Improved catalytic performance of Pd/TiO2 in the selective hydrogenation of acetylene by using H2-treated sol–gel TiO2

• Calcination of sol–gel TiO2 under H2 created more surface Ti3+ than in air.
• Catalyst performance in selective acetylene hydrogenation improved using TiO2-H2.
• Higher Pd dispersion and more isolated adsorption sites were obtained on TiO2-H2.
• The catalysts were prepared by impregnation and electroless deposition techniques.
• The effectiveness of TiO2-H2 was confirmed for both methods and Pd 0.5–1 wt.%.

The anatase nanocrystalline TiO2 samples were synthesized by a sol–gel method with a thermal treatment under air and H2 atmospheres at 350 °C and employed as the supports for preparation of Pd/TiO2 catalysts by impregnation and electroless deposition methods. The surface Ti3+ defects on the TiO2 significantly increased when treated under H2, compared to air, with no changes in the average crystallite size, specific surface area, and pore structure. The CO chemisorption and IR of adsorbed CO results showed that the use of H2-treated TiO2 resulted in higher Pd dispersion and the formation of more isolated adsorption sites, hence improving the catalytic performance in terms of both acetylene conversion and ethylene selectivity.

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