Gold nanoparticles (NPs) have been shown to be very active for various reactions. Recent studies demonstrated that alloying Au with Pd enhances the catalytic activity and yield in alcohol oxidation and H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> synthesis. The catalytic activity of gold catalysts is highly dependent on the particle size and dispersion of Au NPs. It is also influenced by the preparation method and the nature of the support. Hence, good catalytic performance can be achieved by careful selection of the support and the preparation method. We have recently reported on the preparation of highly active Au-Pd/Ti-NTs catalysts for the direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide and selective oxidation of salicylic alcohol [1,2]. In the previous work, the Au-Pd/Ti-NTs catalysts were prepared by adsorption of the metal precursors. In this work, we have prepared a significantly more active Au-Pd/Ti-NTs catalyst using colloidal synthesis. Au and Pd NPs with narrow particle size distribution were generated and immobilized on the surface of Ti-NTs. This catalyst was tested in the selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol, and showed superior activity to the catalysts prepared by adsorption (Figure). We attribute the superior catalytic activity of the new catalyst to the high metal dispersion, narrow particle size distribution, and the enhanced attraction between the metal NPs and the surface of Ti-NTs.

Highly active Au-Pd nanoparticles supported on titanate nanotubes

253rd National Meeting (2017)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.