Subnanometric Pt on Cu Nanoparticles Confined in Y‐zeolite: Highly‐efficient Catalysts for Selective Catalytic Reduction of NOx by CO

Abstract CO selective catalytic reduction (CO‐SCR), a promising technology for simultaneous removal of harmful CO and NO in exhaust gases, has attracted much attention in recent years. Pt‐based catalysts have been demonstrated to be effective for this reaction. However, it remains a big challenge to achieve a high low‐temperature activity at a low Pt loading. Here we report a new catalyst consisting of subnanometric Pt on Cu nanoparticles confined in the NaOH‐modified Y‐zeolite (Pt−Cu@M−Y). This catalyst possesses enhanced catalytic performance in CO‐SCR at an extremely low Pt content of 0.04 wt %, achieving full NO conversion at 250 °C. The Pt−Cu@M−Y catalyst was synthesized using a simple impregnation method followed by a hydrogen reduction. Transmission electron microscopy study revealed that Pt−Cu@M−Y with subnanometric Pt on Cu nanoparticle of ∼5 nm was highly dispersed in M−Y. The superior catalytic property of Pt−Cu@M−Y is attributed to the synergistic catalysis of Pt and Cu, in which subnanometric Pt species contributes to the strong adsorption of NO, while the dissociation of NO and the migration of dissociated O atoms are significantly boosted on the newly generated interfaces between Cu nanoparticles and the formed surface CuO x species. This work develops an effective method for synthesizing bimetallic nanoparticles confined in zeolite and demonstrates their superior catalytic performance in the catalytic reduction of NO x by CO.