Vapor phase synthesis of supported Pd, Au, and unsupported bimetallic nanoparticle catalysts for CO oxidation

We report the vapor phase synthesis and characterization of supported Pd, Au and unsupported bimetallic nanoparticle catalysts for CO oxidation. The approach utilized in the present work is based on the laser vaporization/controlled condensation technique which uniquely combines the features of pulsed laser vaporization with the controlled condensation process from the vapor phase to synthesize nanoparticle catalysts of controlled size and composition. The results indicate that supported Pd/CeO2, Au/CeO2, and unsupported bimetallic CuPd, CuAu, and AuPd nanoparticle catalysts exhibit excellent activity for CO oxidation. The significance of the current method lies mainly in its simplicity, flexibility and the control of the different factors that determine the activity of the nanoparticle catalysts. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.