Ce-modified mesoporous γ-Al2O3 supported Pd-Pt nanoparticle catalysts and their structure-function relationship in complete benzene oxidation

Abstract In this investigation, a mesoporous γ-Al 2 O 3 with large surface area and good thermal stability was synthesized and employed as the support for preparing a series of Pd-Pt nanocrystalline catalysts by using a high-temperature solution-phase reduction method. The PdO x (x = 0, 1) and PtO x (x = 0, 2) nanoparticles were found to have a small diameter (about 2 nm) and were highly dispersed on the surface of the mesoporous γ-Al 2 O 3 . The results show that catalysts with the appropriate ceria greatly improved the physical adsorption/chemisorption of benzene to Pd-Pt nanocrystals, which greatly enhanced the activity to achieve the complete oxidation of benzene. The high activity of the catalyst was mainly due to the nano-effects of Pd-Pt nanocrystals and the interactions among the active components. 0.2%Pd-Pt(1:1)/10%Ce/γ-Al 2 O 3 demonstrated the best activity for the complete oxidation of benzene at 200 °C. Furthermore, this catalyst maintained 95% benzene conversion for 1000 h at 190 °C and displayed good resistance to water and Cl-poisoning, which indicated that the Pd-Pt nanocrystalline catalysts have promise for adoption by the industry.