Nanostructured Catalysts Prepared Using Atomic Layer Deposition

The size and composition of heterogeneous catalysts play important roles in achieving highly active, selective and stable catalytic systems. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) has been developed as a promising method to tailor size and composition of metal and metal oxide catalysts. Benefiting from self-limiting surface reactions, ALD enables conformal coatings of thin films and highly dispersed nanoparticles on high surface area supports. The size and composition of metal and metal oxides can be controlled precisely by tuning the ratio and sequence of ALD cycles of each substance. Nanostructured catalysts prepared by ALD have shown their advantages in several important catalytic systems, including fuel cells, alkane dehydrogenation, water splitting, and biomass conversion.

In the present study, the preparation of nanostructured Pt and Pd catalysts was characterized by in situ FT-IR, XPS, EXAFS, SAXS and STEM. The catalyst performance in the reactions involving carbon monoxide self-poisoning was studied and discussed. The nanostructured ALD catalysts showed promising properties that are resistant to coking formation and sintering. The selectivity of the reaction can be tuned by choosing proper combination of the catalysts and ALD oxide thin films.