Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

H2 Oxidation Over Supported Au Nanoparticle Catalysts: Evidence For Heterolytic H2 Activation At The Metal-Support Interface, Todd N. Whittaker, K. B. Sravan Kumar, Christine Peterson, Meagan N. Pollock, L. C. Grabow, Bert D. Chandler

Chemistry Faculty Research

Water adsorbed at the metal-support interface (MSI) plays an important role in multiple reactions. Due to its importance in CO preferential oxidation (PrOx), we examined H₂ oxidation kinetics in the presence of water over Au/TiO₂ and Au/Al₂O₃ catalysts, reaching the following mechanistic conclusions: (i) O₂ activation follows a similar mechanism to that proposed in CO oxidation catalysis; (ii) weakly adsorbed H₂O is a strong reaction inhibitor; (iii) fast H₂ activation occurs at the MSI, and (iv) H₂ activation kinetics are inconsistent with traditional dissociative H₂ chemisorption on metals. Density …