Strong Interaction between Pt and Thiolated Carbon for Electrocatalytic Durability Enhancement

It is widely recognized that the strong metal support interaction (SMSI) can be found between noble metal catalysts and early transition metal oxide supports (e.g., Pt/TiO2), but not for carbon supports, of which electronic interaction between that and a noble metal is too weak because of the chemical inertness of the surface basal plane. Herein, we report a strong interaction between Pt and carbon through the medium of surface thiol groups. From the in situ XANES studies on the Pt L3 and the S K absorption edges, it was clearly revealed that the SMSI was formed by the charge back-donation from S to Pt at high potentials, eventually leading to a markedly enhanced tolerance of Pt/S-MWNT against Pt dissolution.