CeO2(111)和CeO2(100)的界面调控合成及在Pt(111)上的结构转变

氧化铈基催化材料在催化反应中存在显著的晶面效应,为了在分子尺度上理解其催化化学,需要可控合成具有明确表面结构的氧化铈.因此,我们研究了Pt(111)上氧化铈纳米结构和薄膜的生长.人们通常使用金属-氧化物之间的强相互作用来解释Pt/CeO_x催化剂上的催化过程,然而对于Pt与CeO_x之间的强相互作用仍旧缺乏原子尺度上的了解.我们的结果表明, Pt与氧化铈之间的相互作用可以影响氧化铈的表界面结构,这可能会进而影响Pt/CeO_x催化剂的性质.在Pt(111)上生长的氧化铈薄膜通常暴露CeO_2(111)表面.我们发现Pt(111)表面厚度在三层以内的氧化铈薄膜,其结构是高度动态且随着退火温度升高而变化的,这种动态结构变化可归因于Pt和氧化铈间的界面电子作用.当氧化铈薄膜的厚度增大到三层以上,其负载的氧化铈团簇开始表现出迥异于三层以下氧化铈纳米岛的优异的热稳定性,表明Pt与CeO_x之间的界面电子作用主要影响厚度在三层以内的氧化铈纳米结构.采用常规的反应沉积方法难以获得完全覆盖Pt(111)衬底的规整氧化铈薄膜,而我们通过采取一种两步的动力学限制生长方法,制备出了完全覆盖Pt(111)衬底的氧化铈薄膜.对于Pt(111)上厚度约为3-4层的氧化铈薄膜,在超高真空中于1000 K退火会导致氧化铈薄膜表面形成CeO_2(100)结构.这是因为高温还原促进了c-Ce_2O_3(100)缓冲层的形成,该缓冲层被Pt的界面电子转移以及相匹配的超晶格所稳定,并进一步成为顶层CeO_2(100)结构生长的模板.进一步在900 K的氧气中处理则可将薄膜CeO_2(100)表面完全转变为CeO_2(111)表面.因此, Pt(111)上氧化铈纳米岛和薄膜所展现的结构动态变化是由Pt-CeO_x界面作用与氧化铈层间作用相互竞争所决定.本研究提供了对氧化铈负载Pt催化剂的原子级理解,虽然Pt/CeO_2催化剂活性增强的原因常被简单归结于界面强相互作用,我们的研究在原子尺度上进一步表明Pt/CeO_2在还原条件下易形成界面Ce_2O_3层.此外,本研究提供了不同晶面二氧化铈模型催化剂的构筑方法,可将对氧化铈晶面效应和Pt/CeO_x催化剂的研究推进到分子尺度.     

聚乙酰苯胺修饰碳纳米管载铂催化剂对甲醇电催化氧化

以原位化学聚合的聚乙酰苯胺/多壁碳纳米管(PAANI-MWCNTs)复合纳米材料作为载体,采用硼氢化钠还原法将Pt纳米粒子担载到PAANI-MWCNTs复合纳米材料表面,制备了Pt/PAANI-MWCNTs复合纳米催化剂.样品的结构和形貌用紫外-可见(UV-Vis)光谱、拉曼光谱、扫描电镜(SEM)、透射电镜(TEM)和X射线衍射(XRD)进行了表征.结果表明,聚乙酰苯胺与碳纳米管之间存在较强的π-π相互作用,使其能牢固地吸附于多壁碳纳米管表面,对碳纳米管的结构完整性和导电性有一定的改善作用.同时,金属Pt纳米颗粒较为均匀地分散在PAANI-MWCNTs表面,粒径分布范围较窄.采用循环伏安法和计时电流法在酸性溶液中研究了Pt/PAANI-MWCNTs催化剂对甲醇的电催化氧化活性,结果表明Pt/PAANI-MWCNTs复合纳米催化剂比用混酸处理的碳纳米管载铂催化剂对甲醇呈现出更高的电催化氧化活性和更好的抗中毒能力及稳定性.     

