Au/TiO2 supported on ferritic stainless steel monoliths as CO oxidation catalysts

Metallic supported structured catalysts were obtained by washcoating AluchromYHf monoliths with an Au/TiO2 catalyst. The powder catalyst was synthesized by DAE (direct anionic exchange) method. Using this catalyst, a stable slurry was prepared and used to washcoat the monoliths. TEM and SEM studies revealed that gold nanoparticles in the Au/TiO2 powder catalyst had an average diameter of 3–4 nm, but during the preparation of the structured catalyst, aggregate Au particles of the slurry reached diameters of 9 nm. Before coating, Aluchrom YHf monoliths were thermally treated to generate a homogeneous and well-adhered oxide rough surface layer, mainly composed of α-Al2O3 whiskers, which favored the anchoring of the catalyst. The catalytic layer deposited was well attached and contained not only the Au/TiO2 catalyst but also metallic oxides formed from stainless steel components that diffused through the oxide scale. The structural characterization was performed by XRD, XRF, TEM, SEM, GD-OES and SBET.