Formation of intermediates during methanol oxidation: A quantitative DEMS study

Current efficiencies for the formation of CO₂ during methanol oxidation at smooth polycrystalline platinum electrodes were determined by differential electrochemical mass spectrometry in a thin layer flow through cell. In all cases, the current efficiencies are below 60%; in particular, values as low as 16% were found in 0.1 M methanol solution at 0.6 V, which shows that a large amount of soluble intermediates (formaldehyde and/or formic acid) are formed. The extent to which these soluble intermediates are further oxidized to CO₂ depends on the diffusion conditions. For methanol oxidation a parallel oxidation path via CO_ad is also active. The influence of the surface crystal structure and, in particular, of steps was also studied. Step decoration by foreign metals allowed examination of the effect of cocatalytic metals on well defined model surfaces.     

Ethanol electrooxidation on novel carbon supported Pt/SnOx/C catalysts with varied Pt:Sn ratio

Novel carbon supported Pt/SnO_x/C catalysts with Pt:Sn atomic ratios of 5:5, 6:4, 7:3 and 8:2 were prepared by a modified polyol method and characterized with respect to their structural properties (X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM)), chemical composition (XPS), their electrochemical properties (base voltammetry, CO_ad stripping) and their electrocatalytic activity and selectivity for ethanol oxidation (ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR)). The data show that the Pt/SnO_x/C catalysts are composed of Pt and tin oxide nanoparticles with an average Pt particle diameter of about 2 nm. The steady-state activity of the Pt/SnO_x/C catalysts towards the EOR decreases with tin content at room temperature, but increases at 80 °C. On all Pt/SnO_x/C catalysts, acetic acid and acetaldehyde represent dominant products, CO₂ formation contributes 1-3% for both potentiostatic and potentiodynamic reaction conditions. With increasing potential, the acetaldehyde yield decreases and the acetic acid yield increases. The apparent activation energies of the EOR increase with tin content (19-29 kJ mol⁻¹), but are lower than on Pt/C (32 kJ mol⁻¹). The somewhat better performance of the Pt/SnO_x/C catalysts compared to alloyed PtSn_x/C catalysts is attributed to the presence of both sufficiently large Pt ensembles for ethanol dehydrogenation and C-C bond splitting and of tin oxide for OH generation. Fuel cell measurements performed for comparison largely confirm the results obtained in model studies.     

Pt催化丙烷脱氢过程中结焦反应的粒径效应与Sn的作用

用乙二醇还原法制备了Pt颗粒平均粒径分别为2.0、4.6、12.1 nm的Pt/Al₂O₃催化剂,同时用浸渍法制备了PtSn/Al₂O₃双金属催化剂,并考察了各催化剂在丙烷脱氢过程中的结焦行为。分别用H₂化学吸附、透射电镜、热重分析、元素分析、红外光谱、拉曼光谱等手段对催化剂进行了表征。表征结果显示,催化剂金属上的结焦速率与Pt金属颗粒粒径密切相关。具有较小Pt颗粒的催化剂金属上的结焦速率明显大于具有较大Pt颗粒的催化剂。具有较小Pt颗粒的催化剂上生成的焦含有较少的氢,其石墨化程度也较高。本研究中PtSn/Al₂O₃催化剂金属上的结焦速率高于Pt/Al₂O₃催化剂,并且在双金属上生成的焦具有更高的石墨化程度。结合Pt/Al₂O₃催化剂上的结焦机理,对高性能丙烷脱氢催化剂提出了新的概念设计。     

Adsorption and electrooxidation of ethylene glycol and its C2 oxidation products on a carbon-supported Pt catalyst: A quantitative DEMS study

Aiming at a better understanding of ethylene glycol oxidation, the adsorption and oxidation of ethylene glycol and its incomplete C₂ oxidation products glycol aldehyde, glyoxal, glycolic acid, glyoxylic acid and oxalic acid on carbon supported Pt catalysts were investigated by on-line differential electrochemical mass spectrometry (DEMS) under continuous electrolyte flow. This includes adsorption transients at different, constant potentials, oxidative removal (‘stripping’) of the resulting adsorbates, and potentiodynamic bulk oxidation/reduction of the respective molecules. The data show a pronounced influence of the different functional groups on the adsorption and oxidation characteristics, with hydroxyl and carboxylic functions resulting in lower adsorption rates and pronounced potential effects, while aldehyde functions lead to high adsorption rates at all potentials. The potential effects in the adsorption rate are mainly ascribed to surface blocking by H_upd species. For aldehydes and acids, CO₂ formation occurs already at potentials below the onset of OH_ad formation, which is ascribed to the decomposition of the carboxylic group or of the diol groups of hydrated aldehydes. The contributions of different reaction pathways, including: (i) ‘direct’ oxidation to CO₂, (ii) indirect oxidation to CO₂ via formation and further oxidation of CO_ad, and (iii) incomplete oxidation to more highly oxidized C₂ species, with the possibility of their further reaction via re-adsorption and reaction along (i)–(iii), are discussed.     

