ABSTRACT
Since the pioneer work of M. Haruta and G. J. Hutchings on
gold as a catalytically active metal [1-3], enthusiasm to improve
the understanding of new catalytic processes based on gold was
observed. High metal dispersion is of importance to obtain an
interesting catalytic activity. In the case of gold due to its low
melting point, preparing a heterogeneous catalyst with high metal
dispersion by the common procedures was not an easy task [4].
However, because of the peculiarity of the gold electronic states [5]
leading to astonishing colors of the Lycurgus Cup, gold nanoparticles
(GNPs) have attracted attention and not only from a catalytic point
of view.
