Strong metal–support interactions (SMSI) are widely employed to stabilize metal nanoparticles and enhance catalytic performance in reactions such as the reverse water–gas shift (RWGS), yet their formation typically requires high-temperature treatments (500–700 °C), often leading to metal sintering and catalyst deactivation. Here, we report a light-driven strategy to induce and stabilize dynamic SMSI in Pt/TiO2 catalysts at low temperatures (∼250 °C), where facet dependent behavior plays a decide role. By coexposing 101 and 001 facets of anatase TiO2, efficient charge separation is achieved: photoexcited electrons preferentially migrate to the 101 facet, driving the formation of a TiOx overlayer. This facet-directed overlayer stabilizes Pt nanoparticles without passivating active sites, as confirmed by in situ XPS and H2-TPR. In contrast, Pt/TiO2101 without 001 facet exhibits weaker charge separation, less effective SMSI formation, and rapid Pt sintering, resulting in inferior activity. Benefiting from the 001-101 facet synergy, Pt/TiO2001-101 exhibits a 270% enhancement in CO2 hydrogenation with near-unity CO selectivity and stable performance over 10 h. These results highlight the critical role of facet engineering in controlling SMSI dynamics and catalytic function, providing a general photothermal route to design adaptive metal–oxide interfaces beyond the limits of thermal activation.
Wang et al. (Tue,) studied this question.