Interface engineering of Pt–ZnO–CeO2 by atomic layer deposition for advanced applications

The precise design of metal-oxide interfaces in heterogeneous catalysts is crucial for optimizing activity and selectivity in reactions such as ethanol decomposition. In this study, Pt_ZnO_CeO 2 composite catalysts were synthesized via atomic layer deposition (ALD) with systematically varied ZnO loadings to investigate the influence of support structure on platinum nucleation, interfacial properties, and catalytic performance. High-resolution TEM, XPS, ICP-MS reveal that ZnO strongly affects Pt growth, leading to non-monotonic trends in nanoparticle size, dispersion, and loading. These structural effects translate into distinct electronic interactions at Pt/CeO 2 , ZnO/CeO 2 and Pt/ZnO interfaces, as reflected by XPS analysis. To probe the catalytic relevance of these interfaces, ethanol decomposition was employed as an interface-sensitive reaction. The results demonstrated that moderate ZnO loading (3–5 cycles) generated a Pt/ZnO/CeO 2 interface, that significantly increased ethanol conversion and promoted C 1 -product formation. At higher ZnO coverage (30 cycles), the catalyst surface was dominated by Pt/ZnO interactions, resulting in reduced C–C bond cleavage activity. These trends were supported by in situ DRIFTS by identifying the suppression of acetate formation and promotion of aldehyde intermediates at Pt-ZnO surfaces. These findings underscore the critical role of interfacial engineering via ALD in modulating catalyst structure, metal-support interactions, and reaction pathways.