Characterization of Model Three-Way Catalysts: III. Infrared Study of the Surface Composition of Platinum–Rhodium Ceria–Alumina Catalysts

Abstract

The surface composition of model and commercial bimetallic PtRh catalysts supported on ceria–alumina was tentatively determined by FTIR spectroscopy using the successive adsorption of NO at 473 K and CO at 298 K method which was previously applied to the case of PtRh/Al2O3 catalysts. The study of monometallic model catalysts shows that the adsorption of NO at 473 K on rhodium gives an intense band at 1912 cm−1 which is not modified by the presence of ceria and therefore can be used to quantify the number of surface rhodium atoms. However, the chemisorption properties of platinum toward the subsequent adsorption of CO at 298 K are strongly modified and the quantification of the surface platinum atoms could not be directly measured. However, their number could be indirectly obtained by combining the NO adsorption for rhodium and hydrogen volumetric adsorption for the total number of surface metal atoms, assuming that NO adsorption does not induce an important segregation of rhodium for bimetallic particles. Thus, for the fresh bimetallic model catalyst, the same composition was obtained at the surface and in the bulk. After aging at 1273 K, no rhodium was detected at the surface. This absence of surface rhodium atoms was confirmed by the data obtained from the direct adsorption of CO on platinum at room temperature, which gave the same number of surface atoms as hydrogen chemisorption. Similar results have been obtained with two commercial three-way catalysts. In particular, after aging at 1273 K, rhodium was practically not detected on the surface.