Resolving the puzzle of single-atom silver dispersion on nanosized γ-Al2O3 surface for high catalytic performance

Fei Wang, Jinzhu Ma, Shaohui Xin, Qiang Wang, Jun Xu, Changbin Zhang (), Hong He and Xiao Cheng Zeng ()
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Fei Wang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Jinzhu Ma: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Shaohui Xin: University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
Qiang Wang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Jun Xu: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Changbin Zhang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Hong He: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Xiao Cheng Zeng: University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Nature Communications, 2020, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Ag/γ-Al2O3 is widely used for catalyzing various reactions, and its performance depends on the valence state, morphology and dispersion of Ag species. However, detailed anchoring mechanism of Ag species on γ-Al2O3 remains largely unknown. Herein, we reveal that the terminal hydroxyls on γ-Al2O3 are responsible for anchoring Ag species. The abundant terminal hydroxyls existed on nanosized γ-Al2O3 can lead to single-atom silver dispersion, thereby resulting in markedly enhanced performance than the Ag cluster on microsized γ-Al2O3. Density-functional-theory calculations confirm that Ag atom is mainly anchored by the terminal hydroxyls on (100) surface, forming a staple-like local structure with each Ag atom bonded with two or three terminal hydroxyls. Our finding resolves the puzzle on why the single-atom silver dispersion can be spontaneously achieved only on nanosized γ-Al2O3, but not on microsized γ-Al2O3. The obtained insight into the Ag species dispersion will benefit future design of more efficient supported Ag catalysts.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-13937-1

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