Morphology effects of Co3O4 on the catalytic activity of Au/Co3O4 catalysts for complete oxidation of trace ethylene

Au/Co₃O₄ catalysts with different morphologies (nanorods, nanopolyhedra and nanocubes) were successfully synthesized and evaluated for ethylene complete oxidation. We found that support morphology has a significant effect on catalytic activity, which is related to the exposed planes of different morphological Co₃O₄. HRTEM revealed the Co₃O₄-nanorods predominantly exposes {110} planes, while the dominant exposed planes of Co₃O₄-nanopolyhedra and -nanocubes are {011} and {001} planes, respectively. Compared with {011} and {001} planes, {110} planes exhibit the maximum amount of oxygen vacancies, which play a major role in ethylene oxidation. Therefore, Au/Co₃O₄-nanorods exhibits extraordinary catalytic activity, yielding 93.7% ethylene conversion at 0 °C.     

Hydroformylation of 1-hexene for oxygenate fuels via promoted cobalt/active carbon catalysts at low-pressure

The hydroformylation of 1-hexene was catalyzed with active carbon-supported cobalt catalysts under the low syngas pressure. Small amount of Pt, Pd and Ru, added as promoters in Co/AC, led to a great improvement of catalytic activity for hydroformylation of 1-hexene. The promotional effect of Ru for Co/AC catalyst was the best in this study as the highest activity and selectivity for oxygenate formation. Meanwhile, the activity of 1-hexene hydroformylation increased with increasing Ru loading. Ru added was bulk-rich in the active carbon supported cobalt particles, showing very low surface Ru density. This kind of unbalanced alloy formation determined the highest performance of Ru added Co/AC catalyst, via small particles but high reduction degree, keeping more CO in non-dissociative state and lowering surface hydrogen pressure.     

Modified Co3O4/ZrO2 catalysts for VOC emissions abatement

The catalytic activity study of cobalt oxides dispersed on different supports evidenced first the highest performances of zirconia based catalysts in the reaction of toluene oxidation. The influence of the presence of ethylenediamine (en) during the preparation of Co/ZrO₂ and the ZrO₂ support modification by Y₂O₃ were then studied and compared with reference catalyst prepared conventionally by impregnation of ZrO₂ with an aqueous solution of Co(NO₃)₂. Addition of an aqueous solution of ethylenediamine to a cobalt nitrate solution led to a strong increase on the catalytic activity of the activated solids in the toluene deep oxidation as compared with the reference catalyst. The best catalytic results were explained in terms of cobalt oxides dispersion but also in terms of Co–support interaction. The generated cobalt species were reducible at much lower temperatures and then were more active in the toluene total oxidation. Finally an efficient catalyst for VOC oxidation was produced combining the modifications of ZrO₂ by yttrium and of the precursor.     

Steam reforming of ethanol over Co3O4/CeO2 catalysts prepared by different methods

In this paper, Co₃O₄/CeO₂ catalysts for steam reforming of ethanol (SRE) were prepared by co-precipitation and impregnation methods. The catalysts prepared by co-precipitation were very active and selective for SRE. Over 10%Co₃O₄/CeO₂ catalyst, ethanol conversion was close to 100% and hydrogen selectivity was about 70% at 450 °C. The catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction, temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) and BET surface area measurements. The preparation method influenced the interaction between cobalt and CeO₂ evidently. The incorporation of Co ions into CeO₂ crystal lattice resulted in weaker interaction between cobalt and ceria on catalyst surface. In comparison with catalysts prepared by impregnation, more cobalt ions entered into CeO₂ lattice, and resulted in weaker interaction between active phase and ceria on surface of Co₃O₄/CeO₂ prepared by co-precipitation. Thus, cobalt oxides was easier to be reduced to metal cobalt which was the key active component for SRE. Meanwhile, the incorporation of Co ions into CeO₂ crystal lattice was beneficial for resistance to carbon deposition.     

