CO Oxidation Catalyzed by Two-Dimensional Co3O4/CeO2 Nanosheets

Two-dimensional nanostructures have been rarely reported as thermally stable catalysts for heterocatalysis. In this work, CeO2 nanoparticle-modified Co3O4 nanosheets were successfully obtained via a wet-chemistry process in water phase and a following in-situ solvent-free heat treatment in the presence of 1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid. Detailed characterizations have been conducted to disclose the structural evolution of the Co3O4 nanosheets as well as the synergistic effect between Co3O4 and CeO2 components. Also, it is identified that CeO2 played the important role in stabilizing Co3O4 nanosheets, and 1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid greatly improved the smoothness of the final products. Such two-dimensional structural formation boosts the performance of the as-prepared Co3O4 nanosheets toward the model reaction of catalytic CO oxidation. More importantly, this work presents us an effective way to prepare transition metal oxides from the viewpoint of structural design of two-dimensional materials.