Geology

Nanotechnology

Organic chemistry

Oceanography

Engineering

Nanoparticle

Chemical physics

Inorganic chemistry

Noble metal

Chemistry

Metallurgy

Materials science

Particle (ecology)

Oxide

Metal

Chemical engineering

Oxygen

Redox

Oxidizing agent

Science

The dynamic interactions between noble metal particles and reducible metal-oxide supports can depend on redox reactions with ambient gases. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the strong metal-support interaction (SMSI)-induced encapsulation of platinum particles on titania observed under reducing conditions is lost once the system is exposed to a redox-reactive environment containing oxygen and hydrogen at a total pressure of ~1 bar. Destabilization of the metal-oxide interface and redox-mediated reconstructions of titania lead to particle dynamics and directed particle migration that depend on nanoparticle orientation. A static encapsulated SMSI state was reestablished when switching back to purely oxidizing conditions. This work highlights the difference between reactive and nonreactive states and demonstrates that manifestations of the metal-support interaction strongly depend on the chemical environment.

Dynamic interplay between metal nanoparticles and oxide support under redox conditions