Single atom gold catalysts for low-temperature CO oxidation

Low-temperature CO oxidation is important for both fundamental studies and practical applications. Supported gold catalysts are generally regarded as the most active catalysts for low-temperature CO oxidation. The active sites are traditionally believed to be Au nanoclusters or nanoparticles in the size range of 0.5-5 nm. Only in the last few years have single-atom Au catalysts been proved to be active for CO oxidation. Recent advances in both experimental and theoretical studies on single-atom Au catalysts unambiguously demonstrated that when dispersed on suitable oxide supports the Au single atoms can be extremely active for CO oxidation. In this mini-review, recent advances in the development of Au single-atom catalysts are discussed, with the aim of illustrating their unique catalytic features during CO oxidation. (C) 2016, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.