Patent ID: 8664147

Claim:
A method for preparation of a composition of cobalt and palladium nanoparticles supported on an inert material particles comprising at least the steps of: reducing a cobalt compound and depositing Co(0) metallic nanoparticles obtained on the surface of particles consisting of an inert material, selected from aluminium oxide, titanium oxide, zirconium oxide, silicon oxide, cerium oxide and mixed cerium and zirconium oxides by adding the Co compound in an organic solvent to said particles of inert material and treating with a chemical reducing agent selected from trialkyl-aluminium AlR 3 , where R is a C 6 -C 20 alkyl linear or branched chain, under argon flux; preparing a colloidal suspension of Pd(0) nanoparticles by treating a Pd(II) compound in an organic solvent with a chemical reducing agent selected from a trialkyl-aluminium compound AlR 3 , where R is a C 6 -C 20 alkyl linear or branched chain, under argon flux; depositing the Pd(0) nanoparticles on the Co(0) nanoparticles supported on the inert material particles composition obtained at the previous step under argon flux; exposing a dry powder of the composition of Pd(0):Co(0) nanoparticles supported on the inert material particles obtained at the previous step under fluxes in sequence of argon, hydrogen and argon; and subjecting to a catalytic activation the Pd:Co nanoparticles supported on the inert material particles composition obtained from the step of conditioning.