The spillover of hydrogen species and its role in tuning the activity and selectivity in catalytic hydrogenation have been investigated in situ using surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) with 10 nm spatial resolution through the precise fabrication of Au/TiO2/Pt sandwich nanostructures. In situ SERS study reveals that hydrogen species can efficiently spillover at Pt‐TiO2‐Au interfaces, and the ultimate spillover distance on TiO2 is about 50 nm. Combining kinetic isotope experiments and density functional theory calculations, it is found that the hydrogen spillover proceeds via the water‐assisted cleavage and formation of surface hydrogen–oxygen bond. More importantly, the selectivity in the hydrogenation of the nitro or isocyanide group is manipulated by controlling the hydrogen spillover. This work provides molecular insights to deepen the understanding of hydrogen activation and boosts the design of active and selective catalysts for hydrogenation.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.