Correlation between catalytic activity of supported gold catalysts for carbon monoxide oxidation and metal–oxygen binding energy of the support metal oxides

The effect of a wide variety of metal oxide （MOx） supports has been discussed for CO oxidation on nanoparticulate gold catalysts. By using typical co‐precipitation and deposition–precipitation methods and under identical calcination conditions, supported gold catalysts were prepared on a wide variety of MOx supports, and the temperature for 50%conversion was measured to qualita‐tively evaluate the catalytic activities of these simple MOx and supported Au catalysts. Furthermore, the difference in these temperatures for the simple MOx compared to the supported Au catalysts is plotted against the metal–oxygen binding energies of the support MOx. A clear volcano‐like correla‐tion between the temperature difference and the metal–oxygen binding energies is observed. This correlation suggests that the use of MOx with appropriate metal–oxygen binding energies （300–500 kJ/atom O） greatly improves the catalytic activity of MOx by the deposition of Au NPs.

Structural Features of(Ce,La or Sr)(Mn or Co)O_3 NanoPerovskites as a Catalyst for Carbon Monoxide Oxidation

The collection of different cations in the A and B sites of ABO3 was explored for the regularity of perovskites phase formability.Here,Sr2？,La3？,and Ce4？are selected as the cations of site A.The site B is considered to be Mn or Co cations.XRD analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results confirm the formation of perovskite structure for catalysts in which La3？and Sr2？are considered as the cations of site A.Ceria is detected as the main crystalline phase when Ce4？is selected to be cation of site A.It is found that the octahedral factor（rB/rO） takes the same important role as the tolerance factor to form cubic perovskite.Average crystallite size of the products was calculated by data of the XRD and measured by the TEM analysis.Results of the XRD and TEM studies were supported by the study of the particles size distribution,which was carried out in a particle size analyzer.The perovskite samples were also used for stoichiometric oxidation of carbon monoxide with air.

Recent progress in CO oxidation over Pt-group-metal catalysts at low temperatures

CO oxidation is probably the most studied reaction in heterogeneous catalysis.This reaction has become a hot topic with the discovery of nanogold catalysts,which are active at low temperatures（at or below room temperature）.Au catalysts are the benchmark for judging the activities of other metals in CO oxidation.Pt-group metals（PGMs） that give comparable performances are of particular interest.In this mini-review,we summarize the advances in various PGM（Pt,Pd,Ir,Rh,Ru）catalysts that have high catalytic activities in low-temperature CO oxidation arising from reducible supports or the presence of OH species.The effects of the size of the metal species and the importance of the interface between the metal and the reducible support are covered and discussed in terms of their promotional role in CO oxidation at low temperatures.

Low temperature molten salt synthesis of porous La_(1-x)Sr_xMn_(0.8)Fe_(0.2)O_3(0≤x≤0.6) microspheres with high catalytic activity for CO oxidation

A molten salt method was developed to prepare porous La1‐xSrxMn0.8Fe0.2O3 （0≤ x ≤ 0.6） micro‐spheres using hierarchical porous δ‐MnO2 microspheres as a template in eutectic NaNO3‐KNO3. X‐ray diffraction patterns showed that single phase LaMn0.8Fe0.2O3 with good crystallinity was syn‐thesized at 450℃ after 4 h. Transmission electron microscope images exhibited that the LaMn0.8Fe0.2O3 sample obtained at 450？？ after 4 h possessed a porous spherical morphology com‐posed of aggregated nanocrystallites. Field emission scanning electron microscope images indicated that the growth of the porous LaMn0.8Fe0.2O3 microspheres has two stages. SEM pictures showed that a higher calcination temperature than 450？？ had an adverse effect on the formation of a po‐rous spherical structure. The LaMn0.8Fe0.2O3 sample obtained at 450？？ after 4 h displayed a high BET surface area of 55.73 m2/g with a pore size of 9.38 nm. Fourier transform infrared spectra suggested that Sr2＋ions entered the A sites and induced a decrease of the binding energy between Mn and O. The CO conversion with the La1‐xSrxMn0.8Fe0.2O3 （0≤x≤0.6） samples indicated that the La0.4Sr0.6Mn0.8Fe0.2O3 sample had the best catalytic activity and stability. Further analysis by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy demonstrated that Sr2＋doping altered the content of Mn4＋ions, oxygen vacancies and adsorbed oxygen species on the surface, which affected the catalytic performance for CO oxidation.

