A structured Co–B catalyst for hydrogen extraction from NaBH4 solution

A structured Co–B catalyst has been developed to produce hydrogen from an alkaline NaBH₄ solution. The catalyst was prepared by chemical reduction of Co precursors coated on a Ni foam support. The effects of catalyst preparation conditions on activity of the catalyst were investigated. The active catalyst was amorphous in structure and contains boron with a Co/B molar ratio of 1.5–2.8. With increasing the heat treatment temperature, the catalyst showed a maximum activity to hydrogen generation at approximately 250 °C. Adhesion of the catalyst to the support was also enhanced by heat treatment at 300–400 °C. The catalysts were successfully applied in both a batch reactor and a flow reactor for continuous generation of hydrogen.     

Cr掺杂的Co-B非晶态合金的制备及催化硼氢化钠水解制氢

采用化学还原法制备了三元非晶态Co-Cr-B纳米催化剂。采用透射电镜（TEM）、扫描电镜（SEM）、X射线衍射仪（XRD）等测试方法对催化剂的形貌、结构、成分做了表征。通过排水法进行NaBH₄溶液水解产氢反应,测量了催化剂的催化性能。结果表明,当掺杂少量的Cr时,催化剂的粒径明显减小,比表面积明显增大,催化剂的性能提高。过量的Cr会导致出现过多的氧化物和Cr ³⁺,覆盖了催化剂表面活性位点,降低催化剂的性能。当Cr与Co物质的量比为0.005时,催化剂性能最佳。与纯Co-B相比,其对硼氢化钠水解产氢速率提高了2倍。此外,研究了催化剂用量、NaBH₄浓度、反应温度、NaOH浓度等因素对NaBH₄溶液水解产氢反应的影响。     

Solid state protonic conductor NH4PO3–(NH4)2Mn(PO3)4 for intermediate temperature fuel cells

A new proton-conductive composite of NH₄PO₃–(NH₄)₂Mn(PO₃)₄ was synthesized and characterized as a potential electrolyte for intermediate temperature fuel cells that operated around 250 °C. Thermal gravimetric analysis and X-ray diffraction investigation showed that (NH₄)₂Mn(PO₃)₄ was stable as a supporting matrix for NH₄PO₃. The composite conductivity, measured using impedance spectroscopy, improved with increasing the molar ratio of NH₄PO₃ in both dry and wet atmospheres. A conductivity of 7 mS cm⁻¹ was obtained at 250 °C in wet hydrogen. Electromotive forces measured by hydrogen concentration cells showed that the composite was nearly a pure protonic conductor with hydrogen partial pressure in the range of 10²–10⁵ Pa. The proton transference number was determined to be 0.95 at 250 °C for 2NH₄PO₃–(NH₄)₂Mn(PO₃)₄ electrolyte. Fuel cells using 2NH₄PO₃–(NH₄)₂Mn(PO₃)₄ as an electrolyte and the Pt–C catalyst as an electrode were fabricated. Maximum power density of 16.8 mW/cm² was achieved at 250 °C with dry hydrogen and dry oxygen as the fuel and oxidant, respectively. However, the NH₄PO₃–(NH₄)₂Mn(PO₃)₄ electrolyte is not compatible with the Pt–C catalyst, indicating that it is critical to develop new electrode materials for the intermediate temperature fuel cells.     

Mesoporous molecular sieve MCM-41 supported Co–Mo catalyst for hydrodesulfurization of petroleum resids

In this work, we explored the potential of mesoporous zeolite-supported Co–Mo catalyst for hydrodesulfurization of petroleum resids, atmospheric and vacuum resids at 350–450°C under 6.9 MPa of H₂ pressure. A mesoporous molecular sieve of MCM-41 type was synthesized; which has SiO₂/Al₂O₃ ratio of about 41. MCM-41 supported Co–Mo catalyst was prepared by co-impregnation of Co(NO₃)₂·6H₂O and (NH₄)₆Mo₇O₂₄ followed by calcination and sulfidation. Commercial Al₂O₃ supported Co–Mo (criterion 344TL) and dispersed ammonium tetrathiomolybdate (ATTM) were also tested for comparison purposes. The results indicated that Co–Mo/MCM-41(H) is active for HDS, but is not as good as commercial Co–Mo/Al₂O₃ for desulfurization of petroleum resids. It appears that the pore size of the synthesized MCM-41 (28 Å) is not large enough to convert large-sized molecules such as asphaltene present in the petroleum resids. Removing asphaltene from the resid prior to HDS has been found to improve the catalytic activity of Co–Mo/MCM-41(H). The use of ATTM is not as effective as that of Co–Mo catalysts, but is better for conversions of >540°C fraction as compared to noncatalytic runs at 400–450°C.     

