Co3O4/CeO2 and Co3O4/CeO2–ZrO2 composite catalysts for methane combustion: Correlation between morphology reduction properties and catalytic activity

Recent Advances in Co3O4-Based Composites: Synthesis and Application in Combustion of Methane

In recent years, it has been found that adjusting the organizational structure of Co₃O₄ through solid solution and other methods can effectively improve its catalytic performance for the oxidation of low concentration methane. Its catalytic activity is close to that of metal Pd, which is expected to replace costly noble metal catalysts. Therefore, the in-depth research on the mechanism and methods of Co₃O₄ microstructure regulation has very important academic value and economic benefits. In this paper, we reviewed the catalytic oxidation mechanism, microstructure regulation mechanism, and methods of nano-Co₃O₄ on methane gas, which provides reference for the development of high-activity Co₃O₄-based methane combustion catalysts. Through literature investigation, it is found that the surface energy state of nano-Co₃O₄ can be adjusted by loading of noble metals, resulting in the reduction of Co-O bond strength, thus accelerating the formation of reactive oxygen species chemical bonds, and improving its catalytic effect. Secondly, the use of metal oxides and non-metallic oxide carriers helps to disperse and stabilize cobalt ions, improve the structural elasticity of Co₃O₄, and ultimately improve its catalytic performance. In addition, the performance of the catalyst can be improved by adjusting the microstructure of the composite catalyst and optimizing the preparation process. In this review, we summarize the catalytic mechanism and microstructure regulation of nano-Co₃O₄ and its composite catalysts (embedded with noble metals or combined with metallic and nonmetallic oxides) for methane combustion. Notably, this review delves into the substance of measures that can be used to improve the catalytic performance of Co₃O₄, highlighting the constructive role of components in composite catalysts that can improve the catalytic capacity of Co₃O₄. Firstly, the research status of Co₃O₄ composite catalyst is reviewed in this paper. It is hoped that relevant researchers can get inspiration from this paper and develop high-activity Co₃O₄-based methane combustion catalyst.

Efficient metal borate catalysts for oxidative dehydrogenation of propane

Boron-based catalysts have attracted attention due to their high selectivity to light olefins in the catalytic oxidative dehydrogenation of propane (ODHP) in the recent years, however, which still faced the...

Total Oxidation of Methane on Oxide and Mixed Oxide Ceria-Containing Catalysts

Methane, discovered in 1766 by Alessandro Volta, is an attractive energy source because of its high heat of combustion per mole of carbon dioxide. However, methane is the most abundant hydrocarbon in the atmosphere and is an important greenhouse gas, with a 21-fold greater relative radiative effectiveness than CO2 on a per-molecule basis. To avoid or limit the formation of pollutants that are dangerous for both human health and the atmospheric environment, the catalytic combustion of methane appears to be one of the most promising alternatives to thermal combustion. Total oxidation of methane, which is environmentally friendly at much lower temperatures, is believed to be an efficient and economically feasible way to eliminate pollutants. This work presents a literature review, a statu quo, on catalytic methane oxidation on transition metal oxide-modified ceria catalysts (MOx/CeO2). Methane was used for this study since it is of great interest as a model compound for understanding the mechanisms of oxidation and catalytic combustion on metal oxides. The objective was to evaluate the conceptual ideas of oxygen vacancy formation through doping to increase the catalytic activity for methane oxidation over CeO2. Oxygen vacancies were created through the formation of solid solutions, and their catalytic activities were compared to the catalytic activity of an undoped CeO2 sample. The reaction conditions, the type of catalysts, the morphology and crystallographic facets exposing the role of oxygen vacancies, the deactivation mechanism, the stability of the catalysts, the reaction mechanism and kinetic characteristics are summarized.

The Influence of Residual Sodium on the Catalytic Oxidation of Propane and Toluene over Co3O4 Catalysts

A series of Co3O4 catalysts with different contents of residual sodium were prepared using a precipitation method with sodium carbonate as a precipitant and tested for the catalytic oxidation of 1000 ppm propane and toluene at a weight hourly space velocity of 40,000 mL g−1 h−1, respectively. Several techniques were used to characterize the physicochemical properties of the catalysts. Results showed that residual sodium could be partially inserted into the Co3O4 spinel lattice, inducing distortions and helping to increase the specific surface area of the Co3O4 catalysts. Meanwhile, it could negatively affect the reducibility and the oxygen mobility of the catalysts. Moreover, residual sodium had a significant influence on the catalytic activity of propane and toluene oxidation over the synthesized Co3O4 catalysts. The catalyst derived from the precursor washed three times presented the best activity for the catalytic oxidation of propane. The origin was traced to its better reducibility and higher oxygen mobility, which were responsible for the formation of active oxygen species. On the other hand, the catalyst obtained from the precursor washed two times exhibited better performance in toluene oxidation, benefitting from its more defective structure and larger specific surface area. Furthermore, the most active catalysts maintained constant performance in cycling and long-term stability tests of propane and toluene oxidation, being potentially applicable for practical applications.

