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Published on: February 7, 2017
Exceptional activity for methane combustion over modular Pd@CeO2 subunits on functionalized Al2O3
M Cargnello1, J J Delgado Jaén, J C Hernández Garrido
1Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, ICCOM-CNR, Consortium INSTM, University of Trieste, via L. Giorgieri 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy.
Abstract:
There is a critical need for improved methane-oxidation catalysts to both reduce emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas, and improve the performance of gas turbines. However, materials that are currently available either have low activity below 400°C or are unstable at higher temperatures. Here, we describe a supramolecular approach in which single units composed of a palladium (Pd) core and a ceria (CeO(2)) shell are preorganized in solution and then homogeneously deposited onto a modified hydrophobic alumina. Electron microscopy and other structural methods revealed that the Pd cores remained isolated even after heating the catalyst to 850°C. Enhanced metal-support interactions led to exceptionally high methane oxidation, with complete conversion below 400°C and outstanding thermal stability under demanding conditions.
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