载体对Pt，Pd催化氧还原反应影响的DFT研究

针对Pt,Pd对氧气还原（ORR）催化活性随着载体从C到TiO2改变而发生变化的实验现象,采用密度泛函方法（DFT）从理论角度研究了C和TiO2载体对Pt和Pd催化氧还原活性的影响。首先,在外加电场情况下,计算了电子给体（催化剂）与受体（氧气）之间轨道对称性,能级差以及轨道重叠程度。发现与C（110）载体相比,TiO2（110）载体可以有效地增大Pd／TiO2 HOMO轨道的空间尺寸,克服了Pd／C的HOMO与O2的LUMO空间尺寸悬殊,重叠性小,因而电子转移的困难。其次,计算了ORR中间物种（Oads）在不同催化剂表面的吸附能,发现Oads在Pt／TiO2上的吸附能大于Pd／TiO2。计算的差分电子密度与分态密度显示,由于Pt与TiO2（110）表面Ti的强相互作用,增强了Oads的吸附,阻碍了ORR后续反应的进行;而Pd与TiO2表面。的强相互作用,则削弱了中间物种Oads在Pd上的吸附,使ORR后续反应顺利进行,成功地解释了为什么氧还原反应在Pd／TiO2上好于Pt／TiO2上的量子化学根源。研究显示：TiO2担载的Pt、Pd催化剂上催化ORR的活性比C担载的小,既有催化剂颗粒尺度和分散性的原因,也有电子学和量子化学方面的原因,通过增加TiO2载体的氧空位或掺杂以提高TiO2的导电性、提高金属在TiO2载体上的分散度,能够进一步提高Pd／TiO2催化氧还原反应的活性。     

Ag担载对TiO2光催化活性的影响

 采用光化学沉积法合成了Ag/TiO2光催化剂,以苯酚降解反应考察了光催化剂活性随Ag担载量的变化,用TEM观察了Ag在TiO2表面的分布与形貌,以漫反射紫外-可见光谱(DRS)分析了不同Ag担载量的光催化剂的光谱特征. 结果表明,适宜担载量的Ag可显著提高TiO2的光催化活性. TEM观察显示,Ag在TiO2表面形成纳米级团簇结构,随Ag担载量的增加,团簇尺寸增大. DRS分析表明,Ag的担载对TiO2紫外区域的光谱特征没有影响. 根据Ag团簇的能级随其几何尺寸的变化分析了Ag担载量的变化对TiO2光催化活性的影响机理.     

甲醇重整反应中Pt/Y-Al2O3催化剂纳米Pt粒径与催化性能关系研究

利用硝基甲烷还原法在室温条件下得到了纳米Pt粒径可控的担载Pt/γ-Al2O3催化剂,并利用甲醇重整反应为反应探针考察了Pt粒径与催化反应性能之间的关系,发现催化反应的性能与担载贵金属颗粒粒径之间存在明显的相关性.通过透射电镜(TEM)、X射线衍射(XRD)、程序升温还原(TPR)等测试手段对催化剂进行表征,发现钠米Pt的粒径大小不但影响甲醇重整反应的活性,同时也影响反应的选择性,即催化剂的催化性能与担载贵金属粒径之间存在明显的尺度效应.     

甲醇重整反应中Pt/γ-Al_2O_3催化剂纳米Pt粒径与催化性能关系研究

利用硝基甲烷还原法在室温条件下得到了纳米Pt粒径可控的担载Pt/γ-Al2O3催化剂,并利用甲醇重整反应为反应探针考察了Pt粒径与催化反应性能之间的关系,发现催化反应的性能与担载贵金属颗粒粒径之间存在明显的相关性.通过透射电镜(TEM)、X射线衍射(XRD)、程序升温还原(TPR)等测试手段对催化剂进行表征,发现钠米Pt的粒径大小不但影响甲醇重整反应的活性,同时也影响反应的选择性,即催化剂的催化性能与担载贵金属粒径之间存在明显的尺度效应.     

室温液相还原法制备纳米Pt/Al2O3催化剂及其催化性能的研究

在室温条件下利用甲醛还原法，制备了Pt粒径可控纳米颗粒并担载于γ-Al2O3载体上的Pt／γ-Al2O3催化剂．利用甲醇重整反应为探针反应．考察了Pt粒径与催化反应性能之间的关系，发现催化反应的性能与担载贵金属粒径之间存在明显的相关性．结合透射电镜(TEM)表征结果与甲醇水蒸气重整(SRM)性能．发现纳米Pt的粒径大小不但影响甲醇重整反应的活性．同时也影响反应的选择性，即催化剂的性质与担载贵金属粒径之间存在明显的尺度效应．     

