Pt-Co nanoparticles supported on hollow multi-shelled CeO2 as a catalyst for highly efficient toluene oxidation: Morphology control and the role of bimetal synergism

A series of hollow multi-shelled CeO2 (HoMS-CeO2) support materials with tunable shell numbers were fabricated and applied to the catalytic oxidation of toluene. HoMS-CeO2 possess much higher catalytic activity (T90 = 236 ℃) than hollow CeO2 with only a single shell (h-CeO2) (T90 = 275℃). The porous multiple-shelled structure has a higher SBET, which strongly promotes gas distribution and provides more active sites. The superiority of this kind of structure was also verified by comparing h-Co3O4 and HoMS-Co3O4. Furthermore, Pt-Co bimetallic nanoparticles were loaded onto HoMS-CeO2. The synergistic effect between Pt and Co was verified by XPS and O2-TPD, which was observed to allow electron transfer between Pt and Co and thus regulate the electronic state of the Pt. Compared with Pt alone, Pt-Co bimetallic nanoparticles could stronglypromotethe activation of O2and oxygen mobility, as revealed by a much higher Oads content and a lower oxygen desorption temperature. Of the catalysts prepared in this study, the 1 wt% PtCo3/CeO2 catalyst was found to be the most suitable for toluene oxidation owing to its excellent activity (T90 = 158 ℃), long-term stability, and water resistance. Finally, in situ DRIFTS was employed to investigate mechanism during toluene oxidation and the possible reaction pathway was proposed.