Classical strong metal-support interactions between gold nanoparticles and titanium dioxide.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 29043293.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/sciadv.1700231 and PMC identifier 5640381.
- Licence recorded as CC BY-NC.
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Abstract
Supported metal catalysts play a central role in the modern chemical industry but often exhibit poor on-stream stability. The strong metal-support interaction (SMSI) offers a route to control the structural properties of supported metals and, hence, their reactivity and stability. Conventional wisdom holds that supported Au cannot manifest a classical SMSI, which is characterized by reversible metal encapsulation by the support upon high-temperature redox treatments. We demonstrate a classical SMSI for Au/TiO<sub>2</sub>, evidenced by suppression of CO adsorption, electron transfer from TiO<sub>2</sub> to Au nanoparticles, and gold encapsulation by a TiO <sub><i>x</i></sub> overlayer following high-temperature reduction (reversed by subsequent oxidation), akin to that observed for titania-supported platinum group metals. In the SMSI state, Au/TiO<sub>2</sub> exhibits markedly improved stability toward CO oxidation. The SMSI extends to Au supported over other reducible oxides (Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> and CeO<sub>2</sub>) and other group IB metals (Cu and Ag) over titania. This discovery highlights the general nature of the classical SMSI and unlocks the development of thermochemically stable IB metal catalysts.