Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Dynamic Behavior of Platinum Atoms and Clusters in the Native Oxide Layer of Aluminum Nanocrystals

Journal Article · · ACS Nano
Strong metal–support interactions (SMSIs) are well-known in the field of heterogeneous catalysis to induce the encapsulation of platinum (Pt) group metals by oxide supports through high temperature H2 reduction. However, demonstrations of SMSI overlayers have largely been limited to reducible oxides, such as TiO2 and Nb2O5. In this report we show that the amorphous native surface oxide of plasmonic aluminum nanocrystals (AlNCs) exhibits SMSI-induced encapsulation of Pt following reduction in H2 in a Pt structure dependent manner. Reductive treatment in H2 at 300 °C induces the formation of an AlOx SMSI overlayer on Pt clusters, leaving Pt single-atom sites (Ptiso) exposed available for catalysis. The remaining exposed Ptiso species possess a more uniform local coordination environment than has been observed on other forms of Al2O3, suggesting that the AlOx native oxide of AlNCs presents well-defined anchoring sites for individual Pt atoms. This observation extends our understanding of SMSIs by providing evidence that H2-induced encapsulation can occur for a wider variety of materials and should stimulate expanded studies of this effect to include nonreducible oxides with oxygen defects and the presence of disorder. It also suggests that the single-atom sites created in this manner, when combined with the plasmonic properties of the Al nanocrystal core, may allow for site-specific single-atom plasmonic photocatalysis, providing dynamic control over the light-driven reactivity in these systems.
Research Organization:
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR); Arnold O. and Mabel Beckman Foundation; National Science Foundation (NSF); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Chemical Sciences, Geosciences & Biosciences Division (CSGB)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-76SF00515
OSTI ID:
2323394
Journal Information:
ACS Nano, Journal Name: ACS Nano Journal Issue: 8 Vol. 18; ISSN 1936-0851
Publisher:
American Chemical Society (ACS)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (77)

