Enhancing the activity of gold supported catalysts by oxide coating: towards efficient oxidations

Core–shell SiO2@Au@TiO2 materials have shown excellent catalytic performances in the base-free oxidation of furfural (FF) to furoic acid (FA). The enhanced catalytic behaviour with respect to that observed over supported SiO2@TiO2@Au catalysts suggests a key role of the TiO2 shell, which could prevent Au deactivation by irreversible FA adsorption, improve metal–oxide interaction and presumably, give rise to the formation of new active sites located at the perimeter of the Au–TiO2 interface.