Low-temperature CO oxidation by silver nanoparticles in silica aerogel mesoreactors

Low-temperature carbon monoxide (CO) oxidation on silver/silica aerogel (Ag/SiO2 AG) catalyst prepared by one-pot sol-gel synthesis followed by supercritical ethanol drying method is reported. Highly stable and sinterproof catalyst led to easy reactant diffusion to the active sites. The Ag/SiO2 AG catalyst showed enhanced catalytic activity toward low-temperature CO oxidation by preventing agglomeration of silver nanoparticles inside pores and facilitating well-dispersed active sites to enhance the mass heat transfer in the mesopores. Catalyst pretreatment conditions were found to play a crucial role in achieving high CO conversion efficiency at low light-off temperatures. Inverse counter-clockwise CO oxidation hysteresis was found to occur after the first run. The active sites contributing to this enhanced catalytic behavior were confirmed to be Ag0 from XPS, XRD, and TEM analysis. The catalyst exhibited good thermal stability up to 450 degrees C over repeated number of cycles.

Automated summary

This study reports on the low-temperature carbon monoxide (CO) oxidation using a silver/silica aerogel (Ag/SiO2 AG) catalyst. The catalyst was prepared via a sol-gel synthesis followed by supercritical ethanol drying, resulting in a highly stable and sinterproof catalyst with easy reactant diffusion. The Ag/SiO2 AG catalyst exhibited enhanced catalytic activity due to the prevention of silver nanoparticles agglomeration and the facilitation of well-dispersed active sites, leading to improved mass heat transfer. The catalyst's pretreatment conditions played a crucial role in achieving high CO conversion efficiency at low light-off temperatures, and the active sites responsible for the enhanced catalytic behavior were identified as Ag0.