Pd/Pt promoted Co3O4 catalysts for VOCs combustion: Preparation of active catalyst on metallic carrier

Emission control of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is one of the priorities for environmental catalysis. Metallic microstructural short-channel reactors of various geometries are regarded as an alternative to ceramic monoliths. The paper presents the results on the catalyst preparation and optimisation. Chromium-aluminium (CrAl) steel was surveyed in terms of its applicability for carrier manufacturing and catalyst depositing. Alumina washcoat and cobalt catalyst were deposited as organic precursors using Langmuir–Blodgett method (LB) onto precalcined CrAl sheets. Additional noble metal promoters (Pd and Pt) were deposited by chemisorption. The LB method occurred useful for the preparation of nanocomposite catalyst since it enabled controlling the quantity and even distribution of the deposited material. The catalyst surface at various stages of preparation was examined using SEM, XPS and AFM methods. Catalytic tests showed that small amount of Co₃O₄ spinel, highly dispersed on Al₂O₃ layer, is active in combustion of diluted n-hexane. The apparent activation energy for the obtained cobalt catalyst (about 52 kJ/mol) was twice as low as for a standard Pt/Al₂O₃ catalyst. The promoting effect observed for Pd-containing cobalt catalysts by the decrease in the activation energy to around 15 kJ/mol, was correlated to the high surface concentration and dispersion of the cobalt catalyst containing PdO.     

Pseudocapacitive properties of electrodeposited porous nanowall Co3O4 film

A porous nanowall Co₃O₄ film is prepared by a facile cathodic electrodeposition. The as-prepared porous nanowall Co₃O₄ film shows a net-like porous structure with huge porosity. The porous network is made up of free standing interconnected Co₃O₄ nanoflakes with a thickness of 20 nm. As cathode material for pseudocapacitors, porous nanowall Co₃O₄ film exhibits weaker polarization, higher electrochemical reactivity and better cycling performance as compared to the dense Co₃O₄ film. The specific capacitance of porous nanowall Co₃O₄ film is 325 F g⁻¹ at 2 A g⁻¹ and 247 F g⁻¹ at 40 A g⁻¹, respectively, much higher than that of the dense Co₃O₄ film (230 F g⁻¹ at 2 A g⁻¹ and 167 F g⁻¹ at 40 A g⁻¹). The better pseudocapacitive performances of the porous nanowall Co₃O₄ film are attributed to its highly porous morphology, which provides large reaction surface and short ion diffusion paths, and relaxes the volume change caused by the reaction during the cycling process.     

Characterization and tests of planar Co3O4 model catalysts prepared by chemical vapor deposition

The chemical vapor deposition method was used to deposit thin films of cobalt oxide starting with cobalt (II) acetylacetonate and oxygen. The deposition process was investigated and the obtained films were identified as a cubic spinel-type polycrystalline Co₃O₄ with a crystallite size of 30–40 nm. The coating was carbon-free and the surface oxygen concentration was measured to be 66 at.% with AES analysis. Smooth and highly uniform thin films were deposited on planar stainless steel substrates and subjected to TPR and catalysis tests that show positive correlation. The apparent activation energy of Co₃O₄ reduction to CoO was measured to be (33±5) kJ/mol. The catalytic activity of Co₃O₄ was investigated toward the conversion of both propane and ethanol to carbon dioxide. Though the catalytic action was registered at the same temperature, the deactivation process was seen to be different. The catalytic conversion of ethanol induces a fast deactivation process, which was linked to its high ability to reduce Co₃O₄.     

Co3O4/CeO2 composite oxides for methane emissions abatement: Relationship between Co3O4–CeO2 interaction and catalytic activity

Co₃O₄/CeO₂ composite oxides with different cobalt loading (5, 15, 30, 50, 70 wt.% as Co₃O₄) were prepared by co-precipitation method and investigated for the oxidation of methane under stoichiometric conditions. Pure oxides, Co₃O₄ and CeO₂ were used as reference. Characterization studies by X-ray diffraction (XRD), BET, temperature programmed reduction/oxidation (TPR/TPO) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were carried out.

An improvement of the catalytic activity and thermal stability of the composite oxides was observed with respect to pure Co₃O₄ in correspondence of Co₃O₄–CeO₂ containing 30% by weight of Co₃O₄. The combined effect of cobalt oxide and ceria, at this composition, strongly influences the morphological and redox properties of the composite oxides, by dispersing the Co₃O₄ phase and promoting the efficiency of the Co³⁺–Co²⁺ redox couple. The presence in the sample Co₃O₄(30 wt.%)–CeO₂ of a high relative amount of Ce³⁺/(Ce⁴⁺ + Ce³⁺) as detected by XPS confirms the enhanced oxygen mobility.

