On-surface synthesis of tailored organic platforms for single metal atoms

Recent advances in nanomaterials have pushed the boundaries of nanoscale fabrication to the limit of single atoms, particularly in heterogeneous catalysis. Single atom catalysts, comprising minute amounts of transition metals dispersed on inert substrates, have emerged as prominent materials in this domain. However, overcoming the tendency of these single atoms to cluster beyond cryogenic temperatures and precisely arranging them on surfaces with desired local environments pose significant challenges. Employing organic templates for orchestrating and modulating the activity of single atoms holds promise. Here, we introduce an on-surface synthesis of a single atom platform wherein atoms are firmly anchored to specific coordination sites distributed along carbon-based polymers. These platforms exhibit atomic-level structural precision and stability, even at elevated temperatures, offering arrays of undercoordinated metal centers as model active sites for single-atom catalysis. We theoretically reveal the pronounced ability of these architectures to coordinate several gas molecules and experimentally visualize their interaction with CO and CO<sub>2</sub>. Fine-tuning the structure and properties of the coordination sites offers unparalleled flexibility in tailoring functionalities, thus opening avenues for previously untapped potential in catalytic applications.

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Publication Details

Journal
Nature Communications
Published
2025-12-03
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-66171-3
Primary Topic
Surface Chemistry and Catalysis
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

On-surface synthesis of tailored organic platforms for single metal atoms

Andres Ortega‐Guerrero, Amogh Kinikar, Marco Di Giovannantonio, N. Zema et al.
Nature Communications
Surface Chemistry and Catalysis
article

On-surface synthesis of tailored organic platforms for single metal atoms

Andres Ortega‐Guerrero, Amogh Kinikar, Marco Di Giovannantonio, N. Zema, Takatsugu Onishi, Román Fasel, Luca Persichetti, Conor Hogan, Roland Widmer, Akimitsu Narita, Xiushang Xu, Carlo A. Pignedoli, Luca Camilli
article en

Abstract

Recent advances in nanomaterials have pushed the boundaries of nanoscale fabrication to the limit of single atoms, particularly in heterogeneous catalysis. Single atom catalysts, comprising minute amounts of transition metals dispersed on inert substrates, have emerged as prominent materials in this domain. However, overcoming the tendency of these single atoms to cluster beyond cryogenic temperatures and precisely arranging them on surfaces with desired local environments pose significant challenges. Employing organic templates for orchestrating and modulating the activity of single atoms holds promise. Here, we introduce an on-surface synthesis of a single atom platform wherein atoms are firmly anchored to specific coordination sites distributed along carbon-based polymers. These platforms exhibit atomic-level structural precision and stability, even at elevated temperatures, offering arrays of undercoordinated metal centers as model active sites for single-atom catalysis. We theoretically reveal the pronounced ability of these architectures to coordinate several gas molecules and experimentally visualize their interaction with CO and CO<sub>2</sub>. Fine-tuning the structure and properties of the coordination sites offers unparalleled flexibility in tailoring functionalities, thus opening avenues for previously untapped potential in catalytic applications.

Nature CommunicationsVol. 16(1)
University of Rome Tor Vergata (IT), University of Bern (CH), Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (JP), Institute of Structure of Matter (IT), Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (CH)
National Science Foundation, European Commission, Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe AISBL, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Swedish Orphan Biovitrum, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, RIKEN, National Center of Competence in Research Materials’ Revolution: Computational Design and Discovery of Novel Materials
Openalex Percentile: Top 63%
Surface Chemistry and Catalysis
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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