Theoretical investigations on CO oxidation reaction catalyzed by gold nanoparticles

It is crucial to understand the mechanism of low temperature CO oxidation reaction catalyzed by gold nanoparticles so as to find out the origin of the high catalytic reactivity and extend the indus‐trialization applications of nano gold catalysts. In this work, some theoretical works on CO adsorp‐tion, O2 adsorption, atomic oxygen adsorption, formation of surface gold oxide films, reaction mechanisms of CO oxidation involving O2 reaction with CO and O2 dissociation before reacting with CO on gold surfaces and Au/metal oxide were summarized, and the influences of coordination number, charge transfer and relativity of gold on CO oxidation reaction were briefly reviewed. It was found that CO reaction mechanism depended on the systems with or without oxide and the strong relativistic effects might play an important role in CO oxidation reaction on gold catalysts. In particular, the relativistic effects are related to the unique behaviors of CO adsorption, O adsorption, O2 activation on gold surfaces, effects of coordination number and the wide gap between the chem‐ical inertness of bulk gold and high catalytic activity of nano gold. The present work helps us to understand the CO oxidation reaction mechanism on gold catalysts and the influence of relativistic effects on gold catalysis.

Synthesis of Pd nanoparticles supported on CeO_2 nanotubes for CO oxidation at low temperatures

Developing efficient supported Pd catalysts and understanding their catalytic mechanism in CO oxidation are challenging research topics in recent years.This paper describes the synthesis of Pd nanoparticles supported on CeO2 nanotubes via an alcohol reduction method.The effect of the support morphology on the catalytic reaction was explored.Subsequently,the performance of the prepared catalysts was investigated toward CO oxidation reaction and characterized by Nitrogen sorption,X-ray diffraction,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,transmission electron microscopy,and CO-temperature-programmed desorption techniques.The results indicated that the catalyst of Pd on CeO2 nanotubes exhibits excellent activity in CO oxidation at low temperatures,due to its large surface area,the high dispersion of Pd species,the mesoporous and tubular structure of the CeO2-nanotube support,the abundant Ce3＋,formation of Pd–O–Ce bonding,and enhanced metal–support interaction on the catalyst surface.

Effects of Co_3O_4 nanocatalyst morphology on CO oxidation:Synthesis process map and catalytic activity

This study focuses on drawing a hydrothermal synthesis process map for Co3O4 nanoparticles with various morphologies and investigating the effects of Co3O4 nanocatalyst morphology on CO oxidation.A series of cobalt-hydroxide-carbonate nanoparticles with various morphologies（i.e.,nanorods,nanosheets,and nanocubes） were successfully synthesized,and Co3O4 nanoparticles were obtained by thermal decomposition of the cobalt-hydroxide-carbonate precursors.The results suggest that the cobalt source is a key factor for controlling the morphology of cobalt-hydroxide-carbonate at relatively low hydrothermal temperatures（≤ 140℃）.Nanorods can be synthesized in CoCl2 solution,while Co（NO3）2 solution promotes the formation of nanosheets.Further increasing the synthesis temperature（higher than 140 ℃） results in the formation of nanocubes in either Co（NO3）2 or CoCl2 solution.The reaction time only affects the size of the obtained nanoparticles.The presence of CTAB could improve the uniformity and dispersion of particles.Co3O4 nanosheets showed much higher catalytic activity for CO oxidation than nanorods and nanocubes because it has more abundant Co^（3＋） on the surface,much higher reducibility,and better oxygen desorption capacity.

