Abstract
We report the investigation of titania supported gold catalysts prepared by magnetron sputtering. Catalysts grown on natural fumed titania were structurally unstable resulting in the rapid coarsening of 2.3 nm gold clusters into large ~20 nm gold clusters in a few days at room temperature under normal atmospheric conditions. However, treating the titania support powder to a mock-deposition-precipitation process, at pH 4 or pH 10, followed by the subsequent deposition of gold onto this treated powder produced a remarkable enhancement in gold particle stability and a 20-40 fold enhancement of catalytic activity respectively. This enhancement can not be attributed to the formation of oxygen vacancies on the TiO2 surface. Instead, it appears to be associated with the formation of strongly bound hydroxyl species on the TiO2 surface. The formation of surface hydroxyls during the deposition-precipitation method is coincidental and contributes significantly to the properties of Au/TiO2 catalysts.
