Facile synthesis, characterization and low-temperature catalytic performance of Au/CeO2 nanorods

Au/CeO2 nanorods of ~ 15 nm in diameter and 100–400 nm in length have been synthesized through an efficient and simple method, and subsequently the novel low-temperature catalytic performance of Au/CeO2 nanorods for CO oxidation is found. The composites are characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction as well as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. It is found that the Au nanoparticles with an average diameter of 8 nm are distributed uniformly on the surface of CeO2 nanorods. The possible formation mechanism of Au/CeO2 nanorods has been discussed. The T50 depicting the catalytic activity for CO oxidation can reach 62.1 °C, which is much lower than that of CeO2 nanorods or Au/CeO2 powders. In addition, Au/CeO2 nanorods exhibit excellent stability as catalysts for CO oxidation.