CO oxidation over Au/ZrLa-doped CeO_2 catalysts: Synergistic effect of zirconium and lanthanum

The physicochemical properties of nanosized Au catalysts supported on doped CeO2 and their cata‐lytic performance for the CO oxidation reaction were investigated. The Au/Zr‐doped CeO2 catalyst is much more active than undoped Au/CeO2, while Au/ZrLa‐doped CeO2 shows the highest activity. Characterization of the catalysts by X‐ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy （TEM）, high‐resolution TEM, and the X‐ray absorption fine structure technique shows high homogeneity of the oxide supports and well‐dispersed nanosized Au nanoparticles. Raman spectroscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and H2‐tempeature‐programmed reduction show that the surface oxygen species are the main factor for the catalytic activity in the CO oxidation reaction, while the supported Au species can improve the redox properties and create oxygen vacancy sites on the support. The oxidation state of Au is not the main factor governing the activity of Au/doped‐CeO2 catalysts. Additionally, the synergistic effect of Zr and La is discussed.

Theoretical studies of CO oxidation with lattice oxygen on Co_3O_4 surfaces

Low-temperature CO oxidation has attracted extensive interest in heterogeneous catalysis because of the potential applications in fuel cells,air cleaning,and automotive emission reduction.In the present study,theoretical investigations have been performed using density functional theory to elucidate the crystal plane effect and structure sensitivity of Co3O4 nano-catalysts toward catalyzing CO oxidation.It is shown that the surface Co–O ion pairs are the active site for CO oxidation on the Co3O4 surface.Because of stronger CO adsorption and easier removal of lattice oxygen ions,the Co3O4（011）surface is shown to be more reactive for CO oxidation than the Co3O4（001）surface,which is consistent with previous experimental results.By comparing the reaction pathways at different sites on each surface,we have further elucidated the nature of the crystal plane effect on Co3O4 surfaces and attributed the reactivity to the surface reducibility.Our results suggest that CO oxidation catalyzed by Co3O4 nanocrystals has a strong crystal plane effect and structure sensitivity.Lowering the vacancy formation energy of the oxide surface is key for high CO oxidation reactivity.

SnO_2-based solid solutions for CH_4 deep oxidation: Quantifying the lattice capacity of SnO_2 using an X-ray diffraction extrapolation method

A series of SnO2‐based catalysts modified by Mn, Zr, Ti and Pb oxides with a Sn/M （M=Mn, Zr, Ti and Pb） molar ratio of 9/1 were prepared by a co‐precipitation method and used for CH4 and CO oxidation. The Mn3＋, Zr4＋, Ti4＋and Pb4＋cations are incorporated into the lattice of tetragonal rutile SnO2 to form a solid solution structure. As a consequence, the surface area and thermal stability of the catalysts are improved. Moreover, the oxygen species of the modified catalysts become easier to be reduced. Therefore, the oxidation activity over the catalysts was improved, except for the one modified by Pb oxide. Manganese oxide demonstrates the best promotional effects for SnO2. Using an X‐ray diffraction extrapolation method, the lattice capacity of SnO2 for Mn2O3 was 0.135 g Mn2O3/g SnO2, which indicates that to form stable solid solution, only 21%Sn4＋cations in the lattice can be maximally replaced by Mn3＋. If the amount of Mn3＋cations is over the capacity, Mn2O3 will be formed, which is not favorable for the activity of the catalysts. The Sn rich samples with only Sn‐Mn solid solution phase show higher activity than the ones with excess Mn2O3 species.

