Selection of oxide supports to anchor desirable bimetallic structures for ethanol reforming and 1,3-butadiene hydrogenation

Ethanol reforming and 1,3-butadiene hydrogenation reactions were studied on Pt-Ni bimetallic and monometallic catalysts supported on several supports, including gamma-Al2O3, SiO2, TiO2, CeO2, and high surface area (HSA) and low surface area (LSA) ZrO2, to elucidate the effect of oxide supports on the bimetallic structures and catalytic activity. The catalysts were prepared by co-impregnation and were characterized by pulse CO chemisorption, transmission electron microscopy, and extended X-ray absorption fine structure. Reactions were carried out in a Fourier transform infrared batch reactor. The supports strongly affected the catalytic activity. For ethanol reforming, the activities of the Pt-Ni bimetallic catalysts were in the order TiO2 > SiO2 > gamma-Al2O3 approximate to LSA-ZrO2 > CeO2 > HSA-ZrO2; while for 1,3-butadiene hydrogenation, the order was SiO2 > CeO2 > gamma-Al2O3 > LSA-ZrO2 > HSA-ZrO2 approximate to TiO2. For the hydrogenation reaction, the Pt-Ni bimetallic catalysts outperformed the Pt and Ni monometallic catalysts; in contrast, for the reforming reaction, synergetic bimetallic effects were only found on SiO2, TiO2, and HSA-ZrO2. (C) 2013, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.