The catalysts stability under reaction conditions was investigated by XRD and XPS analysis of the used samples, paying particular attention to the Co₃O₄ phase decomposition. Methane oxidation tests were performed over fresh (as prepared) and thermal aged samples (after ageing at 750 °C for 7 h, in furnace). The resistance to water vapour poisoning was evaluated for pure Co₃O₄ and Co₃O₄(30 wt.%)–CeO₂, performing the tests in the presence of 5 vol.% H₂O. A methane oxidation test upon hydrothermal ageing (flowing at 600 °C for 16 h a mixture 5 vol.% H₂O + 5 vol.%O₂ in He) of the Co₃O₄(30 wt.%)–CeO₂ sample was also performed. All the results confirm the superiority of this composite oxide.     

Catalytic oxidation of hydrocarbons over Co3O4 catalyst prepared by CVD

The total oxidation of C₂H₂, C₃H₆, C₃H₈, n-C₄H₈, n-C₄H₁₀ and i-C₄H₁₀ was studied in a monolithic flow reactor under temperature-programmed mode and highly diluted conditions. The non-catalytic combustion of the investigated hydrocarbons leads to a substantial formation of CO and traces of methane at intermediate temperatures. This drawback was suppressed upon the deposition of a thin layer of Co₃O₄ on the monolith and all investigated hydrocarbons tend to light off at 250–290 °C. The apparent activation energy was found to exhibit a linear correlation with the C–H bond dissociation energy, indicating that the C–H activation is still the rate-limiting step.     

Rapid microwave-assisted synthesis of graphene nanosheet/Co3O4 composite for supercapacitors

Graphene nanosheet (GNS)/Co₃O₄ composite has been rapidly synthesized by microwave-assisted method. Field emission scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy observation reveals the homogeneous distribution of Co₃O₄ nanoparticles (3-5 nm in size) on graphene sheets. Electrochemical properties are characterized by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge/discharge and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. A maximum specific capacitance of 243.2 F g⁻¹ has been obtained at a scan rate of 10 mV s⁻¹ in 6 M KOH aqueous solution for GNS/Co₃O₄ composite. Furthermore, the composite exhibits excellent long cycle life along with ∼95.6% specific capacitance retained after 2000 cycle tests.     

Direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide from H2 and O2 using zeolite-supported Au catalysts

The direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide from H₂ and O₂ using zeolite-supported Au catalysts is described and their activity is contrasted with silica- and alumina-supported Au catalysts. Two zeolites were investigated, ZSM-5 and zeolite Y. The effect of calcination of these catalysts is studied and it is found that for uncalcined catalysts high rates of hydrogen peroxide formation are observed, but these catalysts are unstable and lose Au during use. Consequently, reuse of these catalysts leads to lower rates of hydrogen peroxide formation. However, catalysts calcined at 400 °C are more stable and can be reused without loss of gold. The use of zeolites as a support for Au gives comparable rates of hydrogen peroxide formation to alumina-supported Au catalysts and higher rates when compared with silica-supported catalysts. prepared using a similar method. Zeolite Y-supported catalysts are more active than ZSM-5-supported catalysts for the stable calcined materials. It is considered that the overall activity of these supported catalysts may be related to the aluminium content as the activity increases with increasing aluminium content.     

Hydrothermal synthesis of Co3O4 microspheres as anode material for lithium-ion batteries

Co₃O₄ microspheres were synthesized in mass production by a simple hydrothermal treatment. One micrometer-sized spherical particles with well-crystallization could be obtained by XRD and SEM. Higher specific surface area (93.4 m² g⁻¹) and larger pore volume (78.4 cm³ g⁻¹) by BET measurements offered more interfacial bondings for extra sites of Li⁺ insertion, which resulted in the anomalous large initial irreversible capacity and capacity cycling loss due to SEI film formation. The capacity retention of Co₃O₄ microspheres involved first forming acted as Li-ion anode material is almost above 90% from 12th cycle and it retain lithium storage capacity of 550.2 mAh g⁻¹ after 25 cycles, which show good long-life stability. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) tests before and after cyclic voltammetry measurements and charge-discharge experiments were carried out and the corresponding D_Li values were also calculated. The relationship of the ac impedance spectra and the cycling behaviors was discussed. It is found that the decrease of capacity results from the larger Li⁺ charge-transfer impedance and the lower lithium-diffusion processes on cycling, which is in very good agreement with the electrochemical behaviors of Co₃O₄ electrode.     