Carbon-supported cobalt–iron catalysts for ammonia synthesis

The cobalt, iron and Co–Fe catalysts deposited on carbon were prepared, characterised (XRD, H₂ TPD) and studied in ammonia synthesis at 90 bar (H₂:N₂ = 3:1). Partly graphitised carbon material obtained via high temperature treatment (1900 °C) of commercial activated carbon was used as a support for the active metals (10 wt.%) and barium or potassium were used as promoters. XRD studies of unpromoted materials have shown that cobalt (5–20% in Co + Fe) dissolves in the iron phase (alloy formation); the average sizes of crystallites (20–30 nm) are roughly independent of the metal kind (Co, Fe, Co–Fe). The effect of Ba and that of K on the catalyst performance proved to be strongly dependent on the choice of an active phase (Co or Fe or Co–Fe). In the case of Co/C, the promotional effect of barium was extremely large. Furthermore, the Ba–Co/C system was found to be less inhibited by the ammonia product than Ba–Fe/C. At low temperature (400 °C) and at high conversion (8% NH₃ in the gas), the surface-based reaction rate (TOF) for Ba–Co/C is about six times higher than that for Ba–Fe/C.     

Fischer–Tropsch synthesis over Co–SiO2 catalysts prepared by the sol–gel method

Fischer–Tropsch synthesis was carried out in slurry phase over uniformly dispersed Co–SiO₂ catalysts prepared by the sol–gel method. When 0.01–1 wt.% of noble metals were added to the Co–SiO₂ catalysts, a high and stable catalytic activity was obtained over 60 h of the reaction at 503 K and 1 MPa. The addition of noble metals increased the reducibility of surface Co on the catalysts, without changing the particle size of Co metal significantly. High dispersion of metallic Co species stabilized on SiO₂ was responsible for stable activity. The uniform pore size of the catalysts was enlarged by varying the preparation conditions and by adding organic compounds such as N,N-dimethylformamide and formamide. Increased pore size resulted in decrease in CO conversion and selectivity for CO₂, a byproduct, and an increase in the olefin/paraffin ratio of the products. By modifying the surface of wide pore silica with Co–SiO₂ prepared by the sol–gel method, a bimodal pore structured catalyst was prepared. The bimodal catalyst showed high catalytic performance with reducing the amount of the expensive sol–gel Co–SiO₂.     

DRIFT study of temperature programmed desorption of NO adsorbed on Co–Mo/Al2O3 sulfided at high pressure

In order to make clear the coordinatively unsaturated sites (CUS) of Co–Mo/Al₂O₃ sulfided at high pressure, the temperature programmed desorption of NO adsorbed on Co–Mo/Al₂O₃ sulfided at high pressure was studied by DRIFT method. The intensity of two IR bands (1835 and 1785 cm⁻¹) of adsorbed NO on Co–Mo/Al₂O₃decreased simultaneously up to 393 K. The higher frequency band disappeared at 393 K, while the lower frequency band remained even at 403 K. In the case of Mo/Al₂O₃, the intensities of two bands appeared at 298 K decreased monotonously with increasing temperature, and disappeared simultaneously over 433 K. In the case of Co/Al₂O₃, two bands disappeared simultaneously over 393 K. These results suggest that two kinds of nitrosyl species are formed on Co–Mo/Al₂O₃. One is dinitrosyl species adsorbed on CUS of Co, and the other is unidentified nitrosyl species. Comparing DRIFT spectra of Co–Mo/Al₂O₃ with those of a physical mixture of Mo/Al₂O₃ and Co/Al₂O₃, it is also suggested that the formation of the latter one correlates with the interaction between Co and Mo in Co–Mo/Al₂O₃. The unidentified nitrosyl species might be the key to explain the dependency of DRIFT spectrum of adsorbed NO on the pressure of sulfiding.     

