“Tripartite-interlocking Strategy” advances the scale-up implementation of single-atom catalysts for energy and environmental engineering

Abstract

Single-atom catalysts (SACs) hold transformative prospect for energy conversion and environmental remediation. However, their translation from laboratory research to engineering application is bottlenecked by severe challenges. In response, this review proposes a “tripartite-interlocking” strategy for advancing the scale-up implementation of SACs. Along the outer loop, tailored design for SACs is performed to solve the problems of synthesis processes and integrated modular reactors application. Subsequently, the tailor-designed SACs dictate the synthetic methods, and the morphology and performance of the synthesized SACs determine modular reactors. Along the inner loop, modular reactors’ requirements for the quality, yield and size of SACs promote the advancement of synthetic methodologies. Additionally, controllable and scalable synthesis materializes the designed SACs and the physical SACs affect the practical application effect. Design, synthesis, and modular reactor interact and modulate mutually, constructing the bidirectional cycle. This review is expected to facilitate the industrial production and engineering applications of SACs.