Microkinetic Modeling of CO Oxidation over FePt-Decorated Graphene Oxide

This study presents the synthesis and activity of PtFe nanoparticle-decorated graphene oxide (GO) for CO oxidation. As compared to conventional methods of synthesizing noble metal-impregnated catalysts, in this study, GO was decorated with FePt nanoparticles using ultrasonication. The obtained GO/FePt was characterized using X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy analysis, confirming the formation of GO and the presence of FePt on GO. GO/FePt was then tested for its activity for CO oxidation. Different catalyst loadings were used, and a differential reactor approach was used to obtain the intrinsic rate of reaction at different experimental temperatures. The active site concentration on the catalyst was obtained using CO chemisorption, and this was incorporated into the kinetic model to propose a dual-site microkinetic model. The kinetic parameters developed in the model were validated against the obtained experimental turnover frequency (TOF) values. As clearly shown by the model predictions against the experimental TOF, we can observe that the model developed in this study fits the experimental results to reasonable accuracy within the differential proximity limit.