CO Oxidation Catalyzed by Two-Dimensional Co₃O₄/CeO₂ Nanosheets

Two-dimensional nanostructures have been rarely reported as thermally stable catalysts for heterocatalysis. In this work, CeO₂ nanoparticle-modified Co₃O₄ nanosheets were successfully obtained via a wet-chemistry process in water phase and a following in-situ solvent-free heat treatment in the presence of 1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid. Detailed characterizations have been conducted to disclose the structural evolution of the Co₃O₄ nanosheets as well as the synergistic effect between Co₃O₄ and CeO₂ components. Also, it is identified that CeO₂ played the important role in stabilizing Co₃O₄ nanosheets, and 1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid greatly improved the smoothness of the final products. Such two-dimensional structural formation boosts the performance of the as-prepared Co₃O₄ nanosheets toward the model reaction of catalytic CO oxidation. More importantly, this work presents us an effective way to prepare transition metal oxides from the viewpoint of structural design of two-dimensional materials.