High catalytic activity for CO oxidation of Co₃O₄nanoparticles in SiO₂nanocapsules

Abstract

In this paper, rattle-type Co3O4@SiO2 nanoparticles were prepared via thermal decomposition of Co3[Co(CN)6]2@SiO2 core–shell nanocubes. The uniform Co3[Co(CN)6]2 nanocubes were coated with porous silica and then calcined at 550 °C for 1 h to generate a large amount of Co3O4 nanocrystals in a cube-shaped silica nanocapsule via thermal decomposition of a Co3[Co(CN)6]2 nanocube. The nanorattles exhibit excellent catalytic activity for CO oxidation, the CO conversion rate reaches 100% at 150 °C. It is suggested that Co3O4 nanocrystals with clean surfaces were produced via this approach; moreover, the porous silica shell could protect Co3O4 nanocrystals from external contamination, which makes these novel nanostructures exhibit a remarkable catalytic performance.