Oxidative conversion of methane to syngas over NiO/MgO solid solution supported on low surface area catalyst carrier

Influence of time-on-stream (0.5–15 h), CH₄/O₂ ratio in feed (1.8–8.0), space velocity (6000–510,000 cm³ g⁻¹ h⁻¹), catalyst particle size (22–70 mesh), and catalyst dilution by inert solid particles (diluent/catalyst weight ratio=4) on the performance at different temperatures (600–900°C) of the NiO/MgO solid solution deposited on SA-5205 [which is a low surface area macroporous silica-alumina catalyst carrier] in the oxidative conversion of methane to syngas (a mixture of CO and H₂) has been investigated. The dependence of conversion and selectivity on the space velocity is strongly influenced by the temperature. Both the conversion and selectivity for H₂ and CO are decreased markedly by increasing the CH₄/O₂ ratio in the feed. The catalyst dilution resulted in a small but significant decrease in both the conversion and selectivity for H₂ and CO. The increase in the catalyst particle size had also a small but significant effect on both the conversion and selectivity in the oxidative conversion process. Both the heat and mass transfer processes seem to play significant roles in the oxidative conversion of methane to syngas at a very low contact time or very high space velocity (5.1×10⁵ cm³ g⁻¹ h⁻¹).     

Combinatorial preparation and high-throughput catalytic tests of multi-component deNOx catalysts

A quaternary catalyst library of 56 samples comprising all combinations of four elements, viz. Ag, Co, Cu, In, with six equally spaced atomic fraction increments from 0 to 1 was prepared by impregnation of a proprietary mesoporous alumina support. Catalytic properties of the library were tested in the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO_x by propane under lean conditions in the temperature range 400–500 °C. The catalytic data acquired by a parallel 64-channel microreactor system with automated time-of-flight mass spectrometric analysis have been evaluated regarding selectivity–compositional relationships, synergistic effects for NO_x conversion, and efficiency of propane utilization. Full conversion of NO_x is achieved over Ag–Co combinations at 450 °C with N₂ selectivities of more than 90% and reductant utilization of 20% in a feed of 1500 ppm NO, 1500 ppm propane and 5 vol.% O₂ (space velocity of 36,000 cm³ g_cat⁻¹ h⁻¹). For the single-component catalysts Ag/Al₂O₃, Co/Al₂O₃, Cu/Al₂O₃, and In/Al₂O₃, the state of the elements on the mesoporous alumina was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Cobalt forms a spinel-like cobalt aluminate phase whereas copper and indium are present as oxides with small sizes not detectable by XRD. Silver occurs in both metallic state and as Ag₂O, and forms Ag_n clusters of at least two different sizes, predominantly with diameters of about 30 nm. The conclusions are consistent with the reducibility of the single-component catalysts samples by H₂. Surface area measurements and pore size distributions revealed reasonable modifications of the textural properties. The main pore size of the alumina support is decreased from 7 to ca. 5 nm after loading of the active components.     

铁、钴、镍、铜和锌催化剂催化氨硼烷水解产氢性能研究

采用浸渍-还原法制备了铁、钴、镍、铜和锌催化剂,考察了其催化氨硼烷水解产氢性能,并优化了钴催化剂的制备条件和反应条件。结果发现,铁催化剂中铁以Fe₂B合金相存在,钴催化剂中钴以金属钴存在,镍催化剂中镍以金属镍和Ni（OH）₂·2H₂O存在,铜催化剂中铜以金属铜和氧化亚铜存在,锌催化剂中锌以Zn₄SO₄（OH）₆·4H₂O存在。铁、钴、镍、铜和锌催化剂催化氨硼烷水解产氢活性由大到小顺序为钴催化剂、镍催化剂、铜催化剂、铁催化剂、锌催化剂。显然,具有金属钴相的钴催化剂、金属镍相的镍催化剂和金属铜相的铜催化剂催化氨硼烷产氢活性高于具有Fe₂B合金相的铁催化剂。锌催化剂在制备条件下不能被还原为金属相,它几乎没有催化氨硼烷产氢活性。氯化钴与还原剂硼氢化钠的物质的量比为1∶1.3、还原温度为303 K时制备的钴催化剂催化BH₃NH₃水解产氢性能最佳。反应动力学计算表明钴催化剂催化BH₃NH₃水解产氢反应对氨硼烷浓度的反应级数为零级,对钴催化剂浓度的反应级数为一级,活化能为58 kJ/mol。     

Kinetic measurements of CH4 combustion over a 10% PdO/ZrO2 catalyst using an annular flow microreactor

A kinetic study on CH₄ combustion over a PdO/ZrO₂ (10%, w/w) catalyst has been performed in a temperature range between 400 and 550 °C by means of an annular catalytic microreactor.

