In-situ formation of supported Au nanoparticles in hierarchical yolk-shell CeO2/mSiO2structures as highly reactive and sinter-resistant catalysts.
A novel strategy was described to construct Au-based yolk-shell SCVmS-Au nanocomposites (NCs), which combined the sol-gel template-assisted process for the assembly of hierarchical SCVmS NCs with modified CeO2/mSiO2as yolks/shells, and the unique deposition-precipitation (DP) process mediated with Au(en)2Cl3compounds for the synthesis of extremely stable supported Au nanoparticles (NPs). Characterization results indicated that the obtained SCVmS-Au NCs featured mesoporous silica shells, tunable interlayer voids, movable CeO2-modified cores and numerous sub-5nm Au NPs. Notably, the Au(en)2Cl3was employed as gold precursors to chemically modify into the modulated yolk-shell structure through the DP process and the subsequent low-temperature hydrogen reduction induced the in-situ formation of abundant supported Au NPs, bestowing these metal NPs with ultrafine grain size and outstanding sinter-resistant properties that endured harsh thermal conditions up to 750°C. Benefiting from the structural advantages and enhanced synergy of CeO2-Au/mSiO2-Au yolks/shells, the SCVmS-Au was demonstrated as markedly efficient catalysts with superior activity and reusability in catalyzing the reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol, and its pristine morphology still maintained after eight recycling tests.
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Jiangsu Optoelectronic Functional Materials and Engineering Laboratory, Nanjing 211189, PR China.
Jiasheng
J
Fang
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Jiangsu Optoelectronic Functional Materials and Engineering Laboratory, Nanjing 211189, PR China. Electronic address: zhangchem@seu.edu.cn.
Yiwei
Y
Zhang
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Jiangsu Optoelectronic Functional Materials and Engineering Laboratory, Nanjing 211189, PR China. Electronic address: ymzhou@seu.edu.cn.
Yuming
Y
Zhou
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Jiangsu Optoelectronic Functional Materials and Engineering Laboratory, Nanjing 211189, PR China.
Shuo
S
Zhao
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Jiangsu Optoelectronic Functional Materials and Engineering Laboratory, Nanjing 211189, PR China.
Chao
C
Zhang
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Jiangsu Optoelectronic Functional Materials and Engineering Laboratory, Nanjing 211189, PR China.
Hongxing
H
Zhang
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Jiangsu Optoelectronic Functional Materials and Engineering Laboratory, Nanjing 211189, PR China.
Xiaoli
X
Sheng
4-Nitrophenol; Catalytic activity; Gold precursor; Sinter resistance; Yolk-shell