Pollution Control Meets Sustainability: Structure-Activity Studies on New Iron Oxide-Based CO Oxidation Catalysts

A new class of catalysts for the oxidation of CO based on iron oxide as a biocompatible, earth-abundant and non-toxic metal is presented. The catalytic activities achieved with these catalysts provide promising milestones towards the substitution of noble metals in CO oxidation catalysts. The catalysts can be obtained by using iron core-shell nanoparticle precursors. The metal used for the shell material determines whether the iron core is integrated in or isolated from the support. The active iron site is effectively integrated into the γ-Al2 O3 support if an aluminum shell is present in the core-shell precursor. When the metal used for the shell is different from the support, an isolated structure is formed. Using this directed synthesis approach, different iron oxide species can be obtained and their structural differences are linked to distinct catalytic activities, as demonstrated by combined in-depth analytical studies using XRD, X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), UV/Vis, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis. The key species responsible for high catalytic activity is identified as isolated tetrahedrally coordinated Fe(III) centers, whereas aggregation leads to a reduction in activity.