Promotion effect of Sn in alumina-supported Pt catalysts for CO-PROX

In this work we have studied the effect of the addition of Sn to alumina-supported Pt catalysts towards the catalytic performance in CO-PROX reaction. Monometallic Pt and Sn catalysts supported on alumina, and bimetallic Pt–Sn supported on alumina (with Pt/Sn atomic ratios of 1.92, 0.53 and 0.28) was prepared by successive impregnation, with high dispersion of the metal. The addition of Sn to Pt does not substantially increase the activity in CO-PROX at low temperatures; however, the temperature interval where the CO conversion is maximum was significantly increased. The optimum Pt/Sn atomic ratio was found to be 0.53. In a wide operation window with respect to temperature, the catalyst with optimum Pt to Sn ratio shows a maximum CO conversion of 78% for λ = 2 with constant selectivity (about 40%) and with 31%CO yield. In the presence of either CO₂ or H₂O the performance of Sn promoted catalyst was seen to show improved activity.     

Formic acid oxidation on Pd-modified Pt(100) and Pt(111) electrodes: A DEMS study

Formic acid oxidation on palladium submonolayers on well-defined Pt(100) and Pt(111) electrodes has been studied using voltammetry and Differential Electrochemical Mass Spectrometry (DEMS). A combination of the two techniques allows a better understanding of the reaction taking place on the electrode surface. Thus, an exact correlation between the CO₂ mass signal and the current density in the voltammogram corresponding to the formic acid oxidation has been obtained. On palladium modified Pt(100) electrodes and in the potential region below 0.3 V, the currents in the positive scan are higher than those recorded in the negative scan. This diminution on the signal in the negative scan has been associated with CO₂ reduction to CO on the palladium adlayer. In addition, the CO₂ reduction reaction seems to take place on the border of the palladium islands. Finally, the adsorption of (bi)sulfate anions has an inhibiting behavior on the formic acid oxidation reaction.     

甲醇氧化电催化剂Pt、Ru和PtRu的性能研究

应用恒电位沉积法制得Pt、Ru和PtRu直接甲醇燃料电池阳极催化剂,并对三种催化剂的甲醇氧化活性和稳定性进行了考察。动电位和恒电位实验结果均表明,Ru的加入使PtRu的甲醇起始氧化电位相对于Pt催化剂负移,催化活性和稳定性得到明显的改善。     

Adsorption and surface reactions of acetaldehyde on alumina-supported noble metal catalysts

Adsorption and further surface transformations of acetaldehyde on Al₂O₃-supported noble metal catalysts were studied by FTIR spectroscopy. Two forms (H-bridge bonded and bonded to Lewis sites) of molecularly adsorbed acetaldehyde were detected. -aldolization of acetaldehyde into crotonaldehyde was observed already at 300 K on all surfaces investigated. The formation of adsorbed crotonaldehyde depended on the temperature and on the nature of the metal. The gas phase products (crotonaldehyde, benzene, hydrogen, ethane, ethylene and acetylene) were analyzed by mass spectrometer. Their appearance in the gas phase and their amounts depended on the nature of the metal and on the temperature.To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: jkiss@chem.u-szeged.hu     

Role of support in reforming of CH4 with CO2 over Rh catalysts

The reforming of CH₄ with CO₂ over supported Rh catalysts has been studied over a range of temperatures (550–1000 K). A significant effect of the support on the catalytic activity was observed, where the order was Rh/Al₂O₃>Rh/TiO₂>Rh/SiO₂. The catalytic activity of Rh/SiO₂ was promoted markedly by physical mixing of Rh/SiO₂ with metal oxides such as Al₂O₃, TiO₂, and MgO, indicating a synergetic effect. The role of the metal oxides used as the support and the physical mixture may be ascribed to the promotion in dissociation of CO₂ on the surface of Rh, since the CH₄ + CO₂ reaction is first order in the pressure of CO₂, suggesting that CO₂ dissociation is the rate-determining step. The possible model of the synergetic effect was proposed.     

