Au/Fe2O3nanocatalysts for CO oxidation by a deposition–precipitation technique

Nanoscale Au/Fe 2 O 3 catalysts for CO oxidation were prepared by a deposition–precipitation technique using the thermal decomposition of urea. Freshly precipitated amorphous Fe(OH) 3 was used as a support. The resulting products were characterized by transmission electron microscopy and x-ray powder diffraction. The catalysts in the ‘as prepared’ state demonstrated exceptionally high activity toward CO oxidation. Compared to conventional coprecipitation with the same amount of gold precursor, the deposition–precipitation method was shown to produce more active catalysts because it allows complete precipitation of gold from solution.