Characterization of Au-based Catalysts Using Novel Cerium Oxide Supports

Gold dispersed on various oxide supports has been shown to exhibit high activity in a variety of important catalytic reactions, the most widely investigated of which remains the low-temperature oxidation of CO to CO2 [1]. The nature of the oxide support can have a profound effect on the activity of the catalysts, and Au-catalysts utilizing nanocrystalline oxide supports such as CeO2 and Y2O3 have been found to possess a significantly greater activity than those dispersed on larger support particles [2]. In the present study, a novel synthesis method involving the use of supercritical CO2 as an anti-solvent was devised to prepare CeO2 (scCeO2) support particles. The rapidity of precipitation using this method makes possible the formation of structures that are not available with traditional precipitation methods. This process has previously been used to produce vanadium phosphate catalysts with unusual morphologies and improved activity [3].