Oxidation of methane, butane and carbon monoxide on Al?Fe oxide catalysts

The activity of the catalysts obtained by supporting Fe³⁺ oxalate complexes on -and -Al₂O₃ in oxidation of CH₄, C₄H₁₀ and CO has been studied. The composition of the impregnating solution and the temperature of catalyst thermal treatment were varied. The most active catalysts were prepared by impregnation of -Al₂O₃ with (NH₄)₃[Fe(C₂O₄)₃] solutions at pH=2.0–3.5. Their activity appears to be close to that of Al-Mg-Cr catalysts in butane oxidation and even exceeds this in CO oxidation.     

Two-parameter stochastic resonance in a model of electrochemical oxidation of formic acid on Pt

Stochastic resonance (SR) is shown in a two-parameter system, a model of electrochemical oxidation of formic acid on Pt. The driving current and the saturation coverage for carbon monoxide are two control parameters in this model. Modulation of an excitable focal stable state close to a Hopf bifurcation by a weak periodic signal in one parameter and noise in the other parameter is found to give rise to SR. The results indicate that the noise can enlarge a weak periodic signal and lead the system to be ordered. The scenario and novel aspects of SR in this system are discussed.     

Preparation of carbon supported Pd–Pb hollow nanospheres and their electrocatalytic activities for formic acid oxidation

Pd–Pb hollow nanospheres dispersed on carbon black were developed by a galvanic replacement reaction between sacrificial cobalt nanoparticles and Pd²⁺, Pb²⁺ ions. The as-prepared catalysts were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The electrochemical measurements show that the as-prepared catalysts have excellent catalytic activity for formic acid electrooxidation, which is attributed to the large surface area caused by the hollow structure and the lead doping effect which might modify the electronic structure of the catalysts.     

Surface reconstruction of Pt–Sn nanoparticles supported on Al2O3 in the presence of carbon monoxide

Research on Chemical Intermediates - FTIR spectroscopy and volumetric measurements are used to study the adsorption of CO (mainly 1% CO/He) in the temperature range 300–713 K on a...     

Structural evolution of Pt/ceria–zirconia TWC catalysts during the oxidation of carbon monoxide

The structural evolution of two Pt/ceria–zirconia catalysts, characterized by different amounts of supported Pt, was monitored by in situ X-ray diffraction during the anaerobic oxidation of CO at different temperatures. In a first phase, oxygen coming from the surface layers of the ceria–zirconia mixed oxide is consumed and no structural variation of the support is observed. After this induction time, bulk reduction of Pt/ceria–zirconia takes place as a step-like process, while the CO₂ production continues at a nearly constant rate. This behavior is totally different from that of the metal-free support in similar reaction conditions, that show a gradual bulk reduction. In repeated oxidation–reduction cycles, it was observed that the induction time in Pt/ceria–zirconia is a function of the thermal history, of the amount of supported Pt and of the structural evolution of the samples.     

Electroless deposition and properties of Co–Re–B alloys

The data on the mechanism of electroless (catalytic) deposition of Co–Re–B coatings are obtained by determining the donor capacitance of dimethylamine borane (DMAB) (CH₃)₂HN · BH₃ reductant and the oxidation level of its hydride hydrogen. From the results of the study of isotopic composition of evolved hydrogen, it is concluded that the oxidation level of DMAB hydride hydrogen depends on the catalytic activity of the alloy. The alloys containing up to 46 at % rhenium were produced by the electroless deposition.     

