Advanced Support Materials and Interactions for Atomically Dispersed Noble-Metal Catalysts: From Support Effects to Design Strategies

Indisputably, noble-metal single atom catalysts (SACs) are one of the most popular research topics in the field of catalysis because of their low cost, ultrahigh atomic utilization, and distinctive performance for a wide variety of catalytic reactions. Support materials play a vital role in the preparation and catalytic performance of noble-metal SACs. Thus, diverse support materials have been developed very rapidly and elaborately designed in the last few years. In this review, the support effects in noble-metal SACs are first systematically introduced, including anchoring effects, strong metal-support interactions, and synergistic catalysis effects. Moreover, the most recent advances in support materials are classified and discussed in detail with a focus on their anchoring mechanism. Importantly, design strategies for advanced supports are summarized for guiding the development and utilization of advanced support materials. To conclude possible future research directions for support materials are put forward to help overcome the current issues facing noble-metal SACs.