Au/ZnO has been studied to be an efficient catalyst with a good stability for CO oxidation and methanol decomposition for a potential application in many industrial processes including hydrogen fuel cells.  In the present study, we investigated into the role of the shape of ZnO nanocrystals on the overall catalytic activity of Au supported on ZnO nanocrystals by comparing the reactivity of Au/ZnO prepared using ZnO nanocrystals in two different shapes of a flower and a cabbage, respectively.  The ZnO nanocrystals were synthesized by a soft chemical technique using zinc acetate di-hydrate, sodium hydroxide, and sodium citrate.  Au supported on ZnO was then prepared by ion exchange method using HAuCl4 and sodium citrate solution.  The catalytic reactivity of Au/ZnO was evaluated by a temperature-programmed reaction (TPR) technique in our home-made flow reactor operating at a constant reactant flow with a static pressure up to 100 torr.  Our results clearly indicate that the shape of ZnO has a measureable influence on the overall reactivity of Au, which suggests that the type of interaction between Au and the ZnO support does have an influence on the reactivity of Au clusters supported on ZnO, possibly through a charge-transfer between Au and ZnO.

Effect of the ZnO shape on the catalytic CO oxidation and methanol decomposition over Au supported on ZnO nanocrystals

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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