Support effect of zinc tin oxide on gold catalyst for CO oxidation reaction

Nanostructured gold catalyst supported on metal oxide is highly active for the CO oxidation reac‐tion. In this work, a new type of oxide support, zinc tin oxide, has been used to deposit 0.7 wt%Au via a deposition‐precipitation method. The textural properties of Zn2SnO4 support have been tuned by varying the molar ratio between base （N2H4＆#183;H2O） and metal ion （Zn2＋） to be 4/1, 8/1 and 16/1. The catalytic tests for CO oxidation reaction revealed that the reactivity on Au‐Zn2SnO4 with N2H4＆#183;H2O/Zn2＋ = 8/1 was the highest, while the reactivity on Au‐Zn2SnO4 with N2H4＆#183;H2O/Zn2＋ =16/1 was almost identical to that of the pure support. Both fresh and used catalysts have been characterized by multiple techniques including nitrogen adsorption‐desorption, X‐ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, high‐angle annular dark‐field scanning transmission electron microscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X‐ray adsorption fine structure, and tempera‐ture‐programmed reduction by hydrogen. These demonstrated that the textural properties, espe‐cially pore volume and pore size distribution, of Zn2SnO4 play crucial roles in the averaged size of gold nanoparticles, and thus determine the catalytic activity of Au‐Zn2SnO4 for CO oxidation.

Preparation, Characterization of CuO/CeO_2 and Cu/CeO_2 Catalysts and Their Applications in Low-Temperature CO Oxidation

CeO2 was synthesized via sol-gel process and used as supporter to prepare CuO/CeO2, Cu/CeO2 catalysts by impregnation method. The catalytic properties and characterization of CeO2, CuO/CeO2 and Cu/CeO2 catalysts were examined by means of a microreactor-GC system, HRTEM, XRD, TPR and XPS techniques. The results show that CuO has not catalytic activity and the activity of CeO2 is quite low for CO oxidation. However, the catalytic activity of CuO/CeO2 and Cu/ CeO2 catalysts increases significantly. Furthermore, the activity of CuO/CeO2 is higher than that of Cu/CeO2 catalysts.

Superior activity of Rh1/ZnO single-atom catalyst for CO oxidation

CO oxidation is of great importance in both fundamental study and industrial application.Supported noble metal catalysts are highly active for CO oxidation but suffer from the scarcity and high cost.Single-atom catalysts(SACs)can maximize the metal atom efficiency.Herein,ZnO nanowire(ZnO-nw)supported Rh,Au,and Pt SACs were successfully developed to investigate their CO oxidation performance.Interestingly,it was found that Rh1/ZnO-nw showed much higher activity than the other noble metals which are usually regarded as good candidates for CO oxidation.In addition,the Rh SAC possessed high stability in high-temperature CO oxidation under simulated conditions in the presence of water and hydrocarbons.The high activity and stability make Rh1/ZnO-nw promising for practical applications,especially in the automotive exhaust emission control.Theoretical calculations indicate that the CO oxidation proceeds via the Mars-van Krevelen mechanism and the lowest barrier for the rate-limiting O2 dissociation at a surface oxygen vacancy site is a key factor in determining the observed highest activity of Rh1/ZnO-nw amongst the studied SACs.

Low-temperature CO oxidation over CuO-CeO_2/SiO_2 catalysts:Effect of CeO_2 content and carrier porosity

The effects of CeO2 contents and silica carrier porosity with their pore diameters ranging from 5.2 nm to 12.5 nm of CuO-CeO2/SiO2 cata-lysts in CO oxidation were investigated.The catalysts were characterized by N2 adsorption/desorption at low temperature,X-ray diffraction （XRD）,temperature-programmed reduction by H2 （H2-TPR）,oxygen temperature programmed desorption （O2-TPD） and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）.The results suggested that,the ceria content and the porosity of SiO2 carrier possessed great impacts on the structures and catalytic performances of CuO-CeO2/SiO2 catalysts.When appropriate content of CeO2 （Ce content 8 wt%） was added,the catalytic activity was greatly enhanced.In the catalyst supported on silica carrier with larger pore diameter,higher dispersion of CuO was observed,better agglomeration-resistant capacity was displayed and more lattice oxygen could be found,thus the CuO-CeO2 supported on Si-1 showed higher catalytic activity for low-temperature CO oxidation.

