Theoretical Study of the Catalytic CO Oxidation by Pt Catalyst Supported on Ge-Doped Graphene

The geometry, electronic structure and catalytic properties of the anchored Pt atom on the Ge-doped graphene (Pt/Ge-graphene) substrates are investigated using the first-principles computations. It is found that Ge atoms can form strong covalent bonds with the carbon atoms at the vacancy site on the defective graphene. The Ge-graphene as substrate can effectively anchored Pt atoms and form supported Pt catalyst, which exhibits good catalytic activity for CO oxidation with a two-step route, starting with the Langmuir-Hinshelwood (LH) reaction followed by the Eley-Rideal (ER) reaction. The Ge dopant in graphene plays a vital role in enhancing the substrate-adsorbate interaction through facilitating the charge redistribution at their interfaces. The Ge-graphene can be used as the reactive support to control the stability and activity of the Pt catalysts. This work provides valuable guidance on fabricating carbon-based catalysts for CO oxidation, and validates the reactivity of single-atom catalyst for designing atomic-scale catalysts.