Controlled pore size of ordered mesoporous Al2O3-supported Mn/Cu catalysts for CO oxidation

•Ordered mesoporous Al2O3 were synthesized by EISA method.•CuMn-Al2O3 catalysts were synthesized by co-impregnation method.•The Oads, Cu+ species were main activity species of CuMn-Al2O3 catalysts.•The CuMn-400 showed the highest catalytic activity.

In this paper, by controlling the calcination temperature, ordered mesoporous Al2O3 with controllable pore diameters were rationally designed and synthesized by evaporation-induced self-assembly method. The CuMn-Al2O3 catalysts with different pores were synthesized by a co-impregnation method with ordered mesoporous Al2O3 as template. These catalysts expressed ordered mesoporous structure, possessed higher specific surface area and large pore volume, and owned more surface active sites, which were helpful for CO oxidation. When the calcination temperature of Al2O3 was 400 °C, this catalyst showed the highest catalytic activity. The reason was due to its relatively stronger redox ability and surface activity species. More Cu+ and chemisorbed oxygen concentration was very useful in achieving the highest catalytic performance.

Graphical abstractIn this paper, by controlling the calcination temperature, ordered mesoporous Al2O3 with different pores were synthesized by EISA method. The CuMn-Al2O3 catalysts were synthesized by co-impregnation method with ordered mesoporous Al2O3 as template. The CuMn-400 showed the highest catalytic activity. Schematic diagram illustrating the preparation of ordered mesoporous CuMn-Al2O3 catalysts.Download high-res image (307KB)Download full-size image