Electric Field Promoted Complete Oxidation of Benzene over PdCexCoy Catalysts at Low Temperature

The application of electric field promotes benzene oxidation significantly over Pd/CoxCey catalysts. For 1% Pd loading catalysts, the complete oxidation of benzene can be realized at 175 °C with an electric field under an input current of 3 mA, 79 °C lower than the temperature demanded for complete benzene conversion without electric field. The introduction of electric field can save Pd loading in the catalysts while maintaining high benzene conversion. The characterization experiments showed that CeO2 reduction was accelerated with electric field and created more active oxygen, promoting the formation of active sites on the catalyst surface. The OH removal ability of PdO was enhanced by forming CoO(OH) species, which can easily dehydroxylate since the reduction of Co3+ was promoted by the electric field. The optimized Ce/Co ratio is a balance between oxygen availability and OH removal ability.

Improvement of Methane Combustion Activity for Pd/ZrO2 Catalyst by Simple Reduction/Reoxidation Treatment

The improvement of methane combustion activity was observed in cyclic temperature-programed and isothermal reactions over Pd/ZrO2 catalysts by simple reduction/reoxidation treatment. The catalytic activity increased during the initial stages of isothermal reaction, and the light-off temperature was lowered as the number of cycles increased in the cyclic temperature-programed reaction. To reveal the origin of activation, variations in the reduction properties after the activation period were carefully investigated through CH4 temperature-programed reduction (TPR) measurements. From the CH4-TPR results, it was confirmed that the reduction temperature decreased significantly after activation. The observation of the CH4-TPR peak at relatively low temperatures is directly proportional to the catalytic activity of CH4 combustion. It was therefore concluded that repeated reduction/reoxidation occurred in the reactant stream, and this phenomenon allowed the combustion reaction to proceed more easily at lower temperatures.

A Novel Approach to High-Performance Aliovalent-Substituted Catalysts-2D Bimetallic MOF-Derived CeCuOx Microsheets

Mixed transition metal oxides (MTMOs) have enormous potential applications in energy and environment. Their use as catalysts for the treatment of environmental pollution requires further enhancement in activity and stability. This work presents a new synthesis approach that is both convenient and effective in preparing binary metal oxide catalysts (CeCuO_x ) with excellent activity by achieving molecular-level mixing to promote aliovalent substitution. It also allows a single, pure MTMO to be prepared for enhanced stability under reaction by using a bimetallic metal-organic framework (MOF) as the catalyst precursor. This approach also enables the direct manipulation of the shape and form of the MTMO catalyst by controlling the crystallization and growth of the MOF precursor. A 2D CeCuO_x catalyst is investigated for the oxidation reactions of methanol, acetone, toluene, and o-xylene. The catalyst can catalyze the complete reactions of these molecules into CO₂ at temperatures below 200 °C, representing a significant improvement in performance. Furthermore, the catalyst can tolerate high moisture content without deactivation.

Mechanism of Synergistic Effect on Electron Transfer over Co-Ce/MCM-48 during Ozonation of Pharmaceuticals in Water

The same amount of metal was deposited on the surface of three-dimensional mesoporous MCM-48 by a facile impregnation-calcination method for catalytic ozonation of pharmaceutical and personal-care products in the liquid phase. At 120 min reaction time, Co/MCM-48 and Ce/MCM-48 showed 46.6 and 63.8% mineralization for clofibric acid (CA) degradation, respectively. Less than 33% mineralization was achieved with Co/MCM-48 and Ce/MCM-48 during sulfamethazine (SMZ) ozonation. In the presence of monometallic oxides modified MCM-48 catalysts, total organic carbon (TOC) removal of diclofenac sodium (DCF) was around 80%. The composite Co-Ce/MCM-48 catalyst exhibited significantly higher activity in terms of TOC removal of CA (83.6%), SMZ (51.7%) and DCF (86.8%). Co-Ce/MCM-48 inhibited efficiently the accumulation of small molecular carboxyl acids during ozonation. A detailed research was conducted to detect the nature of material structure and mechanism of catalytic ozonation by using a series of characterizations. The main reaction pathway of CA was determined by the analysis of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, in line with the results of frontier electron density calculations that reactive oxygen species (ROSs) were easy to attack negative regions of pharmaceuticals. The Si-O-Si, Co···HO-Si-O-Si-OH···Ce, and O₃···Co-HO-Si-O-Si-OH···Ce-OH···O₃ basic units in catalysts were constructed to detect the orbit-energy-level difference. The results revealed that a synergistic effect existed at the interface between cobalt and cerium oxides over MCM-48, which facilitated the ROSs sequence in solution with ozone. Therefore, the multivalence redox coupling of Ce⁴⁺/Ce³⁺ and Co³⁺/Co²⁺ along with electron transfer played an important role in catalytic ozonation process.

