N2O decomposition over ceria-promoted Ir/Al2O3 catalysts: The role of ceria

• deN2O activity on Ir/Al2O3 and Ir/CeO2 is suppressed by O2 as opposed to Ir/CeO2-Al2O3.
• CeO2-Al2O3 provides different Ir particles surface structure than Al2O3 or CeO2.
• Establishment of a certain Irδ+/Ιr0 ratio is considered crucial towards enhancement of deN2O activity.
• Oxygen vacancies in the vicinity of Ir-ceria interface promote N2O decomposition in the presence of O2.

The impact of CeO2 in the Al2O3-20 wt% CeO2 support prepared by the co-precipitation method on the Ir particle size, morphology and oxidation state, and in turn on the deN2O catalytic activity (1000 ppm N2O) of supported Ir catalysts were investigated in the absence and presence of excess O2 (2 vol%) conditions. It was demonstrated that the deN2O activity of Ir/Al2O3 is notably suppressed by the presence of oxygen in the feed stream, namely, the N2O conversion at 600 °C is declined to 65% in the presence of oxygen as compared to 100% in the absence of oxygen. A similar detrimental catalytic effect was also observed for the Ir/CeO2 solid. On the contrary, the deN2O performance of CeO2-modified Ir/Al2O3 catalyst is only slightly affected by the presence of oxygen. An extensive characterization study involving surface texture analysis (N2 adsorption-desorption at −196 °C), temperature-programmed reduction in H2 (H2-TPR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) and diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy of CO adsorption and desorption (CO-DRIFTS) was carried out to gain insight into the origin of the CeO2-induced promotional effect. The characterization results revealed the existence of IrO2 phase (H2-TPR, XRD, HRTEM, EELS and CO-DRIFTS) as well as of very small isolated particles of Ir on the Al2O3, CeO2 and CeO2-Al2O3 supports (STEM) but to a notably different extent. The coexistence of large IrO2 particles of perfect crystallite structure and very small Ir particles located at the Ir-ceria interface was revealed only in Ir/AlCe. The establishment of a certain Irδ+/Ιr0 ratio and oxygen vacant sites (VO) concentration in ceria around very small Ir particles under oxidative reaction conditions seem to largely promote N2O adsorption and subsequent decomposition into N2 and O2 over the CeO2-promoted Ir/Al catalyst. In the case of Ir/Al, a different deN2O decomposition mechanism occurs, where the site reactivity of Irδ+/Ιr0 established under oxidizing conditions is reduced significantly.

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