Au-Cu alloy nanoparticles supported on silica gel as catalyst for CO oxidation: Effects of Au/Cu ratios

Xiaoyan Liu, Aiqin Wang, Tao Zhang, Dang Sheng Su, Chung Yuan Mou

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

122 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Au-Cu bimetallic catalysts with Au/Cu ratios ranging from 3/1 to 20/1 were prepared on silica gel support by a two-step method. The catalysts were characterized by ICP, XRD and TEM. The results showed that, irrespective of Au/Cu ratios, all the bimetallic nanoparticles had significantly reduced particle sizes (3.0-3.6 nm) in comparison with monometallic gold catalysts (5.7 nm). Both CO oxidation and PROX reactions were employed to evaluate the catalytic activities of Au-Cu bimetallic catalysts. For CO oxidation, the alloy catalysts show non-monotonic temperature dependence showing a valley in the intermediate temperature range. The catalyst with Au/Cu ratio of 20/1 gave the highest activity at room temperature, but its activity showed the deepest valley with increasing the reaction temperature. On the other hand, the catalyst with Au/Cu ratio of 3/1 exhibited the best performance for PROX reaction. For the Au/Cu ratios investigated, the bimetallic catalysts showed superior performance to monometallic gold catalysts, demonstrating the synergy between gold and copper.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)103-108
Number of pages6
JournalCatalysis Today
Volume160
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2 2011
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Au-Cu alloy
  • CO oxidation
  • Copper
  • Gold
  • Nanoparticle
  • PROX

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Catalysis
  • General Chemistry

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