可见光增强g-C_3N_4/Co_3O_4胶体催化剂的催化产氢性能

通过水热法制备了具有可见光增产氢高性能的g-C_3N_4/Co_3O_4胶体催化剂,采用XRD、TEM、SEM和EDS等分析样品的组成和形貌结构。催化产氢结果表明,光照条件下g-C_3N_4/Co_3O_4胶体催化剂具有极高的催化产氢活性,TOF值高达58.2 min~(-1),通过拟合温度动力学曲线,得到了催化反应的活化能为15.73 kJ·mol~(-1)。对样品进行UV-vis和PL测试发现,g-C_3N_4/Co_3O_4胶体催化剂具有极高的光能利用率和电子-空穴分离率,并进一步阐述了光能促进催化产氢的作用机理。     

Facile synthesis of Co3O4 nanoflowers grown on Ni foam with superior electrochemical performance

Novel large-scale Co₃O₄ nanoflower (NF) structures on Ni foam are prepared for the first time via a general two-step synthesis. Through a controllable solvothermal process and hereafter with a post-calcination process in air, the NFs have been grown firmly on Ni foam, which is convenient for the construction of supercapacitors without any extra electrode preparation process. The pore sizes and the amount of Co₃O₄ NFs can be tuned through different post-calcination and solvothermal conditions, respectively. The electrochemical properties of the NFs are tested by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge–discharge in 6.0 M KOH solution. The results show that the NFs can have a specific capacitance of 1936.7 F g⁻¹ at a current density of 0.2 A g⁻¹ and a capacity retention of 78.2% after 1000 cycles at a current density of 3 A g⁻¹ (1309.4 F g⁻¹). The Co₃O₄ NFs grown on Ni foam with large area and superior electrochemical performance have great potential application in supercapacitors.     

Fabrication of three-dimensional porous structured Co3O4 and its application in lithium-ion batteries

A novel three-dimensional (3D) porous structured Co₃O₄ was prepared by electrodeposition combined with thermal-treatment method. The electrochemical properties of as-prepared 3D porous Co₃O₄ were closely related to its morphology and structure which can be modified by various thermal-treatment temperatures. The 3D porous Co₃O₄ prepared at 300 °C exhibited smaller crystallite size and higher capacity compared to 400 °C as well as 500 °C. As used in lithium-ion batteries, the porous Co₃O₄ anodes delivered a high reversible capacity of about 1100 mAh g⁻¹ with no obvious capacity fading up to 50 cycles and exhibited higher rate capability compared with Co₃O₄ foil anodes. The enhanced electrochemical performances of 3D porous Co₃O₄ anodes are attributed to its unique 3D porous structure which can offer a large materials/electrolyte contact area and accommodate the strain induced by the volume change during cycling.     

加热时间对Co_3O_4颗粒光催化性能的影响

以Co(NO_3)_2·6H_2O和CO(NH_2)_2为原料,十六烷基三甲基溴化铵为活性剂,采用水热-热分解法在不同加热时间(2 h、3 h、4 h、5 h)条件下制备纯相尖晶石结构的Co_3O_4颗粒。利用X射线衍射和电子扫描电镜研究Co_3O_4颗粒的结构和形貌,并以甲基橙为模拟废水,研究加热时间对Co_3O_4颗粒光催化性能的影响。结果表明,加热时间对Co_3O_4颗粒形貌影响很大,并直接影响其光催化性能。加热时间5 h制备的Co_3O_4结构疏松多孔,光催化性能最好,光照20 min,甲基橙降解率达95%。     

Catalytic performance of Co3O4/CeO2 and Co3O4/CeO2–ZrO2 composite oxides for methane combustion: Influence of catalyst pretreatment temperature and oxygen concentration in the reaction mixture

The influence of catalyst pre-treatment temperature (650 and 750 °C) and oxygen concentration (λ = 8 and 1) on the light-off temperature of methane combustion has been investigated over two composite oxides, Co₃O₄/CeO₂ and Co₃O₄/CeO₂–ZrO₂ containing 30 wt.% of Co₃O₄. The catalytic materials prepared by the co-precipitation method were calcined at 650 °C for 5 h (fresh samples); a portion of them was further treated at 750 °C for 7 h, in a furnace in static air (aged samples).

