Self-oscillations of methane oxidation rate over Pd/Al2O3 catalysts: Role of Pd particle size

Temperature-Dependent Selectivity and Detection of Hidden Carbon Deposition in Methane Oxidation

Reaction products in heterogeneous catalysis can be detected either on the catalyst surface or in the gas phase after desorption. However, if atoms are dissolved in the catalyst bulk, then reaction channels can become hidden. This is the case if the dissolution rate of the deposits is faster than their formation rate. This might lead to the underestimation or even overlooking of reaction channels such as, e.g., carbon deposition during hydrocarbon oxidation reactions, which is problematic as carbon can have a significant influence on the catalytic activity. Here, we demonstrate how such hidden deposition channels can be uncovered by carefully measuring the product formation rates in the local gas phase just above the catalyst surface with time-resolved ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. As a case study, we investigate methane oxidation on a polycrystalline Pd catalyst in an oxygen-lean environment at a few millibar pressure. By ramping the temperature between 350 and 525 °C, we follow the time evolution of the different reaction pathways. Only in the oxygen mass-transfer limit do we observe CO production, while our data suggests that carbon deposition also happens outside this limit.

Preparation of Pd/SiO2 Catalysts by a Simple Dry Ball-Milling Method for Lean Methane Oxidation and Probe of the State of Active Pd Species

A series of Pd/SiO2 catalysts were prepared with different Pd precursors by a dry ball-milling method and used in the catalytic oxidation of lean methane at low temperature. The effect of Pd precursors on the catalytic performance was investigated and the state of the most active Pd species was probed. The results indicate that dry ball-milling is a simple but rather effective method to prepare the Pd/SiO2 catalysts for lean methane oxidation, and palladium acetylacetonate is an ideal precursor to obtain a highly active Pd/SiO2-Acac catalyst with well- and stably dispersed Pd species, owing to the tight contact between acetylacetonate and Si–OH on the SiO2 support. Besides the size and dispersion of Pd particles, the oxidation state of Pd species also plays a crucial role in determining the catalytic activity of Pd/SiO2 in lean methane oxidation at low temperature. A non-monotonic dependence of the catalytic activity on the Pd oxidation state is observed. The activity of various Pd species follows the order of PdOx >> Pd > PdO; the PdOx/SiO2-Acac catalysts (in particular for PdO0.82/SiO2-Acac when x = 0.82) exhibit much higher activity in lean methane oxidation at low temperature than Pd/SiO2-Acac and PdO/SiO2-Acac. The catalytic activity of PdOx/SiO2 may degrade during the methane oxidation due to the gradual transformation of PdOx to PdO in the oxygen-rich ambiance; however, such degradation is reversible and the activity of a degraded Pd/SiO2 catalyst can be recovered through a redox treatment to regain the PdOx species. This work helps to foster a better understanding of the relationship between the structure and performance of supported Pd catalysts by clarifying the state of active Pd species, which should be beneficial to the design of an active catalyst in lean methane oxidation at low temperature.

Self-sustained oscillations in oxidation of methane over palladium: the nature of “low-active” and “highly active” states

The oxidation of methane was studied in a flow reactor at atmospheric pressure using palladium foil as a catalyst.

Improved catalytic combustion of methane using CuO nanobelts with predominantly (001) surfaces

Through computational calculations, CuO(001) has been identified as an active surface for methane oxidation. Experimental validation with CuO nanobelts comprised of predominantly (001) surfaces has been performed and it is confirmed that the performance of such nanobelts is much higher than normal nanoparticles and nanowires. First principle calculations further clarified that two-coordinated oxygen plays a key role for methane adsorption and oxidation.