profound effect on their activity and selectivity. Here, we demonstrate a strategy for precise control over the size of Ag species on Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>, enabling the 2%Ag/Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> catalyst to be tailored for various catalytic reactions. Building on the mechanism wherein hydroxyl groups serve as anchoring sites for Ag, we synthesized hydroxyl-rich Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> supports and subsequently reduced the hydroxyl content through roasting. This approach allowed Ag species to exist on the Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> surface as isolated atoms, clusters, or nanoparticles. As the Ag size increased from single atoms to clusters and nanoparticles, the catalyst's O<sub>2</sub> activation ability was progressively enhanced, leading to significant performance variations in the O<sub>2</sub>-involved reactions. Notably, the synthesis of this hydroxyl-rich support is facile and reproducible. Our findings offer valuable insights into the rational design of supported Ag catalysts with controllable active center sizes for diverse catalytic applications.

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Publication Details

Journal
Journal of the American Chemical Society
Published
2025-08-11
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.5c09620
Citations
10
Primary Topic
Catalytic Processes in Materials Science
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
5.18

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article

Atomic-Level Design and Understanding of Hydroxyl-Mediated Ag Sites with Catalytic Versatility

Zhao Li, Jiayu Feng, Fudong Liu, Shaohua Xie et al.
10 citations
Journal of the American Chemical Society
Catalytic Processes in Materials Science
5.18
article

Atomic-Level Design and Understanding of Hydroxyl-Mediated Ag Sites with Catalytic Versatility

Zhao Li, Jiayu Feng, Fudong Liu, Shaohua Xie, Kai Li, Fei Wang, Ping Ning, Yuxuan Xie, Chunxue Wang, Yixing Ma, Xin Sun, Hong He, Changbin Zhang
article en
10 citations

Abstract

Regulating the size of active centers in catalysts exerts a profound effect on their activity and selectivity. Here, we demonstrate a strategy for precise control over the size of Ag species on Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>, enabling the 2%Ag/Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> catalyst to be tailored for various catalytic reactions. Building on the mechanism wherein hydroxyl groups serve as anchoring sites for Ag, we synthesized hydroxyl-rich Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> supports and subsequently reduced the hydroxyl content through roasting. This approach allowed Ag species to exist on the Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> surface as isolated atoms, clusters, or nanoparticles. As the Ag size increased from single atoms to clusters and nanoparticles, the catalyst's O<sub>2</sub> activation ability was progressively enhanced, leading to significant performance variations in the O<sub>2</sub>-involved reactions. Notably, the synthesis of this hydroxyl-rich support is facile and reproducible. Our findings offer valuable insights into the rational design of supported Ag catalysts with controllable active center sizes for diverse catalytic applications.

Journal of the American Chemical SocietyVol. 147(33)
University of California, Riverside (US), Kunming University of Science and Technology (CN), Minzu University of China (CN), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), University of California System (US), Department of the Environment (GB), Metallurgical Research Institute (RO), State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control (CN), Division of Materials Science and Engineering (AU), Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences (CN), Department of Energy and Environment (US), University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, University of California, Riverside
Life in Land
Openalex Percentile: Top 4%
Catalytic Processes in Materials Science
5.18
DOISourceOpenAlex
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