Deep Understanding of Strong Metal Interface Confinement: A Journey of Pd/FeOx Catalysts

Tuning the atomic interface configuration of noble metals (NMs) and transition-metal oxides is an effective straightforward yet challenging strategy to modulate the activity and stability of heterogeneous catalysts. Herein, Pd supported on mesoporous Fe₂O₃ with a high specific surface area was rationally designed and chosen to construct the Pd/iron oxide interface. As a versatile model, the physicochemical environments of Pd nanoparticles (NPs) could be precisely controlled by taming the reduction temperature. The experimental and density functional theory calculation results unveiled that the catalyst in the support–metal interface confinement (SMIC) state showed significantly enhanced catalytic activity and sintering resistance for CO oxidation. The constructed Fe sites at the interfaces between FeO_x overlayers and Pd NPs not only provided additional coordinative unsaturated ferrous sites for the adsorption and activation of O₂, thereby facilitating the activation efficiency of O₂, but also impressively changed the reaction pathway of CO oxidation. As a result, the catalyst followed the Pd/Fe dual-site mechanism instead of the classical Mars–van Krevelen mechanism. For the catalyst in the strong metal–support interaction (SMSI) state, its catalytic activity was seriously suppressed because of the excessive encapsulation of the active Pd sites by FeO_x overlayers. Thus, the present study therefore provides detailed insights into the SMIC and SMSI in ferric oxide-supported Pd catalysts, which could guide the preparation of highly efficient supported catalysts for practical applications.