%0 Journal Article
%A Jung, Hayoon
%A Cha, Gihoon
%A Kim, Hyesung
%A Will, Johannes
%A Zhou, Xin
%A Bad'ura, Zdeněk
%A Zoppellaro, Giorgio
%A Dobrota, Ana S.
%A Skorodumova, Natalia V.
%A Pašti, Igor A.
%A Sarma, Bidyut Bikash
%A Schmidt, Jochen
%A Spiecker, Erdmann
%A Breu, Josef
%A Schmuki, Patrik
%T Cation Vacancies in Ti‐Deficient TiO<sub>2</sub> Nanosheets Enable Highly Stable Trapping of Pt Single Atoms for Persistent Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution
%J Small
%V 21
%N 29
%@ 1613-6810
%C Weinheim
%I Wiley-VCH
%M PUBDB-2025-03681
%P 2502428
%D 2025
%X The stabilization of single-atom catalysts on semiconductor substrates is pivotal for advancing photocatalysis. TiO<sub>2</sub>, a widely employed photocatalyst, typically stabilizes single atoms at oxygen vacancies—sites that are accessible but prone to agglomeration under illumination. Here, we demonstrate that cation vacancies in Ti-deficient TiO<sub>2</sub> nanosheets provide highly stable anchoring sites for Pt single atoms, enabling persistent photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. Ultrathin TiO<sub>2</sub> nanosheets with intrinsic Ti<sup>4+</sup> vacancies are synthesized via lepidocrocite-type titanate delamination and Pt single atoms are selectively trapped within these vacancies through a simple immersion process. The resulting Pt-decorated nanosheets exhibit superior photocatalytic hydrogen evolution performance, outperforming both Pt nanoparticle-loaded nanosheets and benchmarked Pt single-atom catalysts on P25. Crucially, Pt atoms anchored at Ti<sup>4+</sup> vacancies display remarkable resistance to light-induced agglomeration, a key limitation of conventional single-atom photocatalysts. Density functional theory calculations reveal that Pt incorporation into Ti<sup>4+</sup> vacancies is highly thermodynamically favorable and optimizes hydrogen adsorption energetics for enhanced catalytic activity. This work highlights the critical role of cation defect engineering in stabilizing single-atom co-catalysts and advancing the efficiency and durability of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. 
%F PUB:(DE-HGF)16
%9 Journal Article
%R 10.1002/smll.202502428
%U https://bib-pubdb1.desy.de/record/636467