Preparation and characterization of Pd–Ni bimetallic catalysts for CO and C3H6 oxidation under stoichiometric conditions

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Ni additive in the three-way catalyst (TWC) has been known for its high activity in H2S suppression. However, the effect of Ni on the activity of TWC in stoichiometric exhaust gas conversion is less studied. In the present work characterization of bimetallic Pd–Ni catalysts supported on γ-Al2O3 or γ-Al2O3–La2O3 for potential TWC application was performed. The catalysts were prepared by wet co-impregnation and impregnation-evaporation methods. Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), X-ray diffraction (XRD), temperature-programmed reduction (TPR), UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectrometry (UV–vis DRS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) techniques were employed to confirm the effect of Ni addition on the catalysts structure. XRD, TPR, and STEM characterization was employed in order to evaluate the presence of Pd–Ni interaction. The activity of the catalysts was tested in the oxidation reaction of CO and C3H6 under stoichiometric conditions. Based on the obtained results, we confirmed the structure of prepared catalysts and the effect of Pd–Ni interaction on the catalytic activity of Pd–Ni catalysts in CO and C3H6 oxidation. XRD and TPR characterization suggested that Pd and Ni are competing for the support sites. The observed competition affected Pd-support and Ni-support interactions and consequently activity. Fresh bimetallic catalysts had higher catalytic activity compared to monometallic ones due to higher active metal loading and the presence of NiO phase. It was concluded that the catalytic activity of aged bimetallic catalysts is not affected by the addition of Ni. For that reason, addition of Ni as a second metal to Pd-based catalysts for TWC reactions can be considered in the future studies.