Integrating Dual-Single-Atom Moieties with N, S Co-Coordination Configurations for Oxidative Cascaded Catalysis.

Oxidation reaction is of critical importance in chemical industry, in which the primary O 2 activation step still calls for high-performance catalysts. Here, a newly developed precise locating carbonization strategy for the fabrication of 21 kinds of dual-metal single-atom catalysts with N, S co-coordinated configurations is reported. As is exemplified by CoN 3 S 1 /CuN 4 @NC, systematical characterizations and in situ observations imply the atomic CoN 3 S 1 and CuN 4 sites immobilized on N-doped carbon, over which the remarkable electron redistribution originating from their unsymmetrical coordination configurations. Impressively, the obtained CoN 3 S 1 /CuN 4 @NC exhibits unprecedented capability in O 2 activation and enables a spontaneous process through its dynamic configuration, significantly outperforming the CoN 4 /CuN 4 @NC and CoN 3 S 1 @NC counterparts. Hence, the CoN 3 S 1 /CuN 4 @NC shows attractive performance in domino synthesis of natural flavone and 19 kinds of derivatives from benzyl alcohol, 2'-hydroxyacetophenone, and corresponding substituted substrates via aerobic oxidative coupling-dehydrogenation. Detailed reaction mechanisms and molecule behaviors over CoN 3 S 1 /CuN 4 @NC are also investigated through in situ experiments and simulations.