Exsolution of nickel alloys anchored nanoparticles on perovskite oxides for CO oxidation

Noble metals notably platinum (Pt), is a major element of heterogeneous catalysts, excel in catalysing an extensive number of important catalytic reactions in chemical and automotive industries. Since the increased use of these metals is severely limited because of their high cost and scarcity's, there is therefore an urgent need for the search of alternative transition metal catalysts that are cheaper and more widely available. This can only be practical if the main drawbacks of these transition metals can be impeded for instance the agglomeration of particles under high temperatures operational conditions with their activity enhanced, such that they can directly replace Pt on a weight-to-weight basis. The exsolution of metallic nanoparticles mainly nickel (Ni) at the surface of perovskite oxides in situ has shown remarkable catalytic activity and durability towards carbon monoxide (CO) and nitric oxide (NO) oxidation and in fuel cells. In this study, for CO oxidation reaction, the catalytic capabilities of exsolved Ni nanoparticles can be further enhanced when iron (Fe) and cobalt (Co) are co-exsolved with Ni, as FeNi and CoNi alloy nanoparticles, forming mixed oxide nanoparticles. FeNi alloy nanoparticles exhibit almost ten times site activities as compared to the Ni nanoparticles, owing to the oxide layer formation which then aided the oxidation of CO. Interesting enough, the CoNi alloy nanoparticles exhibit slightly different morphological and chemical transformation due to the difference in oxidation mechanism and the degree of oxidation, which reveal greater site activities towards CO oxidation. These nanoparticles were also subjected to additional compressive strain when they expanded as a result of them being pinned to the support. These results pave the way for new approach in altering the activity of the exsolved materials for various reactions.