Abstract
2.5 nm gold nanoparticles were grown on a fumed silica support using the physical vapor deposition technique magnetron sputtering. Combining electron microscopy, extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy, and catalytic studies revealed that the silica supported gold catalysts are thermally stable when annealed in an oxygen containing environment up to at least 500oC. This surprising stability is attributed to the absence of residual halide impurities and a strong bond between gold and defects at the silica surface (2.7 - 3.8 eV), as estimated from density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The Au/SiO2 catalysts are slightly less active for CO oxidation than the prototypical Au/TiO2 catalysts, however they can be regenerated far more easily, fully recovering the activity of a freshly prepared catalyst after deactivation.