Tests of methane combustion were carried out on fresh and aged catalysts at two different WHSV values (12 000 and 60 000 mL g⁻¹ h⁻¹). The catalytic performance of Co₃O₄/CeO₂ and Co₃O₄/CeO₂–ZrO₂ were compared with those of two pure Co₃O₄ oxides, a sample obtained by the precipitation method and a commercial reference. Characterization studies by X-ray diffraction (XRD), BET and temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) show that the catalytic activity is related to the dispersion of crystalline phases, Co₃O₄/CeO₂ and Co₃O₄/CeO₂–ZrO₂ as well as to their reducibility. Particular attention was paid to the thermal stability of the Co₃O₄ phase in the temperature range of 750–800 °C, in both static (in a furnace) and dynamic conditions (continuous flow). The results indicate that the thermal stability of the phase Co₃O₄ heated up to 800 °C depends on the size of the cobalt oxide crystallites (fresh or aged samples) and on the oxygen content (excess λ = 8, stoichiometric λ = 1) in the reaction mixture. A stabilizing effect due to the presence of ceria or ceria–zirconia against Co₃O₄ decomposition into CoO was observed.

Moreover, the role of ceria and ceria–zirconia is to maintain a good combustion activity of the cobalt composite oxides by dispersing the active phase Co₃O₄ and by promoting the reduction at low temperature.     

Production of biodiesel through transesterification of Jatropha oil using KNO3/Al2O3 solid catalyst

The purpose of the work to study biodiesel production by transesterification of Jatropha oil with methanol in a heterogeneous system, using alumina loaded with potassium nitrate as a solid base catalyst. Followed by calcination, the dependence of the conversion of Jatropha oil on the reaction variables such as the catalyst loading, the molar ratio of methanol to oil, reaction temperature, agitation speed and the reaction time was studied. The conversion was over 84% under the conditions of 70 °C, methanol/oil mole ratio of 12:1, reaction time 6 h, agitation speed 600 rpm and catalyst amount (catalyst/oil) of 6% (w). Kinetic study of reaction was also done.     

Potassium-doped Co3O4 catalyst for direct decomposition of N2O

Direct decomposition of nitrous oxide (N₂O) on K-doped Co₃O₄ catalysts was examined. The K-doped Co₃O₄ catalyst showed a high activity even in the presence of water. In the durability test of the K-doped Co₃O₄ catalyst, the activity was maintained at least for 12 h. It was found that the activity of the K-doped Co₃O₄ catalyst strongly depended on the amount of K in the catalyst. In order to reveal the role of the K component on the catalytic activity, the catalyst was characterized by XRD, XPS, TPR and TPD. The results suggested that regeneration of the Co²⁺ species from the Co³⁺ species formed by oxidation of Co²⁺ with the oxygen atoms formed by N₂O decomposition was promoted by the addition of K to the Co₃O₄ catalyst.     

Preparation and structural characterization of Co/Al2O3 catalysts for the ozonation of pyruvic acid

A series of Co/Al₂O₃ catalysts were prepared by the incipient wetness impregnation method using γ-Al₂O₃ support and (CH₃COO)₂Co·4H₂O solutions, followed by calcination at 500–800 °C. Characterization of catalysts was accomplished by several techniques such as thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), physisorption of nitrogen, mercury and helium-based pycnometries, Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and pH of zero charge (PZC). Impregnation of support produced a moderate decrease of its surface area and pore volume and also led to minor changes of its PZC. Depending on preparation conditions (i.e., calcination atmosphere and temperature and metal loading), one or more of the following Co-containing compounds were identified: CoO, Co₃O₄ and CoAl₂O₄. The support and prepared Co/Al₂O₃ catalysts were tested to catalyze the ozonation of aqueous pyruvic acid at pH 2.5. Pyruvic acid was shown refractory towards single ozonation but the use of γ-Al₂O₃ and Co/Al₂O₃ catalysts resulted in 56–96% pyruvic acid conversion and 41–78% decrease in DOC after 2 h of ozonation of phosphate-buffered solutions. In the absence of the buffer, conversion rate was enhanced likely as a result of pH increase during the course of the process thus giving rise to the indirect way of ozonation through hydroxyl radicals. Acetic acid was found as the main by-product of pyruvic acid ozonation. Depending on the catalyst used, yield of acetic acid varied from 32 to 49%, values noticeably lower that that obtained from the control non-catalytic ozonation experiment (73%). Differences in catalytic activity amongst the various Co/Al₂O₃ catalysts investigated were attributed to the different Co active phases deposited on the γ-Al₂O₃ surface. The following sequence of increasing activity can be inferred from experimental results: CoO, CoAl₂O₄ and Co₃O₄. All the Co/Al₂O₃ catalysts prepared showed good stability as the percentage of cobalt leached out was rather low.