Surface cavities of Ni(OH)2 nanowires can host Au nanoparticles as supported catalysts with high catalytic activity and stability

We present a proof-of-concept demonstration of surface cavities for incorporation of noble metal nanoparticles with remarkable catalytic performance involved in liquid phase catalytic reactions. Mesoporous Ni(OH)(2) (m-Ni(OH)(2)) nanowires with surface cavities have been chosen as multifunctional supports for Au nanoparticles with a well controlled size (2 nm) and high dispersity through a facile room-temperature in situ reduction process without any additional stabilizer. In addition to immobilizing Au nanoparticles, the cavities also can prevent aggregation of neighboring noble metal nanoparticles, thus ensuring high stability/recyclability for Au/m-Ni(OH)(2) supported nanocatalysts. The results from catalytic reactions involved in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol in the presence of NaBH4 using Au/m-Ni(OH)(2) as the catalyst demonstrated its remarkable catalytic performance due to its nanoscale configuration.