‘Ship-in-bottle’ synthesis of platinum carbonyl clusters in titania- or zirconia-modified mesoporous channels of FSM-16. Structural characterization and catalysis in CO hydrogenation

Abstract Mesoporous channels (2.7 and 4.7 nm pore size) of FSM-16 were modified with titania or zirconia by the impregnation and hydrolysis of Ti or Zr alkoxides with subsequent calcination. Platinum carbonyl clusters [Pt 3 (CO) 6 ] n  2− ( n =4–6) were synthesized in the modified FSM-16 by the reaction of H 2 PtCl 6 with CO and H 2 O at 323 K, and the clusters were characterized by IR and UV–Vis spectroscopies. Evacuation of the Pt carbonyl clusters at 573 K gave nanoparticles in FSM-16, and the resulting Pt/TiO 2 (or ZrO 2 )/FSM-16 catalysts showed higher CO conversions and selectivities to C 2 –C 3 alkanes in CO hydrogenation than the unmodified Pt/FSM-16.