Method for preparing precious metal isolated atoms in solution, and applications thereof

Abstract

A method for the preparation of isolated noble metal atoms in a solution comprises mixing a protective agent, a precious metal compound, and a reducing agent thoroughly. At certain temperature, isolated noble metal atoms are formed after reaction, thereby leading to isolated noble metal atoms which are stable in the solution. Isolated noble metal atoms on solid material surface can be prepared by impregnating a noble metal atom solution onto a solid medium. Alloys and catalysts etc. can be prepared by using the single atoms solution as raw material. The invention achieves, for the first time, the preparation of reduced single atoms in a solution phase. Formation of metal nanoparticles is avoided compared to the conventional synthesis of metal materials in solution phase. Compared with solid surface supported monoatomic materials, this invention allows for the preparation of materials that are characterized by high metal loading and high stability.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.