Effect of the TiO2 Reduction State on the Catalytic CO Oxidation on Deposited Size-Selected Pt Clusters

The catalytic activity of deposited Pt-7 clusters has been studied as a function of the reduction state of the TiO2(110)-(1 x 1) support for the CO oxidation reaction. While a slightly reduced support gives rise to a high catalytic activity of the adparticles, a strongly reduced one quenches the CO oxidation. This quenching is due to thermally activated diffusion of Ti3+ interstitials from the bulk to the surface where they deplete the oxygen adsorbed onto the clusters by the formation of TiOx (x similar or equal to 2) structures. This reaction is more rapid than the CO oxidation. The present results are of general relevance to heterogeneous catalysis on on TiO2-supported metal clusters and for reactions involving oxygen as intermediate.