Optimization of manganese content by high-throughput experimentation of Pt/WOx-ZrO2-Mn catalysts

A library of Pt/WOx-ZrO2-Mn catalysts was developed in order to optimize the manganese content in this catalytic system for the isomerization of n-hexane. The catalysts were synthesized, characterized and screened using high-throughput experimentation (HTE) techniques. The catalysts were prepared by surfactant-assisted coprecipitation whereas the characterization was done by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman and UV-vis spectroscopy. For this second screening, several catalysts with different manganese contents were prepared; it was found that the incorporation of Mn modifies the anchorage of tungsten on the zirconia surface, thus improving its catalytic properties, in terms of the n-hexane conversion and selectivity, depending on the catalyst composition. These results suggest that this methodology allows the optimization of manganese and tungsten contents on these solid catalysts. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.