Total Oxidation of Light Alkane over Phosphate-Modified Pt/CeO₂ Catalysts

Area of Science:

• Catalysis
• Materials Science
• Surface Chemistry

Background:

• Low-temperature total oxidation of light alkanes is crucial for environmental remediation.
• Developing highly efficient and stable catalysts remains a significant challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance the catalytic performance of Pt/CeO2 for light alkane total oxidation.
• To investigate the effect of phosphorus modification on catalyst acidity and redox properties.

Main Methods:

• Surface modification of Pt/CeO2 with phosphorus.
• Characterization of catalyst properties (acidity, redox).
• Evaluation of catalytic activity in propane oxidation.

Main Results:

• Phosphorus modification increased catalyst acidity and generated Brønsted acid sites.
• Enhanced C-H bond activation due to synergistic Pt(δ+)-(CeO2-PO4(δ-)) dipolar sites.
• A 10-fold increase in turnover frequency for propane oxidation at 220 °C with optimal phosphorus loading (P/Ce = 0.06).

Conclusions:

• Phosphorus modification is an effective strategy to improve Pt/CeO2 catalysts for light alkane oxidation.
• The enhanced performance is attributed to modulated acidity and redox properties.
• This work provides insights into catalyst design for efficient low-temperature oxidation reactions.