COBALT/SILICA GEL SYSTEM AS A CHEMISORBENT FOR OXYGEN

A study has been made of oxygen chemisorption and the phase composition of cobalt/silica gel samples containing from 1.1 to 7.7% Co by weight. Reduction in hydrogen leads to the formation of metallic cobalt with a crystal size of about 50 A. The quantity of chemisorbed O2 at 20°C increases in proportion to the increase of [Co]. The uptake of O2 is essentially completed at 300°C with the formation of Co3O4. The high adsorption capacity for O2 is preserved unchanged in repetitive reduction-oxidation cycles. The residual content of O2 in the gas after passage through the layer of the cobalt/silica gel chemisorbent is 3·10−6% by volume.