Hydrothermal synthesis and characterization of zirconia based catalysts

Abstract

In this work, three equimolar mixed oxides ZrO2/CeO2, ZrO2/TiO2, ZrO2/La2O3 and a reference ZrO2 have been synthesized by hydrothermal method. The structural and surface properties of these materials have been fully characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, surface area measurement, chemical analysis, XPS, infrared spectroscopy after adsorption of pyridine and adsorption microcalorimetry of NH3 and SO2 probe molecules. All investigated mixed oxides are amphoteric and possess redox centers on their surface. Moreover, hydrothermal synthesis leads to catalysts with higher surface area and with better acid–base properties than classical coprecipitation method. Both Lewis and Brønsted acid sites are present on the surface of the mixed oxides. Compared to the other samples, the ZrO2/TiO2 material appears to be the best candidate for further application in acid–base catalysis.