Reversible Transformation and Distribution Determination of Diverse Pt Single-Atom Species

In single-atom catalysts (SACs), the complexity of the support anchoring sites creates a vast diversity of single-atom species with varied coordination environments. To date, the quantitative distribution of these diverse single-atom species in a given SAC has remained elusive. Recently, CeO₂-supported metal SACs have been extensively studied by modulating their local environments via numerous synthetic strategies. However, owing to the absence of a quantitative description, unraveling the site-specific reactivity and regulating their transformation remain challenging. Here, we show that two distinct Pt/CeO₂ SACs can be reversibly generated by oxidative and nonoxidative dispersions, which contain varied Pt₁O_n-Ce^δ+ single-atom species despite similar Pt charge states and coordination numbers. By means of Raman spectroscopy and computational studies, we semiquantitatively reveal the distribution of diverse Pt₁O_n-Ce^δ+ species in each specific SACs. Remarkably, the minority species of Pt₁O₄-Ce³⁺-O_v accounting for only 14.2% affords the highest site-specific reactivity for low-temperature CO oxidation among the other abundant counterparts, i.e., Pt₁O₄-Ce⁴⁺ and Pt₁O₆-Ce⁴⁺. The second nearest oxygen vacancy (O_v) not only acts synergistically with the nearby active metal sites to lower the reaction barrier but also facilitates the dynamic transformation from six-coordinated to four-coordinated sites during cyclic nonoxidative and oxidative dispersions. This work elucidates the quantitative distribution and dynamic transformation of varied single-atom species in a given SAC, offering a more intrinsic descriptor and quantitative measure to depict the inhomogeneity of SACs.