High Temperature Interaction in Platinum/Alumina System other June 2013
Strong Metal–Support Interactions between Pt Single Atoms and TiO 2 journal May 2020
Combining STM, RAIRS and TPD to Decipher the Dispersion and Interactions Between Active Sites in RhCu Single‐Atom Alloys journal November 2019
Modelling one- and two-dimensional solid-state NMR spectra: Modelling 1D and 2D solid-state NMR spectra journal December 2001
On the Relation between Particle Morphology, Structure of the Metal-Support Interface, and Catalytic Properties of Pt/γ-Al2O3 journal October 1996
An Experimental Verification of the Physical Nature of Pt Adsorption onto Alumina journal June 1999
The possible reduction of alumina to aluminum using hydrogen journal February 2000
Metal-support interaction in Pt/Al2O3 catalysts journal June 1978
State of dispersion of platinum in alumina-supported catalysts journal January 1978
Modification of the activity of Pt/Al2O3 catalysts for reactions of n-pentane by high-temperature treatment journal January 1982
Metal-support interaction in alumina-supported Pt catalysts journal January 1983
High resolution NMR in metallic samples of 27Al and 9Be journal November 1973
Thermal desorption of gases journal July 1962
Evidence of strong metal-support interaction in alumina-supported platinum catalysts journal May 1984
Modification of the properties of PtAlO catalysts by hydrogen at high temperatures journal August 1979
Platinum nanocrystals supported by silica, alumina and ceria: metal–support interaction due to high-temperature reduction in hydrogen journal June 2003
Use of DFT to achieve a rational understanding of acid?basic properties of ?-alumina surfaces journal August 2004
Study of the interfacial structure of a Pt/α-Al2O3 model catalyst under high-temperature hydrogen reduction journal November 2005
Nature of stable single atom Pt catalysts dispersed on anatase TiO2 journal November 2018
Morphology and size of Pt on Al2O3: The role of specific metal-support interactions between Pt and Al2O3 journal May 2020
Assessing the concept of structure sensitivity or insensitivity for sub-nanometer catalyst materials journal October 2016
Chemical Synthesis of Single Atomic Site Catalysts journal April 2020
Size-Dependent Pt-TiO 2 Strong Metal–Support Interaction journal May 2020
Oxidative Strong Metal–Support Interactions between Metals and Inert Boron Nitride journal April 2021
Aluminum Nanocrystals journal March 2015
Dynamical Observation and Detailed Description of Catalysts under Strong Metal–Support Interaction journal June 2016
Atomic Scale Insight into the Formation, Size, and Location of Platinum Nanoparticles Supported on γ-Alumina journal March 2020
Alcohol-Induced Low-Temperature Blockage of Supported-Metal Catalysts for Enhanced Catalysis journal July 2020
In Situ Strong Metal–Support Interaction (SMSI) Affects Catalytic Alcohol Conversion journal January 2021
Atom-Precise Low-Nuclearity Cluster Catalysis: Opportunities and Challenges journal April 2023
Influence of TiO 2 Bulk Defects on CO Adsorption and CO Oxidation on Au/TiO 2 : Electronic Metal–Support Interactions (EMSIs) in Supported Au Catalysts journal February 2017
Coordinatively Unsaturated Al 3+ Sites Anchored Subnanometric Ruthenium Catalyst for Hydrogenation of Aromatics journal August 2017
Relationship between Atomic Scale Structure and Reactivity of Pt Catalysts: Hydrodeoxygenation of m -Cresol over Isolated Pt Cations and Clusters journal November 2019
Transition-Metal Decorated Aluminum Nanocrystals journal October 2017
Plasmonic Photocatalysis of Nitrous Oxide into N 2 and O 2 Using Aluminum–Iridium Antenna–Reactor Nanoparticles journal June 2019
Monitoring Chemical Reactions with Terahertz Rotational Spectroscopy journal May 2018
Strong metal-support interactions journal November 1987
EXAFS evidence for direct metal-metal bonding in reduced rhodium/titania catalysts journal April 1986
Poisoning titration technique for determining the number of active centers in a supported platinum catalyst journal July 1977
Strong metal-support interactions. Group 8 noble metals supported on titanium dioxide journal January 1978
Interconversion of Atomically Dispersed Platinum Cations and Platinum Clusters in Zeolite ZSM-5 and Formation of Platinum gem-Dicarbonyls journal July 2022
Reversible Transformation of Pt Nanoparticles into Single Atoms inside High-Silica Chabazite Zeolite journal November 2016
Catalyst Architecture for Stable Single Atom Dispersion Enables Site-Specific Spectroscopic and Reactivity Measurements of CO Adsorbed to Pt Atoms, Oxidized Pt Clusters, and Metallic Pt Clusters on TiO 2 journal September 2017
Carbide-Supported Au Catalysts for Water–Gas Shift Reactions: A New Territory for the Strong Metal–Support Interaction Effect journal September 2018
Wet-Chemistry Strong Metal–Support Interactions in Titania-Supported Au Catalysts journal January 2019
Uniformity Is Key in Defining Structure–Function Relationships for Atomically Dispersed Metal Catalysts: The Case of Pt/CeO 2 journal December 2019
Structure and Stability of Aluminum Hydroxides:  A Theoretical Study journal May 2002
Unique Role of Anchoring Penta-Coordinated Al 3+ Sites in the Sintering of γ-Al 2 O 3 -Supported Pt Catalysts journal August 2010
Single-atom catalysis of CO oxidation using Pt1/FeOx journal July 2011
Adsorbate-mediated strong metal–support interactions in oxide-supported Rh catalysts journal September 2016
Thermally stable single atom Pt/m-Al2O3 for selective hydrogenation and CO oxidation journal July 2017
Directing reaction pathways by catalyst active-site selection using self-assembled monolayers journal September 2013
Plasmon-induced selective carbon dioxide conversion on earth-abundant aluminum-cuprous oxide antenna-reactor nanoparticles journal June 2017
CO oxidation activity of non-reducible oxide-supported mass-selected few-atom Pt single-clusters journal April 2020
The dynamics of overlayer formation on catalyst nanoparticles and strong metal-support interaction journal June 2020
Size-dependent strong metal-support interaction in TiO2 supported Au nanocatalysts journal November 2020
Structural evolution of atomically dispersed Pt catalysts dictates reactivity journal April 2019
Heterogeneous single-atom catalysis journal May 2018
Atomically precise control in the design of low-nuclearity supported metal catalysts journal September 2021
Bifunctional hydroformylation on heterogeneous Rh-WOx pair site catalysts journal September 2022
An atomic-scale view of single-site Pt catalysis for low-temperature CO oxidation journal March 2018
Boosting CO2 hydrogenation via size-dependent metal–support interactions in cobalt/ceria-based catalysts journal May 2020
Plasmon-driven carbon–fluorine (C(sp3)–F) bond activation with mechanistic insights into hot-carrier-mediated pathways journal June 2020
On the origin of high-temperature phenomena in Pt/Al 2 O 3 journal January 2018
Identification of isolated Pt atoms in H-mordenite journal January 1994
Surface science and catalysis of ethylene hydrogenation journal January 1995
Heterometallic antenna−reactor complexes for photocatalysis journal July 2016
Imaging Cluster Surfaces with Atomic Resolution: The Strong Metal-Support Interaction State of Pt Supported on TiO 2 ( 110 ) journal April 2000
ATHENA , ARTEMIS , HEPHAESTUS : data analysis for X-ray absorption spectroscopy using IFEFFIT journal June 2005
In situ observation of phase changes of a silica-supported cobalt catalyst for the Fischer–Tropsch process by the development of a synchrotron-compatible in situ/operando powder X-ray diffraction cell journal October 2018
Classical strong metal–support interactions between gold nanoparticles and titanium dioxide journal October 2017
High-loading single Pt atom sites [Pt-O(OH) x ] catalyze the CO PROX reaction with high activity and selectivity at mild conditions journal June 2020
Coordinatively Unsaturated Al3+ Centers as Binding Sites for Active Catalyst Phases of Platinum on  -Al2O3 journal September 2009
Strong Interactions in Supported-Metal Catalysts journal March 1981
Identification of active sites in CO oxidation and water-gas shift over supported Pt catalysts journal September 2015
Thermally stable single-atom platinum-on-ceria catalysts via atom trapping journal July 2016
Strong Metal-Support Interaction in Alumina Supported Platinum Catalysts journal December 1980

Figures / Tables (5)