A heterogeneous ruthenium catalyst
consisting of isolated single
atoms and disordered clusters stabilized in a N-doped carbon matrix
has been synthesized with very good activity and remarkable regioselectivity
in the hydroformylation of 1-hexene. The role of the nitrogen heteroatoms
has been probed essential to increase the catalyst stability and activity,
enabling the stabilization of Ru(II)–N sites according to X-ray
photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and XANES. Intrinsic size-dependent
activity of Ru species of different atomicity has been extracted,
correlating the observed reaction rate and the particle size distribution
determined by means of aberration-corrected high-angle annular dark-field
scanning transmission electron microscopy, permitting the identification
of single-atom sites as the most active ones. This catalyst appears
as a promising alternative with respect to its heterogeneous counterparts,
paving the way for designing improved Ru heterogeneous catalysts.
Atomically dispersed catalysts (ADCs) have recently drawn considerable interest for use in water electrolysis to produce hydrogen, because they allow for maximal utilization of metal species, particularly the expensive and...
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