Catalysis of carbon monoxide oxidation with oxygen in the presence of palladium nanowires and nanoparticles

A new synthesis method based on the coagulation of metal nanoparticles, introduced by laser ablation into superfluid helium, inside of quantized vortices has been used for the fabrication of nanoweb consisting of interconnected palladium wires of a 4 nm diameter. It has been found that at temperatures above 523 K, the Pd nanoweb effectively catalyzes the oxidation of CO with molecular oxygen. Temperature cycling leads to a shift of Pd nanoweb activity to lower temperatures. The catalytic action of the Pd nanoweb has been compared to that of Pd nanoparticles with a diameter of about 2 nm prepared by laser electrodispersion.