Single site catalysts composed of individual atoms on various oxide supports have been a major research focus in recent years. Such catalysts exhibit novel reactivity with the benefit of 100% atom efficiency and dramatically reducing the precious metal loading. Given the complexity of heterogeneous catalysts and the size scale of the active sites, there is a need for a surface science and microscopy approach to understand the structure and reactivity of such catalysts. We have studied the oxidation of CO on individual Pt atoms supported on oxidized Cu using temperature programmed desorption (TPD) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). We have started by solving the structure of the support, a Cu<sub>2</sub>O overlayer on Cu, by density functional theory (DFT) and comparison of simulated STM images with experimental STM. We discovered that the oxide surface is inert towards CO oxidation, while the Pt atom modified surface is reactive. This system is also capable of water activation. These results suggest that Pt supported on oxidized Cu may be a good catalyst for the water-gas shift reaction.

Structure and catalytic behavior of Cu<sub>2</sub>O supported Pt atom

251st National Meeting (2016)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.

Structure and catalytic behavior of Cu2O supported Pt atom

Structure and catalytic behavior of Cu₂O supported Pt atom