Electrostatic polarization in single-atom catalysis

Electrostatic effects induced by oriented electric fields are common in natural enzymatic systems and have been shown to be a novel, clean, and effective "reagent"in single-molecule reactions and at electrochemical interfaces. Single-atom catalysts have the advantage of atomically precise active sites that can structurally mimic bioenzymes and therefore, in principle, could benefit from electric field regulation by localized electrostatic effects. This would be one step further toward the popular concept of artificial "nanozymes."Recently, electrostatic polarization in single-atom catalysis has been experimentally demonstrated to create significant impacts on electrocatalytic processes in a dynamic, precise, and quantitative manner. These findings are encouraging the exploration of mechanism and applications of electrostatic modulation in electrocatalytic sustainable chemistry and green energy technologies. In this perspective, we introduce the origin of electric fields, summarize the methods to regulate the electrostatic polarization behavior in single-atom catalysis, and give a brief outlook on this emerging and promising area of research.