Article révisé par les pairs
Résumé : X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) were employed to study surface composition and electronic properties of Au/TiO2 catalysts produced by co-precipitation and deposition—precipitation techniques. As shown, the surface characteristics of the catalysts were dependent on the preparation route and pretreatment conditions and exhibited correlation with catalytic performance of the samples. In the catalyst prepared by deposition—precipitation in a sodium- free environment and calcined at a moderate temperature, which demonstrated the highest and stable activity in CO oxidation at room temperature, a maximum fraction of reduced Ti3+ species and the largest level of surface hydroxylation were observed. Deterioration of catalytic properties of the samples prepared and pre-treated under different conditions is discussed in view of the alterations in the surface composition.