光电化学水氧化用多孔单晶金红石TiO2纳米棒阵列光阳极的设计和构建

光电化学电池(如染料敏化太阳能电池、量子点敏化太阳能电池以及光电化学水分解电池)是实现太阳能转化及存储的有效手段之一.其中,光电极是光电化学电池的核心组成部分,它集光吸收、光生电荷输运及转移等决定光转化效率的关键过程于一身,因此构筑高活性半导体光电极以实现高效太阳能转化利用引起研究者广泛关注.多孔TiO2纳米颗粒堆垛薄膜光阳极因具有大的比表面积,可提供更多的染料(量子点)担载和反应活性位点,在光电化学电池中表现出优异活性而被广泛研究.然而, TiO2纳米颗粒间大量存在的晶界对光生电荷有较强的散射作用,降低了光生电荷的收集效率.英国牛津大学Snaith研究小组利用模板辅助水热过程首次获得了(001)晶面占优的多孔单晶锐钛矿TiO2微米颗粒,这种多孔单晶TiO2微米颗粒在具有大比表面积的同时,其单晶结构还能有效去除晶界对电荷的散射作用,因而具有优异的电荷输运特性.利用这种多孔单晶TiO2微米颗粒组建的光阳极用于染料敏化太阳能电池中,展现出优异的太阳能光电转化性能.受该工作启发,各种形貌的多孔单晶TiO2微米颗粒作为光催化剂和光电化学分解水用光阳极材料被广泛研究,并表现出优异活性.在单晶微米颗粒堆垛成的薄膜光电极中,虽然单个单晶微米颗粒中晶界对电荷的散射作用被有效抑制,但是单晶颗粒间的晶界仍然存在并影响光生电荷的收集效率.为了彻底抑制晶界对光生电荷的散射作用,每个单晶颗粒都应该贯穿整个薄膜,例如一维TiO2纳米棒单晶阵列薄膜.虽然一维单晶阵列薄膜能够有效提高光生电荷的收集效率,但相对于多孔薄膜具有较小的比表面积,限制了担载染料(量子点)和反应位点的数量.为了增大TiO2单晶纳米棒阵列薄膜的比表面积,目前主要的手段包括调控纳米棒长径比、表面修饰TiO2纳米颗粒以及二次生长构建TiO2枝晶阵列.本文首次提出通过制备多孔单晶TiO2纳米棒单晶阵列薄膜来获得高比表面积和高光生电荷收集效率的光阳极,提高光电化学电池的效率.在透明导电薄膜(FTO)表面利用水热生长TiO2纳米棒阵列薄膜之前,预先在FTO基体上沉积一层SiO2球密堆模板, TiO2纳米棒单晶阵列在从FTO表面向上生长过程中,会将SiO2球模板包裹进TiO2纳米棒中,再通过碱溶液将SiO2球模板溶解,首次在FTO基体上原位生长出多孔单晶TiO2纳米棒阵列薄膜.将所得多孔单晶金红石TiO2纳米棒阵列薄膜作为光电化学分解水电池光阳极,其光电化学分解水活性相对于实心单晶金红石TiO2纳米棒阵列提高了2.6倍.多孔单晶金红石TiO2纳米棒阵列光阳极性能的提升可归因于：(1)多孔结构赋予多孔单晶金红石TiO2纳米棒阵列薄膜更大的比表面积,可提供更多的反应活性位点;(2)多孔结构能够有效缩短单晶金红石TiO2纳米棒中光生电荷体相输运距离,提高光生电荷的收集效率;(3)多孔结构通过对光多次反射吸收可有效增强光吸收,产生更多光生电荷参与水分解反应;(4)在制备过程中引入Si掺杂,导致多孔单晶金红石TiO2纳米棒带隙扩大了0.1 eV,带隙增大归因于导带位置负移0.1 eV,光生电子具有更强的还原能力,光电流起始电位相应负移约0.1 V.     

