Modulating electronic Metal–Support interactions of Pt-CuO/CeO2 catalyst via quenching to optimize catalytic activity

Pt-based catalysts are one of the most extensively used heterogeneous catalysts for the degradation of pollutants, and regulating electron-metal-support interaction (EMSI) is an efficient strategy to enhance the performance of Pt-based catalysts. Herein, we introduced a quenching technique for regulating the EMSI of Pt-CuO/CeO2 catalysts to significantly boost its CO catalytic activity. The EMSI optimized by quenching was determined to promote the electron redistribution between Pt and CuO/CeO2 via Cu–O-Pt structure, thus forming more electron-rich Pt species and enhancing the surface oxygen species activity. From comprehensive characterization investigations, we confirmed that the superior activity arouse from the moderate Pt0/Pt2+ ratio, in which CO molecules were preferentially adsorbed on the electron-rich Pt sites and reacted with active oxygen species from PtOx or CuO/CeO2, accelerating the whole CO catalytic process. Our finding provided a new inspiration to control EMSI of Pt-based catalysts and widened the application of quenching chemistry in heterogeneous catalysis.