Abstract
The transformation of noble metal nanoparticles into atomically dispersed catalysts has been a long-standing goal to enhance metal utilization and regenerate the activity of agglomerated catalysts. Traditional methods, however, often require high temperatures, specific atmospheres, or complex chemical processes. We present a novel photoinduced strategy for atomic dispersion of noble metal nanoparticles under ambient conditions. Experimental and density functional theory calculations reveal that chlorine radicals (•Cl), together with •O2-, promote Pd-Pd bond cleavage. The intermediate [PdCl4]2- species formed adsorbs onto TiO2 via electrostatic interactions and, upon dechlorination, stabilizes into a single-atom Pd1-N2O1 structure. This method is applicable to various noble metals (Pd, Pt, Rh) and different oxide supports (TiO2 and WO3), and significantly enhances the catalytic activity of both commercial Pd/C and industrial waste Pd/C catalysts by 17.8-fold and 26-fold, respectively, in the hydrogenation of styrene. This approach offers a simple, green, and sustainable solution for advancing catalytic technologies.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (22525606, 22176128, 22236005), the Innovation Program of Shanghai Municipal Education Commission (2023ZKZD50), Shanghai Leading Talent Program of Eastern Talent Plan (LJ2023002), Chinese Education Ministry Key Laboratory and International Joint Laboratory on Resource Chemistry, and Shanghai Eastern Scholar Program. “111 Innovation and Talent Recruitment Base on Photochemical and Energy Materials” (No. D18020), Yunnan University Collaborative Innovation Center (Qujing Green Photovoltaic Industry Collaborative Innovation Center), Technology Talent and Platform Plan Project of Yunnan Provincial Department of Science and Technology (202305AF150088), Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Green Energy Chemical Engineering (18DZ2254200). Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Biomimetic Catalysis.
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X.C. and Z.B. proposed the study. X.C. conceived the research, designed the experiments, characterized the samples, and drafted the manuscript. X.C. and K.Z. performed the DFT simulations. Z.B. and X.Q. conceived the research and designed the experiments. Q.Z. and X.Q. were responsible for the STEM characterization. J.Z. and K.Z. conceived the research and performed catalytic evaluation. All the authors discussed the results and participated in writing the manuscript.
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Nature Communications thanks Xiaoqiang An, Andrew Logsdail, who co-reviewed with Igor Kowalec, and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work. A peer review file is available.
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Chen, X., Zhao, Q., Zhang, J. et al. Photoinduced radical-mediated atomic dispersion of noble metal nanoparticles. Nat Commun (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-70742-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-70742-3