Effective removal of the protective ligands from Au nanoclusters by ambient pressure nonthermal plasma treatment for CO oxidation

We used a dielectric barrier discharge(DBD)plasma technique to eliminate the protective ligand of ZnAl-hydrotalcite-supported gold nanoclusters.We used X-ray powder diffraction,ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry,thermogravimetric analysis,and high angle annular dark-field-scanning transmission electron microscopy characterization to show that the samples pretreated with/without DBD-plasma displayed different performances in CO oxidation.The enhanced activity was obtained on the plasma-treated samples,implying that the protective ligand was effectively removed via the plasma technique.The crystal structure of the plasma-treated samples changed markedly,suggesting that the plasma treatment could not only break the chemical bond between the gold and the protective agent but could also decompose the interlayer ions over the hydrotalcite support.The particle sizes of the gold after DBD-plasma treatment implied that it was a good way to control the size of the gold nanoparticles under mild conditions.

Pt-CeO_2/SiO_2 catalyst for CO oxidation in humid air at ambient temperature

CO self-poisoning and slow surface kinetics pose major challenges to a CO oxidation catalyst that should work at ambient temperature.Furthermore,the presence of moisture would cause passivation of the catalyst A highly active ceria promoted Pt catalyst（4%Pt-12%CeO_2/SiO_2;conversion≥99%at low（ 500 ppm） and high（ 2500 ppm） CO concentrations was developed for CO oxidation at ambient temperature in humid air.Catalyst preparation variables such as Pt and CeO_2 loading,ceria deposition method,drying and calcination conditions for the ceria and Pt precursors were optimized experimentally.The activity was correlated with surface properties using CO/H_2 chemisorption,O_2-H_2 titration,X-ray diffraction and BET surface area analysis.The method of CeO_2 deposition had a significant impact on the catalytic activity.CeO_2 deposition by impregnation resulted in a catalyst that was three times more active than that prepared by deposition precipitation or CeO_2grafting.O_2-H_2 titration results revealed that the close association of ceria and Pt in the case of CeO_2deposition by impregnation resulted in higher activity.The catalyst support used was also crucial as a silica supported catalyst was five times more active than an alumina supported catalyst.The particle size and pore structure of the catalyst support were also crucial as the reaction was diffusion controlled.The drying and calcination conditions of the ceria and Pt precursors also played a crucial role in determining the catalytic activity.The Pt-CeO_2/SiO_2 catalysts with Pt 2.5 wt%and CeO_2 15 wt%were highly active（TOF 0.02 s^（-1）） and stable（conversion 99%after 15 h） at ambient conditions.

Optimization and statistical analysis of Au-ZnO/Al_2O_3 catalyst for CO oxidation

In our former work [Catal. Today 174 （2011） 127], 12 heterogeneous catalysts were screened for CO oxidation, and Au-ZnO/Al2O3 was chosen and optimized in terms of weight loadings of Au and ZnO. The present study follows on to consider the impact of process parameters （catalyst preparation and reaction conditions）, in conjunction with catalyst composition （weight loadings of Au and ZnO, and the total weight of the catalyst）, as the optimization of the process parameters simultaneously optimized the catalyst composition. The optimization target is the reactivity of this important reaction. These factors were first optimized using response surface methodology （RSM） with 25 experiments, to obtain the optimum： 100 mg of 1.0%Au-4.1%ZnO/Al2O3 catalyst with 220℃ calcination and 100℃ reduction. After optimization, the main effects and interactions of these five factors were studied using statistical sensitivity analysis （SA）. Certain observations from SA were verified by reaction mechanism, reactivity test and/or characterization techniques, while others need further investigation.

