Selectively Coupling Ru Single Atoms to PtNi Concavities for High‐Performance Methanol Oxidation via <i>d</i>‐Band Center Regulation
Fanpeng Kong, Xiaozhi Liu, Yajie Song, Zhengyi Qian, Junjie Li, Lei Zhang, Geping Yin, Jiajun Wang, Dong Su, Xueliang Sun
Abstract
Abstract Single atom tailored metal nanoparticles represent a new type of catalysts. Herein, we demonstrate a single atom‐cavity coupling strategy to regulate performance of single atom tailored nano‐catalysts. Selective atomic layer deposition (ALD) was conducted to deposit Ru single atoms on the surface concavities of PtNi nanoparticles (Ru‐ca‐PtNi). Ru‐ca‐PtNi exhibits a record‐high activity for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) with 2.01 A mg −1 Pt . Also, Ru‐ca‐PtNi showcases a significant durability with only 16 % activity loss. Operando electrochemical Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and theoretical calculations demonstrate Ru single atoms coupled to cavities accelerate the CO removal by regulating d ‐band center position. Further, the high diffusion barrier of Ru single atoms in concavities accounts for excellent stability. The developed Ru‐ca‐PtNi via single atom‐cavity coupling opens an encouraging pathway to design highly efficient single atom‐based (electro)catalysts.