Catalytic activity of Pt catalysts promoted by MnOx for n-hexane oxidation

The deep oxidation of n-hexane was studied over Pt catalysts with small and large Pt crystallites, promoted by MnOx. The Mn was deposited on the Pt/Al2O3 by deposition-precipitation method using two alkalis, ammonia and dimethylamine. The strength of the base influenced morphology and performances of Mn-Pt catalysts. Ammonia formed mostly spherical structure of manganese oxide, while dimethylamine created fibrous needle-like shape of MnOx, typical for cryptomelane phase of manganese oxide. This was confirmed by XPS results that show an oxidation state of Mn close to that for cryptomelane. The Pt-Mn catalysts were more active than catalysts containing Pt only. Promoting effect of MnOx is more pronounced for larger Pt crystallites. Among Pt-Mn samples, catalysts synthesized with dimethylamine exhibited the highest activities. Mobility and reactivity of oxygen from Pt–O–Mn sites associated with cryptomelane phase may be responsible for increased activity.

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► A convenient and effective deposition-precipitation method has been applied to prepare novel Mn-Pt catalysts.
► Ammonia and dimethylamine have been used as reagents for decoration of small and large Pt crystallite by Mn.
► Order of catalysts activity in n-hexane oxidation is Pt-Mn (D) > Pt-Mn (A) > Pt.
► The improvement of the catalytic activity have been attributed to the nature of MnOx phase that is bonded with Pt.