Impregnated and Co-precipitated Pd–Ga2O3, Pd–In2O3 and Pd–Ga2O3–In2O3 Catalysts: Influence of the Microstructure on the CO2 Selectivity in Methanol Steam Reforming

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Authors

  • Harald Lorenz
  • Marc Armbrüster
  • Igor Kasatkin
  • Bernhard Klötzer
  • Thomas Götsch
  • Kevin Ploner
  • Simon Penner

External Organisational units

  • University of Innsbruck
  • Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society
  • Materials Engineering Group
  • Saint-Petersburg State University
  • Institute of Materials Science and Technology

Abstract

To focus on the influence of the intermetallic compound—oxide interface of Pd-based intermetallic phases in methanol steam reforming (MSR), a co-precipitation pathway has been followed to prepare and subsequently structurally and catalytically characterize a set of nanoparticulate Ga2O3- and In2O3-supported GaPd2 and InPd catalysts, respectively. To study the possible promoting effect of In2O3, an In2O3-doped Ga2O3-supported GaPd2 catalyst has also been examined. While, upon reduction, the same intermetallic compounds are formed, the structure of especially the Ga2O3 support is strikingly different: rhombohedral and spinel-like Ga2O3 phases, as well as hexagonal GaInO3 and rhombohedral In2O3 phases are observed locally on the materials prior to methanol steam reforming by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Overall, the structure, phase composition and morphology of the co-precipitated catalysts are much more complex as compared to the respective impregnated counterparts. However, this induces a beneficial effect in activity and CO2 selectivity in MSR. Both Ga2O3 and In2O3 catalysts show a much higher activity, and in the case of GaPd2–Ga2O3, a much higher CO2 selectivity. The promoting effect of In2O3 is also directly detectable, as the CO2 selectivity of the co-precipitated supported Ga2O3–In2O3 catalyst is much higher and comparable to the purely In2O3-supported material, despite the more complex structure and morphology. In all studied cases, no deactivation effects have been observed even after prolonged time-on-stream for 12 h, confirming the stability of the systems.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3062-3071
Number of pages10
JournalCatalysis letters
Volume148.2018
Issue number10
Early online date3 Aug 2018
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Oct 2018
Externally publishedYes