Highly Active and Stable Pd−GaO x /Al 2 O 3 Catalysts Derived from Intermetallic Pd 5 Ga 3 Nanocrystals for Methane Combustion

Catalytic combustion of methane is widely used in industrial and transportation activities. The commonly used Pd‐based catalysts, however, are easily deactivated under hydrothermal conditions. In this work, we adopted a novel strategy to prepare a GaO x ‐doped Pd/Al 2 O 3 catalyst via the oxidative transformation of intermetallic Pd 5 Ga 3 nanocrystals supported on γ ‐Al 2 O 3 . We observed a synergistic effect between palladium and gallium oxide via formation of a bi‐functional active Pd−O−Ga phase, resulting in a highly active and exceptionally stable catalyst that could markedly suppress the sintering of noble metals under harsh conditions (hydrothermal treatment at 750 °C). Moreover, the presence of a large amount of surface oxygen vacancies and the surface Pd−O−Ga phase could promote methane combustion over the catalysts. It is believed that such a novel dual‐metal catalyst is promising in practical applications for methane combustion.