甲醇重整反应中Pt/γ-Al2O3催化剂纳米Pt粒径与催化性能关系研究

利用硝基甲烷还原法在室温条件下得到了纳米Pt粒径可控的担载Pt/γ-Al₂O₃催化剂, 并利用甲醇重整反应为反应探针考察了Pt粒径与催化反应性能之间的关系, 发现催化反应的性能与担载贵金属颗粒粒径之间存在明显的相关性. 通过透射电镜(TEM)、X射线衍射(XRD)、程序升温还原(TPR)等测试手段对催化剂进行表征, 发现钠米Pt的粒径大小不但影响甲醇重整反应的活性, 同时也影响反应的选择性, 即催化剂的催化性能与担载贵金属粒径之间存在明显的尺度效应.     

钙钛矿型氧化物负载纳米金属催化剂结构的动态调变及其催化氧化CO反应性能

研究了钛酸钡和钛酸钙担载的Ag和Pt纳米催化剂的表面结构随氧化-还原处理过程的动态变化及其对CO完全氧化反应性能的影响.发现氧化物担载的Ag催化剂在氧化处理后其催化活性较还原处理的高; X射线衍射(XRD)和X射线光电子能谱(XPS)表征结果表明,氧化处理能够提高载体表面Ag颗粒的分散度,而还原处理导致Ag颗粒的聚集,从而降低了催化氧化CO反应的活性.氧化-还原处理改变了担载Ag纳米粒子的尺寸并影响其CO氧化反应活性.与此相反,氧化物担载的Pt催化剂在还原处理后所表现出的CO氧化反应活性较氧化处理的高; 对比研究发现,氧化和还原处理后Pt纳米粒子的尺寸基本相同,但是氧化处理的样品中Pt表面物种以氧化态为主,而还原处理后Pt表面物种主要为金属态.Pt纳米粒子表面化学状态随氧化-还原处理的调变是导致表面催化活性差异的主要原因.     

Tellurium adatoms as an in-situ surface probe of (111) two-dimensional domains at platinum surfaces

Irreversibly adsorbed tellurium has been studied as a probe to quantify ordered domains in platinum electrodes. The surface redox process of adsorbed tellurium on the Pt(111) electrode and Pt(111) stepped surfaces takes place around 0.85 V in a well-defined peak. The behavior of this redox process on the Pt(111) vicinal surfaces indicates that the tellurium atoms involved in the redox process are only those deposited on the (111) terrace sites. Moreover, the corresponding charge density is proportional to the number of sites on (111) ordered domains (terraces) that are, at least, three atoms wide. Hence, this charge density can be used to measure the number of (111) terrace sites on any given platinum sample. Structural information about tellurium adsorption is obtained from atomic-resolution STM images for the Pt(111) and Pt(10, 10, 9) electrodes. A rectangular structure (2 x radical 3) and a compact hexagonal structure (11 x 8) were identified. However, the redox peak for adsorbed tellurium on (100) domains at 1.03 V overlaps with peaks arising from steps and (110) sites. Therefore, it cannot be used without problems for the determination of (100) sites on a platinum sample. On the (100) terraces, the surface structure of the adsorbed tellurium is c(2 x 2), as revealed by STM. Finally, tellurium irreversible adsorption has been used to estimate the number of (111) ordered domains terrace sites on different polycrystalline platinum samples, and the results are compared to those obtained with bismuth irreversible adsorption.     

Effect of the Phase of Titanium Oxide on Metal-Support Interaction

The metal-support interaction in the system of platinum supported on titanium oxides of different crystalline structures was investigated. Titanium oxide powders used as supports were prepared by neutralization of TiOCl₂-analogue solution with either NaOH or NH₃ base at varied pH. Pt was introduced onto the supports by impregnation. The phenomenon of strong metal-support interaction (SMSI) was determined by the suppression of chemisorption of H₂ over samples reduced at 773 K, in comparison with the behavior of samples reduced at 473 K. The loss of adsorption capacity was proved not due to metal sintering by examining the recovery of adsorption capacity after reduction, reoxidation and reduction cycle, accompanied with examination of the size of Pt particle with an x-ray diffractiometer and a transmission-electron microscope. The results showed that SMSI phenomenon was common to Pt supported on titanium oxides of all the varied crystalline structures. However, the chemisorption capacity of Pt reduced at 473 K varied greatly with the sodium content in the supports, which in turns affects the crystalline structure of titanium oxide. These results are attributed mainly to electronic effect endowed by the support.     

