Renovating phase constitution and construction of Pt nanocubes for electrocatalysis of methanol oxidation via a solvothermal-induced strong metal-support interaction

Strong metal-support interaction (SMSI) covering migration of reducible oxides from the support onto loaded metal surfaces and alloying of the guest metal with the metal component in the support displays important roles in tuning catalytic behavior. While conventional construction of SMSI involves high-temperature redox treat-ment and cannot ensure simultaneous appearance of oxide migration and alloying mechanisms, limiting the function and application of SMSI in electrocatlysis. Herein, a low-temperature solvothermal-induced SMSI is established in the CeCuOx/C supported Pt system, where the partial encapsulation of supported Pt by CeOx and the alloying of Cu2+ in the substrate with guest Pt occur readily and simultaneously. Such encapsulation and alloying processes completely refurbish the catalysis configuration and restructure the geometric/electronic state of interfacial Pt atoms, endowing the CeOx/PtCu/CeCuOx/C product with modulated adsorption energies toward reactive intermediates and consequently much enhanced performance for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR).