Structure and reactivity of model cluster-derived PtFe/SiO2 catalysts

Supported bimetallic catalysts are widely used in large-scale applications. The limited understanding of the nature of the bimetallic interactions contribute to the difficulty of preparation of stable, highly dispersed, and well-defined bimetallic structures by conventional preparation techniques. Organometallic chemistry provides opportunities to prepare supported catalysts with maximized bimetallic interactions. The goal of this work was to prepare and characterize SiO2-supported Pt-Fe catalysts starting from [Pt5Fe2(COD)2(CO)12], a precursor in which the Pt and Fe are bonded to each other. TPD, EXAFS, and FTIR were used to characterize the surface species after the interaction of [Pt5Fe2(COD)2(CO)12] with SiO2 and to monitor the decarbonylation process that was intended to give highly dispersed and nearly uniform Ptf{Fe clusters. The activity of such species was evaluated for the CO oxidation in presence and absence of H2.