Preparation of Magnetically Recyclable Yolk/Shell Fe_x O_y /PdPt@CeO₂ Nanoreactors with Enhanced Catalytic Activity

Noble metal nanoparticles (NPs) have recently received considerable attention from researchers working in the field of catalysis. However, the development of new methods allowing these materials to reach their maximum catalytic properties remains challenging. Nanoreactors could lead to dramatic improvements in activity with the help of the intrinsic confinement effect. In this study, we designed a series of yolk/shell Fe_x O_y /PdPt@CeO₂ composites, where the Fe_x O_y NPs acted as a movable core, allowing for the uniform distribution of the PdPt alloys on the inner surface of the CeO₂ shell. The high porosity and existence of hollow voids in the CeO₂ shell allowed these Fe_x O_y /PdPt@CeO₂ composites to be used as nanoreactors in catalytic reactions. As well this confinement effect, we identified two structural features that led to enhanced catalytic activity, including (i) the replacement of monometallic NPs with a bimetallic PdPt alloy and (ii) the replacement of a chemically inert support with a reactive CeO₂ shell. The resulting nanoassembled catalysts displayed higher activities toward the catalytic reduction of dyes than the reference samples. Moreover, these catalysts were readily recovered and reused because of the magnetic Fe_x O_y core.