The clay mineral kaolinite was used as support of gold nanoparticles for heterogeneous catalysis of oxidation reactions, particularly of carbon monoxide oxidation. The application of clay minerals in the preparation of new functional materials provides an alternative approach for the use of these abundant raw materials. To improve the physicochemical properties of kaolinite, as well as to ensure a strong immobilization of the adsorbed species, kaolinite was functionalized by grafting 2-amino-2-methyl-1,3-propanediol on the internal and external surfaces of the octahedral sheets by reaction with the aluminol groups. Gold nanoparticles were then deposited on the external surfaces of the fine particles of the functionalized kaolinite. The resulting gold kaolinite nanohybrid material was characterized by various physicochemical techniques. X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry confirmed that gold was effectively reduced to the metallic state during adsorption onto the external surfaces of the modified kaolinite. The gold nanoparticles have a narrow size distribution: more than 88% are less than 4 nm in diameter. Gold nanoparticles deposited on kaolinite catalyze the electro-oxidation of carbon monoxide in alkaline solution at room temperature.
