The mechanism of CO oxidation on platinum species supported
on
ceria or alumina was studied via periodic density functional calculations.
In order to elucidate the nature of the catalytically active species,
various reaction paths involving monoatomic species in different oxidation
statesPt0, Pt2+, and Pt4+as well as platinum clusters were modelled. Since the oxygen
centers that participate in the oxidation process may have diverse
origins, the interaction of CO with the oxygen from the ceria support,
dissociated O2 molecules on the platinum species, and the
oxygen molecule healing the surface oxygen vacancy in the support
was considered. Ceria was modeled both as a (111) surface and as a
nanoparticle, and γ-alumina was modeled as a (001) surface.
The reaction paths via complexes of Pt2+ and Pt4+ cations were found to have the lowest activation barriers, 22–35
kJ/mol. The calculated activation energies on platinum clusters with
high CO coverage supported on the ceria surface and the nanoparticle
are also low, 40 and 19 kJ/mol, respectively. The barriers are significantly
higher, 90–120 kJ/mol, when the reaction occurs on platinum
supported on γ-alumina or when an oxygen preadsorbed on the
platinum cluster is involved in the process. The calculations allowed
us to discriminate the role of the oxidant in the modeled reaction
paths and to conclude that the activation barriers are low when the
oxidants are platinum species and notably higher when the oxidants
are Ce4+ cations.