CO₂* Luminescence-Navigated Oxide Overlayer Engineering for CO Oxidation

Area of Science:

• Catalysis
• Materials Science
• Surface Chemistry

Background:

• Strong metal-support interactions (SMSI) create oxide overlayers on metal catalysts, influencing CO oxidation activity.
• Predicting optimal oxide overlayer structures is difficult due to complex geometric and electronic effects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce excited-state carbon dioxide (CO2*) luminescence as a novel indicator for oxide overlayer structure and catalytic activity in CO oxidation.
• To demonstrate a strategy for rational catalyst design, bypassing traditional trial-and-error methods.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing CO2* luminescence generated during CO oxidation as a probe.
• Correlating CO2* luminescence intensity with ZnOₓ overlayer coverage on gold nanoparticles.
• Validating the luminescence strategy across various Au/MOₓ systems (Au/TiO₂, Au/CeO₂).

Main Results:

• CO2* luminescence intensity exhibited a volcano-shaped dependence on ZnOₓ coverage.
• Luminescence intensity showed a strong linear correlation with CO conversion, indicating catalytic activity.
• The strategy proved effective for different metal oxide supports.

Conclusions:

• CO2* luminescence serves as a reliable indicator for both oxide overlayer structure and catalytic performance in CO oxidation.
• This luminescence-guided approach offers a promising tool for designing highly active catalysts efficiently.