Catalytic CO and C2H4 Oxidation over Au Nanoparticles Supported on Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia

H. A. E. DOLE; J. KIM; L. LIZARRAGA; P. VERNOUX; E.A BARANOVA

Seattle

Encuentro; 221th Electrochemical Society Meeting; 2012

Electrochemical Society

The remediation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) has sparked the interests of many research groups due to associated environmental and health problems. One method of removal is catalytic oxidation in which many different catalysts and supports have been studied, including metal oxides [1], noble metals supported on metal oxides or carbon [2], as well as on a mixture of metal oxides [3]. In this work, platinum nanoparticles with two different average sizes were synthesized using a modified polyol method and deposited on Y2O3-stabilized ZrO2 (YSZ) (an O2- ionic conductor) and γ-Al2O3 (a commonly used support in catalysis). The deposited Pt/YSZ nanoparticles were tested for the oxidation of toluene, which among the large variety of VOCs can be considered a representative of aromatic hydrocarbons. The effect of the support nature as well as the Pt particle size on the catalytic activity was investigated.