Controlling second coordination sphere effects in heterogeneous catalysis A molecular approach

A critical step towards a carbon-neutral society is minimizing the ecological footprint of the energy and chemical sectors. The speed of this transition is dependent on the development of better catalysts to lower the energy input and increase selectivity of catalytic processes, for example. Taking from all catalysis disciplines, heterogeneous, homogeneous, and biocatalysis, this dissertation focuses on implementing and understanding of second coordination sphere effects around supported single-atom catalysts.
Overall, this dissertation shows the importance of controlling second coordination sphere effects in single-atom catalysis, and several strategies to achieve this are described. By synthesizing well-defined catalysts and performing detailed catalytic studies, a thorough understanding of the structure-performance relationships was provided. We hope that this motivates others to pursue in this direction focussing on the critical steps towards a carbon-neutral society.