Characterization of Au/MnO x /TiO2 for Photocatalytic Oxidation of Carbon Monoxide

The Au/MnO _x /TiO₂ catalyst was used for the photocatalytic oxidation of carbon monoxide. The catalytic activity of Au/MnO _x /TiO₂ with low concentration of manganese (3–7 mol%) was much higher than that of Au/TiO₂. The surface of Au/MnO _x /TiO₂ was characterized by XPS and Raman spectroscopy. While the main state of manganese in 13.8 mol% MnO _x /TiO₂ was Mn⁴⁺ species, Mn³⁺ was the dominant species in the samples with below 6.5 mol% manganese. Raman spectroscopy revealed that the interaction between the MnO _x and TiO₂ form Mn–O–Ti species in which the state of manganese was Mn³⁺. The Au particles also interacted with both MnO _x and TiO₂ to modify the surface of them. In the case of the Au species, low loading of manganese produced the metallic Au⁰ and perimeter interfacial Au^δ+, whereas high loading showed the coexistence of three components which were metallic Au⁰, perimeter interfacial Au^δ+, and oxidic Au³⁺. The catalytic active component was the metallic Au⁰ and perimeter interfacial Au^δ+ species, which were dispersed on TiO₂ and Mn³⁺/TiO₂.     

The preparation and characterization of Au@TiO2 nanoparticles and their catalytic activity for CO oxidation

Au@TiO₂ core/shell nanoparticles were synthesized by a simple and efficient one-step method using tetrabutyl titanate as TiO₂ precursor. The samples were characterized by TEM, XRD, UV–vis and XPS. The experiments demonstrated that the average particles size of Au was 10–15 nm, and the thickness of TiO₂ shell was 1–3 nm. TiO₂ shell induced a red-shift of the absorption peak of Au. This material exhibited catalytic activity for CO oxidation. This study offered an approach for CO oxidation by using Au@TiO₂ model catalysts.     

Electrodeposited MnO2 as electrocatalyst for carbohydrate oxidation

The electrochemical oxidation of dextrose, fructose and sorbitol under galvanostatic conditions was carried out using both anodically and cathodically deposited MnO₂ layers on platinum and carbon. The coated electrodes showed better electrocatalytic activity for the oxidation of carbohydrates than the bare substrates. Catalytic participation of some higher valent states of manganese in electron transfer relay is speculated, which finds support in the chronopotentiogram and the observed pH-dependence of the electrochemical parameters. The current potential plots showed Tafel behaviour for the MnO₂/Pt electrode. The Tafel slopes were found to be relatively high, indicating kinetic complications. The observed unusual negative values of electrochemical reaction order on MnO₂/Pt electrode were accounted for by considering slow desorption of oxidation products from the electrode surface. The adsorption isotherms of dextrose and fructose on MnO₂ were determined. The current efficiencies of oxidation of carbonyl and hydroxyl groups were found to be and % respectively. SEM pictures showed the cathodically deposited MnO₂ on carbon to be more fine-grained and smoother than the corresponding anodic deposits.     

Low temperature CO oxidation over Au/TiO2 and Au/SiO2 catalysts

After a high-temperature reduction (HTR) at 773 K, TiO₂-supported Au became very active for CO oxidation at 313 K and was an order of magnitude more active than SiO₂-supported Au, whereas a low-temperature reduction (LTR) at 473 K produced a Au/TiO₂ catalyst with very low activity. A HTR step followed by calcination at 673 K and a LTR step gave the most active Au/TiO₂ catalyst of all, which was 100-fold more active at 313 K than a typical 2% Pd/Al₂O₃ catalyst and was stable above 400 K whereas a sharp decrease in activity occurred with the other Au/TiO₂ (HTR) sample. With a feed of 5% CO, 5% O₂ in He, almost 40% of the CO was converted at 313 K and essentially all the CO was oxidized at 413 K over the best Au/TiO₂ catalyst at a space velocity of 333 h^–1 based on CO + O₂. Half the chloride in the Au precursor was retained in the Au/TiO₂ (LTR) sample whereas only 16% was retained in the other three catalysts; this may be one reason for the low activity of the Au/TiO₂ (LTR) sample. The reaction order on O₂ was approximately 0.4 between 310 and 360 K, while that on CO varied from 0.2 to 0.6. The chemistry associated with this high activity is not yet known but is presently attributed to a synergistic interaction between gold and titania.     

