Catalytically Stable Potassium Single-Atom Solid Superbases

Solid superbases can catalyze diverse reactions under mild conditions, while they suffer from aggregation of basic sites and poor stability during recycling. Here we report a new generation of solid superbases derived from K single atoms (SAs) prepared by a tandem redox strategy. The initial redox reaction takes place between base precursor KNO3 and graphene support, producing K2O at 400 degrees C. Further increasing the temperature to 800 degrees C, the graphene reduces K2O to K anchored by its vacancies, leading to the generation of K SAs (denoted as K-1/G). The source of basicity in the K-1/G is K SAs, and neighboring single atoms (NSAs) possess superbasicity, which is different from conventional basicity originated from oxygen and nitrogen atoms. Due to the superbasicity as well as high dispersion and anchoring of basic sites, the K-1/G shows excellent catalytic activity and stability in transesterification reaction, which is much superior to the reported catalysts.

Automated summary

A new generation of solid superbases derived from K single atoms has been reported. These solid superbases exhibit superbasicity and high dispersion, showing excellent catalytic activity and stability in transesterification reactions.