Effect of Small Molecular Organic Acids on the Structure and Catalytic Performance of Sol–Gel Prepared Cobalt Cerium Oxides towards Toluene Combustion

Cobalt cerium oxide catalysts with small molecular organic acids (SOAs) as chelating agents were prepared via the sol–gel method and investigated for the complete oxidation of toluene. Four kinds of natural SOAs, i.e. malic acid (MA), citric acid (CA), glycolic acid (GA), and tartaric acid (TA), were selected. The effect of organic acids on the composition, structure, morphology and catalytic performance of metal oxides is discussed in details. The cobalt cerium oxides catalysts were characterized by various techniques, including TG–DSC, XRD, SEM–EDS, N2–adsorption and desorption, XPS, and H2–TPR analyses. The results show that the nature of organic acids influenced the hydrolysis, condensation and calcination processes, as well as strongly affected the textural and physicochemical properties of the metal oxides synthesized. The best catalytic activity was obtained with the CoCe–MA catalyst, and the toluene conversion reached 90% at 242 °C. This outstanding catalytic activity could be related to its textural, redox properties and unique surface compositions and oxidation states. In addition, the CoCe–MA catalyst also showed excellent stability in long–time activity test.

2D Electron Gas and Oxygen Vacancy Induced High Oxygen Evolution Performances for Advanced Co3 O4 /CeO2 Nanohybrids

The rational design of atomic-scale interfaces in multiphase nanohybrids is an alluring and challenging approach to develop advanced electrocatalysts. Herein, through the selection of two different metal oxides with particular intrinsic features, advanced Co₃ O₄ /CeO₂ nanohybrids (NHs) with CeO₂ nanocubes anchored on Co₃ O₄ nanosheets are developed, which show not only high oxygen vacancy concentration but also remarkable 2D electron gas (2DEG) behavior with ≈0.79 ± 0.1 excess e^- /u.c. on the Ce³⁺ sites at the Co₃ O₄ -CeO₂ interface. Such a 2DEG transport channel leads to a high carrier density of 3.8 × 10¹⁴ cm^-2 and good conductivity. Consequently, the Co₃ O₄ /CeO₂ NHs demonstrate dramatically enhanced oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performances with a low overpotential of 270 mV at 10 mA cm^-2 and a high turnover frequency of 0.25 s^-1 when compared to those of pure Co₃ O₄ and CeO₂ counterparts, outperforming commercial IrO₂ and some recently reported representative OER catalysts. These results demonstrate the validity of tailoring the electrocatalytic properties of metal oxides by 2DEG engineering, offering a step forward in the design of advanced hybrid nanostructures.

Effect of Preparation Method of Co-Ce Catalysts on CH4 Combustion

Transition metal oxides have recently attracted considerable attention as candidate catalysts for the complete oxidation of methane, the main component of the natural gas, used in various industrial processes or as a fuel in turbines and vehicles. A series of novel Co-Ce mixed oxide catalysts were synthesized as an effort to enhance synergistic effects that could improve their redox behavior, oxygen storage ability and, thus, their activity in methane oxidation. The effect of synthesis method (hydrothermal or precipitation) and Co loading (0, 2, 5, and 15 wt.%) on the catalytic efficiency and stability of the derived materials was investigated. Use of hydrothermal synthesis results in the most efficient Co/CeO2 catalysts, a fact related with their improved physicochemical properties, as compared with the materials prepared via precipitation. In particular, a CeO2 support of smaller crystallite size and larger surface area seems to enhance the reducibility of the Co3O4/CeO2 materials, as evidenced by the blue shift of the corresponding reduction peaks (H2-TPR, H2-Temperature Programmed Reduction). The limited methane oxidation activity over pure CeO2 samples is significantly enhanced by Co incorporation and further improved by higher Co loadings. The optimum performance was observed over a 15 wt% Co/CeO2 catalyst, which also presented sufficient tolerance to water presence.