Ammonia oxidation on electrodeposited Pt–Ir alloys

Ammonia electro-oxidation on Pt–Ir alloys has been studied applying cyclic voltammetry and differential electrochemical mass spectrometry (DEMS), and the results were compared with pure Pt. Bimetallic alloys were prepared by electrodeposition and characterized using X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and Auger spectroscopy, before and after oxidation of ammonia. Pt/Ir atomic composition was 70:30 obtained from 1:1 solutions. Substitution alloys were established where Ir atoms replace Pt positions in the face-centered cubic structure. Preferential crystal orientations were detected in the electrodeposits with the development of a crystallographic texture. DEMS showed that N₂ is the main product during ammonia oxidation for both Pt and Pt–Ir, but the formation of nitrogen oxides is observed for E > 0.8 V_RHE. The yield of N₂ is higher for the alloy, which also displays lower poisoning of the surface when increasing ammonia concentration. These results confirm Pt–Ir alloys as alternatives to Pt electrodes concerning ammonia oxidation. Finally, it was observed that XRD patterns, as well as texture coefficient values, change after using the electrodeposits for ammonia oxidation, with the less compact planes the more affected ones. Dedicated to Prof. Dr. Teresa Iwasita on the occasion of her 65th birthday in recognition of her numerous contributions to interfacial electrochemistry.     

Electrochemical deposition and corrosion stability of Zn–Co alloys

Electrochemically deposited Zn–Co alloys under various deposition conditions were investigated using anodic linear sweep voltammetry for phase structure determination, scanning electron microscopy for surface morphology analysis, atomic absorption spectroscopy for determination of chemical composition, and polarization measurements and open circuit potential measurements for determination of corrosion properties. The influence of deposition current density, temperature, and composition of deposition solution on the phase structure and corrosion properties of Zn–Co alloys was studied. It was shown that the ratio of cobalt to zinc ions in the plating bath strongly affects the chemical content and phase structure, as well as corrosion stability, of Zn–Co alloys. Zn–Co alloys deposited from plating baths with the lowest and the highest ratios of cobalt and zinc ions exhibited the lowest corrosion rate.     

Electrocatalytic oxidation of formic acid on functional MWCNTs supported nanostructured Pd–Au catalyst

In this work, PdAu nanocatalysts with different weight ratio of Pd and Au supported on functional multi-walled carbon nanotubes (f-MWCNTs) were prepared, and their electrocatalytic activity for the oxidation of formic acid was also studied. The electrocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The electrochemical results showed that the 4Pd1Au/f-MWCNTs (by weight) catalyst, exhibited distinctly higher activity and better stability in formic acid electrooxidation than the Pd/f-MWCNTs catalyst. The Nano-Au improves potentially the performance of Pd-based electrocatalysts for the direct formic acid fuel cells (DFAFCs).     

Oxidation of styrene epoxide–acid binary system and styrene epoxide–acid–amine ternary system catalyzed by Co(II) salts

The Co(II) salt (nitrate, chloride)-induced acceleration of styrene epoxide (SE) consumption and oxidation by molecular oxygen in acetonitrile solutions of three- and four-component systems, SE–acetic acid–cobalt salt and SE–acetic acid–cobalt salt–aniline, was found and investigated. The heterolytic epoxide ring opening in SE and homolysis (oxidation) catalyzed by cobalt salts can be accomplished in the presence of acid co-catalyst. The competition between homolysis and heterolysis processes in the presence of metal-containing catalyst was discovered for the first time for this type of system. The cobalt catalyst is deactivated during the styrene epoxide conversion.     

Mechanism of formic acid decomposition on P?Mo heteropolyacid

Hydrated (undecomposed) form of heteropolyacid H₃PMo₁₂O₄₀/SiO₂ exhibits a higher activity in the formic acid decomposition than the corresponding dehydrated sample. The formic acid decomposition takes place on strong Br?nsted acid sites of the heteropolyacid.Ab initio SCF MO LCAO method was used for the calculation of the electronic state of two surface complexes of HCOOH molecule (S1 and S2) coordinated to a proton H⁺. The S1 complex is formed by proton addition to the carbonyl oxygen, whereas the S2 complex is formed proton addition to the oxygen atom of the C−O−H fragment of HCOOH. The selective weakening of the C−O bond and localization of the positive charge on the (O=C−H) fragment in the protonated complex S2 are favorable for the decomposition of formic acid to CO and H₂O.     

