Colloidal Au Catalyst Preparation: Selective Removal of Polyvinylpyrrolidone from Active Au Sites

Colloids with controlled dimensions, morphology and composition can be used to obtain supported metal catalysts with desired characteristics. Yet, removal of capping agents which block active metal sites in such catalysts can be challenging: mild methods often result in incomplete removal of capping agents, whereas harsher methods can cause change in particle size or morphology or cause metal segregation for bimetallic particles. Here we provide evidence that polyvinylpyrrolidone used as a stabilizing agent for gold colloids is present both on the metal and the support surface after colloid deposition on the TiO₂ support. The polymer adsorbed on Au sites blocks their catalytic activity if it cannot be desorbed/decomposed under reaction conditions. Polyvinylpyrrolidone can be removed completely from the active gold surface of Au/TiO₂ without particle growth using a number of mild treatment methods described in this work, despite only partial removal (≈45 %) of the stabilizer from the bulk of Au/TiO₂ can be achieved. The remaining >50 % of polyvinylpyrrolidone resides exclusively on the TiO₂ support and has no effect on the optical properties and catalytic activity of gold nanoparticles. The treated catalysts demonstrate catalytic activity and selectivity similar to those of a catalyst prepared by impregnation. These findings are important for further advancing the preparation of well-defined supported catalysts using metal colloids.