Furfuraldehyde hydrogenation on titanium oxide-supported platinum nanoparticles studied by sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy: Acid-base catalysis explains the molecular origin of strong metal-support interactions

This work describes a molecular-level investigation of strong metal-support interactions (SMSI) in Pt/TiO(2) catalysts using sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy. This is the first time that SFG has been used to probe the highly selective oxide-metal interface during catalytic reaction, and the results demonstrate that charge transfer from TiO(2) on a Pt/TiO(2) catalyst controls the product distribution of furfuraldehyde hydrogenation by an acid-base mechanism. Pt nanoparticles supported on TiO(2) and SiO(2) are used as catalysts for furfuraldehyde hydrogenation. As synthesized, the Pt nanoparticles are encapsulated in a layer of poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP). The presence of PVP prevents interaction of the Pt nanoparticles with their support, so identical turnover rates and reaction selectivity is observed regardless of the supporting oxide. However, removal of the PVP with UV light results in a 50-fold enhancement in the formation of furfuryl alcohol by Pt supported on TiO(2), while no change is observed for the kinetics of Pt supported on SiO(2). SFG vibrational spectroscopy reveals that a furfuryl-oxy intermediate forms on TiO(2) as a result of a charge transfer interaction. This furfuryl-oxy intermediate is a highly active and selective precursor to furfuryl alcohol, and spectral analysis shows that the Pt/TiO(2) interface is required primarily for H spillover. Density functional calculations predict that O-vacancies on the TiO(2) surface activate the formation of the furfuryl-oxy intermediate via an electron transfer to furfuraldehyde, drawing a strong analogy between SMSI and acid-base catalysis.     

Oxygen-deficient titania as alternative support for Pt catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction

Insufficient electrochemical stability is a major challenge for carbon materials in oxygen reduction reaction （ORR） due to carbon corrosion and insufficient metal-support interactions. In this work, titania is explored as an alternative support for Pt catalysts. Oxygen deficient titania samples including TiO2-x and TiO2_xNy were obtained by thermal treatment of anatase TiO2 under flowing H2 and NH3, respectively. Pt nanoparticles were deposited on the titania by a modified ethylene glycol method. The samples were characterized by N2-physisorption, X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The ORR activity and long-term stability of supported Pt catalysts were evaluated using linear sweep voltammetry and chronoamperometry in 0.1 mol/L HC104. Pt/TiO2_x and Pt/TiO2_xNy showed higher ORR activities than Pt/TiO2 as indicated by higher onset potentials. Oxygen deficiency in TiO2-x and TiO2-xNy contributed to the high ORR activity due to enhanced charge transfer, as disclosed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy studies. Electrochemical stability studies revealed that Pt/TiOE_x exhibited a higher stability with a lower current decay rate than commercial Pt/C, which can be attributed to the stable oxide support and strong interaction between Pt nanoparticles and the oxygen-deficient TiO2-x support.     

微波辅助溶剂热法制备Pt/石墨烯-TiO2及其催化性能

质子交换膜燃料电池具有比能量高、结构简单、工作温度低、高效清洁和安静无摩擦等优点,是一种非常具有发展前景的电源.燃料电池借用电催化剂把燃料与氧化剂中的化学能转化为电能,通常采用碳粉负载的Pt催化剂.在燃料电池的工作环境下,碳粉载体容易腐蚀和团聚,降低了催化剂活性和稳定性,进而降低了燃料电池的使用寿命.因此,探索高稳定性的催化剂载体有利于提高催化剂的稳定性,促进燃料电池的实用化进程.为增强催化剂载体的抗腐蚀能力,一些金属氧化物如SnO2,WO3,CeO2和TiO2等被用作催化剂载体.其中,TiO2因具有稳定的化学性能以及与金属之间的"强相互作用"而备受研究者关注.但TiO2载体比表面积小和导电能力弱等缺点限制了它在燃料电池中的应用.石墨烯具有卓越的导电性和比表面积,却容易发生团聚.利用TiO2与碳材料间存在的协同作用,将TiO2与石墨烯复合来制备复合载体,能够增强TiO2的导电能力,抑制石墨烯的团聚,提高催化剂载体的化学稳定性和比表面积.本文采用微波辅助溶剂热法制备了石墨烯-TiO2复合载体和Pt/石墨烯-TiO2催化剂,研究了TiO2含量对催化剂活性和稳定性的影响.采用X射线衍射(XRD)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)和透射电子显微镜(TEM)对制备的样品进行了微观结构和成分表征.结果表明,Pt/石墨烯-TiO2催化剂中TiO2为立方状纳米颗粒,粒径约为60 nm,均匀地分布在石墨烯上;Pt纳米粒子倾向于锚定在TiO2与石墨烯之间,而且分布均匀.采用线性伏安扫描(LSV)和循环伏安法(CV)测试了不同TiO2含量的Pt/石墨烯-TiO2催化剂的活性和稳定性.发现TiO2的加入确实能够提高催化剂的稳定性,随着TiO2含量的提高,催化剂稳定性增加.当TiO2含量为20%时,催化剂的起始电压与极限电流均与Pt/C催化剂接近.经过循环伏安扫描3000圈的快速老化测试后,Pt/石墨烯-TiO2催化剂起始电压的负移明显低于Pt/C催化剂,呈现了优良的稳定性和催化活性.     

