Synergy between tungsten and palladium supported on titania for the catalytic total oxidation of propane

Titania-supported palladium catalysts modified by tungsten have been tested for the total oxidation of propane. The addition of tungsten significantly enhanced the catalytic activity. Highly active catalysts were prepared containing a low loading of 0.5 wt.% palladium, and activity increased as the tungsten loading was increased up to 6 wt.%. Catalysts were characterised using a variety of techniques, including powder X-ray diffraction, laser Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, temperature-programmed reduction and aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy. Highly dispersed palladium nanoparticles were present on the catalyst with and without the addition of WO_x. However, the addition of WO_x slightly increases the average palladium particle size, and there was some evidence for the Pd forming epitaxial islands on the support in the tungsten-doped samples. Surface analysis identified a combination of Pd⁰ and Pd²⁺ on a Pd/TiO₂ catalyst, whereas all of the Pd loading was found in the form of Pd²⁺ with the addition of tungsten into the catalysts. At low tungsten loadings, isolated monotungstate and some polytungstate species were highly dispersed over the titania support. The concentration of polytungstate species increased as the loading was increased, and it was also promoted by the presence of palladium. The coverage of the highly dispersed tungstate species over the titania also increased as the tungsten loading increased. Some tungstate species were also found to be associated with the palladium oxide particles, and there was an enrichment of oxidised tungsten species at the peripheral interface of the palladium oxide nanoparticles and the titania. Sub-ambient temperature–programmed reduction experiments identified an increased concentration of highly reactive species on catalysts with palladium and tungsten present together, and we propose that the new WO_x-decorated interface between PdO_x and TiO₂ particles may be responsible for the enhanced catalytic activity in the co-impregnated catalysts.     

Comparison of CNF and XC-72 carbon supported palladium electrocatalysts for magnesium air fuel cell

Palladium catalysts supported on carbon nanofibers (CNFs) and XC-72 carbon were developed by chemically reducing palladium chloride with ethylene glycol. The morphologies and crystal structure of the Pd/CNF catalyst and Pd/XC-72 catalyst were investigated by TEM and XRD, respectively. The electrocatalytical activity of the catalysts was examined via cyclic voltammetry testing techniques. The performance of the air electrodes was examined by linear polarization methods. Magnesium air fuel cells with Pd/CNF catalyst and Pd/XC-72 catalyst were fabricated and characterized. The results showed that the Pd/CNF catalyst had higher catalytic activity for the oxygen reduction reaction and achieved better performance of the magnesium air fuel cell compared with the Pd/XC-72 catalyst.     

Synergistic effect of Pd in methane combustion PdMnOx/Al2O3 catalysts

The catalytic methane combustion was investigated over alumina-supported monometallic and bimetallic palladium and manganese oxide catalysts. The catalytic activity of these systems showed that palladium incorporation on MnO_x/Al₂O₃ catalyst leads to an enhancement in methane combustion. The higher catalytic activity of the PdMn/Al₂O₃ catalysts is related to a greater mobility of lattice oxygen in manganese oxide in the presence of palladium. These bimetallic catalysts also showed a significant improvement in catalysts stability with respect the monometallic ones. Surface analysis of the used catalysts revealed less amount of coke and Mn/Al and Pd/Al atomic ratios almost unchanged, which is indication of absence of active phase sintering.     

Al-MCM-41 supported palladium catalyst for methane combustion: Effect of the preparation methodologies

This work aimed at elucidating the beneficial effect of plasma treatment on the catalytic performance of palladium (Pd) catalysts in methane combustion with the ordered mesoporous molecular sieve Al-MCM-41 as the model support. The plasma treated Pd/Al-MCM-41 catalyst exhibited a higher initial activity and a better stability in comparison with the untreated counterpart catalyst. To clarify the plasma effect, the catalysts were characterized by N₂ sorption analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), temperature-programmed desorption of ammonia (NH₃-TPD), pyridine adsorption-infrared spectroscopy (Py-IR), high resolution-transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and temperature-programmed reduction (CH₄-TPR) experiments. The results obtained confirmed that palladium oxide (PdO) was the active phase. Plasma treatment enhanced the acidity of catalyst and improved the dispersion of PdO particles, which lead to a higher initial activity. The better stability for plasma treated Pd-based catalyst was proved to be closely related to the stronger interaction between palladium oxide and the molecular sieve support. In addition, the sintering of PdO particles over the plasma treated catalyst was not significant during the stability test. These findings may provide useful guidelines for further catalyst design for methane combustion.     