The role of mass transfer phenomena including diffusion in the catalyst pore, gas–solid diffusion and axial diffusion in the gas phase, has been preliminary addressed by means of mathematical modeling. Simulation results have pointed out the key role of internal diffusion showing that thicknesses of the active catalyst layer as thin as 10–15 μm are required to minimize the impact of mass transfer limitations. The thermal behavior of the reactor has been also addressed by means of catalytic combustion tests with CH₄ and CO–H₂ mixtures as fuels. The results have demonstrated the possibility to obtain nearly isothermal temperature profiles under severe conditions (up to 3% of CH₄) thanks to effective dissipation of reaction heat by radiation from the catalyst outer skin.

Finally the effect of reactants (CH₄ and O₂) and products (H₂O and CO₂) on CH₄ combustion rate has been addressed. The results have shown that both H₂O and CO₂ markedly inhibit the reaction up to 550 °C. The data have been fitted by the following simple power law expression r=k_rP_CH4P_H2O^−0.32P_CO2^−0.25 with an apparent activation energy of 108 kJ/mol.

Evidences have been found and discussed indicating a key role of the support on the extent of such inhibition effects.     

High-rate properties of LiFePO4/carbon composites as cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries

Electrochemical properties of LiFePO₄/carbon composites were investigated to achieve a high-rate lithium electrode performance. LiFePO₄/carbon composites were synthesized by a hydrothermal reaction of a solution of FeSO₄·7H₂O, H₃PO₄, and LiOH·H₂O mixed with carbon powders under nitrogen atmosphere followed by annealing under 1% H₂–99% Ar atmosphere. Particle size of the obtained LiFePO₄/carbon composites observed by scanning electron microscopy was less than 100 nm. At a high current density of 1000 mA g⁻¹, the LiFePO₄/carbon composites showed a high discharge capacity of 113 mA h g⁻¹, and a flat discharge potential plateau was observed around 3.4 V. The discharge capacity at the high current density, 85% of that at a low current density of 30 mA g⁻¹, is a quite high value for LiFePO₄ cathodes. Homogeneous microstructure consisting of small particles contributed to the high-rate properties of the LiFePO₄/carbon composites.     

Hydrotreating of straight run gas oil–light cycle oil blends

A pilot plant study was conducted to evaluate the effect of up to 50 vol% light cycle oil (LCO) on product quality when it is used together with straight run gas oil (SRGO) as a hydrotreating feedstock. Experiments were carried out at reaction pressures of 54, 70 and 90 kg/cm²; reaction temperatures of 350, 360, 370 and 380°C, liquid hourly space velocity (LHSV) of 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 h⁻¹, and constant hydrogen-to-oil ratio of 2000 ft³/bbl, over a commercial Co–Mo/γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst. The experimental results were used to determine apparent reaction orders and activation energies, which agree with those reported in the literature.     

Preparation, characterization and catalytic properties of Co–Nb2O5–SiO2 catalysts

Co–Nb₂O₅–SiO₂ catalysts were prepared using three different sol–gel procedures: (i) the colloidal sol–gel method using NbCl₅ and SiCl₄ as precursors; (ii) the polymeric sol–gel method using niobium ethoxide and tetraethyl-orthosilicate (TEOS); (iii) an intermediate procedure between the colloidal and polymeric sol–gel method in which the precursors were those utilized in the CSG but dissolved in a mixture of anhydrous ethanol and CCl₄. In all procedures, the elimination of the solvent carried out between 80 and 110°C was followed by a reduction in hydrogen flow (30 ml min⁻¹) at 773 K. Following these procedures, samples containing 10 wt.% Co and 15 wt.% niobium oxide (expressed as Nb₂O₅) were obtained. The characterization of the catalysts was performed using various techniques: N₂ adsorption and desorption curves at 77 K, NH₃- and H₂-chemisorption, TPO, XPS, XRD, and solid state ¹H MAS-NMR. Hydrogenolysis of butane was evaluated. The low reaction rates are assigned to the effect of the metal size, whereas the isobutane selectivity as well as the relatively high stability is due to the acidity of the support.     

