A rapid, simple, and efficient method for the preparation of highly dispersed supported Au catalysts has been developed. In the preparation, NaBH4 is used to reduce the Au precursor, lysine is employed to cap the formed Au colloids, and a short sonication time is applied to facilitate dispersion and deposition of the Au colloids onto the catalyst support, which has been mixed with the precursor beforehand. The end‐point pH value of the solution and the isoelectric points (IEPs) of the catalyst supports have an influence on the size of the Au particles and their deposition. The optimum value for the end‐point pH is 7.5–10.0, and the IEP should be 5–10. The amino acid capping agent is easily removed at the catalyst activation stage at 200 °C, and the Au particles are thermally stable against sintering, even at 500 °C for 3 h. It is also proven that the method is applicable to the preparation of supported Pt catalysts. The catalytic activity of the prepared Au catalysts for CO oxidation in the absence/presence of H2 is comparable to that of a Au catalyst prepared by the co‐precipitation (CP) method, and to that of the standard catalyst from the World Gold Council (WGC). X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results show that only metallic Au exists in the catalysts before and after activation, and also after the catalysis reaction.

Copper oxide with various morphologies was synthesized by the hydrolysis of Cu(ac)2 with urea under mild hydrothermal conditions. In the synthesis, a series of organic amines with one or two amine groups (monoamine and diamine), including isobutylamine, octylamine (OLA), dodecylamine, octadecylamine (monoamines), ethylenediamine dihydrochloride, and hexamethylenediamine (diamines), was used as the "structure-directing agent". The monoamines led to the formation of one-dimensional (1D) aggregates of the copper oxide precursor particles (Pre-CuO), while the diamines led to the formation of two-dimensional (2D) aggregates. In both cases, the shorter carbon-chain amine molecules showed a stronger structure-directing function than that of the longer carbon-chain amine molecules. Next, in a series of syntheses, OLA was selected for further study, and the experimental parameters were systematically manipulated. When the hydrolysis was adjusted to a very slow rate by coupling the hydrolysis reaction with an esterification reaction, 1D aggregates of Pre-CuO were formed; when the hydrolysis rate was in the middle range, spherical Pre-CuO architectures composed of smaller linear aggregates were formed. However, under the high hydrolysis rates achieved by increasing the precipitation agent (urea) or by conducting the reaction at high temperatures (>/=120 degrees C), only Pre-CuO nanoparticles with a featureless morphology were formed. The formed spherical Pre-CuO architectures can be converted to a porous structure (CuOx) after removing the OLA molecules via calcination. Compared to the 1D and 2D aggregates, this porous architecture is highly thermally stable and did not collapse even after calcination at 500 degrees C. Preliminary results showed that the porous structure can be used both as a catalyst support and as a catalyst for the oxidation of CO at low temperatures.