Charge Polarization at a Au–TiC Interface and the Generation of Highly Active and Selective Catalysts for the Low‐Temperature Water–Gas Shift Reaction

Au atoms in contact with TiC(001) undergo significant charge polarization. Strong metal-support interactions make Au/TiC(001) an excellent catalyst for the low-temperature water-gas shift (WGS), with turnover frequencies orders of magnitude larger than those observed for conventional metal/oxide catalysts. DFT calculations indicate that the WGS reaction follows an associative mechanism with HOCO as a key intermediate.