Hydrodesulfurization of dibenzothiophene over supported and unsupported molybdenum carbide catalysts

A series of γ-Al₂O₃ supported molybdenum carbides [carbided Mo/γ-Al₂O₃ (MCS), Co-Mo/γ-Al₂O₃ (CMCS), and Ni-Mo/γ-Al₂O₃ (NMCS)] and unsupported molybdenum carbide (MCUS) were prepared by the temperature-programmed carburization of their corresponding molybdenum nitrides with 20 % CH₄/H₂. XRD and SEM studies show that unsupported molybdenum carbide catalyst possesses a typical crystalline Mo₂C (FCC structure), while supported molybdenum carbide catalysts possess highly dispersed surface molybdenum carbide species on an alumina oxide support. The results of dibenzothiophene (DBT) hydrodesulfurization over molybdenum carbide catalysts show that the reactivity is strongly dependent on the type of catalyst. Supported molybdenum carbide catalysts possess a higher reactivity than the unsupported molybdenum carbide catalyst. In addition, Co or Ni promoted, supported molybdenum carbide catalyst possesses a higher reactivity than the unpromoted, supported molybdenum carbide catalyst. The reactivity, which is also dependent on the reaction conditions, increases with increasing reaction temperature and pressure and contact time. The CO uptakes of the molybdenum carbide catalysts correlate well with overall activity (total rate) for DBT hydrodesulfurization. The major reaction product is biphenyl, with cyclohexylbenzene next in abundance regardless of the type of catalysts and reaction conditions. It was also found that the molybdenum carbide catalysts exhibit stable initial reactivity due to the stable and weak acidic characteristics of these catalysts.     

Structure sensitivity of dimethylamine deep oxidation over Pt/Al2O3 catalysts

The deep oxidation of dimethylamine (DMA) was studied over Pt/Al₂O₃ catalysts with small (1 nm) and large (7.8–15.5 nm) Pt crystallite sizes. The turnover frequency (TOF) was higher for the large than for the small Pt crystallites, indicating that the reaction is structure sensitive. Two kinetic models were used to interpret the obtained results, i.e., the Mars van Krevelen and a mechanism based on the adsorption of oxygen and adsorption of dimethylamine on different active sites were employed. Both models showed that the activation energy for the oxygen chemisorption rate constant (k_o) decreased with increasing of Pt crystallite size and that the activation energy for the surface reaction rate constant (k_i) was independent of the Pt crystallite size. The structure sensitivity may be explained by differences in the reactivity of the oxygen adsorbed on these Pt crystallites.The Mars van Krevelen model fits the TOF values very well at concentrations of DMA higher than 1500 ppm, while in the lower concentrations region, the model under predicts the experimental data. The model based on the adsorption of oxygen and DMA on different active sites fits the experimental data quite well over the whole temperature and concentration range. The fitted values of the Henry adsorption constant are independent of the Pt crystallite size.     

CO tolerance and catalytic activity of Pt/Sn/SnO2 nanowires loaded on a carbon paper

Electrochemical activities and structural features of Pt/Sn catalysts supported by hydrogen-reduced SnO₂ nanowires (SnO₂NW) are studied, using cyclic voltammetry, CO stripping voltammetry, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction analysis. The SnO₂NW supports have been grown on a carbon paper which is commercially available for gas diffusion purposes. Partial reduction of SnO₂NW raises the CO tolerance of the Pt/Sn catalyst considerably. The zero-valence tin plays a significant role in lowering the oxidation potential of CO_ads. For a carbon paper electrode loaded with 0.1 mg cm⁻² Pt and 0.4 mg cm⁻² SnO₂NW, a conversion of 54% SnO₂NW into Sn metal (0.17 mg cm⁻²) initiates the CO_ads oxidation reaction at 0.08 V (vs. Ag/AgCl), shifts the peak position by 0.21 V, and maximizes the CO tolerance. Further reduction damages the support structure, reduces the surface area, and deteriorates the catalytic activity. The presence of Sn metal enhances the activities of both methanol and ethanol oxidation, with a more pronounced effect on the oxidation current of ethanol whose optimal value is analogous to those of PtSn/C catalysts reported in literature. In comparison with a commercial PtRu/C catalyst, the optimal Pt/Sn/SnO₂NW/CP exhibits a somewhat inferior activity toward methanol, and a superior activity toward ethanol oxidation.     