Low-temperature activity for CO oxidation over diesel oxidation catalysts studied by High Throughput Screening and DRIFT spectroscopy

We have investigated the low-temperature activity for CO oxidation for a series of platinum catalysts supported on Al₂O₃, TiO₂, ZSM-5, CeO₂ and ZrO₂-CeO₂. The results show major differences in activity, due to the support for Pt, especially in the presence of water. Improved activity over ceria containing samples in presence of water is likely due to the water-gas shift (WGS) reaction. Studies with in situ IR spectroscopy suggest a surface formate mechanism for the WGS reaction on Pt/CeO₂.     

Shape effect of microstructured CeO2 with various morphologies on CO catalytic oxidation

Novel 3D-like CeO₂ microflowers and microspheres were synthesized by facile precipitation methods and tested for CO oxidation. Characterization by UV-Vis, PL, XPS and H₂-TPR revealed that 3D-like ceria show great superiority for favoring formation of oxygen vacancies, which in turn leads to higher oxygen mobility and reducibility. A direct relationship between the band gap of ceria and its catalytic activity towards CO oxidation was established. The activity and thermal stability of 3D-like ceria were much better than that of CeO₂ nanoparticles. The results indicated that the highly active ceria could be obtained by turning their shapes with a high concentration of oxygen vacancies.     

Significant enhancement of the oxidation of CO by H2 and/or H2O on a FeO x /Pt/TiO2 catalyst

Oxidation of CO on the FeO _x /Pt/TiO₂ catalyst is markedly enhanced by H₂ and/or H₂O at 60 °C, but no such enhancement is observed on the Pt/TiO₂ catalyst, but shift reaction (CO + H₂O → H₂ + CO₂) does not occur on the FeO _x /Pt/TiO₂ catalyst at 60 °C. DRIFT-IR spectroscopy reveals that the fraction of bridge bonded CO increases while that of linearly bonded CO decreases on the FeO _x loaded Pt/TiO₂ catalyst. The in-situ DRIFT IR spectra proved that the bridged CO is more reactive than the linearly bonded CO with respect to O₂, and the reaction of the bridge-bonded CO with O₂ as well as of the linearly bonded CO is markedly enhanced by adding H₂ to a flow of CO + O₂. From these results, we deduced that the promoting effect of H₂ and/or H₂O is responsible for the preferential oxidation (PROX) reaction of CO on the FeO _x /Pt/TiO₂ catalyst, and a following new mechanism via the hydroxyl carbonyl or bicarbonate intermediate is proposed for the oxidation of CO in the presence of H₂O.      

Effect of chlorine on Ir/CeO2 catalyst behavior for preferential CO oxidation

Effect of chlorine on Ir/CeO₂ catalyst behavior for preferential CO oxidation is investigated by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoemission spectroscopy, and diffuse reflectance infrared spectroscopy. The presence of chlorine favors the dispersion of Ir particles. On ceria support, the replacement of the lattice oxygen by chloride ions would produce CeOCl species, which could hinder the formation of hydroxyl groups and carbonate and/or carboxylate species on the ceria surface. These features could explain the decreased activity of the Cl-containing Ir/CeO₂ sample.     

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.     

The catalytic oxidation of CO on superconductor Ba2YCu3O7–8

The measurements of MS-TPD, TPRS, the electrical conductivity and kinetics on Ba₂YCu₃O_7-8 show that the catalytic activity of CO oxidation is closely related to properties such as the amounts and sites of oxygen, and electrical conductivity. Based on the experimental results a reaction mechanism has been suggested.     