Formation and removal of active oxygen species for the non-catalytic CO oxidation on Au/TiO_2 catalysts

Applying quantitative temporal analysis of products reactor measurements, we studied the reactive removal of active oxygen present on Au/TiO2 catalysts after calcination at elevated temperatures （400 ＆#176;C） by CO pulses and its replenishment by O2 pulses at 80 ＆#176;C, focusing on the nature of the active oxygen species. In contrast to previous studies, which mainly focused on and clarified the nature of the active oxygen species for the catalytic CO oxidation, which is reversibly formed and replenished under typical reaction conditions, this study demonstrates that directly after calcina‐tion an additional oxygen species is present. This species is also active for the CO oxidation, but it is not or only very little formed under typical reaction conditions. Implications of these results on the mechanistic understanding of the CO oxidation on Au/TiO2, in particular on the role of different active oxygen species, will be discussed.

An examination of active sites on Au-Ag bimetallic catalysts based on CO oxidation over Au/Ag_2O and a comparison to Ag-contaminated Au powder

There are two theories regarding the origin of the remarkable synergistic effect observed in Au‐Ag bimetallic catalysts when applied to various oxidative reactions. One is based on the importance of the contact interfaces between AgOx regions and the surface of the bulk Au as active working sites, while the other holds that charge transfer from Ag to Au in a surface Au‐Ag alloy causes the catalytic activity. One key point in examining these theories and determining the origin of the synergy in‐volves determining whether or not Ag exists as an oxide or as a metallic alloy on the Au surface. To confirm that enhanced activity results from contact between Ag2O and Au nanoparticles （NPs）, a comparative study of catalytic CO oxidation over Au/Ag2O and Ag2O was performed in the present work, using a closed recirculation reaction system. A reaction mixture consisting of a stoichiometric composition of CO and O2 （CO/O2=2/1） was supplied to both catalysts and the resulting pressure decrease rates were tracked, from which the amounts of gas consumed as well as the quantity of CO2 produced were determined. The steady state reactions of both Au/Ag2O and Ag2O did not lead to any meaningful difference in the rate of pressure decrease during the oxidation. The pressure decrease over both catalysts was attributed to the reduction of surface lattice O on Ag2O by CO. The results obtained for Au/Ag2O are in good agreement with previous data resulting from the use of Ag‐contaminated Au powder （Ag/Au‐b） having an oxidized surfaces. This finding suggests that the perimeters between AgOx zones and the bulk Au surface may not function as active sites during CO oxidation. A review of previous results obtained with Ag/Au‐b specimens having so‐called steady state surfaces indicates that AgOx species in such materials are reduced to the 0 state to form a Ag‐Au alloy that provides the active sites.

Enhanced catalytic activities and selectivities in preferential oxidation of CO over ceria-promoted Au/Al_2O_3 catalysts

The preferential oxidation of CO （CO‐PROX） is a hot topic because of its importance in pro‐ton‐exchange membrane fuel cells （PEMFCs）. Au catalysts are highly active in CO oxidation. Howev‐er, their activities still need to be improved at the PEMFC operating temperatures of 80–120 ＆#176;C. In the present study, Au nanoparticles of average size 2.6 nm supported on ceria‐modified Al2O3 were synthesized and characterized using powder X‐ray diffraction, nitrogen physisorption, transmission electron and scanning transmission electron microscopies, temperature‐programmed hydrogen reduction （H2‐TPR）, Raman spectroscopy, and in situ diffuse‐reflectance infrared Fourier‐transform spectroscopy. Highly dispersed Au nanoparticles and strong structures formed by Au–support in‐teractions were the main active species on the ceria surface. The Raman and H2‐TPR results show that the improved catalytic performance of the Au catalysts can be attributed to enhanced strong metal–support interactions and the reducibility caused by ceria doping. The formation of oxygen vacancies on the catalysts increased their activities in CO‐PROX. The synthesized Au catalysts gave excellent catalytic performances with high CO conversions （＆gt;97%） and CO2 selectivities （＆gt;50%） in the temperature range 80–150 ＆#176;C.