Low-temperature CO oxidation by Co3O4 nanocubes on the surface of Co(OH)2 nanosheets

Abstract CO oxidation has been performed on Co 3 O 4 nanocubes and Co(OH) 2 nanosheets as model catalysts. The reaction rate of CO on Co 3 O 4 /Co(OH) 2 nanocomposites obtained by one-pot synthesis is about ~ two orders of magnitude higher than that on Co 3 O 4 nanomaterials. The catalytic behaviors of different nanomaterials revealed that the assembly with nano building blocks cause the catalytic sites much more active for CO oxidation. The kinetic data showed that the activation energy for CO oxidation over Co 3 O 4 /Co(OH) 2 nanocomposites was lower than that of other nanomaterials. Since Co(OH) 2 nanosheets can prevent Co 3 O 4 nanocubes aggregating, nanocomposites kept good catalytic stability.