Direct Synthesis of Atomically Dispersed Palladium Atoms Supported on Graphitic Carbon Nitride for Efficient Selective Hydrogenation Reactions

Heterogeneous catalysts with atomically precise metal sites have enabled unique insight into structure–property relationships in materials science. Herein, we report the construction and selective hydrogenation performance of a single-atom palladium catalyst by confining the palladium atoms into the six-fold N-coordinating cavities of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) through a facile spatial confinement-reduction approach under mild reducing conditions. Spherical aberration correction electron microscopy and extended X-ray absorption fine structure measurements confirm the presence of atomically dispersed palladium atoms stabilized by the g-C3N4 support. Its exceptional catalytic activity was demonstrated by the hydrogenation of styrene (98% conversion, 1.5 h) and furfural (conversion of 64% and selectivity of 99%, 4 h) and hydrodechlorination of 4-chlorophenol (99% conversion and 99% selectivity, 10 min). This palladium catalyst can be reused at least five times with negligible deterioration of its activity. Importantly, the palladium atoms retained their atomic dispersion following the thermal treatment. Moreover, this synthetic method can be scaled up while retaining similar catalytic activity. Fundamental insights are provided to elucidate how the material’s structure significantly impacts the catalytic performance at the atomic scale.