Modulated Structure-Electronic Coupling at Pt/CeOx–TiO2 Interfaces Boosts Low-Temperature Preferential CO Oxidation
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Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Yu, Young‐Sang.
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Understanding how supported metal nanoparticles dynamically evolve under reaction conditions is critical for controlling their catalytic function. Here, the mechanism behind the dynamic disintegration of Pt nanoparticles (NPs) supported on CeOx-TiO2 (CT) during CO oxidation is elucidated, leading to the formation of single atoms (SAs) and/or sub-nanometer clusters. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that strong Pt-CO interactions weaken Pt─Pt cohesion, while electronic coupling between Pt and Ce ions stabilizes Pt-CO* intermediates at the oxide interface. Surface oxygen vacancies kinetically trap Pt-CO*, but the vacancies are replenished under oxygen-rich conditions, enabling Pt-CO* surface diffusion and subsequent structural reorganization. In situ spectroscopic analyses confirm the oxygen-driven transformation of Pt NPs, correlating with a threefold increase in mass-specific activity at 150 °C. These findings demonstrate that interfacial oxygen dynamics and metal-support interactions can be leveraged to induce nanoparticle disintegration and optimize catalytic performance, highlighting the catalytic potential of interface-engineered Pt nanostructures.
Abstract Most research on the electrochemical dynamics in materials for high‐energy Li‐ion batteries has focused on the global behavior of the electrode. This approach is susceptible to misleading analyses resulting from idiosyncratic kinetic conditions, such as surface impurities inducing an apparent two‐phase transformation within LiNi 0.8 Co 0.15 Al 0.05 O 2 . Here, nano‐focused X‐ray probes are used to measure delithiation operando at the scale of secondary particle agglomerates in layered cathode materials during charge. After an initial latent phase, individual secondary particles undergo rapid, stochastic, and largely uniform delithiation, which is in contrast with the gradual increase in cell potential. This behavior reproduces across several layered oxides. Operando X‐ray microdiffraction (‐XRD) leverages the relationship between Li content and lattice parameter to further reveal that rate acceleration occurs between Li‐site fraction ( x Li ) ≈0.9 and ≈0.5 for LiNi 0.8 Co 0.15 Al 0.05 O 2 . Physics‐based modeling shows that, to reproduce the experimental results, the exchange current density ( i 0 ) must depend on x Li , and that i 0 should increase rapidly over three orders of magnitude at the transition point. The specifics and implications of this jump in i 0 are crucial to understanding the charge‐storage reaction of Li‐ion battery cathodes.