Activation of small molecules on perovskites- correlation between dopants, structural defects and reactivity

This proposal aims to study the local structure of Pt particles dispersed on CaTi1-xFexO3-δ, with x=0, 2, 3, 4, 7 during CO oxidation. This novel support material shows catalytic activities similar to ceria, converting CO already at room temperature. We believe that this high performance is due to the presence of both, Ti and Fe in the support and interaction with Pt and the support, via oxygen vacancies created through Fe-doping and/or strong metal-support interaction (creation of Pt-Fe bonds). Using operando photon-in/photon-out spectroscopy we will study the electronic structure and local coordination of Ti, Fe and Pt.