Thermal activation of Pd/CeO2-SnO2 catalysts for low-temperature CO oxidation

Abstract

In this work, the counter precipitation method was used to synthesise Pd/CeO2-SnO2 catalysts, which possess excellent low-temperature activity and high thermal stability. It was revealed that calcination of Pd/CeO2-SnO2 catalysts at 800−1000 °C induces significant growth of catalytic activity in CO oxidation at T<150 °C. This effect of thermal activation for Pd/CeO2-SnO2 catalysts was enhanced when water was admitted to the reaction mixture. In the presence of water the T50 value for the Pd/CeO2-SnO2 catalyst calcined at 900 °C becomes 45 °C lower than for the Pd/CeO2 catalyst. It was found that calcination of the catalysts at T<600 °C leads to the formation of solid solutions based on the fluorite and rutile structures. As the calcination temperature is raised above 600 °C, the solid solutions decompose with formation of catalytically active PdxCe1-xO2-δdispersed phase on the surface of SnO2 nanoparticles. The formed nanoheterogeneous structure provides both high thermal stability and high water resistance of Pd/CeO2-SnO2 catalysts.