Temperature effects in carbon monoxide and methanol electrooxidation on platinum–ruthenium: influence of grain boundaries

The temperature dependence of methanol and CO monolayer oxidation is studied on carbon-supported PtRu (1:1 atomic ratio) electrodes with different metal percentages (5, 30, and 60 wt.%) in an aqueous H₂SO₄ electrolyte. High-resolution transmission microscopy confirms that at high (30 or 60 wt.%) metal percentage PtRu nanostructures with a high concentration of intercrystalline boundaries are formed. These nanostructures comprise multiple-twinned particles, particles with intersecting randomly oriented intergrain boundaries, or particles with parallel intergrain boundaries. Formation of such nanostructures leads to a decrease of the apparent activation energy of the methanol and CO monolayer oxidation, while the Tafel slope and the reaction order in methanol show minor dependence on the type of nanostructure. Materials with a high concentration of grain boundary regions may be of interest for practical applications in direct methanol or proton exchange fuel cells fed with reformate.     

Quantum chemical studies on addition reactions of carbene with carbon monoxide and formaldehyde

MNDO method has been employed to study the reaction paths and to optimize the structures of the reactants, products and transition states of the addition reactions of carbene with carbon monoxide and formaldehyde available. Mechanisms have been obtained.     

Preparation of carbon supported Pd–P catalyst with high content of element phosphorus and its electrocatalytic performance for formic acid oxidation

The carbon supported Pd–P (Pd–P/C) anodic catalyst in direct formic acid fuel cell (DFAFC) was prepared with a novel phosphorus reduction method. The Pd–P/C catalyst obtained possesses the high content of P⁰ in the alloying state. Because alloying P⁰ could decrease the 3d electron density of Pd and the adsorption affinity of CO and H on Pd, alloying P⁰ would promote the formic acid (FA) oxidation through the direct pathway. Therefore, the electrocatalytic performance of the Pd–P/C catalyst for the FA oxidation is much better than that of the Pd/C catalyst.     

Quantum DFT and DF–DFT study of vibrational spectra of sulfuric acid,sulfuric acid monohydrate,formic acid and its cyclic dimer

Rigorous theoretical treatment of vibrational frequencies is critically important for the interpretation of unassigned experimental vibrational spectra and accurate determination of thermodynamic properties of molecular clusters. IR spectra of trans monomers of sulfuric and acetic acids, sulfuric acid monohydrate and cyclic dimer of the formic acid have been studied using DFT and DF–DFT methods using BLYP, B3LYP and PW91 with 12 different Pople and Dunning basis sets. New data for above-mentioned structures have been reported, scaling factors have been calculated and a comprehensive analysis of the performance of BLYP, B3LYP and PW91 methods has been performed. Comparison of the obtained results with experiments shows that results of pure PW91 and BLYP are better than predictions of well-established hybrid B3LYP method. Our analysis shows on the existence of the considerable difference in scaling factors weighted to high and low frequencies. In the case of formic acid dimer, the deviation the predicted low frequencies from the experimental data is considerable that leads to quite large (∼6–7 kcal mol⁻¹) uncertainties in the absolute values of the cluster Gibbs free energy. In order to determine an efficient computational strategy that comprises accuracy and reasonable computational costs, the effect of density fitting (DF) and basis set superposition error (BSSE) on the vibration frequencies has been investigated. We found that application of the DF that substantially (2.5–3.5 times) increases the performance of pure PW91 and BLYP methods gives excellent results, which are very close to those of conventional DFT. This suggests that DF–DFT is a viable low-cost alternative to conventional DFT in predicting vibrational spectra. It has been found that while vibrational spectra obtained using the counterpoise correction (CP) for the BSSE do not deviate much from uncorrected ones, the difference in absorption intensities between corrected and uncorrected spectra obtained using small and medium-sized basis sets is considerable. This suggests that application of DF–DFT uncorrected for the BSSE with large basis sets is a more efficient strategy of predicting vibrational spectra than the application of conventional DFT with small basis sets.     

