Suppressed Strong Metal–Support Interactions in Platinum on Sulfated Titania and Their Influence on the Oxidation of Carbon Monoxide

Strong metal–support interactions (SMSI), which are evidenced by the coverage of Pt by the TiO 2 support under reducing conditions, were suppressed upon loading Pt on sulfated TiO 2 (S‐TiO 2 ), according to controlled CO chemisorption results. Combined X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and X‐ray absorption near‐edge structure (XANES) studies showed that the Pt species interacted more strongly with the sulfur‐free TiO 2 surface than with the sulfated TiO 2 surface, which thereby facilitated the formation of SMSIs at low temperatures. Weakened interactions between Pt and S‐TiO 2 led to the formation of large Pt clusters with more metallic character. CO oxidation on the Pt/S‐TiO 2 and Pt/TiO 2 catalysts revealed that the temperature for 50 % conversion was lower on Pt/S‐TiO 2 than on Pt/TiO 2 by more than 50 °C. It was concluded that the metal–support interactions between Pt and TiO 2 could be controlled by S species on TiO 2 , and this ultimately influenced the CO oxidation ability of the catalyst.