Platinum single atoms greatly enhance superoxide formation in photocatalysis

Researchers from VSB–Technical University of Ostrava, Palacký University, and the Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg have uncovered a groundbreaking mechanism, recently published in the prestigious journal Small. The key to this process lies in single platinum atoms acting as co-catalysts.

“We anchored individual platinum atoms onto the surface of rutile, the crystalline phase of titanium dioxide, using atomic engineering. Our findings reveal that these co-catalysts generate superoxide an order of magnitude faster than pure titanium dioxide or the same material containing platinum nanoparticles. The absence of continuous Pt–Pt bonds alters the electron transfer pathways, leading to preferential superoxide formation as the primary product,” explains Zdeněk Baďura, the lead author of the study, from the Materials-Envi Lab at the Nanotechnology Centre, part of the Center for Energy and Environmental Technologies at VSB-TUO. The researchers further demonstrated that the precise atomic configuration of co-catalysts can completely transform the mechanism of key redox reactions.

Their discovery offers additional major advantages. Compared to conventional nanoparticle-based systems, atomic co-catalysts require significantly smaller amounts of noble metal. This not only lowers production costs but can also match or even exceed existing levels of photocatalytic efficiency. “Our results highlight how the atomic-scale arrangement of metal co-catalysts can play a crucial role in steering reaction pathways. This breakthrough paves the way for more efficient technologies in both environmental protection and the chemical industry,” adds Giorgio Zoppellaro, another co-author of the study and a member of the GlaS-A-Fuels project team.