Strong synergism between gold and manganese in an Au–Mn/triple-oxide-support (TOS) oxidation catalyst

Abstract A strong synergism between Au and Mn substantially increased the catalytic activity of the Au–Mn/TOS catalyst for the complete propane oxidation as compared to the activity of mono metal Au/TOS and Mn/TOS catalysts. The high activity of Au–Mn/TOS catalyst is a result of the formation of Au 2 Mn or Au 5 Mn 2 phases and enhanced mobility of the oxygen in the support oxides. XPS, TPR, TEM and XRD studies were used to characterise the catalysts. Based on the results, a possible mechanism for the participation of the non-stoichiometric and lattice oxygen is also proposed. It is suggested that a joint effect of the Au and Mn increased the non-stoichiometric and lattice oxygen mobility of the Au–Mn/TOS catalyst, potentially being dominated by Mn.