Strong metal-support interaction for 2D materials: application in noble metal/TiB₂ heterointerfaces and their enhanced catalytic performance for formic acid dehydrogenation

• Main Authors: Li, Renhong, Liu, Zhiqi, Trinh, Quang Thang, Miao, Ziqiang, Chen, Shuang, Qian, Kaicheng, Wong, Roong Jien, Xi, Shibo, Yan, Yong, Borgna, Armando, Liang, Shipan, Wei, Tong, Dai, Yihu, Wang, Peng, Tang, Yu, Yan, Xiaoqing, Choksi, Tej S., Liu, Wen
• Other Authors: School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2022
• Subjects: Engineering::Chemical engineering; Formic Acid Dehydrogenation; Hydrogen Production
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/160714
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Strong metal-support interaction (SMSI) is a phenomenon commonly observed on heterogeneous catalysts. Here, direct evidence of SMSI between noble metal and 2D TiB2 supports is reported. The temperature-induced TiB2 overlayers encapsulate the metal nanoparticles, resulting in core-shell nanostructures that are sintering-resistant with metal loadings as high as 12.0 wt%. The TiOx -terminated TiB2 surfaces are the active sites catalyzing the dehydrogenation of formic acid at room temperature. In contrast to the trade-off between stability and activity in conventional SMSI, TiB2 -based SMSI promotes catalytic activity and stability simultaneously. By optimizing the thickness and coverage of the overlayer, the Pt/TiB2 catalyst displays an outstanding hydrogen productivity of 13.8 mmol g-1 cat h-1 in 10.0 m aqueous solution without any additive or pH adjustment, with >99.9% selectivity toward CO2 and H2 . Theoretical studies suggest that the TiB2 overlayers are stabilized on different transition metals through an interplay between covalent and electrostatic interactions. Furthermore, the computationally determined trends in metal-TiB2 interactions are fully consistent with the experimental observations regarding the extent of SMSI on different transition metals. The present research introduces a new means to create thermally stable and catalytically active metal/support interfaces for scalable chemical and energy applications.