Quantification of critical particle distance for mitigating catalyst sintering

Supported metal nanoparticles are of universal importance in many industrial catalytic processes. Unfortunately, deactivation of supported metal catalysts via thermally induced sintering is a major concern especially for high-temperature reactions. Here, we demonstrate that the particle distance as an inherent parameter plays a pivotal role in catalyst sintering. We employ carbon black supported platinum for the model study, in which the particle distance is well controlled by changing platinum loading and carbon black supports with varied surface areas. Accordingly, we quantify a critical particle distance of platinum nanoparticles on carbon supports, over which the sintering can be mitigated greatly up to 900 degrees C. Based on in-situ aberration-corrected high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron and theoretical studies, we find that enlarging particle distance to over the critical distance suppress the particle coalescence, and the critical particle distance itself depends sensitively on the strength of metal-support interactions. Deactivation of supported metal catalysts via thermally induced sintering is a major concern in the catalysis community. Here, the authors demonstrate that enlarging particle distance to over the critical distance could suppress the particle coalescence greatly up to 900 degrees C.

Automated summary

The distance between supported metal nanoparticles plays a critical role in mitigating thermally induced sintering, as demonstrated in a study using carbon black supported platinum nanoparticles. By enlarging the particle distance beyond a critical value, particle coalescence can be significantly suppressed up to 900 degrees Celsius, showcasing the importance of metal-support interactions in preventing catalyst deactivation.