Gold supported CeO2/Al2O3 catalysts for CO oxidation: influence of the ceria phase

A series of low loading gold supported ceria/alumina catalysts have been prepared by the deposition–precipitation method, varying the pH of the synthesis. The catalysts were characterised by means of XRD, TEM, S_BET, XRF and UV–Vis techniques, and their catalytic activity towards CO oxidation in the absence and in presence of water in the stream, were tested. It has been found that in this low loading gold catalysts, where the metallic particles are far away one from another and the oxygen transportation is not the limiting step of the reaction, the electronic properties of the ceria phase and the structure of the metal-support perimeter more than the diameter of the gold nanoparticles is the determinant factor in the catalytic performances of the solid.     

Sol derived gold–palladium bimetallic nanoparticles on TiO2: structure and catalytic activity in CO oxidation

Bimetallic AuPd catalysts were prepared by deposition of bimetallic aqueous sols formed in different ways: (i) co-reduction of the precursor Au and Pd ions by Na-citrate/tannic acid mixture, (ii) reduction of Au(III) ions onto preformed Pd sol, and (iii) reduction of Pd(II) ions onto a preformed Au sol. The Au/TiO₂ and Pd/TiO₂ samples as references were prepared from their respective sols. The structure of the samples was characterized by XRF, XRD, XPS, TEM and CO chemisorption both in the as-prepared state and after calcination and reduction. The catalytic activities of the calcined/reduced catalysts in the CO oxidation were compared. The presence of bimetallic crystalline phases was evidenced in all three samples both in the as prepared and calcined/reduced states, however, various extents of Pd surface enrichment were determined. The catalytic activity of the bimetallic samples regardless of the preparation method, is about the same as that of the mixture of the monometallic samples. No significant synergism is suggested in the present bimetallic samples.     

On-line deactivation of Au/TiO2 for CO oxidation in H2-rich gas streams

Au-based catalysts, known for ambient temperature CO oxidation, have to provide stable performance of up to 5000 h in order to be commercially applicable in automotive fuel cells. In this report, the on-line deactivation characteristics of Au/TiO₂ in unconventional PROX conditions are discussed. As opposed to CO removal from air, results in this report suggests that carbonates have a minor effect on deactivation of Au/TiO₂ in dry H₂-rich conditions. Also, no conclusive correlation between surface hydration and deactivation was observed. Rather, deactivation appeared to have occurred as a result of an intrinsic transformation in the oxidation state of the active species in the reducing operating conditions; a process which was reversible in an oxidizing atmosphere.     

Use of Raw and Acid-Treated MnO2 as Catalysts for Oxidation of Dyes in Water: A Case Study with Aqueous Methylene Blue

Catalytic wet oxidation has become one of the best options for mineralization of dyes in water. In this work, mineralization of methylene blue in water was tried by using raw and acid-treated (0.50, 0.75, and 1.00 N H₂SO₄) MnO₂ as oxidation catalysts. Fourier transform infrared, scanning electron microscopy, surface area and cation exchange capacity measurements were used to characterize the catalysts. The acid-treated materials showed large increases in surface area while changes in other surface characteristics were moderate in nature. The oxidative destruction of the dye was possible at near room temperature and the process was optimized with respect to interaction time, dye concentration, catalyst loading, pH of the medium, and temperature. The dye (1.0 mg/L) was oxidized to the extents of 88.5%, 96.5%, 96.8%, and 97.7% with corresponding chemical oxygen demand (COD) reduction of 64.7%, 86.4%, 87.2%, and 88.2% by raw MnO₂, 0.50, 0.75, and 1.00 N acid-treated MnO₂(catalyst loading 2.5 g/L), respectively. The reduction in COD indicated oxidation of the dye to simpler organic compounds achieving mineralization to a large extent. The oxidation followed first-order kinetics and the catalysts could be used up to six repeated runs without much change in activity. Analysis of the intermediate products of oxidation helped in proposing the potential pathways for oxidative conversion of methylene blue.     

