Control of Metal Nanocrystal Size Reveals Metal-Support Interface Role for Ceria Catalysts

A Measure of Metal-Oxide Interfaces

The rate of a catalytic reaction can sometimes be enhanced by using a different metal oxide as the support for adsorbed metal nanoparticles. Such enhancement is often attributed to more active sites at the metal-oxide interface, but it can be difficult to quantify this effect. Cargnello et al. (p. 771 , published online 18 July) synthesized monodisperse nanoparticles of nickel, platinum, and palladium and dispersed them on high-surface-area ceria or alumina supports. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy enabled a detailed analysis of interfacial site structure, which showed that the rate of CO oxidation on ceria was indeed enhanced greatly at interface sites.