Dear Colleagues,

All of us dealing with catalysis know the importance of metal particle size and nature in the catalytic performance for promoting numerous chemical processes. Minimizing the size to the nanoscale has represented the breakthrough in catalysis over the last two decades. As a result, nanoclusters of renowned inert metals, such as gold, display surprising size effects on their reactivity. Recent studies have demonstrated that downsizing nanoparticles to sub-nanoscale can further improve their catalytic activity and selectivity in various oxidation and reduction reactions. Nevertheless, sub-nanoclusters still present multiple active centers some of which can promote undesirable side reactions. Developing stable catalysts with well-defined, atomically dispersed active centers, namely single-atom catalysts (SACs), has, therefore, become a major objective.

After initial difficulties related to experimental preparation and characterization, recent technological advances have made it possible to achieve SACs that exhibit extraordinary performance and stability in various chemical processes. These potentially disruptive chemical tools are now approaching practical applications for the production of valued bulk and fine chemicals. This Special Issue “Single-Atom Catalysts Seeking Practical Application: Achievements and Challenges” will present cutting-edge achievements and challenges in this new exciting area of catalysis to a wide readership, from academia and industry.

The editors welcome the latest developments in preparation, characterization, and practical application of SACs in chemical processes of industrial interest. Chemists and materials science scholars are invited to present their contributions as original research papers, short communications, and reviews related to single-atom catalysis approaching practical application.

Dr. Cristina Della Pina
Dr. Rosaria Ciriminna
Dr. Francesco Mauriello
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Catalysts is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• Heterogeneous catalysis
• homogeneous catalysis
• single-atom catalysts
• practical application
• industrial processes
• physicochemical characterization