Correlating Single-Atomic Ruthenium Interdistance with Long-Range Interaction Boosts Hydrogen Evolution Reaction Kinetics.

Correlated single-atom catalysts (c-SACs) with tailored intersite metal-metal interactions are superior to conventional catalysts with isolated metal sites. However, precise quantification of the single-atomic interdistance (SAD) in c-SACs is not yet achieved, which is essential for a crucial understanding and remarkable improvement of the correlated metal-site-governed catalytic reaction kinetics. Here, three Ru c-SACs are fabricated with precise SAD using a planar organometallic molecular design and π-π molecule-carbon nanotube confinement.