High-Temperature Stable Gold Nanoparticle Catalysts for Application under Severe Conditions: The Role of TiO2 Nanodomains in Structure and Activity

• Published in: ACS catalysis 2015-02, Vol.5 (2), p.1078-1086
• Main Authors: Puértolas, Begoña, Mayoral, Álvaro, Arenal, Raul, Solsona, Benjamín, Moragues, Alaina, Murcia-Mascaros, Sonia, Amorós, Pedro, Hungría, Ana B, Taylor, Stuart H, García, Tomás
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2155-5435; 2155-5435
• DOI: 10.1021/cs501741u

Metal nanoparticles with precisely controlled size are highly attractive for heterogeneous catalysis. However, their poor thermal stability remains a major concern in their application at realistic operating conditions. This paper demonstrates the possibility of synthesizing gold nanoparticles with exceptional thermal stability. This has been achieved by using a simple conventional deposition–precipitation technique. The material employed as catalyst consists of gold supported on a TiO2-impregnated SiO2 bimodal mesoporous support. The resulting material shows gold nanoparticles with a narrow size distribution around 3.0 nm, homogeneously dispersed over the TiO2/SiO2 material. Most interestingly, the gold nanoparticles show exceptional thermal stability; calcination temperatures as high as 800 °C have been employed, and negligible changes in the gold particle size distribution are apparent. Additionally, the presence of an amorphous titanium silicate phase is partially preserved, and these factors lead to remarkable activity to catalyze a range of oxidation reactions.