Synergistic hydroxyl mechanism on halloysite-confined PtFe alloy boosting low-temperature CO-PROX performance

Abstract

Both structural and adsorbed surface hydroxyl groups in solid materials are important carriers for oxygen species transport. The role of identifiable structural hydroxyl groups in catalytic reactions, however, is often underestimated. Here, we propose a synergistic hydroxyl reaction mechanism on Pt1Fe0.33/HNTs catalyst in CO-PROX reaction, which is critical to reveal the new way of oxygen transport in the oxidation reaction. Particularly, the Pt1Fe0.33 nanoparticles (NPs) have been confined in the cavity of halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) to activate structural hydroxyl groups linked to the AlVI via a two-step reduction treatment. The activated structural hydroxyl groups exhibit sensitivity to CO, as revealed by in situ DRIFTS and MS data. The experimental and DFT data demonstrate that the cooperation of Pt, Fe, and hydroxyl sites in the active units on Pt1Fe0.33/HNTs can induce a synergistic participation of structural and adsorbed hydroxyl groups in CO oxidation through the formate pathway. In such catalytic process, the oxygen mobility is dominated by oxygen-containing hydroxyl species rather than reactive oxygen species. This work contributes to a deeper understanding of the role of hydroxyl groups in catalysis and lays the foundation for establishing a comprehensive oxidation reaction mechanism in the future.