Exceptional Thermal Stability of Pd@CeO2 Core-Shell Catalyst Nanostructures Grafted onto an Oxide Surface

Monolayer films of highly catalytically active Pd@CeO2 core-shell nanocomposites were grafted onto a planar YSZ(100) (yttria-stabilized zirconia, YSZ) single crystal support that was functionalized with a CVD-deposited layer of triethoxy(octyl)silane (TEOOS). The resulting monolayer films were found to exhibit exceptionally high thermal stability compared to bare Pd nanoparticles with the Pd@CeO2 nanostructures remaining intact and highly dispersed upon calcining in air at temperatures in excess of 1000 K. The CeO2 shells were also shown to be more easily reduced than bulk CeO2, which may partially explain their unique activity as oxidation catalysts. The use of both TEOOS and tetradecyl-phosphonic acid (TDPA) as coupling agents for dispersing Pd@CeO2 core-shell nanocomposites onto a high surface area gamma-Al2O3 support is also demonstrated.