Effects of Co dopants and flame conditions on the formation of Co/ZrO2 nanoparticles by flame spray pyrolysis and their catalytic properties in CO hydrogenation

The Co/ZrO2 catalysts with various Co loadings (5–10 wt.%) were prepared by one-step flame spray pyrolysis (FSP) under different flame conditions. As revealed by XRD and TEM, all the resulting Co/ZrO2 nanoparticles were composed of single-crystalline particles exhibiting the characteristic tetragonal structure of ZrO2. Varying the amount of Co dopants during FSP synthesis did not alter the primary particle size of ZrO2 which was determined to be ca. 14 nm. On the other hand, increasing precursor feed rate from 3 to 8 ml/min resulted in an increase of ZrO2 crystallite size from 10 to 19 nm. The higher precursor feed rate produced higher enthalpy of flame and longer residence times, which increased coalescence and sintering of the particles. Compared to the Co/ZrO2 prepared by conventional impregnation method, the catalytic activities of the FSP-made catalysts were much higher. Moreover, the hydrogenation rates of the FSP-made Co/ZrO2 catalysts were increased with increasing Co loading and precursor feed rate. According to H2 chemisorption and H2 temperature program reduction results, the improvement of catalytic activity and C2–C6 selectivities of the FSP-made catalysts in the CO hydrogenation was attributed to the higher number of Co metal active sites and lower interaction between Co/CoO and ZrO2 support obtained via the FSP synthesis.

Graphical AbstractNanocrystalline Co/ZrO2 catalysts with different Co loading contents and particle sizes have been prepared by a one-step flame spray pyrolysis technique. The obtained powder exhibited higher catalytic activity for CO hydrogenation comparing with conventional impregnation-made catalysts.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slideResearch Highlights
► Prepare Co/ZrO2 catalysts with different Co loadings and particle sizes by FSP techniques.
► Catalysts for CO hydrogenation.
► High precursor feed rate increased the particle size and decreases the interaction between metal and support.
► Higher number of Co metal active sites and lower interaction between Co/CoO and ZrO2 support improve the catalytic performance.