Fig. 1: Schematic and characterization of electrified membranes (EMs).

a Schematic of the spatial confinement effect on EMs. b Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image of the macroscopic pores in EM4. c SEM image of the densely fabricated nanosheets on the EMs. d HAADF-STEM image of Ru/TiO2−x nanocatalyst and the corresponding elemental mapping images. e HAADF-STEM image of the single-atom (SA) Ru species on TiO2−x nanosheets, where some of the SAs are highlighted by orange circles. f High-resolution Ru 3d XPS spectrum of the EMs. g Pore sizes of the EMs determined by mercury intrusion method. h XRD patterns of the EMs. i LSV curves of the EMs with different pore sizes. Electrolyte: 0.1 M Na2SO4.