Tailoring the Local Environment of Platinum in Single-Atom Pt1/CeO2 Catalysts for Robust Low-Temperature CO Oxidation

A single-atom Pt-1/CeO2 catalyst formed by atom trapping (AT, 800 degrees C in air) shows excellent thermal stability but is inactive for CO oxidation at low temperatures owing to over-stabilization of Pt2+ in a highly symmetric square-planar Pt1O4 coordination environment. Reductive activation to form Pt nanoparticles (NPs) results in enhanced activity; however, the NPs are easily oxidized, leading to drastic activity loss. Herein we show that tailoring the local environment of isolated Pt2+ by thermal-shock (TS) synthesis leads to a highly active and thermally stable Pt-1/CeO2 catalyst. Ultrafast shockwaves (>1200 degrees C) in an inert atmosphere induced surface reconstruction of CeO2 to generate Pt single atoms in an asymmetric Pt1O4 configuration. Owing to this unique coordination, Pt-1(delta+) in a partially reduced state dynamically evolves during CO oxidation, resulting in exceptional low-temperature performance. CO oxidation reactivity on the Pt-1/CeO2_TS catalyst was retained under oxidizing conditions.