In situ S K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy for understanding and developing SOx storage catalysts

In situ S K-edge XANES experiments were carried out on second-generation SO(x)() trapping materials under oxidizing and reducing conditions. The experiments clearly show that the strong release of SO(2) under rich conditions at plug flow conditions is caused by the facilitated reduction of sulfite species on Pt. In the absence of Pt the sulfite species were stable under reducing conditions, while maintaining a similar total SO(2) uptake capacity. Thus, SO(x)() trapping materials without a noble metal are a clearly better option. The enhancing effect on the SO(x)() storage process of water present in the gas mixture is attributed to the formation of a higher sulfate fraction in the samples. The application of the in situ S K-edge XANES technique clearly reveals new information and insights on the behavior of the sulfur in the trapping process compared to that from the ex situ measurements and is therefore essential for designing new SO(x)() trapping materials.     

SO(x) storage materials under lean-rich cycling conditions. Part I: Identification of transient species

The SO(x) uptake of second generation sulfur trapping materials was studied by in situ IR spectroscopy under lean-rich cycling conditions. The combination of advanced chemometric methods including generalized 2D correlation analysis, 2D sample-sample correlation analysis, and multivariate curve resolution with alternating least squares allowed the detection of the species involved in the storage process. The formation of the bulk sulfate species was always accompanied by the consumption of carbonates. The reduction of a transient surface sulfate species was identified as the key parameter in the storage process under dynamic conditions. Three distinct reaction regimes were differentiated on the industrial materials under SO(x) trapping conditions being imperceptible from conventional spectra.     

On the trapping of SOx on CaO-Al2O3-based novel high capacity sorbents

Calcium-aluminum mixed oxide based materials doped with Na and Mn were explored as sulfur trapping materials. The materials showed a three times higher total storage capacity and a higher time on stream with complete SO2 removal compared to a second generation SOx trapping material which was mesoporous with calcium mainly present in oxidic form. Combining in situ XANES at the S K-edge and IR spectroscopy the key properties of the storage materials and the affiliated storage processes were identified. CaO-Al2O3 acts as the primary support and storage component, while Na+ cations adjust the base strength and enhances the storage capacity. Manganese cations provide the appropriate oxidation capacity in absence and presence of up to 10% water. The transport into the bulk phase, which is markedly influenced by a layer of sorbed water, is the rate-limiting step in presence of Mn cations. In the absence of manganese cations the oxidation step appears controlling the rate. The overall reaction network, identified by in situ IR spectroscopy and the 2D Correlation Analysis, is similar on all materials.     

PtMo催化剂抗SO2中毒机理的DFT研究

空气中的杂质气体如SO2能使燃料电池阴极催化剂Pt中毒,降低催化剂的活性和稳定性,而Mo原子的掺杂则能有效提高Pt催化剂的活性和抗SO2中毒性.据此我们采用密度泛函理论分析Mo掺杂提高Pt催化剂抗SO2毒性的原因,Pt与掺杂Mo之间的原子比为8：1.首先,分别计算SO2及解离中间物种S和SO3在Pt（111）和PtMo（111）表面的吸附构型,获得各物种的几何、电子构型.然后,通过比较各吸附物种在Pt（111）和PtMo（111）面的吸附能、键长、键角变化,分析吸附前后Pt（111）和PtMo（111）面分态密度、d带中心以及差分电子密度的变化.结果发现：Mo的掺杂明显减弱了Pt-S间的相互作用,降低SO2、S、SO3在PtMo（111）表面的吸附能;Mo减弱了SO2吸附对PtMo（111）体系电子构型的影响,使催化剂尽量保持原有的电子构型及活性.     

The Effect of Sulfate Ion on the Isomerization of n-Butane to iso-Butane

The effect of sulfate ion (SO42-) loading on the properties of Pt/SO42- -ZrO2 and on the catalytic isomerization of n-butane to iso-butane was studied. The catalyst was prepared by impregnation of Zr(OH)4 with H2SO4 and platinum solution followed by calcination at 600℃. Ammonia TPD and FT-IR were used to confirm the distribution of acid sites and the structure of the sulfate species. Nitrogen physisorption and X-ray diffraction were used to confirm the physical structures of Pt/SO42--ZrO2. XRD pattern showed that the presence of sulfate ion stabilized the metastable tetragonal phase of zirconia and hindered the transition of amorphous phase to monoclinic phase of zirconia. Ammonia TPD profiles indicated the distributions of weak and medium acid sites observed on 0.1 N and 1.0 N sulfate in the loaded catalysts. The addition of 2.0 N and 4.0 N sulfate ion generated strong acid site and decreased the weak and medium acid sites. However, the XRD results and the specific surface area of the catalysts indicated that the excessive amount of sulfate ion collapsed the structure of the catalyst. The catalysts showed high activity and stability for isomerization of n-butane to iso-butane at 200℃under hydrogen atmosphere. The conversion of n-butane to iso-butane per specific surface area of the catalyst increased with the increasing amount of sulfate ion owing to the existence of the bidentate sulfate and/or polynucleic sulfate species ((ZrO)2SO2), which acts as an active site for the isomerization.     

Air-liquid interfaces of aqueous solutions containing ammonium and sulfate: spectroscopic and molecular dynamics studies

Investigations of the air-liquid interface of aqueous salt solutions containing ammonium (NH(4)(+)) and sulfate (SO(4)(2-)) ions were carried out using molecular dynamics simulations and vibrational sum frequency generation spectroscopy. The molecular dynamics simulations show that the predominant effect of SO(4)(2-) ions, which are strongly repelled from the surface, is to increase the thickness of the interfacial region. The vibrational spectra reported are in the O-H stretching region of liquid water. Isotropic Raman and ATR-FTIR (attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared) spectroscopies were used to study the effect of ammonium and sulfate ions on the bulk structure of water, whereas surface sum frequency generation spectroscopy was used to study the effect of these ions on the interfacial structure of water. Analysis of the interfacial and bulk vibrational spectra reveal that aqueous solutions containing SO(4)(2-) perturb the interfacial water structure differently than the bulk and, consistent with the molecular dynamics simulations, reveal an increase in the thickness of the interfacial region.     

