Role of the support in the formation of the properties of a Pd/Al2O3 catalyst for the low-temperature oxidation of carbon monoxide

The Pd/Al2O3 catalysts were prepared by the impregnation of aluminum hydroxide, which was synthesized by precipitation in the presence of polyvinyl alcohol, with a solution of palladium nitrate and were heat-treated at different temperatures. The resulting samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and were tested in CO oxidation in two modes: in a temperature-programmed reaction and under isothermal conditions at 20°C in the absence and in the presence of water vapor. The activity of the catalysts in the former mode was almost independent of support preparation conditions, but it was different in the latter mode. The catalyst whose support was obtained in the presence of polyvinyl alcohol and treated at 300°C in an atmosphere of nitrogen exhibited the highest activity in CO oxidation at 20°C. In the absence of water vapor from the reaction mixture, the initial conversion of CO reached 40% and then decreased. In the presence of water vapor, a continuous increase in the conversion of CO to 88% was observed, and the activity was stabilized at this level. The smallest size of palladium metal nanoparticles, the nearly monolayer carbon surface coverage, and the presence of OH groups, which are formed upon the dissociation of water present in the reaction mixture, facilitate an increase in activity.