Hydrogenation activity and selectivity behavior of supported palladium nanoparticles

Enhancement in activity and selectivity of catalytic hydrogenation using supported nanosize palladium catalyst has been investigated. Pd/C catalyst prepared in the presence of polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) as a stabilizer gave Pd particle size in a narrow range of 3–5 nm. While, evaluating for hydrogenation of 2-butyne-1,4-diol, the rate enhancement was found to be 10 times higher as compared to the conventional (bulk) Pd catalysts. A proper choice of stabilizer (PVP) giving small particle size as well as highly dispersed nature of nano particles were the major factors for such a dramatic enhancement of activity.     

Synthesis of palladium nanoparticles on carbon nanotubes and graphene for the chemoselective hydrogenation of para-chloronitrobenzene

We have studied the synthesis of palladium nanoparticles over carbon nanotubes (Pd/CNT) and graphene (Pd/G) and we have tested their catalytic performance in the liquid phase chemoselective hydrogenation of para-chloronitrobenzene at room temperature. The catalysts were characterized by N₂ adsorption/desorption isotherms, TEM, X-ray diffraction, infrared and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and ICP-OES. The palladium particle size on Pd/G (3.4 nm) and Pd/CNT (2.8 nm) was similar though the deposition was higher on Pd/G. Pd/CNT was more active which can be ascribed to the different surface area and electronic properties of the Pd nanoparticles over CNT, while the selectivity was 100% to the corresponding haloaniline over both catalysts and they were quite stable upon recycling.     

Combustion of methane over palladium/zirconia: effect of Pd-particle size and role of lattice oxygen

The catalytic combustion of methane over palladium/zirconia catalyst prepared by oxidation and subsequent reduction of Pd/Zr glassy metals has been investigated with special emphasis on the influence of the catalyst structure (particle size and specific surface area) on the catalytic performance and the impact of a redox mechanism on the product formation. The reaction of 1% methane and 4% oxygen (balance of He) in a fixed-bed microreactor was found to be strongly dependent on the particle size of palladium, which was controlled by appropriate reduction before catalytic testing. Pre-reduction of PdO resulted in an enhanced activity compared to the unreduced catalysts. The structural changes induced upon reduction were accompanied by altered physico-chemical properties, evidenced by different behaviors in the decomposition of PdO and the reduction of PdO by methane. The correlation established between catalytic performance and the rate of reduction of PdO by methane led to the postulation of a redox mechanism, involving the reaction of methane with the active palladium oxide phase and subsequent reoxidation of metallic Pd by oxygen, which was independently confirmed by the use of ¹⁸O labeled catalysts and pulse methods.     

Catalytic hydrogenolysis of CFC-12 (CC1<Subscript>2</Subscript>F<Subscript>2</Subscript>) over bimetallic palladium catalysts supported on activated carbon

Experiments were conducted for the hydrogenolysis of CFC-12 (CCl₂F₂) to CH₂F₂ over bimetallic palladium catalysts (Pd-Bi, Pd-Ru) supported on activated carbon. The characteristics of the bimetallic palladium catalysts were examined with ICP, XRD, TPD, TEM, and N₂ physisorption/H₂ chemisorption and the Pd-F formation was identified by XPS analysis. The catalytic activity of the bimetallic palladium catalyst (Pd-Bi/C, or Pd-Ru/C) was superior to that of the monometallic palladium catalyst. The bimetallic palladium catalysts showed much higher conversion rates (more than 99% of it was converted) than did the monometallic palladium catalyst (< 92%) and were deactivated to a lesser extent, even at high temperatures (>320 ‡C). The bimetallic components maintained the good dispersion of the Pd on the activated carbon support.     

