Study on In Situ Characterization of Metal-Support Interaction and Correlative Structure-Reactivity Relationship in Catalysis

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The study on ceria-supported IB metal (Au, Cu, Ag) nanoparticles (NPs) with different size and morphologies has become one of the most interesting topics in heterogeneous catalysis due to the extraordinary catalytic activities for many important reactions. The strong metal-support interaction (SMSI) has long been known to play a key role in the catalytic performance (activity, selectivity and stability) of oxide-supported metal catalysts. Despite extensive investigations, a fundamental understanding of the SMSI effect and the structure-activity relationship of metal/ceria catalysts is still lacking and many crucial issues remain unanswered. This is primarily due to the great complexity of nanostructured metal/ceria materials and the lack of a thorough surface science study on well-defined model catalysts. In this joint project, the two partner groups will work in a very close collaboration on fabrication and in-situ state-of-the-art spectroscopic and microscopic characterization of metal/ceria systems. The German partner will carry out a thorough spectroscopic (UHV-FTIRS in conjunction with XPS and NEXAFS) study on IB metal (Cu, Ag, Au) clusters dispersed on ceria surfaces of both single crystals (polarization-dependent IRRAS) and nanostructured materials (IR transmission). The Chinese partner will focus on the synthesis of different types of metal/ceria nanoparticles with tunable size and shape. The corresponding ETEM/STEM-Nanoreactor experiments will be conducted to image the dynamic behavior of various metal/ceria catalysts under activation and reaction conditions. In addition, we will do systematic and collaborative work on reaction mechanisms and reaction kinetics of selected reactions such as low-temperature CO oxidation and water gas shift reactions. We aim to achieve detailed insight into the structural, electronic and reactive properties of the complex nanostructured metal/oxide catalysts based on reliable and comprehensive reference data acquired for different metal/oxide monocrystal model systems. The overarching objective is an atomic-level understanding of the SMSI effect and the intrinsic structure-reactivity relationship, which enables the predictive, rational design of ceria-based catalytic materials at the nanoscale.