Abstract

Heterogeneous catalysts with well-defined structures are the ideal solution to link homogenous and heterogeneous catalysis. However, there are many problems with the limitation in the synthesis of catalysts and the unsatisfactory catalytic selectivity. Herein, we report a novel strategy to assemble two late 3d metal cations (e.g. Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+, Zn2+) into combinations of “dual-atom” within zeolite support in a modular manner, which prevents problems like metal aggregation during the synthesis. With the probe reaction of superoxide dismutation reaction, our catalyst shows comparable activity with the native SOD enzyme. By the further modification of our catalysts, we identify several structural descriptors like the synergistic advantages between two metals and the tertiary structure around the zeolite support. The differences in activity with the different combinations of the dual-atom shows this approach to assemble the “dual-atom” is reliable to precise engineering of solid “dual-atom” catalysts.