Reprint of: Oxidative dehydrogenation of cyclohexane and cyclohexene over supported gold, –palladium catalysts

Supported gold, palladium and gold–palladium catalysts have been used to oxidatively dehydrogenate cyclohexane and cyclohexenes to their aromatic counterpart. The supported metal nanoparticles decreased the activation temperature of the dehydrogenation reaction. We found that the order of reactivity was Pd ≥ Au–Pd > Au supported on TiO₂. Attempts were made to lower the reaction temperature whilst retaining high selectivity. The space-time yield of benzene from cyclohexane at 473 K was determined to be 53.7 mol/kg_cat/h rising to 87.3 mol/kg_cat/h at 673 K for the Pd catalyst. Increasing the temperature in this case improved conversion at a detriment to the benzene selectivity. Oxidative dehydrogenation of cyclohexene over AuPd/TiO₂ or Pd/TiO₂ catalysts was found to be very effective (conversion >99% at 423 K). These results indicate that the first step in the reaction sequence of cyclohexane to cyclohexene is the slowest step. These initial results suggest that in a fixed-bed reactor the oxidative dehydrogenation in the presence of oxygen, palladium and gold–palladium catalysts are readily able to surpass current literature examples and with further modification should yield even higher performance.     

Phenol degradation by Fenton's process using catalytic in situ generated hydrogen peroxide

The recent reported pathway using oxygen and formic acid at ambient conditions has been utilized to generate hydrogen peroxide in situ for the degradation of phenol. An alumina supported palladium catalyst prepared via impregnation was used for this purpose. Almost full destruction of phenol was carried out within 6 h corresponding to the termination of 100 mM formic acid at the same time. In addition, a significant mineralization (60%) was attained. A simulated conventional Fenton process (CFP) using continuous addition of 300 ppm H₂O₂ displayed maximum 48% mineralization. Study of different doses of formic acid showed that decreasing the initial concentration of formic acid caused faster destruction of phenol and its toxic intermediates. The catalytic in situ generation of hydrogen peroxide system demonstrated interesting ability to oxidize phenol without the addition of Fenton's catalyst (ferrous ion). Lower Pd content catalysts (Pd1/Al and Pd0.5/Al) despite of producing higher hydrogen peroxide amount for bulk purposes, did not reach the same efficiency as the Pd5/Al catalyst in phenol degradation. The later catalyst showed a remarkable repeatability so that more than 90% phenol degradation along with 57% mineralization was attained by the used catalyst after twice recovery. Higher temperature (45 °C) gave rise to faster degradation of phenol resulting to almost the same mineralization degree as obtained at ambient temperature. Meanwhile, Pd leaching studied by atomic adsorption proved excellent stability of the catalysts.     

Complete oxidation of methane on Pd/YSZ and Pd/CeO2/YSZ by electrochemical promotion

In this work, methane combustion over Pd/YSZ and Pd/CeO₂/YSZ catalyst was investigated at a temperature range of 470–600 °C. For the first time, the feasibility of electrochemical promotion on palladium films prepared by wet impregnation was reported. The catalytic activity of palladium was found to increase over 160% via transference of oxygen ions from the solid electrolyte to the catalyst film. In addition, palladium supported over ceria and yttria-stabilized zirconia showed the highest activity. As expected, the presence of ceria allowed improving the oxygen storage capacity of the catalyst system.     

Heterogeneous hydrogenation of nitrobenzenes over recyclable Pd(0) nanoparticle catalysts stabilized by polyphenol-grafted collagen fibers

A novel heterogeneous palladium (Pd) nanoparticle catalyst stabilized by collagen fibers (CF) was synthesized. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a typical natural polyphenol, was grafted onto the CF surface to improve the stabilization and immobilization of Pd(0) nanoparticles. The main physical and chemical properties of the catalyst were characterized by means of Scanning Electron Microscopy, Fourier Transform-Infrared Spectroscopy, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction and Transmission Electron Microscopy. This catalyst is in an ordered fibrous state with high flexibility. The Pd(0) nanoparticles with diameters of 3–4 nm are homogeneously dispersed onto the outer surfaces of CF, and they are stabilized by the coordinative interactions between the surface Pd atoms of nanoparticle and the surrounding oxygen and nitrogen atoms of the EGCG-grafted CF. These stabilized Pd(0) nanoparticles were found to be active and selective catalysts for nitrobenzene and its derivatives, directly hydrogenating to the correspondingly reductive anilines under mild conditions. Both Pd particle size and activity of the catalyst showed a marked dependence on the grafting degree of EGCG on CF. These catalysts can be easily recovered, reused multiple times, and stored for two months in air while maintaining high catalytic efficiencies. All these facts suggest that the EGCG-grafted CF can be used as an effective stabilizer for the preparation of Pd(0) nanoparticle catalysts.     

