Partial oxidation of methanol catalyzed with Au/TiO 2 , Au/ZrO 2 and Au/ZrO 2 -TiO 2 catalysts

E. Hernández-Ramírez, J. A. Wang, L. F. Chen, M. A. Valenzuela, A. K. Dalai

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

42 Scopus citations

Abstract

Mesoporous TiO 2 , ZrO 2 and ZrO 2 -TiO 2 mixed oxides were synthesized by the sol-gel method and the Au/TiO 2 , Au/ZrO 2 and Au/ZrO 2 -TiO 2 catalysts were prepared by deposition-precipitation method using urea solution as a precipitating agent. These materials were characterized by UV–vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), N 2 adsorption-desorption isotherms, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and in situ FTIR-pyridine (FTIR-Py) adsorption. XRD patterns of the samples confirmed the formation of ZrTiO 4 phase in the ZrO 2 -TiO 2 mixed oxides. TEM micrographs showed that nanosized gold particles on the catalyst had an average diameter smaller than 5 nm. Metallic gold (Au 0 ) and oxidized Au species (Au n δ+ ) on the surface of the catalysts were evidenced by UV–vis and XPS characterization. In the partial oxidation of methanol (POM) reaction, among the six catalysts, the high metallic Au 0 /Au + ratio and low surface acidity in the Au/ZrO 2 catalysts are chiefly responsible for the highest hydrogen production rate in the whole temperature range between 210 and 300 °C. Methanol decomposition as secondary reaction was favored on TiO 2 -based catalysts at higher temperature, producing a large amount of CO. Formation of ZrO 2 -TiO 2 solid solution resulted in generation of both Brønsted and Lewis acid sites; as a result, dehydrogenation and oxidative dehydrogenation of methanol was allowed over Au/ZrO 2 -TiO 2 catalysts.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)77-85
Number of pages9
JournalApplied Surface Science
Volume399
DOIs
StatePublished - 31 Mar 2017
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Gold catalysts
  • Partial oxidation of methanol
  • TiO
  • ZrO -TiO

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Partial oxidation of methanol catalyzed with Au/TiO 2 , Au/ZrO 2 and Au/ZrO 2 -TiO 2 catalysts'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this