Enhanced Catalysis of Pt3 Clusters Supported on Graphene for N–H Bond Dissociation

Abstract

We report an in-depth study of catalytic N–H bond dissociation with typical platinum clusters on graphene supports. Among all the pristine graphene- and defective graphene-supported Pt clusters of different sizes that were studied, the Pt 3/G cluster possesses the highest reactivity and lowest activation barriers for each step of N–H dissociation in the decomposition of ammonia. In analyzing the reaction coordinates and projected density of states of the outermost orbitals, we found that the standing triangular Pt 3 on graphene creates prominent Lewis acid/base pair sites, which accommodate the adsorption and subsequent dissociation of *NH x . In comparison, Pt 1 lacks complementary active sites (CAS), causing it to be adverse to nucleophilic reactions, and in contrast, the Pt 13 cluster has weakened interactions and depleted charge density from the support, resulting in the elimination of the CAS effect. A stable pyramid-structured Pt 4 also develops Lewis acid/base sites, especially on defective graphene, but the density of states is still lower than the stand-up Pt 3/G. These findings strongly demonstrate the importance and necessity of cluster active sites for catalytic reactions of polar molecules, novel three-atoms metal cluster catalysis, and the selectivity and catalytic performance in the designing of ammonia fuel cells.