Sinter-Resistant Nanoparticle Catalysts Achieved by 2D Boron Nitride-Based Strong Metal-Support Interactions: A New Twist on an Old Story

Strong metal-support interaction (SMSI) is recognized as a pivotal strategy in hetereogeneous catalysis to prevent the sintering of metal nanoparticles (NPs), but issues including restriction of supports to reducible metal oxides, nonporous architecture, sintering by thermal treatment at >800 degrees C, and unstable nature limit their practical application. Herein, the construction of non-oxide-derived SMSI nanocatalysts based on highly crystalline and nanoporous hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) 2D materials was demonstrated via in situ encapsulation and reduction using NaBH4, NaNH2, and noble metal salts as precursors. The as-prepared nanocatalysts exhibited robust thermal stability and sintering resistance to withstand thermal treatment at up to 950 degrees C, rendering them with high catalytic efficiency and durability in CO oxidation even in the presence of H2O and hydrocarbon simulated to realistic exhaust systems. More importantly, our generic strategy offers a novel and efficient avenue to design ultrastable hetereogeneous catalysts with diverse metal and support compositions and architectures.