Effect the conditions of the acid–thermal modification of clinoptilolite have on the catalytic properties of palladium–copper complexes anchored on it in the reaction of carbon monoxide oxidation

The dependence of the physicochemical and structural–adsorption properties of natural and acid–thermal modified clinoptilolite, and of Pd(II)–Cu(II) catalysts based on them, on the duration of acid–thermal modification is investigated. The samples under study are described via XRD and thermal gravimetric (DTG and DTA) analysis, IR, DR UV–Vis, EPR spectroscopy, and water vapor adsorption. Values of both the specific surface area (S_sp) and pH of aqueous suspensions are determined. The resulting catalysts are tested in the reaction of low-temperature carbon monoxide oxidation with air oxygen. A conclusion is drawn about the nature of surface bimetallic Pd(II)–Cu(II) complexes. The greatest catalytic activity is shown by complexes based on clinoptilolite and modified with 3 M HNO₃ for 0.5 and 1 h.     

Effect of nano-Al2O3 particles and of the Co concentration on the corrosion behavior of electrodeposited Ni–Co alloys

Incorporation of nano-Al₂O₃ particles into a Ni–Co alloy by electrodeposition influences the corrosion properties, morphology, and structure of the layers. The resistance against corrosion of Ni–Co/Al₂O₃ composite films deposited on stainless steel was investigated in a 0.1-M NaCl solution by potentiodynamic polarization. The presence of nanoparticles improves the corrosion resistance of Ni–Co/nano-Al₂O₃ deposits when compared to pure Ni–Co alloy. Moreover, by increasing the pH of the electrodeposition bath and the content of Co in the alloy, the resistance against corrosion is furthermore improved. The morphology of the deposits before and after their corrosion was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. The presence of the embedded alumina particles in the Ni–Co alloys was one of the key factors that limited further propagation of corrosion on the metallic surface. Preferential corrosion attack, in the form of a pitting corrosion, was located mainly at the grain boundaries.     

Oxidation of Methanol on Pt,Pt–Ru,and Pt–Ru–Mo Electrocatalysts Dispersed in Polyaniline: An in situ Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy Study

The electrochemical oxidation of methanol was investigated on a Pt–Ru–Mo catalyst with an in situ infrared reflectance spectroscopy. The electrocatalysts were prepared by an electrochemical deposition and dispersed in a conducting three-dimensional matrix of polyaniline (PAni). We observed that CO₂ is produced from methanol oxidation at 350 mV vs. RHE on PAni/Pt–Ru–Mo, which is 100 mV less negative than on PAni/Pt–Ru and 200 mV less than on PAni/Pt. The results suggest that Pt–Ru–Mo is less sensitive to CO_ADS poisoning than Pt–Ru and much more sensitive than Pt. Large differences are observed concerning the average wavenumber of _ADS between Pt–Ru–Mo, Pt–Ru, and Pt.     

Nanostructured catalysts for direct electrooxidation of dimethyl ether based on Bi- and trimetallic Pt–Ru and Pt–Ru–Pd alloys prepared from coordination compounds

Bi- and trimetallic platinum–ruthenium and platinum–ruthenium–palladium catalysts with specified atomic ratios Pt: Ru = 1: 1 and Pt: Ru: Pd = 1: 1: 0.1, respectively, were synthesized from the coordination compounds of the metals deposited on highly dispersed carbon black. The catalysts were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, electron dispersive analysis, and transmission electron microscopy. According to voltammetry data, the highest activity in the dimethyl ether (DME) electrooxidation is exhibited by the catalyst Pt_0.43Ru_0.47Pd_0.1/C; hence, it may be considered as a promising anode material for direct DME fuel cells.     

Electrocatalytic performance of PdCo–C catalyst for formic acid oxidation

PdCo–C catalyst was synthesized through a simple simultaneous reduction reaction with sodium borohydride in aqueous solution. Inductive coupled plasma emission spectrometer (ICP) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) technologies had been used to characterize the PdCo–C catalyst and proved that the amount of Co was 1.5 wt%, PdCo alloy was formed and possessed face-centered cubic (fcc) crystalline structure, and the average particle size was about 5.1 nm. The electrochemical tests (cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry (CA)) showed that the addition of Co could significantly improve the electrocatalytic activity and stability. The enhancement of electrocatalytic activity and stability was mainly ascribed to the interaction between Pd and additive Co, which facilitated the oxidation reaction of formic acid in direct pathway.