Enhancing the robustness of rhodium single-atom catalysts for styrene hydroformylation through carbon nitride doping

Rh single-atom catalysts (SACs) have recently attracted significant attention as highly active heterogeneous catalysts for the hydroformylation of olefins. Despite the potential of these systems to become an alternative to the commercial and highly efficient homogeneous Rh and Co catalysts, leaching, an important drawback of SACs, still needs to be addressed. In this study, we have developed a series of Rh SACs supported on heteroatom (P or/and B)-doped carbon nitride for the hydroformylation of styrene and investigated the effects of heteroatom-doping on the catalytic performance. The developed Rh SACs selectively promoted the reaction and exhibited superior durability against Rh leaching to a dopant-free counterpart catalyst.