Distinct Role of Surface Hydroxyls in Single-Atom Pt 1 /CeO 2 Catalyst for Room-Temperature Formaldehyde Oxidation: Acid-Base Versus Redox.

The development of highly efficient catalysts for room-temperature formaldehyde (HCHO) oxidation is of great interest for indoor air purification. In this work, it was found that the single-atom Pt 1 /CeO 2 catalyst exhibits a remarkable activity with complete removal of HCHO even at 288 K. Combining density functional theory calculations and in situ DRIFTS experiments, it was revealed that the active O lattice H site generated on CeO 2 in the vicinity of Pt 2+ via steam treatment plays a key role in the oxidation of HCHO to formate and its further oxidation to CO 2 . Such involvement of hydroxyls is fundamentally different from that of cofeeding water which dissociates on metal oxide and catalyzes the acid-base-related chemistry. This study provides an important implication for the design and synthesis of supported Pt catalysts with atom efficiency for a very important practical application-room-temperature HCHO oxidation.