Promoting Dinuclear-Type Catalysis in Cu

Reducing particle size in supported metal catalysts to single-atom level isolates the active metal sites and maximizes the atomic utilization efficiency. However, the large inter-atom distance, particularly in low-loading single-atom catalyst (SAC), is not favorable for a complex reaction where two (or more) reactants have to be activated. A key question is how to control the inter-atom distances to promote dinuclear-type coactivation at the adjacent metal sites. Here, it is reported that reducing the average inter-atom distance of copper SACs supported on carbon nitride (C