Andreas M. Gänzler

Oscillatory CO Oxidation Over Pt/Al2O3 Catalysts Studied by In situ XAS and DRIFTS

Fresh and mildly aged Pt/Al2O3 model diesel oxidation catalysts with small and large noble metal particle size have been studied during CO oxidation under lean burn reaction conditions to gain more insight into the structure and oscillatory reaction behaviour. The catalytic performance, CO adsorption characteristics using in situ DRIFTS and oxidation state using in situ XAS were correlated. Stable and pronounced oscillations only occurred over the catalyst with smaller particle sizes. Characteristic for this catalyst are low-coordinated surface Pt sites (more corner and edge atoms) which seem to become oxidized at elevated temperature as evidenced by in situ DRIFTS and in situ XAS. In situ XAS further uncovered that the oxidation of the Pt surface starts from the end of the catalyst bed and the oxidation state oscillates like the catalytic activity.

Tuning the Structure of Platinum Particles on Ceria In Situ for Enhancing the Catalytic Performance of Exhaust Gas Catalysts

A dynamic structural behavior of Pt nanoparticles on the ceria surface under reducing/oxidizing conditions was found at moderate temperatures (<500 °C) and exploited to enhance the catalytic activity of Pt/CeO2 -based exhaust gas catalysts. Redispersion of platinum in an oxidizing atmosphere already occurred at 400 °C. A protocol with reducing pulses at 250-400 °C was applied in a subsequent step for controlled Pt-particle formation. Operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy unraveled the different extent of reduction and sintering of Pt particles: The choice of the reductant allowed the tuning of the reduction degree/particle size and thus the catalytic activity (CO>H2 >C3 H6 ). This dynamic nature of Pt on ceria at such low temperatures (250-500 °C) was additionally confirmed by in situ environmental transmission electron microscopy. A general concept is proposed to adjust the noble metal dispersion (size, structure), for example, during operation of an exhaust gas catalyst.

Transient structural and catalytic behaviour of Pt-particles probed by operando spectroscopy during a realistic driving cycle

Pt-based diesel oxidation catalysts were investigated for CO oxidation activity under rapid transient temperature conditions based on a realistic driving cycle, which is presently a focal point in exhaust gas aftertreatment. Experiments were performed in a microreactor setup allowing rapid heating/cooling coupled with operando Turbo X-ray absorption spectroscopy (T-XAS) and on-line product analysis by mass spectrometry. Significant differences were observed in catalyst structure and performance depending on the temperature ramp rate. Particularly for Pt/Al2O3, the Pt oxidation state followed a dynamic hysteresis profile during CO oxidation light-off and light-out. In contrast, in Pt–CeO2/Al2O3, ceria acted as an oxygen storage buffer, reducing the width of the Pt oxidation/reduction hysteresis loop as a function of the temperature ramp rate. Ceria also supplied oxygen to the Pt surface, helping to maintain high activity during cooling down and at lower temperatures during transient conditions. This study shows the potential insights into the reaction mechanism available when considering transient temperature as an experimental condition during operando spectroscopic studies in exhaust gas catalysis. The current method is applicable to virtually any rapid transient temperature driving cycle.