Strong Metal-Support Interaction in Pt/TiO2 Induced by Mild HCHO and NaBH4 Solution Reduction and Its Effect on Catalytic Toluene Combustion

Strong metal-support interaction (SMSI) in titania supported noble metals has been a subject of many studies due to its importance to many fields of science, in particular to material science and catalysis system. H-2 reduction at a high temperature has been commonly considered as the inducement to SMSI in TiO2 supported noble metals. This work, however, demonstrates that SMSI in Pt/TiO2 can occur through mild NaBH4 and HCHO solution reduction processes based on CO chemisorption, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy characterizations. Moreover, the effect of TiO2 crystalline forms on the degree of SMSI in NaBH4 reduced Pt/TiO2 and the performance of the as-reduced catalysts for trace toluene combustion reaction were studied. It was found that the degree of SMSI in Pt/TiO2 drew a significant effect on the catalytic performance. Our discovery provides a new way to control the interaction between noble metals and the TiO2 support as well as their catalytic activities.