Catalytic Pt/Al2O3 Monolithic Foam for Ethanol Reforming Fabricated by the Competitive Impregnation Method

Here, the synthesis of Pt/Al2O3 catalysts on a monolithic foam employ i n g the competitive impregnation method is presented. NO3- was used as a compet i t i v e adsorbate at different concentrations in order to delay the adsorption of Pt, minimizing the formation of Pt concentration gradients throughout the monolith. The catalysts' characterization includes the BET, H2- pulse titration, SEM, XRD and XPS techniques. The catalytic acti v i t y evaluation was performed under partial oxidation and autothermal reforming of ethanol in a short contact time reactor. The compet i t i v e impregnation method was able to produce better dispersion of the Pt particles through the Al2O3 foams. XPS analysis indicated the catalytic act i v i t y of the samples, by the presence of metallic Pt and Pt oxides (PtO and PtO2) in the internal regions of the monoliths. Compared to other Pt catalysts reported in the literature, the catalyst produced by the competitive impregnation method was revealed to be selective toward H2. Overall, the results showed that the compet i t i v e impregnation method employing NO3- as the co-adsorbate is a promising technique to synthesize wel l dispersed Pt catalysts over alpha-Al2O3 foams.

Automated summary

Here, the synthesis of Pt/Al2O3 catalysts on a monolithic foam using the competitive impregnation method is described. NO3- was employed as a competitive adsorbate to delay Pt adsorption and minimize Pt concentration gradients. Various characterization techniques were applied to evaluate the catalysts, including BET, H2-pulse titration, SEM, XRD, and XPS. The catalytic activity of the samples was assessed in partial oxidation and autothermal reforming of ethanol. The competitive impregnation method led to better dispersion of Pt particles and showed promising results in synthesizing well dispersed Pt catalysts over alpha-Al2O3 foams.