Porous graphitized carbon-supported Pt for catalytic oxidation of carbon monoxide and formaldehyde under ambient conditions

Ambient-temperature catalytic oxidation is an ideal strategy for eliminating carbon monoxide and formaldehyde from indoor air. However, the difficulty in activating oxygen molecules at low temperatures severely limits its application due to its spin-prohibited nature. Herein, we show that platinum supported on porous graphitized carbon (Pt/PGC) features enhanced electron density and thus readily activate oxygen molecules. Density functional theory computations demonstrate that the improved sp 2 -hybridization and reduced oxygenated groups of PGC are responsible for the electronic modifications to Pt. Consequently, Pt/PGC performs better in the catalytic elimination of carbon monoxide and formaldehyde than activated carbon-supported Pt at ambient temperature. In addition, reduction of the catalyst in hydrogen at elevated temperatures can consume the sp 3 -hybridized carbon and oxygenated groups, thereby promoting the catalytic activity. The tuning of electronic metal-graphitized carbon interaction is therefore a promising strategy for designing carbon-supported catalysts for catalytic oxidation applications.