Top-down strategy has been widely applied for synthesis of metal single atom catalysts (SACs) via converting metal nanoparticles or bulk metals into atomically dispersed species. Here, we report a simple electrochemical atomic migration strategy for top-down synthesis of SACs via a facile cathodic corrosion process without involving high temperature or harsh atmosphere. Atoms of metal nanoparticles on cathode are firstly disbanded under high negative voltage, and emitted into the electrolyte in the form of atomic metal anions in Zintl phase. The escaped atomically dispersed metal species are then oxidized by water molecules and captured by the defects on the pre-added nitrogen doped carbon carriers in the electrolyte. This cathodic corrosion strategy is confirmed to be suitable for scalable synthesis of kinds of metal SACs (e.g., Pt, Pd, and Ir) on doped carbon materials. Typically, the as-prepared nitrogen doped carbon powder supported Pt SACs exhibit superior catalytic activity toward hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) with a low overpotential of 0.024 V at 10 mA·cm⁻² and a low Tafel slope of 29.7 mV·dec⁻¹ as well as a long-term durability.

自上而下的策略已广泛应用于通过将金属纳米颗粒或块体金属转化为原子分散的物质来合成金属单原子催化剂（SAC）。在这里，我们报告了一种简单的电化学原子迁移策略，通过简单的阴极腐蚀过程自上而下合成 SAC，而不涉及高温或恶劣的气氛。阴极上的金属纳米粒子的原子首先在高负电压下解离，并以Zintl相的原子金属阴离子的形式发射到电解质中。然后，逃逸的原子分散的金属物质被水分子氧化，并被电解质中预先添加的氮掺杂碳载体上的缺陷捕获。这种阴极腐蚀策略被证实适用于在掺杂碳材料上大规模合成各种金属 SAC（例如 Pt、Pd 和 Ir）。通常，所制备的氮掺杂碳粉负载的Pt SAC对析氢反应（HER）表现出优异的催化活性，在10 mA·cm ^{-2下具有0.024 V的低过电势和29.7 mV·dec -1}的低塔菲尔斜率以及长期的耐用性。