Catalysis by Using TiO2 Nanoparticles and Nanotubes

TiO2 has attracted considerable attention due to its stability, non-toxicity, low cost, and great potential for use as a photocatalyst in environmental applications. Since strong metal-support interaction (SMSI) of titania-supported noble metals was first reported in 1978, titania supported catalyst has been intensively studied in heterogeneous catalysis. However, the effective catalytic activity was restricted due to the low surface area of TiO2. Recently, TiO2-based nanotubes were extensively investigated because of their potentials in many areas such as highly efficient photocatalysis and hydrogen sensor.In the present study, formation of titanium oxide (TiO2) nanotubes was carried out by hydrothermal method, with TiO2 nanoparticle-powders immersed in concentrated NaOH solution in an autoclave at 110 ℃. Preparation of nano-size Pt on TiO2-nanoparticles or TiO2-nanotubes was performed by photochemical deposition method with UV irradiation on an aqueous solution containing TiO2 and hexachloroplatinic acid or tetrachloroauric acid. The TEM micrographs show that TiO2-nanotubes exhibit ～300 nm in length with an inner diameter of ～ 6 nm and the wall thickness of ～ 2 nm, and homogeneous nanosize Pt particles (～ 2 nm) were well-dispersed on both nanoparticle- and nanotube- titania supports. It also shows the nanotube morphology was retained up2o n Pt-immobilization. Nitrogen adsorption isotherm at 77K resulted a high surface area (～ 200m/g) of TiO2-nanotubes, which is about 40 times greater than that of "mother" TiO2 nanoparticles (～5 m/g). All the spectroscopic results exhibited that the nanotube structure was not significantly affected by the immobilized Pt particles. Ti K-edge XANES spectra of TiO2 nanotube and Pt/TiO2-nanotube represent that most titanium are in a tetrahedral coordination with few retained in the octahedral structure.In the in-situ FT-IR experiments, an IR cell was evacuated to a pressure of 10-5 torr at room temperature as soon as the catalyst-pellet, Pt/TiO2 or Pt/TiO2-nanotube, was placed inside the cell.Then, 60 torr of hydrogen was introduced into the cell and subsequently the temperature was programmed to increase from room temperature to 300℃ at a constant heating rate of 5℃/min.For Pt/TiO2, an IR peak at 2083 em-1 started to appear at 200℃ with a maximum intensity at 250℃ and then decreasing as temperature increased. The 2083 em-1 IR peak corresponds to the linearly adsorption of CO on the well-dispersed Pt sites. Simultaneously, the IR bands of gaseous methane at 3016 em-1 started to appear at 225℃ and the peak intensity increased with temperature. The results reveal that Pt/TiO2 can adsorb gaseous CO2 and further catalyzes the reduction of CO2 by H2 through the intermediate CO, which further produces gaseous methane. While for the Pt/TiO2-nanotube catalyst, methane was produced at relatively low temperature, 100℃, and it catalyzed the direct conversion of CO2 to CH4. The absence of intermediate CO-adsorption signals durinng the temperature programmed process indicates that the prepared TiO2 nanotube-supported nanosize Pt possesses a potent capability for CO2 adsorption and highly catalytic activity in the hydrogenation of CO2, and was superior to the conventional Pt/TiO2 catalyst. The catalytic activity of Pt/TiO2-nanotube was indeed significantly enhanced by the high surface area of TiO2-nanotubes.Details will be discussed.     