CO2 hydrogenation over Pd-modified methanol synthesis catalysts

The effect of palladium incorporation on the performance of Cu–ZnO(Al₂O₃) during the hydrogenation of carbon dioxide has been assessed. Temperature-programmed reduction profiles and X-ray photoelectron spectra of copper revealed that Pd enhances copper oxide reduction. Carbon dioxide conversion and methanol yield were found to increase on Pd-loaded catalysts. The importance of the palladium incorporated to the base Cu–ZnO(Al₂O₃) catalyst in determining the catalytic activity is discussed in terms of the relative ease with which hydrogen is dissociated on the Pd particles and then spilt over the Cu–ZnO phase of the base catalyst.     

钯/铁铬铝烧结毡整体催化剂表征及 对甲苯催化性能研究

采用新型的化学镀技术在铁铬铝（FeCrAl）烧结毡上直接负载贵金属钯（Pd）,制备了不同钯负载量的无过渡涂层的钯基整体式燃烧催化剂。首先对该类催化剂进行扫描电镜（SEM）、能谱（EDS）和X射线衍射（XRD）表征分析,结果表明：采用化学镀技术,钯组分能够很好地在铁铬铝烧结毡基体表面富集,催化剂的活性中心主要以金属钯晶相形式存在;而且在钯负载量为0.3%（质量分数）时,钯组分以0.3~0.5 μm的规整球状颗粒恰好在基体表面均匀分散并覆盖完全。同时该类催化剂在甲苯催化净化反应中表现出很好的低温催化性能,可使甲苯在190 ℃起燃后,在220 ℃就迅速达到100%完全转化,而且催化剂也显示出良好的催化稳定性。     

Total oxidation of volatile organic compounds by vanadium promoted palladium-titania catalysts: Comparison of aromatic and polyaromatic compounds

Vanadium oxide, palladium oxide and mixed Pd/V-supported on titania catalysts have been prepared and tested in the total oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). A comparative study with two different aromatic VOCs (benzene and naphthalene) has been carried out. For benzene, the mixed Pd/V-catalysts presented the highest catalytic activity. However, whilst studies with benzene led to the formation of CO₂ only, the total conversion of naphthalene to CO₂ was not achieved throughout the full temperature range for naphthalene conversion. A naphthalene conversion to CO₂ of 99% was obtained over Pd/TiO₂, V/TiO₂ and Pd/V/TiO₂ catalysts at 275, 325 and 300 °C, respectively. Therefore, the requirements for an effective benzene total oxidation catalyst cannot be readily extrapolated to larger polycyclic aromatic compounds, as in the naphthalene oxidation the most active catalyst from an environmental point of view is Pd supported on TiO₂.     

Carbon nanofiber-supported palladium nanoparticles as potential recyclable catalysts for the Heck reaction

5 wt% Pd catalysts supported on platelet carbon nanofibers has been prepared by incipient wetness impregnation. Both the calcination and the reduction temperature have a significant effect on the dispersion of palladium and it was found that about 3 nm sized Pd nanoparticles can be obtained at a calcination and reduction temperature of 250 °C and 150 °C, respectively. Pd catalysts have been applied to catalyze Heck reactions of various activated and non-activated aryl substrates. The activity increased exponentially with a decrease in Pd particle size. The high surface area, mesoporous structure of carbon nanofiber and highly dispersed palladium species on carbon nanofibers makes up one of the most active and reusable heterogeneous catalysts for Heck coupling reactions. Pd nanoparticles supported on platelet CNFs appear to be an excellent catalyst due to high activity, low sensitivity towards oxygen, almost no or low issues with leaching and high stability in multi-cycles.     

催化剂制备与研究 预处理对钯炭催化剂及其在肉桂醛加氢中性能的影响

采用不同预处理方式对活性炭表面进行改性,并制备钯炭催化剂。对活性炭的比表面积、孔结构等物理性质和含氧官能团种类以及钯炭催化剂进行表征,探究预处理对活性炭表面物化性能产生的变化和对钯炭催化剂在肉桂醛加氢反应中催化活性的影响。结果表明,氧化预处理使活性炭的比表面积和孔容下降,使钯炭催化剂上的钯粒子尺寸相对更小;碱预处理有一定的扩孔作用,使钯炭催化剂上的钯粒子尺寸更大。在肉桂醛加氢反应中,钯粒子尺寸越小的催化剂催化活性更高,而钯粒子尺寸更大的催化剂上肉桂醇选择性更高。     

