The high thermal stabilizing capability of noble metals (Pd and Au) supported by SBA-15 and the impact on CO oxidation†
Abstract
Precious metal nanoparticles (NPs) are attractive for use in the field of catalysis because of their precisely controlled sizes and shapes. However, NPs exhibit insufficient anti-sintering properties under common operating conditions due to their poor thermal stability at elevated temperatures. In this paper, the preparation of noble metallic NPs (Pd and Au) incorporated inside the pores of an SBA-15 support via a sol-immobilization method, which prevents their aggregation, is reported. The Pd NPs retain their size of ∼5 nm within the channels of SBA-15, even after aging at 800 °C for three days under an air atmosphere. However, Au NPs aggregated at a temperature of calcination above 500 °C. Using a set of characterization methods comprising XRD, STEM, HRTEM, TPR, and DRIFTS analysis, it is revealed that Pd on SBA-15 exhibits better anti-sintering properties than the Au supported system. The catalytic activity and durability of M/SBA-15 (M: Pd or Au) catalysts were studied using CO oxidation with and without steam (10 vol%). Interestingly, a hydrothermally treated (Pd/SBA-15-750-H2O-3d) catalyst leads to the partial re-dispersion of Pd. This helps to attain smaller particles of ∼1.6 nm, which play a prominent role in the catalytic performance. This work provides insight into the design of sintering-resistant metal catalysts, which would be suitable for industrial applications under harsh conditions.