Engineering the interfacial structure between noble metals and oxides, particularly on the surface of non-reducible oxides, is a challenging yet promising approach to enhancing the performance of heterogeneous catalysts. The interface site can alter the electronic and d-band structure of the metal sites, facilitating the transition of energy levels between the reacting molecules and promoting the reaction to proceed in a favorable direction. Herein, we created an active Pd-Si interface with tunable electronic metal-support interaction (EMSI) by growing a thin permeable silica layer on a non-reducible oxide ZSM-5 surface (termed Pd@SiO2/ZSM-5). Our experimental results, combined with density functional theory calculations, revealed that the Pd-Si active interface enhanced the charge transfer from deposited Si to Pd, generating an electron-enriched Pd surface, which significantly lowered the activation barriers for O2 and H2O. The resulting reactive oxygen species, including O2 -, O2 2-, and -OH, synergistically facilitated formaldehyde oxidation. Additionally, moderate electronic metal-support interaction can promote the catalytic cycle of Pd0 ⇆ Pd2+, which is favorable for the adsorption and activation of reactants. This study provides a promising strategy for the design of high-performance noble metal catalysts for practical applications.
© 2023 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.