Accurate hierarchical control of hollow nanocube Pd/CeO 2 catalysts for the low-temperature oxidation of CO

An effective approach of simultaneous coordinating etching and Pd nano coating technology is employed to prepare hollow Pd/CeO2 nanocubes as catalysts for the low-temperature oxidation of CO. The activities of Pd/CeO2 catalysts are higher than that of Pd supported on Al2O3, and the activity of 1wt.% Pd/CeO2 can be enhanced obviously and its T90 (which denotes the temperatures at which a 90% conversion of the initial reactants is attained) is as low as −5.6°C. The intrinsic hollow nature as well as high porosity of the unique nanostructures of CeO2 support contributes greatly to the formation of large numbers of surface oxygen vacancies on the as-prepared Pd/CeO2 catalysts, and therefore it exhibits outstanding catalytic activity. This strategy method is simple, of low cost, which may shed light on a new avenue for fast synthesis of hollow cube-like nano functional materials for catalyst, drug delivery, energy storage and other new applications.