Hybrid “Golden Fleece”: Synthesis and Catalytic Performance of Uniform Carbon Nanofibers and Silica Nanotubes Embedded with a High Population of Noble‐Metal Nanoparticles

Carbon nanofibers produced by hydrothermal carbonization display remarkable reactivity and the capability for in situ loading with very fine noble‐metal nanoparticles of metals such as Pd, Pt, and Au. Large quantities of uniform carbon nanofibers embedded/confined with various kinds of noble‐metal nanoparticles can be easily prepared, resulting in the formation of the so‐called uniform and well‐defined “hybrid fleece” structures. In addition, a general method has been developed to synthesize uniform silica nanotubes embedded/confined with noble‐metal nanoparticles by using the “hybrid fleece” consisting of carbon nanofibers loaded with noble‐metal nanoparticles as a template. To the best of our knowledge, the filling of silica nanotubes with a dense population of noble‐metal nanoparticles has not been demonstrated so far. These hybrid carbon structures embedded with noble‐metal nanoparticles in a heterogeneous “fleece” geometry serve as excellent catalysts for a model reaction involving the conversion of CO to CO2 at low temperatures.