Electron transfer effect from Au to Pt in Au-Pt/TiO2 towards efficient catalytic activity in CO oxidation at low temperature

The performances of supported noble metal catalysts are closely related to the size, composition, structure and metal-support interaction. In the current work, bimetallic Pt-Au nanoalloys are loaded in situ on titanium di-oxide in one step by flame spray pyrolysis (FSP). The formation of alloyed Pt-Au nanocrystals without phase separation is systematic proven by various characterization methods. And in-situ DRIFTs and XPS reveal the electronic synergy effect between Au and Pt weakens the agglomeration of the noble metal and reduces the CO poisoning. This synergy effect makes the alloy catalyst's low-temperature catalytic activity increase by 20% compared to the single-metal Pt catalyst. The total conversion temperature (T100) increase by 100 degrees C relative to the Au catalyst. As a continuous and scalable industrial production process, FSP can produce alloys and other new structural materials with less time and cost, compared to other wet preparation methods.