Structure and catalytic property of supported rhodium catalysts prepared using arc-plasma

A highly dispersed supported Rh catalyst was successfully prepared by an arc-plasma process for the first time and was characterized by means of TEM, XPS and EXAFS. Repeated generation of pulsed arc-plasma using a Rh rod as a cathode was found to deposit crystallized uniform metallic Rh particles with the size of 2.4 ± 1.1 nm onto the surface of AlPO4 powders. The metal-support interaction via Rh–O–P bonding in the catalyst prepared using arc-plasma was found to be weaker than in the catalyst prepared by conventional wet impregnation. The arc-plasma catalyst preparation achieved a higher CO oxidation activity because of highly dispersed metallic Rh nanoparticles.