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Title: In situ spectroscopy-guided engineering of rhodium single-atom catalysts for CO oxidation

Journal Article · · Nature Communications
ORCiD logo [1];  [2];  [3]; ORCiD logo [4];  [5];  [6];  [4]; ORCiD logo [5];  [7];  [2]
  1. National Univ. of Singapore (Singapore). Dept. of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; DOE/OSTI
  2. National Univ. of Singapore (Singapore). Dept. of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
  3. National Univ. of Singapore (Singapore). Dept. of Chemistry
  4. Kyoto Univ. (Japan). Graduate School of Engineering; Kyoto Univ. (Japan). Elements Strategy Initiative for Catalysts & Batteries (ESICB)
  5. Dalhousie Univ., Halifax (Canada). Dept. of Chemistry
  6. National Univ. of Singapore (Singapore). Dept. of Chemistry; National Univ. of Singapore (Singapore). Dept. of Physics
  7. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Chemical Sciences Division

Single-atom catalysts have recently been applied in many applications such as CO oxidation. Experimental in situ investigations into this reaction, however, are limited. Hereby, we present a suite of operando/in situ spectroscopic experiments for structurally well-defined atomically dispersed Rh on phosphotungstic acid during CO oxidation. The identification of several key intermediates and the steady-state catalyst structure indicate that the reactions follow an unconventional Mars-van Krevelen mechanism and that the activation of O2 is rate-limiting. In situ XPS confirms the contribution of the heteropoly acid support while in situ DRIFT spectroscopy consolidates the oxidation state and CO adsorption of Rh. As such, direct observation of three key components, i.e., metal center, support and substrate, is achieved, providing a clearer picture on CO oxidation on atomically dispersed Rh sites. The obtained information are used to engineer structurally similar catalysts that exhibit T20 values up to 130 °C below the previously reported Rh1/NPTA.

Research Organization:
National Univ. of Singapore (Singapore)
Sponsoring Organization:
National Natural Science Foundation of China (NNSFC); Singapore National Research Foundation; USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Chemical Sciences, Geosciences & Biosciences Division
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725
OSTI ID:
1624143
Journal Information:
Nature Communications, Journal Name: Nature Communications Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 10; ISSN 2041-1723
Publisher:
Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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