How single-atom catalysts reframe stability as adaptability

Abstract

Single-atom catalysts were initially developed to maximize metal utilization, but they have evolved into a powerful platform for interrogating the fundamental principles of catalysis. Recent studies reveal that their active sites continuously adapt through interactions with supports, defects and reactants. These findings challenge the conventional view of catalyst stability as structural persistence, redefining it as controlled adaptability and opening the way to catalysts that sense, switch and evolve with their reaction environment.