Selective catalytic reduction of NOx with propylene in the presence of oxygen over Co–Pt promoted H-MFI and HY

Kinetic and in situ spectroscopic studies of Co–Pt/MFI and Co–Pt/HY catalysts for the selective reduction of NO_x with propylene in the presence of oxygen were carried out. The results of catalytic tests of Co–Pt/MFI showed that the addition of Pt to Co based catalyst improved the activity, but a small increase in selectivity to N₂O (15–20%) was observed. In the case of Co–Pt/HY catalyst, the addition of Pt improved the activity more significantly and however, a larger increase in selectivity to N₂O (6–72%) was obtained. It was also found from the results of FT-IR studies of Co–Pt/MFI that the reduction of NO to N₂ was as follows: firstly the oxidation of NO to NO₂ occurred over metallic Pt and NO₂ forms Co–NO₂, Co–ONO, and/or Co–ONO₂; secondly, the partial oxidation of C₃H₆ was happened over Brønsted acid sites and the reaction of NO₂ formed on Co sites with partial oxidized C₃H₆ produced organo-nitro species. These species were dehydrated and isomerized to form isocyanate. Finally, [NCO] type intermediates react with NO from gas phase to selectively yield N₂.     

A study on the characteristics of the SO2 reduction using coal gas over SnO2-ZrO2 catalysts

SO₂, which is an air pollutant causing acid rain and smog, can be converted into elemental sulfur in direct sulfur recovery process (DSRP). SO₂ reduction was performed over catalyst in DSRP. In this study, SnO₂-ZrO₂ catalysts were prepared by a co-precipitation method, and CO and coal gas, which contains H₂, CO, CO₂ and H₂O, were used as reductants. The reactivity profile of the SO₂ reduction over the catalysts was investigated at the various reaction conditions as follows: reaction temperature of 300–550 °C, space velocity of 5000–30,000 cm³/g_-cat. h, [reductant]/[SO₂] molar ratio of 1.0–4.0 and Sn/Zr molar ratio of SnO₂-ZrO₂ catalysts 0/1, 2/8, 3/5, 5/5, 2/1, 3/1, 4/1 and 1/0. SnO₂-ZrO₂ (Sn/Zr = 2/1) catalyst showed the best performance for the SO₂ reduction in DSRP on the basis of our experimental results. The optimized reaction temperature and space velocity were 325 °C and 10,000 cm³/g_-cat. h, respectively. The optimal molar ratio of [reductant]/[SO₂] varied with the reductants, that is, 2.0 for CO and 2.5 for coal gas. SO₂ conversion of 98% and sulfur yield of 78% were achieved with the coal gas.     

Preparation and characterization of heteropolyacid/mesoporous carbon catalyst for the vapor-phase 2-propanol conversion reaction

H₃PMo₁₂O₄₀ catalyst was chemically immobilized on the surface modified CMK-3 (SM-CMK-3) support as a charge compensating component, by taking advantage of the overall negative charge of [PMo₁₂O₄₀]³⁻. The supported H₃PMo₁₂O₄₀/SM-CMK-3 catalyst was characterized to have high surface area (≈1000 m²/g) and relatively large pore volume (0.83 cm³/g). The H₃PMo₁₂O₄₀/SM-CMK-3 catalyst was applied to the vapor-phase 2-propanol conversion reaction. The H₃PMo₁₂O₄₀/SM-CMK-3 catalyst exhibited higher 2-propanol conversion than the unsupported H₃PMo₁₂O₄₀ and the impregnated H₃PMo₁₂O₄₀ on CMK-3. Furthermore, the PMo₁₂/SM-CMK-3 catalyst showed the enhanced oxidation activity (acetone formation) and the suppressed acid catalytic activity (propylene formation) compared to the other two catalysts. It is believed that [PMo₁₂O₄₀]³⁻ species were chemically and finely immobilized on the SM-CMK-3 support as charge matching species, and thus, the PMo₁₂/SM-CMK-3 catalyst showed an excellent oxidation activity.     

