Characterization of Supported Metal Single‐Atom Catalysts

Single-atom catalysts (SACs) often exhibit distinct activity, selectivity, and stability compared with traditional nanocatalysts due to their extremely high surface free energy, unsaturated coordination environment, and the strong interaction between the metal atoms and their support. The development of SACs is highly dependent on the characterization methods with which we investigate them. In this chapter, recent progress on the characterization techniques of SACs is summarized. With the development of transmission electron microscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy, we can directly observe the dispersion of single atoms on the support. Several characterization techniques for the investigation of electronic structures of SACs are summarized. Furthermore, methods to determine the metal mass loading of SACs are briefly introduced. The systematic summarization of characterization techniques for SACs will provide useful experience for the investigation of newly developed SACs.