Ultra-low loading of iron oxide on Pt/Al2O3 for enhanced catalytic activity of CO oxidation at room temperature: A simple method for applications

[Display omitted] •CO oxidation activity at 30 °C enhanced by loading of Fe-oxide on Pt/Al2O3.•This enhancement was observed in various atmospheric conditions.•Various analyses attributed enhancement to the increased boundary sites of Pt-Fe.•Fe-oxide-loaded Pt/Al2O3 showed high thermal stability.•Potential of our simple Fe-loading method for practical applications is stated. Fe-oxide particles were deposited on commercial Pt/Al2O3 in a highly dispersed manner via simple temperature regulated-chemical vapor deposition. We found that the catalytic activity of Pt/Al2O3 toward CO oxidation at room temperature can be enhanced by deposition of Fe-oxide on Pt/Al2O3. Particularly, as Fe-loading decreased from ∼10 to 0.34 wt%, catalytic activity toward CO oxidation gradually increased. Results of various analyses of catalysts attributed this Fe-oxide-induced enhancement effect to the boundary sites of Pt-Fe on Fe-Pt/Al2O3. It is worth noting that the enhanced catalytic activity of Pt/Al2O3 upon Fe-oxide loading was observed even in the presence of water vapor (40% of the relative humidity). In addition, Fe-oxide-loaded Pt/Al2O3 showed high thermal stability, and the catalytic activity at room temperature was retained after repeated exposure to high temperatures. Our results show the potential of Fe-oxide-loaded Pt/Al2O3 prepared by tr-CVD as a catalyst for low-temperature CO oxidation in practical applications.