The Formation of ConTiOn+2 Compounds in CoOx/TiO2 Catalysts and Their Activity for Low-Temperature CO Oxidation

The formation of $Co_nTiO_{n+2}$ compounds, i.e., $CoTiO_3$ and $CO_2TiO_4$, in a 5wt% $CoO_x/TiO_2$ catalyst after calcination at different temperatures has been characterized via scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements to verify our earlier model associated with $CO_3O_4$ nanoparticles present in the catalyst, and laboratory-synthesized $Co_nTiO_{n+2}$ chemicals have been employed to directly measure their activity profiles for CO oxidation at $100^{\circ}C$. SEM measurements with the synthetic $CoTiO_3$ and $CO_2TiO_4$ gave the respective tetragonal and rhombohedral morphology structures, in good agreement with the earlier XRD results. Weak Raman peaks at 239, 267 and 336 $cm^{-1}$ appeared on 5wt% $CoO_x/TiO_2$ after calcination at $570^{\circ}C$ but not on the catalyst calcined at $450^{\circ}C$, and these peaks were observed for the $Co_nTiO_{n+2}$ compounds, particularly $CoTiO_3$. All samples of the two cobalt titanate possessed O ls XPS spectra comprised of strong peaks at $530.0{\pm}0.1$ eV with a shoulder at a 532.2-eV binding energy. The O ls structure at binding energies near 530.0 eV was shown for a sample of 5 wt% $CoO_x/TiO_2$, irrespective to calcination temperature. The noticeable difference between the catalyst calcined at 450 and $570^{\circ}C$ is the 532.2 eV shoulder which was indicative of the formation of the $Co_nTiO_{n+2}$ compounds in the catalyst. No long-life activity maintenance of the synthetic $Co_nTiO_{n+2}$ compounds for CO oxidation at $100^{\circ}C$ was a good vehicle to strongly sup port the reason why the supported $CoO_x$ catalyst after calcination at $570^{\circ}C$ had been practically inactive for the oxidation reaction in our previous study; consequently, the earlier proposed model for the $CO_3O_4$ nanoparticles existing with the catalyst following calcination at different temperatures is very consistent with the characterization results and activity measurements with the cobalt titanates.

CoOx/TiO2 촉매상에 ConTiOn+2 화합물의 생성과 저온 CO 산화반응에 대한 촉매활성