In situ IR and pulse reaction studies on the active oxygen species over SrF2/Nd2O3 catalyst for oxidative coupling of methane

Pulse reaction method and in situ IR spectroscopy were used to characterize the active oxygen species for oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) over SrF₂/Nd₂O₃ catalyst. It was found that OCM activity of the catalyst was very low in the absence of gas phase oxygen, which indicated that lattice oxygen species contributed little to the yield of C₂ hydrocarbons. IR band of superoxide species (O₂⁻) was detected on the O₂-preadsorbed SrF₂/Nd₂O₃. The substitution of ¹⁸O₂ isotope for ¹⁶O₂ caused the IR band of O₂⁻ at 1128 cm⁻¹ to shift to lower wavenumbers (1094 and 1062 cm⁻¹), consistent with the assignment of the spectra to the O₂⁻ species. A good correlation between the rate of disappearance of surface O₂⁻ and the rate of formation of gas phase C₂H₄ was observed upon interaction of CH₄ with O₂-preadsorbed catalyst at 700 °C. The O₂⁻ species was also observed on the catalyst under working condition. These results suggest that O₂⁻ species is the active oxygen species for OCM reaction on SrF₂/Nd₂O₃ catalyst.     

Co from partial reduction of La(Co,Fe)O3 perovskites for Fischer–Tropsch synthesis

Small Co clusters (d<10 nm) supported over mixed La–Co–Fe perovskites were successfully synthesized. These catalysts were active for Fischer–Tropsch (FT). Depending on the Co to Fe ratios the mixed perovskite exhibited two different forms: the rhombohedral phase of LaCoO₃ is maintained for the mixed perovskite when x>0.5, the orthorhombic phase of LaFeO₃ is found for x<0.5. Interestingly only one of these structures is active for the FT reaction: the orthorhombic structure. This is most likely due to the capacity of this material to maintain its structure even with a high number of cation vacancies. These cations (mostly Co) were on purpose extracted and reduced. Magnetic measurements clearly showed their metallic nature. Rhombohedral Co–Fe mixed perovskites (x≥0.5) cannot be used as precursors for Fischer–Tropsch catalysts: their partial reduction only consists in a complete reduction of Co³⁺ into Co²⁺.

The partial reduction of orthorhombic perovskites (x<0.5) leads to active Fischer–Tropsch (FT) catalysts by formation of a metal phase well dispersed on a cation-deficient perovskite. The FT activity is related to the stability of the precursor perovskite. When initially calcined at 600 °C, a maximum of 8.6 wt.% of Co⁰ can be extracted from LaCo_0.40Fe_0.60O₃ (compared to only 2 wt.% after calcination at 750 °C). The catalyst is then composed of Co⁰ particles of 10 nm on a stable deficient perovskite LaCo_0.05³⁺Fe_0.60³⁺O_2.40. Catalytic tests showed that up to 70% in the molar selectivity for hydrocarbons was obtained at 250 °C, 40% of which was composed of the C₂–C₄ fraction.     

Formation of singlet molecular oxygen associated with the formation of superoxide radicals in aqueous suspensions of TiO2 photocatalysts

The production and decay of singlet molecular oxygen (¹O₂) in TiO₂ photocatalysis were investigated by monitoring its phosphorescence under various reaction conditions. First, the effects of additives such as KBr, KSCN, KI, H₂O₂, and ethanol on the amount of ¹O₂ produced by photo excitation of P25 TiO₂ were measured. The same additives were employed to investigate the effect on the amount of O₂⁻ produced. Comparison between the effects on ¹O₂ and O₂⁻ suggested that ¹O₂ is formed by the electron transfer mechanism, the reduction of molecular oxygens to O₂⁻ by photogenerated electrons and the subsequent oxidation of O₂⁻ to ¹O₂ by photogenerated holes. The formation of ¹O₂ decreased at pH < 5 and pH > 11, indicating that the intermediate O₂⁻ is stabilized at the terminal OH site of the TiO₂ surface in the pH range of 5 < pH < 11. Eighteen commercially available TiO₂ photocatalysts were compared on the formation of ¹O₂ and O₂⁻ in an aqueous suspension system. The formation of ¹O₂ was increased with decreasing size of TiO₂ particles, indicating that a large specific surface area causes a higher possibility of reduction producing O₂⁻ and then a large amount of ¹O₂ is formed. The difference in the crystal phase (rutile and anatase) did not affect the formation of ¹O₂.