Preferential CO oxidation over Au/ZnO and Au/ZnO–Fe2O3 catalysts prepared by photodeposition

Preferential CO oxidation in a H2-rich stream was studied over Au/ZnO and Au/ZnO–Fe2O3 catalysts prepared by photodeposition under UV–vis light. The high catalytic activities of both Au/ZnO and Au/ZnO–Fe2O3 catalysts are presented over a temperature range of 30–130 °C. TEM results revealed that the average particle size of Au over the Au/ZnO and Au/ZnO–Fe2O3 catalysts, is in the range of 3–5 nm. Moreover, DR/UV–vis spectra showed that the prepared catalysts contained Auδ+ and Au0 (active sites for the PROX reaction) on the catalyst support. Based on the experiment observations, it can be concluded that the catalysts prepared by a photodeposition exhibited excellent catalytic activity, even when both CO2 and H2O were added to the simulated stream.