Improved low temperature removal of NOX from lean-burn exhaust via adsorption on TiO2-modified Ag–alumina

• Ag combined with TiO2 on Al2O3 was effective for NO adsorption at 150 °C.
• AgTi/Al2O3 exhibited good recovery from sulfur poisoning.
• TiO2 was dispersed as an octahedral structure on Al2O3.
• Ag was effectively dispersed and supported by octahedral TiO2.
• The dispersed Ag exhibited high redox activity subsequent to NO adsorption.

TiO2-modified Ag–alumina was studied as an NOX trapping material with the aim of improving the removal of NOX from lean-burn exhaust at low temperatures. This trapping material, in which both Ag and TiO2 were finely dispersed throughout the alumina support on a nanometre scale, effectively adsorbed NOX at temperatures as low as 150 °C. The TiO2-modification of Ag–alumina improved the NOX trapping performance of the material by enhancing NO adsorption in the presence of other gases, including CO, hydrocarbons, CO2 and H2O. This modified material also exhibited less deterioration resulting from sulfur poisoning as compared to either conventional NOX storage and reduction (NSR) catalysts or unmodified Ag–alumina. TiO2 was shown to be dispersed throughout the alumina in an octahedral structure, and spectroscopic analyses along with DFT calculations demonstrated that this dispersion is effective at stabilizing Ag in the material. It was also determined that Ag supported on octahedral TiO2 formed active sites at which the redox reaction between Ag0 and Ag+ proceeded, and that NO was effectively oxidized and adsorbed as nitro and nitrite species on the active surface composed of the dispersed Ag and TiO2.

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