Ultrasmall silver nanoparticles supported on silica and their catalytic performances for carbon monoxide oxidation

The ultrasmall Ag nanoparticles supported on silica were prepared by a novel and facile method, which was based on the introduction of the functional monomer salicylaldimine Schiff base into a SiO2 matrix. The ultrasmall silica-supported Ag nanoparticles were characterized by means of XRD, TEM, UV–Vis, XPS and BET, and tested for CO oxidation. It was found that the catalytic oxidation of CO over the ultrasmall Ag nanoparticle catalysts was a strong size dependent reaction and the Ag particle size in a range of 3–5 nm was favorable for CO oxidation.

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► The ultrasmall SiO2-supported Ag nanoparticles were prepared by a novel and facile method.
► The CO oxidation catalyzed by the ultrasmall Ag nanoparticles was a strong size dependent reaction.
► The Ag nanoparticle size in a range of 3–5 nm was favorable for the CO catalytic oxidation.