Support Effect in High Activity Gold Catalysts for CO Oxidation

In this work, we present a detailed study concerning the evaluation of the metal-support interaction in high activity gold catalysts for CO oxidation. Using the colloidal deposition method, model catalysts were prepared, which allow the isolation of the effect of the support on the catalytic activity. Prefabricated gold particles were thus deposited on different support materials. Since the deposition process did not change the particle sizes of the gold particles, only the influence of the support could be studied. TiO2, Al2O3, ZrO2, and ZnO were used as support materials. Catalytic tests and high resolution transmission electron microscopy clearly show that the support contributes to the activity. However,…