A Novel Catalyst Pt/CoAl2O4/Al2O3 for Combination CO2 Reforming and Partial Oxidation of CH4

Pt/CoAl₂O₄/Al₂O₃, Pt/CoO_x/Al₂O₃, CoAl₂O₄/Al₂O₃ and CoO_x/Al₂O₃ catalysts were studied for combination CO₂ reforming and partial oxidation of CH₄. The results indicate that Pt/CoAl₂O₄/Al₂O₃ is the most effective, and XRD results indicate that Pt species are well dispersed over the Pt/CoAl₂O₄/Al₂O₃. High dispersion is related to the presence of CoAl₂O₄, formed during calcining at high temperature before Pt addition. In the presence of Pt, CoAl₂O₄ in the catalyst could be reduced partially at 973 K. Based on these results, it appears that zerovalent platinum with high dispersion and zerovalent cobalt resulting from CoAl₂O₄ reduction are responsible for high activity in the Pt/CoAl₂O₄/Al₂O₃ catalyst.     

Activity,selectivity, and methanol tolerance of novel carbon-supported Pt and Pt<Subscript>3</Subscript>Me (Me = Ni,Co) cathode catalysts

The activity, selectivity, and methanol tolerance of novel, carbon supported high-metal loading (40 wt.%) Pt/C and Pt₃Me/C (Me = Ni, Co) catalysts for the O₂ reduction reaction (ORR) were evaluated in model studies under defined mass transport and diffusion conditions, by rotating (ring) disk and by differential electrochemical mass spectrometry. The catalysts were synthesized by the organometallic route, via deposition of pre-formed Pt and Pt₃Me pre-cursors followed by their decomposition into metal nanoparticles. Characteristic properties such as particle sizes, particle composition and phase formation, and active surface area, were determined by transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. For comparison, commercial Pt/C catalysts (20 and 40 wt.%, E-Tek, Somerset, NJ, USA) were investigated as well, allowing to evaluate Pt loading effects and, by comparison with the pre-cursor-based catalyst with their much smaller particle sizes (1.7 nm diameter), also particle size effects. Kinetic parameters for the ORR were evaluated; the ORR activities of the bimetallic catalysts and of the synthesized Pt/C catalyst were comparable and similar to that of the high-loading commercial Pt/C catalyst; at typical cathode operation potentials H₂O₂ formation is negligible for the synthesized catalysts. Due to their lower methanol oxidation activity the bimetallic catalysts show an improved methanol tolerance compared to the commercial Pt/C catalysts. The results indicate that the use of very small particle sizes is a possible way to achieve reasonably good ORR activities at an improved methanol tolerance at DMFC cathode relevant conditions.     

Sintering of Pt/Al2O3 reforming catalysts: EXAFS study of the behavior of metal particles under oxidizing atmosphere

The effect of an oxidative atmosphere (300 °C) is studied on fresh and sintered unchlorinated naphtha reforming catalysts containing 0.6–1% Pt. The TPR profiles show that only one species is formed using our experimental conditions, regardless of the mean crystallite size of the metal particles. The structural information supplied by EXAFS compared with cuboctahedral particle modeling, implies that such species is a surface platinum oxide, the structure of which is close to that of PtO₂, but largely distorted. This is true whether the catalyst is sintered or not.     

Oscillations of CO and CO + H2 oxidation in air over supported and unsupported Pt catalysts

Oscillation behaviour of the oxidation of CO (0.2–2.2%) in air over Pt wire coils and over Pt/Al₂O₃ catalysts deposited onto the coils (pellistors) has been investigated. The waveforms differ considerably between the two catalytic systems. Over unsupported Pt at 240–260° C, regular oscillations were accompanied by slowly declining activity and by deposition of carbon. Over supported Pt at 110–180°C, relatively complex but sustained oscillation occurred by a different mechanism. This oscillation was greatly enhanced by H₂ (0.25–1.0%), and may involve fluctuations in the concentrations of CO and H₂ around the supported catalyst.     

