Partial oxidation of methanol catalyzed with Au/TiO2, Au/ZrO2 and Au/ZrO2-TiO2 catalysts

Abstract

Mesoporous TiO2, ZrO2 and ZrO2-TiO2 mixed oxides were synthesized by the sol-gel method and the Au/TiO2, Au/ZrO2 and Au/ZrO2-TiO2 catalysts were prepared by deposition-precipitation method using urea solution as a precipitating agent. These materials were characterized by UV–vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and in situ FTIR-pyridine (FTIR-Py) adsorption. XRD patterns of the samples confirmed the formation of ZrTiO4 phase in the ZrO2-TiO2 mixed oxides. TEM micrographs showed that nanosized gold particles on the catalyst had an average diameter smaller than 5nm. Metallic gold (Au0) and oxidized Au species (Aunδ+) on the surface of the catalysts were evidenced by UV–vis and XPS characterization. In the partial oxidation of methanol (POM) reaction, among the six catalysts, the high metallic Au0/Au+ ratio and low surface acidity in the Au/ZrO2 catalysts are chiefly responsible for the highest hydrogen production rate in the whole temperature range between 210 and 300°C. Methanol decomposition as secondary reaction was favored on TiO2-based catalysts at higher temperature, producing a large amount of CO. Formation of ZrO2-TiO2 solid solution resulted in generation of both Brønsted and Lewis acid sites; as a result, dehydrogenation and oxidative dehydrogenation of methanol was allowed over Au/ZrO2-TiO2 catalysts.