Low Temperature CO oxidation over Iron Oxide Nanoparticles Decorating Internal Structures of a Mesoporous Alumina

Using a chemical vapor deposition method with regulated sample temperatures under ambient pressure conditions, we were able to fully decorate the internal structure of a mesoporous Al₂O₃ bead (~1 mm in particle diameter) with iron oxide nanoparticles (with a mean lateral size of less than 1 nm). The iron oxide-decorated Al₂O₃ showed a high CO oxidation reactivity, even at room temperature. Very little deactivation of the CO oxidation activity was observed with increasing reaction time at ~100 °C. Additionally, this catalyst showed high CO oxidation activity, even after annealing at ~900 °C under atmospheric conditions (i.e., the structure of the catalysts could be maintained under very harsh treatment conditions). We show that our catalysts have potential for application as oxidation catalysts in industrial processes due to the simplicity of their fabrication process as well as the high and stable catalytic performance.