Surpassing the single-atom catalytic activity limit through paired Pt-O-Pt ensemble built from isolated Pt<sub>1</sub> atoms.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 31444350.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-019-11856-9 and PMC identifier 6707320.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Despite the maximized metal dispersion offered by single-atom catalysts, further improvement of intrinsic activity can be hindered by the lack of neighboring metal atoms in these systems. Here we report the use of isolated Pt<sub>1</sub> atoms on ceria as "seeds" to develop a Pt-O-Pt ensemble, which is well-represented by a Pt<sub>8</sub>O<sub>14</sub> model cluster that retains 100% metal dispersion. The Pt atom in the ensemble is 100-1000 times more active than their single-atom Pt<sub>1</sub>/CeO<sub>2</sub> parent in catalyzing the low-temperature CO oxidation under oxygen-rich conditions. Rather than the Pt-O-Ce interfacial catalysis, the stable catalytic unit is the Pt-O-Pt site itself without participation of oxygen from the 10-30 nm-size ceria support. Similar Pt-O-Pt sites can be built on various ceria and even alumina, distinguishable by facile activation of oxygen through the paired Pt-O-Pt atoms. Extending this design to other reaction systems is a likely outcome of the findings reported here.