Small gold particles supported on MgFe2O4 nanocrystals as novel catalyst for CO oxidation

Abstract We present the study on the catalytic performance of gold particles supported on spinel type MgFe 2 O 4 nanocrystals (Au/MgFe 2 O 4 ) which exhibit high activity for low temperature CO oxidation. Using XRD, TEM, XPS and CO titration techniques, we investigated the effect of the pretreatment atmosphere on the structure and catalytic properties of the Au/MgFe 2 O 4 catalyst in CO oxidation. TEM, XPS and XRD showed that the pretreatment atmosphere had a negligible effect on the particle size distribution, chemical states of the gold, and the structure of the support. Among the various pretreated catalysts, O 2 -Au/MgFe 2 O 4 exhibits superior activity, indicating that pretreatment in oxidative atmosphere induced the high capability of the catalyst to activate CO and supply active oxygen for CO oxidation as confirmed by CO titration experiments.