Atomically Dispersed Au-(OH)_x Species Bound on Titania Catalyze the Low-Temperature Water-Gas Shift Reaction

Journal Article · Wed Mar 27 00:00:00 EDT 2013 · Journal of the American Chemical Society

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/ja312646d· OSTI ID:1069137

Yang, Ming; Allard, Lawrence F; Flytzani-Stephanopoulos, Maria ^[1]

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1. Tufts

We report a new method for stabilizing appreciable loadings (~1 wt %) of isolated gold atoms on titania and show that these catalyze the low-temperature water-gas shift reaction. The method combines a typical gold deposition/precipitation method with UV irradiation of the titania support suspended in ethanol. Dissociation of H₂O on the thus-created Au–O–TiO_x sites is facile. At higher gold loadings, nanoparticles are formed, but they were shown to add no further activity to the atomically bound gold on titania. Removal of this “excess” gold by sodium cyanide leaching leaves the activity intact and the atomically dispersed gold still bound on titania. The new materials may catalyze a number of other reactions that require oxidized active metal sites.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Advanced Photon Source (APS)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE - BASIC ENERGY SCIENCESU.S. AIR FORCE- OFFICE OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
• OSTI ID: 1069137
• Journal Information: Journal of the American Chemical Society, Vol. 135, Issue (10) ; 03, 2013; ISSN 0002-7863
• Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: ENGLISH