Effect of support and pre-treatment conditions on Pt-Sn catalysts: Application to nitrate reduction in water

► Different preparation conditions lead to significant changes in catalysts surface. ► Pt monometallic catalyst is active for nitrate reduction only when supported on TiO2. ► Pt-Sn supported on AC is less active and more selective to N2 than on TiO2. ► The TiO2 support is directly involved in the reaction mechanism.