Choice of precipitant and calcination temperature of precursor for synthesis of NiCo2O4 for control of CO-CH4 emissions from CNG vehicles

Compressed natural gas (CNG) is most appropriate an alternative of conventional fuel for automobiles. However, emissions of carbon-monoxide and methane from such vehicles adversely affect human health and environment. Consequently, to abate emissions from CNG vehicles, development of highly efficient and inexpensive catalysts is necessary. Thus, the present work attempts to scan the effects of precipitants (Na₂CO₃, KOH and urea) for nickel cobaltite (NiCo₂O₄) catalysts prepared by co-precipitation from nitrate solutions and calcined in a lean CO-air mixture at 400°C. The catalysts were used for oxidation of a mixture of CO and CH₄ (1:1). The catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffractometer, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface-area, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy; temperature programmed reduction and Scanning electron microscopy coupled with Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy. The Na₂CO₃ was adjudged as the best precipitant for production of catalyst, which completely oxidized CO-CH₄ mixture at the lowest temperature (T₁₀₀=350°C). Whereas, for catalyst prepared using urea, T₁₀₀=362°C. On the other hand the conversion of CO-CH₄ mixture over the catalyst synthesized by KOH limited to 97% even beyond 400°C. Further, the effect of higher calcination temperatures of 500 and 600°C was examined for the best catalyst. The total oxidation of the mixture was attained at higher temperatures of 375 and 410°C over catalysts calcined at 500 and 600°C respectively. Thus, the best precipitant established was Na₂CO₃ and the optimum calcination temperature of 400°C was found to synthesize the NiCo₂O₄ catalyst for the best performance in CO-CH₄ oxidation.

Ruthenium oxides supported on heterostructured CoPO-MCF materials for catalytic oxidation of vinyl chloride emissions

A novel heterostructured material, cobalt phosphate-SiO₂ mesostructured cellular foams (CoPO-MCF), was successfully synthesized by in situ growth. The material was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen sorption, temperature-programmed reduction (H₂-TPR and CO-TPR), temperature-programmed desorption of NH₃ (NH₃-TPD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). A ruthenium precursor was readily introduced and highly dispersed on the CoPO nanophases of the CoPO-MCF through an impregnation method. The resulting Ru/CoPO-MCF catalyst exhibited high catalytic activity for the oxidation of vinyl chloride (VC). The results of three consecutive runs and long-term tests showed high stability of the Ru/CoPO-MCF for the catalytic oxidation of VC. The unique heterostructures of the CoPO-MCF not only improve the reducibility and acidity of the MCF but also strengthen the interaction between ruthenium oxide nanoparticles and the CoPO-MCF support, which contributes to the enhanced catalytic performance.

Size- and shape-dependent catalytic performances of oxidation and reduction reactions on nanocatalysts

Heterogeneous catalysis is one of the most important chemical processes of various industries performed on catalyst nanoparticles with different sizes or/and shapes. In the past two decades, the catalytic performances of different catalytic reactions on nanoparticles of metals and oxides with well controlled sizes or shapes have been extensively studied thanks to the spectacular advances in syntheses of nanomaterials of metals and oxides. This review discussed the size and shape effects of catalyst particles on catalytic activity and selectivity of reactions performed at solid-gas or solid-liquid interfaces with a purpose of establishing correlations of size- and shape-dependent chemical and structural factors of surface of a catalyst with the corresponding catalytic performances toward understanding of catalysis at a molecular level.

First principles prediction of CH4 reactivities with Co3O4 nanocatalysts of different morphologies

Co₃O₄ nanocatalysts have been experimentally shown to have excellent performance in catalyzing CH₄ combustion. These nanocatalysts of different morphologies, such as nanoparticle/nanocube, nanorod/nanobelt, and nanoplate/nanosheet, were previously synthesized and characterized to mainly expose the (001), (011), and (112) surfaces, respectively, with distinct reactivities. In this study, rigorous first principles calculations were performed to investigate CH₄ reactivities of the above Co₃O₄ surfaces of different terminations. CH₄ dissociation was predicted to occur at the Co-O pair site on these surfaces. For each surface, the most reactive Co-O pair site was identified based on calculated energy barriers of the different active sites, which should contribute most significantly to the reactivity of that surface. The lowest energy barriers for the (001), (011), and (112) surfaces were predicted to be 0.96, 0.90, and 0.79 eV, respectively, suggesting CH₄ reactivity to increase in that order for the different Co₃O₄ surfaces, consistent with the trend found experimentally for Co₃O₄ nanocatalysts of different morphologies. Direct comparison between the estimated and experimental CH₄ reaction rates per gram of the nanocatalysts at 325 °C further indicate that their relative ratios were well reproduced by considering three main factors: the effective energy barrier for CH₄ dissociation, the surface area of the nanocatalyst, and the number of independent active sites per unit surface area. The important influence of surface area on CH₄ reactivity is also demonstrated by the significant difference in the reactivities of the nanocatalysts when exposing the same facet but with distinct surface areas.