Influence of Pd Precursor and Method of Preparation on Hydrodechlorination Activity of Alumina Supported Palladium Catalysts

A series of alumina supported Pd catalysts were prepared by the novel deposition-precipitation method adopting the chloride precursor (DP-Cl) of Pd and varying the metal content from 0.25 to 1.0 wt%. The catalytic properties of prepared catalysts were studied by various characterization techniques such as N₂ adsorption, CO chemisorption, TPR, XRD, XPS, and TEM techniques. The activity and stability of the catalysts were evaluated for the gas phase hydrodechlorination (HDC) of chlorobenzene operating at atmospheric pressure. At 1 wt% of Pd the catalyst showed higher chlorobenzene conversion with good stability when tested for a period of 25 h, whereas the other catalysts exhibited a loss in activity with time. In order to elucidate the exceptional activity and stability of this catalyst, a few more catalysts with 1 wt% Pd were prepared by impregnation technique and also using a non-chloride precursor, palladium nitrate. The 1 wt% DP-Cl catalyst again was found to be the best among the others. The activity and stability of the DP-Cl catalyst was also found to be superior to two low-dispersed catalysts, each with 10 wt% Pd, prepared by conventional impregnation method using the chloride and nitrate as the precursors. The characterization results reveal that the high activity and stability of the DP-Cl catalyst is related to the formation of electron deficient Pd species and its stabilization in the octahedral vacancies of alumina.     

The influence of the structural and electronic characteristics of palladium on the activity and selectivity of Pd/Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> and Pd-Co/Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> catalysts for the hydrogenation of acetylene hydrocarbons

The influence of the structural and electronic characteristics of nonpromoted and cobalt-promoted Pd catalysts on their adsorption and catalytic properties is studied. It is shown that the conversion of vinylacetylene depends on the dispersion of palladium for both types of catalysts synthesized from acetate and acetylacetonate complexes. The palladium acetylacetonate catalysts have a higher palladium dispersion than the samples obtained from acetate complex solutions, thus leading to a higher conversion of vinylacetylene. It is established that the selectivity of vinylacetylene conversion into 1,3-butadiene on palladium acetate and acetylacetonate catalysts depends on the state of the 3d orbitals of surface Pd atoms. The palladium acetate catalysts are characterized by a higher electron density on the 3d orbital in comparison with the acetylacetonate samples, thus producing higher selectivities of vinylacetylene conversion into 1,3-butadiene. The introduction of cobalt into Pd/δ-Al₂O₃ catalyst synthesized from acetylacetonate complex leads to the formation of bimetallic Pd-Co particles, in which Pd atoms have higher electron density than those in the nonpromoted Pd/δ-Al₂O₃ catalyst, due probably to the donation of electron density from promoter atoms, with a resulting decline in the adsorption ability of bimetallic particles with regard to 1,3-butadiene and hydrogen. As a consequence, the selectivity of vinylacetylene conversion into 1,3-butadiene increases. Requirements for the size, dispersion, and electronic characteristics of the active component in the catalysts for the selective hydrogenation of vinylacetylene are formulated, and two techniques for their synthesis are proposed.     

Importance of palladium dispersion in Pd/Al2O3 catalysts for complete oxidation of humid low-methane–air mixtures

The catalytic oxidation is considered as an environmental benign method for utilization of various methane-poor gas mixtures, including humid post-ventilation air of coal mines. The small crystallites of palladium phase in the Pd/Al₂O₃ catalyst decrease temperatures necessary to ignite the methane oxidation reaction and to achieve complete conversion of methane. The isotopic exchange of oxygen between the catalyst and the gas phase, the temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) with methane and the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies suggest that it can result from a higher number of the Pd–PdO sites present on the catalysts with small palladium crystallites. The inhibiting effect of water vapour present in the reaction mixture increases with lower dispersion of palladium phase as well as with the water concentration in the feed. The larger palladium crystallites are more significantly affected by the presence of water. It is suggested that water vapour blocks the Pd–PdO active sites. The catalysts with small crystallites (<6.6 nm) of palladium can be successfully used for mitigation of the emission of methane from coal mine post-ventilation air and, after increasing of the methane concentration to 1–2 vol.%, for its utilization for the energy production. In the case of such catalysts even a high concentration of water vapour has the least negative influence on the catalyst activity and it will not interfere with obtaining of the 100% conversion of methane below 650 °C.