Single-atom Zr promoter boosts oxygen activation on ceria-supported Pt catalysts.

Huang, Weixin; Xu, Hao; Deng, Yang; Lin, Shih-Wei; Pham, Hien N; Zhang, Rui; Jiang, Dong; Zhang, Zihao et al. · Nat Commun · 2025

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Activation of surface lattice oxygen and chemisorbed oxygen on catalyst surfaces constitutes a pivotal step in heterogeneous oxidative catalysis. Herein, we report a strategy for enhancing oxygen activation by rational design of catalysts with single-atom promoters. Single-site Zr species in CeO<sub>2</sub> (Zr<sub>1</sub>-CeO<sub>2</sub>) are synthesized using the atom-trapping method. The Zr<sub>1</sub>-CeO<sub>2</sub>-supported Pt catalyst exhibits enhanced catalytic performance over the CeO<sub>2</sub>-supported Pt catalyst in the oxidation of CO, C<sub>3</sub>H<sub>8</sub>, and C<sub>3</sub>H<sub>6</sub>, achieving significantly lower T<sub>50</sub> values (temperature required to reach 50% conversion). This enhanced catalytic activity is attributed to the formation of an asymmetric Zr<sub>1</sub>-O-Pt<sub>1</sub> structure, which favors the activation of the adjacent surface lattice oxygen and chemisorbed molecular oxygen. This work exemplifies that incorporating single-site atoms into oxide support facilitates oxygen activation, providing new insights into the role of atomically dispersed promoters in heterogeneous catalysis.