X-ray diffraction techniques have been applied to characterize the Au-catalysed growth of aligned ZnO nanowire arrays on an AlGaN/AlN/Al2O3 substrate. The orientation relationships between the AlN layer, AlGaN layer, ZnO nanowires and Au particles were determined using x-ray texture analysis. Two orientations of the Au nanoparticles, related by a 30◦ rotation about the sample normal, were obser...

A set of Au/C catalysts for the gas phase hydrochlorination of acetylene to vinyl chloride monomer were prepared using a range of strong acids as impregnating solvents and varying the preparation drying temperature. The most active catalyst is the material prepared using aqua regia as solvent with an intermediate drying temperature of 140 C. The effects of the catalyst preparation parameters on...

To develop active nonprecious metal-based electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), a limiting reaction in several emerging renewable energy technologies, a deeper understanding of the activity of the first row transition metal oxides is needed. Previous studies of these catalysts have reported conflicting results on the influence of noble metal supports on the OER activity of t...

A straightforward, efficient, and reliable redox catalyst system for the Au(I)/Au(III)-catalyzed Sonogashira cross-coupling reaction of functionalized terminal alkynes with arylboronic acids under mild conditions has been developed.

Combined in situ X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) studies have been conducted to follow gold structural changes of low-content (<1%Au) gold-ceria catalysts in water-gas shift (WGS) reaction tests at 100 and 200 °C; and after heating the used catalysts in oxygen gas at 150 °C. Gold in the fresh (400 °C-calcined) material was atomic...

To improve the utilization efficiency of Au catalyst, triangular Au nanoplates on functional reduced graphene oxide were prepared by a facile method. The products with ultra-low trace amounts of Au afforded high catalytic efficiency for the reduction of 4-nitro phenol. The morphology of the products was controlled by tuning the addition of HAuCl4.

Galvanic deposition of Au onto a thin-sheet sinter-locked 8 μm Ni-fiber delivers a high-performance Au/Ni-fiber catalyst for alcohol oxidation, due to the unique combination of excellent heat conductivity, remarkable low-temperature activity, and good stability/regenerability. The special NiO@Au ensembles formed during the reaction contribute to promoting the low-temperature activity.

Adding a small amount of fully dispersed Pt entities onto the Au surface in Au/SiO(2) catalyst is found to be an efficient approach to improve the catalytic activity of Au (up to 70-fold) for the hydrogenation of α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds, without alternating its selectivity towards C=O or C=C bond hydrogenation.

Germanium nanowires (GeNWs) were synthesized using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) based on vapor–liquid–solid (VLS) mechanism with Au nanoparticles as catalyst and germanium tetrachloride (GeCl4) as a precursor of germanium. Au catalysts were deposited on silicon wafer as a thin film, firstly by sputtering technique and secondly by submerging the silicon substrates in Au colloidal s...

There remains considerable debate over the active form of gold under operating conditions of a recently validated gold catalyst for acetylene hydrochlorination. We have performed an in situ x-ray absorption fine structure study of gold/carbon (Au/C) catalysts under acetylene hydrochlorination reaction conditions and show that highly active catalysts comprise single-site cationic Au entities who...