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Updated: Jun 24, 2026

Synthesis and Catalytic Performance of Gold Intercalated in the Walls of Mesoporous Silica
Published on: July 9, 2015
Are particulate noble-metal catalysts metals, metal oxides, or something in-between?
James C Goloboy1, Walter G Klemperer
1Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
Abstract:
A good model? Noble-metal particulate catalysts often require small amounts of oxygen to obtain optimal activity. However, the structure and stoichiometry of the oxidized metal clusters involved remains obscure, even almost two hundred years after their discovery. A heteropolypalladate salt (see picture; Pd yellow, O red) now offers a view of how oxygen might be incorporated into small noble-metal clusters.
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