Docking single metal sites by ion templating towards catalytic acetylene hydrochlorination

The spatial distribution of active sites in metal-supported catalysts is intrinsically governed by the competitive interplay between metal-metal and metal-support interactions. Conventional stabilization strategies fail to achieve atomic dispersion and suppress sintering when metallic cohesive forces dominate. Herein, alkali metal ions (Li + , Na + , and K + ) were employed as sacrificial single-ion templates to construct well-defined Au–N coordination microenvironments on carbon supports via a synergistic co-solidification strategy, followed by chemical leaching to eliminate the templates. These generated docking sites facilitate the precise allocation of isolated Au single sites, thereby constructing a thermally stable architecture that effectively resists aggregation. In addition, the local pyridinic Au–N coordination strengthens the adsorption of key reaction intermediates, thereby enhancing catalytic performance in acetylene hydrochlorination. Consequently, a high acetylene conversion of 92.3% and a vinyl chloride selectivity of up to 99.0% are simultaneously achieved, along with excellent long-term operational durability exceeding 160 h. Overall, this work provides a general and facile strategy to anchor single-site metal catalysts on activated carbon supports, mitigating aggregation and enabling high-performance catalysis with long-term stability.