Small Au and Pt clusters at the anatase TiO2(101) surface: behavior at terraces, steps, and surface oxygen vacancies

The adsorption properties of Au and Pt metal nanoclusters on TiO2 anatase (101) were calculated using density functional theory. Structures and energetics of adsorbed Au and Pt monomers, dimers, and trimers at clean anatase TiO2(101) terraces and two major step edges, as well as O-vacancies, were systematically determined. The theoretical predictions were tested by vapor-depositing small coverages of Au and Pt on anatase (101) and investigating the resulting clusters with Scanning Tunneling Microscopy. On the clean surface, Au shows a strong tendency to form large clusters that nucleate on step edges. A preference for adsorption at type D-(112) steps is observed, which is probably a result of kinetic effects. For Pt, clusters as small as monomers are observed on the terraces, in agreement with the predicted large binding energy of 2.2 eV. Step edges play a less important role than in the case of Au. Oxygen vacancies, produced by electron irradiation, dramatically influence the growth of Au, while the nucleation behavior of Pt was found to be less affected.     

Local work function of Pt clusters vacuum-deposited on a TiO2 surface

Surface topography and work function maps were simultaneously obtained for Pt-evaporated titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) surfaces by using a Kelvin probe force microscope (KPFM). Platinum clusters with diameters of 2-3 nm and heights of 0.2-0.4 nm were obtained on rutile TiO(2)(110)-(1 x 1) surfaces. The work function on the Pt clusters was smaller than that on the surrounding TiO(2) surface. With the assumption that the work function was perturbed by electric dipole moments created at the Pt-TiO(2) interface, the work function decrease indicates that dipole moments were created at the interface and directed toward the vacuum. Such dipole moments can be formed by electron transfer from the originally neutral Pt atoms to the Ti cations exposed on the (1 x 1) surface. A simple model is constructed by assuming a uniform dipole moment per unit interface area. Using this model, the size-dependent perturbation of the work function can be interpreted. The electrostatic potential is more perturbed above the Pt clusters with a larger interface area since the number density of dipole moments is equal to that of the Ti cations and is uniform. A similar correlation between the work function decrease and interface area was observed for the clusters formed on terraces and on step edges. The work function maps showed no peculiar contribution for Ti atoms exposed at the step edges. Vacuum annealing caused a considerable change in the work function on the clusters. The work function was decreased on some clusters relative to the TiO(2) substrate, while it increased on the other clusters. The atomistic structure of the interface may be modified upon annealing, thus perturbing the electron transfer across the interface.     

A new type of strong metal-support interaction and the production of H2 through the transformation of water on Pt/CeO2(111) and Pt/CeO(x)/TiO2(110) catalysts

The electronic properties of Pt nanoparticles deposited on CeO(2)(111) and CeO(x)/TiO(2)(110) model catalysts have been examined using valence photoemission experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The valence photoemission and DFT results point to a new type of "strong metal-support interaction" that produces large electronic perturbations for small Pt particles in contact with ceria and significantly enhances the ability of the admetal to dissociate the O-H bonds in water. When going from Pt(111) to Pt(8)/CeO(2)(111), the dissociation of water becomes a very exothermic process. The ceria-supported Pt(8) appears as a fluxional system that can change geometry and charge distribution to accommodate adsorbates better. In comparison with other water-gas shift (WGS) catalysts [Cu(111), Pt(111), Cu/CeO(2)(111), and Au/CeO(2)(111)], the Pt/CeO(2)(111) surface has the unique property that the admetal is able to dissociate water in an efficient way. Furthermore, for the codeposition of Pt and CeO(x) nanoparticles on TiO(2)(110), we have found a transfer of O from the ceria to Pt that opens new paths for the WGS process and makes the mixed-metal oxide an extremely active catalyst for the production of hydrogen.     

Ammonia selective oxidation on Pt(100) sites in an alkaline medium

The oxidation of ammonia on platinum surfaces is a structure sensitive reaction that takes place almost exclusively on Pt(100) sites. This report shows how dependent the activity is on different arrangements of (100) sites of platinum. The effect of two-dimensional domains has been addressed by using stepped surfaces having terraces with (100) geometry, either with (111) and (110) steps. The results were compared with those obtained from stepped surfaces having terraces with (111) or (110) symmetry and monatomic (100) steps, thus representing monodimensional (100) domains. The observed behavior confirms the extreme sensitivity of the reaction to the different arrangement of this type of square sites.