Effects of microwave power and polyvinyl pyrrolidone on microwave polyol process of carbon-supported Cu catalysts for CO oxidation

The purpose of this study was to prepare an activated carbon (AC)-supported copper catalyst by a simple method – the microwave polyol process – and to evaluate the effects of microwave power and protecting agent on the resulting catalyst activity. The catalysts were characterized by Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). Experimental results indicated that a microwave power of 700 W was highly effective, and that copper particles (60 (±18) nm) dispersed well on the AC support, even in the absence of the protecting agent poly-vinyl pyrrolidone (PVP). The AC-supported Cu0 catalyst generated high catalytic activity for CO oxidation (90% CO conversion at 175 °C).

► The microwave polyol process is a simple preparation for AC-supported catalyst.
► PVP may as an unconsidered protecting agent for catalyst preparation.
► The AC-supported Cu0 catalyst showed high activity for CO oxidation at 175 °C.