Highly dispersed Pd on macroporous SmMn₂O₅ mullite for low temperature oxidation of CO and C₃H₈

The catalytic behavior of a palladium catalyst supported on macroporous SmMn₂O₅ mullite (Pd/SMO-EG&M) for CO and C₃H₈ oxidation was measured under lean-burn conditions. Different analytical techniques including XRD, Raman, BET, CO chemisorption, SEM, FTEM, XPS, TPD, TPR and CO + O₂ pulse were undertaken to evaluate its physical and chemical properties. It was concluded that the crystal structure, morphology and specific surface area (SSA) of SmMn₂O₅ remained unchanged after Pd addition. The Pd/SMO-EG&M exhibited a low complete transformation temperature for CO (105 °C) and C₃H₈ (350 °C) oxidation. Such remarkable oxidation activity was attributed to high Pd dispersion (38.4%), which improved the reducibility and mobility of oxygen species, as revealed by TPR and TPD measurements. The high activity of oxygen species for Pd/SMO-EG&M above 250 °C accelerated the oxidation capacity as well. In a word, our study indicates that the macroporous Pd-mullite catalyst has potential applications in exhaust purification for gasoline vehicle.