In the field of bimetallic catalysis, combinations of immiscible elements have been very limited. Here, we propose the solid-solution alloy nanoparticles (NPs) composed of Pt and Au supported on TiO2 as an efficient catalyst for direct H2O2 synthesis, although Pt and Au are entirely immiscible in the bulk phases. Pt and Au atoms were homogeneously distributed in a wide composition range of PtxAu100-x NPs (10≤x≤80) supported on TiO2. The most Au-rich Pt10Au90 NPs/TiO2 exhibits the best catalytic performances, H2O2 selectivity (94.5±0.6 %) and productivity (959±12 mmolH2O2 gmetal-1 h-1), even under mild conditions (10 °C, 1 atm) and without halide-ion additives. Density functional theory calculations reveal that the introduction of inactive Au atoms strongly suppresses both O-O bond scission and OH hydrogenation, thereby enabling near unity selectivity. This work will stimulate active utilization of the overlooked class of immiscible elemental combinations for catalyst development.

Solid-solution alloy nanoparticles of immiscible Pt and Au: Boosting catalytic performaces for direct H2O2 synthesis

ACS Spring 2022

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