Pt-Rare Earth Subnanometric Bimetallic Clusters Efficiently Catalyze the Reverse Water–Gas Reaction

The reverse water-gas shift (RWGS) reaction serves as a highly flexible and critical pathway for converting CO₂ into CO, with Pt-based catalysts having been widely investigated. Here, a series of platinum-rare earth (RE) subnanometric bimetallic clusters (SBCs) were successfully prepared on carbon support by the potassium vapor reduction method. Their structure and electronic properties, along with catalytic performance, were systematically characterized and evaluated. The Pt-RE SBC catalysts exhibited excellent catalytic activity, maintaining CO selectivity above 95% at high CO₂ conversion levels and demonstrating stable operation over 100 h at 600 °C. Furthermore, the influence of different supports (carbon black and CeO₂) on the catalytic performance was compared. It was found that Pt-Sc SBCs supported on the carbon exhibited better dispersion, smaller particle size, and superior catalytic performance relative to the CeO₂ supported counterpart. This study provides new insights into the design of highly efficient and stable RWGS catalysts, highlighting the key role of the Pt-RE SBC interface synergistic effect and support selection, which is of great significance for the resource utilization of CO₂.