Low-temperature preferential oxidation of CO in a hydrogen rich stream (PROX) over Au/TiO2: Thermodynamic study and effect of gold-colloid pH adjustment time on catalytic activity

By simulating CO and H₂ oxidations at thermodynamic equilibrium and studying the catalytic oxidations over Au/TiO₂, preferential oxidation of CO in a H₂ rich stream (PROX) was investigated. During the simulation, at least two cases under different gaseous feeds, H₂/CO/O₂/N₂ = 50/1/0.5/48.5 or 50/1/1/48 (vol.%) were examined under the assumption of an ideal gas and one atmosphere pressure in the reactor. It was found that the addition of 1% O₂ (the latter case) effectively reduced CO concentration to less than 100 ppm in the temperature range between 0 and 90 °C. This range narrowed to between 0 and 50 °C with the addition of 3% H₂O and 15% CO₂ in the feed. The thermodynamic study suggests that 1% CO in a H₂ rich system can be decreased to below 100 ppm within those low temperature ranges, if there is no substantial adsorptions onto the catalyst surface and the reactions rapidly reach equilibrium. During the catalysis reaction study, a well-pH adjusted Au/TiO₂ catalyst was found very active for PROX. CO conversions at the reactor outlet were close to those at equilibrium. Au/TiO₂ used in this work was prepared via deposition-precipitation (DP) method. The influence of gold colloid pH (at 6) adjustment time on gold loading, gold particle size and chloride residue on TiO₂ surface was detected by atomic absorption (AA), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). A pH adjustment time of at least 6 h for the preparation of gold colloids at room temperature was demonstrated to be essential for the high catalytic activity of Au/TiO₂. This was attributed to the smaller gold particle and the less chloride residue on the catalyst surface.     

Nanodispersed Au/Al2O3 catalysts for low-temperature CO oxidation: Results of research activity at the Boreskov Institute of Catalysis

This paper presents some important results of the studies on preparation and catalytic properties of nanodispersed Au/Al₂O₃ catalysts for low-temperature CO oxidation, which are carried out at the Boreskov Institute of Catalysis (BIC) starting from 2001. The catalysts with a gold loading of 1–2 wt.% were prepared via deposition of Au complexes onto different aluminas by means of various techniques (“deposition-precipitation” (DP), incipient wetness, “chemical liquid-phase grafting” (CLPG), chemical vapor deposition (CVD)). These catalysts have been characterized comparatively by a number of physical methods (XRD, TEM, diffuse reflectance UV/vis and XPS) and catalytically tested for combustion of CO impurity (1%) in wet air stream at near-ambient temperature. Using the hydroxide or chloride gold complexes capable of chemical interaction with the surface groups of alumina as the catalyst precursors (DP and incipient wetness techniques, respectively) produces the catalysts that contain metallic Au particles mainly of 2–4 nm in diameter, uniformly distributed between the external and internal surfaces of the support granules together with the surface “ionic” Au oxide species. Application of organogold precursors gives the supported Au catalysts of egg shell type which are either close by mean Au particle size to what we obtain by DP and incipient wetness techniques (CVD of (CH₃)₂Au(acac) vapor on highly dehydrated Al₂O₃ in a rotating reactor under static conditions) or contain Au crystallites of no less than 7 nm in size (CLPG method). Regardless of deposition technique, only the Cl-free Au/Al₂O₃ catalysts containing the small Au particles (d_i ≤ 5 nm) reveal the high catalytic activity toward CO oxidation under near-ambient conditions, the catalyst stability being provided by adding the water vapor into the reaction feed. The results of testing of the nanodispersed Au/Al₂O₃ catalysts under conditions which simulate in part removal of CO from ambient air or diesel exhaust are discussed in comparison with the data obtained for the commercial Pd and Pt catalysts under the same conditions.     

