Is Nanostructuring Sufficient To Get Catalytically Active Au?

Gold nanoparticles on transition-metal oxides were synthesized by two different methods: precipitation and photoinduced decomposition of an intermediate gold–azido complex. Only samples prepared by the precipitation method showed significant CO conversion at low temperature. XPS shows the formation of two Au species (Au0 and Auδ+) on the surface of active Au/TiO2 and Au/Fe2O3 samples. The energy shift of the Auδ+ peak depends on the support and is 0.6 and 0.9 eV for Au/TiO2 and Au/Fe2O3, respectively. TEM images indicate the formation of overlayer on Au particles. These results prove Au activation via a strong metal–support interaction, on the basis of the strong influence of the support on the electronic structure of the gold through charge transfer and stabilization of low-coordinated Au atoms.