Bi2O3/CuCr2O4–CuO core/shell structured nanocomposites: Facile synthesis and catalysis characterization

In this paper, spherical monodisperse Bi2O3 nanoparticles were first prepared. Then, Bi2O3/CuCr2O4–CuO nanocomposites with a homogeneous core/shell nanostructure have been further synthesized by encapsulating CuCr2O4–CuO on the surfaces of the as-prepared Bi2O3 nanoparticles via an in situ precipitation method. Techniques of XRD, TEM, EDS, and FTIR have been employed to characterize the as-synthesized materials. The formation mechanism of the core/shell structured Bi2O3/CuCr2O4–CuO nanoparticles was also briefly discussed. The results indicate that the pre-coating of NH4+ on the surfaces of Bi2O3 nanoparticles plays an essential role in the formation of homogeneous Bi2O3/CuCr2O4–CuO core/shell nanoparticles. Meantime, the catalytic properties of the as-synthesized Bi2O3/CuCr2O4–CuO core/shell nanoparticles have been readily evaluated. The results show that the resultant Bi2O3/CuCr2O4 core/shell nanomaterials demonstrate high catalytic activities towards the oxidation of CO.