Preparation and catalytic performance of Co3O4 catalysts for low-temperature CO oxidation

Without use of any surfactant or oxidant, a series of Co₃O₄ catalysts have been prepared from cobalt nitrate aqueous solution via a very simple liquid-precipitation method with ammonium acid carbonate followed by calcination at various temperatures. The catalytic performance of the Co₃O₄ for CO oxidation has been studied with a continuous flowing laboratory microreactor system. The results show that the CO conversion of all the samples can reach 100% at ambient temperature. The catalyst calcined at 300 °C is able to maintain its activity for CO complete oxidation more than 500 min at 25 °C and about 240 min even at −78 °C. High reaction temperature results in a high catalytic stability, while the catalytic stability decreases with further increasing the reaction temperature. Characterizations with X-ray powder diffraction and transmission electron microscopy suggest that all the samples exist as a pure Co₃O₄ phase with the spinel structure, the samples are apt to aggregate and the specific surface area gradually decreases with increasing the calcination temperature, which directly leads to the decrease of catalytic stability. Furthermore, the amount of active oxygen species measured by CO titration experiments appears to be critical for catalytic performance.     

Effects of precursors on the surface Mn species and the activities for NO reduction over MnOx/TiO2 catalysts

TiO₂-supported manganese oxide catalysts were prepared from two different precursors, manganese nitrate (MN) and manganese acetate (MA), and these samples were characterized by BET, XRD, TG/DTA, XPS and FT–IR. The characterization results showed that the MN precursor resulted primarily in MnO₂, accompanied with some Mn-nitrate, while the MA precursor caused mainly Mn₂O₃ species. These two different precursors also led to different surface Mn atom concentrations indicated by XPS and NH₃ adsorption. Consequently, the higher low-temperature activity of MnO_x/TiO₂ from MA precursor was attributed to higher surface Mn concentration and the surface Mn₂O₃ species.     

The preparation of Au/CeO2 catalysts and their activities for low-temperature CO oxidation

Au/CeO₂ catalysts prepared by co-precipitation (CP) and deposition-precipitation (DP) methods were tested for low temperature CO oxidation reaction. The structural characters and redox features of the catalysts were investigated by XRD, XPS and H₂-TPR. Their catalytic performances for low temperature CO oxidation were studied by means of a microreactor -GC system. It showed that the catalytic activities of Au/CeO₂ catalysts greatly depended on the preparation method. The catalysts prepared by DP method exhibited a surprisingly higher activity towards CO oxidation than that prepared by CP method. This may arise from the differences in the particle sizes of Au and redox properties of the catalysts. The low Au loading and the resistance to high temperature of DP-prepared catalyst made it more applicable.     

Electrocatalysis of the hydrogen oxidation in the presence of CO on RhO2/C-supported Pt nanoparticles

This work presents a study on the kinetics of the hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) in the absence and in the presence of CO in ultra thin porous layer and in PEM fuel cell electrodes formed with Pt supported on RhO₂/C substrates. Together with the electrochemical measurements, the structural and electronic properties of these catalysts were characterized, enabling to correlate their structural and electronic properties with the HOR kinetics. The results show that the presence of Rh oxides leads to an emptying of the Pt 5d band and a consequent reduction of the back-donation of electrons from Pt to CO, weakening the Pt-CO bond and diminishing the CO degree of coverage on Pt, leaving more sites available to HOR. These changes in the electronic spectra do not lead to any perceptible change in the kinetics or the reaction of pure hydrogen. Also, the formation of CO₂ monitored by the MS experiments in the fuel cell anode outlet indicates that the bifunctional mechanism is also operative, but the major CO tolerance is achieved by the electronic effect induced by the RhO₂ support.