Arrayed Pt Single Atoms via Phosphotungstic Acids Intercalated in Silicate Nanochannels for Efficient Hydrogen Evolution Reactions

Single-atom catalysts, known for their high activity, have garnered significant interest. Currently, single-atom catalysts were prepared mainly on 2D substrates with random distribution. Here, we report a strategy for preparing arrayed single Pt (Pt₁) atoms, which are templated through coordination with phosphotungstic acids (PTA) intercalated inside hexagonally packed silicate nanochannels for a high single Pt-atom loading of ca. 3.0 wt %. X-ray absorption spectroscopy, high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, in conjunction with the density-functional theory calculation, collectively indicate that the Pt single atoms are stabilized via a four-oxygen coordination on the PTA within the nanochannels’ inner walls. The critical reduction in the Pt-adsorption energy to nearly the cohesive energy of Pt clustering is attributed to the interaction between PTA and the silicate substrate. Consequently, the transition from single-atom dispersion to clustering of Pt atoms can be controlled by adjusting the number density of PTA intercalated within the silicate nanochannels, specifically when the number ratio of Pt atoms to PTA changes from 3.7 to 18. The 3D organized Pt₁-PTA pairs, facilitated by the arrayed silicate nanochannels, demonstrate high and stable efficiency with a hydrogen production rate of ca. 300 mmol/h/g_Pt─approximately twice that of the best-reported Pt efficiency in polyoxometalate-based photocatalytic systems.