Effect of introducing Fe2O3 into CeO2–ZrO2 on oxygen release properties and catalytic methane combustion over PdO/CeO2–ZrO2–Fe2O3/γ-Al2O3 catalysts

Novel PdO/CeO₂–ZrO₂–Fe₂O₃/γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts were synthesized for methane combustion.

Catalytic activity of cobalt and cerium catalysts supported on calcium hydroxyapatite in ethanol steam reforming

In this paper, Co,Ce/Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2 catalysts with various cobalt loadings for steam reforming of ethanol (SRE) were prepared by microwave-assisted hydrothermal and sol-gel methods, and characterized by XRD, TEM, TPR-H2, N2 adsorption-desorption measurements and cyclohexanol (CHOL) decomposition tests. High ethanol conversion (close to 100%) was obtained for the catalysts prepared by both methods but these ones prepared under hydrothermal conditions (HAp-H) ensured higher hydrogen yield (3.49 mol H2/mol C2H5OH) as well as higher amount of hydrogen formed (up to 70%) under reaction conditions. The superior performance of 5Co,10Ce/HAp-H catalyst is thought to be due to a combination of factors, including increased reducibility and oxygen mobility, higher density of basic sites on its surface, and improved textural properties. The results also show a significant effect of cobalt loading on catalysts efficiency in hydrogen production: the higher H2 yield exhibit catalysts with lower cobalt content, regardless of the used synthesis method.

Preparation of platinum nanoparticles immobilized on ordered mesoporous Co3O4–CeO2 composites and their enhanced catalytic activity

Ordered mesoporous Co₃O₄–CeO₂ composites supported uniform Pt nanoparticles and exhibited excellent performance for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol.

The adsorption and catalytic oxidation of the element mercury over cobalt modified Ce–ZrO2 catalyst

Co modification dramatically enhances Hg⁰ removal efficiency because of the increased surface active oxygen species.

Mesoporous Mn- and La-doped cerium oxide/cobalt oxide mixed metal catalysts for methane oxidation

New precious-metal-free mesoporous materials were investigated as catalysts for the complete oxidation of methane to carbon dioxide. Mesoporous cobalt oxide was first synthesized using KIT-6 mesoporous silica as a hard template. After removal of the silica, the cobalt oxide was itself used as a hard template to construct cerium oxide/cobalt oxide composite materials. Furthermore, cerium oxide/cobalt oxide composite materials doped with manganese and lanthanum were also prepared. All of the new composite materials retained the hierarchical long-range order of the original KIT-6 template. Temperature-programmed oxidation measurements showed that these cerium oxide/cobalt oxide and doped cerium oxide/cobalt oxide materials are effective catalysts for the total oxidation of methane, with a light-off temperature (T50%) of ∼400 °C observed for all of the nanostructured materials.

Preparation and catalytic applications of nanomaterials: a review

The present review systematically summarizes the synthesis and specific catalytic applications of nanomaterials such as MSN, nanoparticles, LD hydroxides, nanobubbles, quantum dots,etc.

Spectroscopic characterization of Co3O4 catalyst doped with CeO2 and PdO for methane catalytic combustion

The study deals with the XPS, Raman and EDX characterization of a series of structured catalysts composed of cobalt oxides promoted by palladium and cerium oxides. The aim of the work was to relate the information gathered from spectroscopic analyses with the ones from kinetic tests of methane combustion to establish the basic structure-activity relationships for the catalysts studied. The most active catalyst was the cobalt oxide doped with little amount of palladium and wins a confrontation with pure palladium oxide catalyst which is commercially used in converters for methane. The analyses Raman and XPS analyses showed that this catalyst is composed of a cobalt spinel and palladium oxide. The quantitative approach to the composition of the catalysts by XPS and EDX methods revealed that the surface of palladium doped cobalt catalyst is enriched with palladium oxide which provides a great number of active centres for methane combustion indicated by kinetic parameters.