Effect of H2S on the hydrogenation of carbon dioxide over supported Rh catalysts

The hydrogenation of CO₂ was studied on supported noble metal catalysts in the presence of H₂S. In the reaction gas mixture containing 22 ppm H₂S the reaction rate increased on TiO₂ and on CeO₂ supported metals (Ru, Rh, Pd), but on all other supported catalysts or when the H₂S content was higher (116 ppm) the reaction was poisoned. FTIR measurements revealed that in the surface interaction of H₂ + CO₂ on Rh/TiO₂ Rh carbonyl hydride, surface formate, carbonates and surface formyl were formed. On the H₂S pretreated catalyst surface formyl species were missing. TPD measurements showed that adsorbed H₂S desorbed as SO₂, both from TiO₂-supported metals and from the support. IR, XP spectroscopy and TPD measurements demonstrated that the metal became apparently more positive when the catalysts were treated with H₂S and when the sulfur was built into the support. The promotion effect of H₂S was explained by the formation of new centers at the metal/support interface.     

Intermediate hydrocarbon species for the CO2-CH4 reaction on supported Ni catalysts

By using pulse surface reaction rate analysis (PSRA), the detailed structure of the intermediate hydrocarbon species was revealed by measuring the dynamic behavior of both CO and H₂ produced from the CO₂-CH₄ reaction on supported Ni catalysts. It was found that the number of hydrogen atoms involved in the intermediate was different from one catalyst support to another: 2.7 for MgO, 2.5 for ZnO, 2.4 for Al₂O₃,1.9 for TiO₂, and 1.0 for SiO₂.     

Preparation of SnO2-CNTs supported Pt catalysts and their electrocatalytic properties for ethanol oxidation

SnO₂-carbon nanotubes (CNTs) composites were prepared by sol-gel method, and characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Due to high stability in diluted acidic solution, SnO₂-CNTs composites were selected as the catalyst support and second catalyst for ethanol electrooxidation. The electrocatalytic properties of the SnO₂-CNTs supported platinum (Pt) catalyst (Pt/SnO₂-CNTs) for ethanol oxidation have been investigated by typical electrochemical methods. Under the same mass loading of Pt, the Pt/SnO₂-CNTs catalyst shows higher electrocatalytic activity and better long-term cycle stability than Pt/SnO₂ catalyst. Additionally, the effect of the mass ratio of CNTs to SnO₂ on the electrocatalytic activity of the electrode for ethanol oxidation was investigated, and the optimum mass ratio of CNTs to SnO₂ in the Pt/SnO₂-CNTs catalyst is 1/6.3.     

NO x uptake mechanism on Pt/BaO/Al2O3 catalysts

The NO _x adsorption mechanism on Pt/BaO/Al₂O₃ catalysts was investigated by performing NO _x storage/reduction cycles, NO₂ adsorption and NO + O₂ adsorption on 2%Pt/(x)BaO/Al₂O₃ (x = 2, 8, and 20 wt%) catalysts. NO _x uptake profiles on 2%\Pt/20%BaO/Al₂O₃ at 523 K show complete uptake behavior for almost 5 min, and then the NO _x level starts gradually increasing with time and it reaches 75% of the inlet NO _x concentration after 30 min time-on-stream. Although this catalyst shows fairly high NO _x conversion at 523 K, only ~2.4 wt% out of 20 wt% BaO is converted to Ba(NO₃)₂. Adsorption studies by using NO₂ and NO + O₂ suggest two different NO _x adsorption mechanisms. The NO₂ uptake profile on 2%Pt/20%BaO/Al₂O₃ shows the absence of a complete NO _x uptake period at the beginning of adsorption and the overall NO _x uptake is controlled by the gas–solid equilibrium between NO₂ and BaO/Ba(NO₃)₂ phase. When we use NO + O₂, complete initial NO _x uptake occurs and the time it takes to convert ~4% of BaO to Ba(NO₃)₂ is independent of the NO concentration. These NO _x uptake characteristics suggest that the NO + O₂ reaction on the surface of Pt particles produces NO₂ that is subsequently transferred to the neighboring BaO phase by spill over. At the beginning of the NO _x uptake, this spill-over process is very fast and so it is able to provide complete NO _x storage. However, the NO _x uptake by this mechanism slows down as BaO in the vicinity of Pt particles are converted to Ba(NO₃)₂. The formation of Ba(NO₃)₂ around the Pt particles results in the development of a diffusion barrier for NO₂, and increases the probability of NO₂ desorption and consequently, the beginning of NO _x slip. As NO _x uptake by NO₂ spill-over mechanism slows down due to the diffusion barrier formation, the rate and extent of NO₂ uptake are determined by the diffusion rate of nitrate ions into the BaO bulk, which, in turn, is determined by the gas phase NO₂ concentration.