Low temperature catalytic conversion of methane to methanol by barium sulfate nanotubes supporting sulfates: Pt(SO4)2, HgSO4, Ce(SO4)2 and Pb(SO4)2

Barium sulfate nanotubes perform excellently in supporting sulfates (Pt(SO4)2, HgSO4, Ce(SO4)2 and Pb(SO4)2) for low temperature catalytic conversion of methane to methanol under strongly acidic conditions in a conventional gas-phase reactor.     

Mechanism of Pt(IV) sonochemical reduction in formic acid media and pure water

Sonochemical synthesis of platinum nanoparticles (Pt?NPs) in formic acid solutions and pure water was investigated using a 20?kHz ultrasonic irradiation. The obtained results gave new insights on the underneath Pt(IV) reduction mechanism in formic acid media under argon and in pure water under Ar/CO atmosphere. It was shown that in pure water sonochemical reduction of platinum ions occurs by hydrogen issued from homolytic water molecule split. Pt(IV)?ion reduction appears to be a very slow process under argon atmosphere in pure water due to formation of oxidizing species like OH radicals and H(2)O(2) leading to reoxidation of intermediate Pt(II) ions. Sonochemical reduction is accelerated manifold in the presence of formic acid or Ar/CO gas mixture. Solution and gas-phase analyses reveal that both CO and HCOOH act as OH(.) radical scavenger and reducing agent under ultrasonic irradiation. Their ability to reduce platinum ions at room temperature is enhanced due to the local heating in the liquid shell surround the cavitation bubble. An innovative synthesis route for monodispersed Pt?NPs in pure water without any templates or capping agents in the presence of Ar/CO gas mixture is then proposed. Obtained Pt?NPs within the range of 2-3?nm exhibited a strong stability towards sedimentation in water. Since Ar/CO atmosphere is the only restriction of the process, this procedure can be applied in various media and is also compatible with a large array of experimental conditions.     

氨法选择性还原氮氧化物 V2O5/TiO2-PILC催化剂的抗硫性能

选择性催化还原(SCR)是目前去除氮氧化物最有效的方法之一. V2O5/TiO2催化剂被广泛应用于氨法选择性还原氮氧化物(NH3-SCR)反应,但该催化剂存在工作温度高(300–400oC)及 SO2氧化率高引起设备腐蚀和管路堵塞等问题,开发低温 SCR催化剂具有重要意义.过渡金属氧化物(如 Fe2O3, MnOx和 CuO等)催化剂用于低温SCR先后见诸文献报道,但这些催化剂在 SO2和 H2O存在下易失活.近年来柱撑黏土(PILC)引起科学家广泛关注, Yang等首次将 V2O5/TiO2-PILC催化剂应用于 NH3-SCR反应,发现其催化活性高于传统 V2O5/TiO2催化剂.柱撑黏土基催化剂在 NH3-SCR反应中也显示出良好抗硫性能,但 V2O5/TiO2-PILC催化剂的抗硫机理至今尚未见深入研究.因此我们制备了一系列 V2O5/TiO2-PILC催化剂,采用原位漫反射红外等方法详细研究了其抗硫性能较好的原因.
　　首先采用离子交换法制备出 TiO2-PILC载体,之后采用浸渍法制备了不同钒含量(质量分数x/%=0,3,4,5)的xV2O5/TiO2-PILC催化剂.同时,制备了传统 V2O5/TiO2和 V2O5-MoO3/TiO2催化剂作为对比.活性评价结果显示,4V/TiO2-PILC催化剂具有最高的催化活性,其催化性能与传统钒钛催化剂相当.在160oC时, NO转化率可达80%以上.同时,4V/TiO2-PILC催化剂还具有较宽的反应温度窗口,在260–500oC范围内, NO转化率保持在90%以上.向反应体系中加入0.05% SO2和10% H2O后,在低温(160oC以下)时所有催化剂的反应活性都有一定提高,可能是由于 SO2的加入提高了催化剂的表面酸性.继续升高温度,4V/TiO2和4V6Mo/TiO2催化剂活性均明显下降,而4V/TiO2-PILC催化剂的活性则未出现明显下降.原位漫反射红外光谱结果显示, SO2在三种催化剂表面的吸附以表面硫酸盐或亚硫酸盐物种以及离子态 SO42–物种形式存在,而在4V/TiO2-PILC催化剂表面离子态 SO42–物种的量最少. X射线光电子能谱及 O2程序升温脱附结果显示,在4V/TiO2-PILC催化剂上,表面吸附氧(Oads)的量最少.综合上述分析可以得出,在 SO2气氛下,离子态 SO42–物种在 SCR催化剂表面的累积可能是导致其失活的主要原因,而离子态 SO42–物种的形成可能与催化剂表面吸附氧的量有关.     

Niobium oxide-supported platinum ultra-low amount electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction

We demonstrate a new approach to synthesizing high-activity electrocatalysts for the O(2) reduction reaction with ultra low Pt content. The synthesis involves placing a small amount of Pt, the equivalent of a monolayer, on carbon-supported niobium oxide nanoparticles (NbO(2) or Nb(2)O(5)). Rotating disk electrode measurements show that the Pt/NbO(2)/C electrocatalyst has three times higher Pt mass activity for the O(2) reduction reaction than a commercial Pt/C electrocatalyst. The observed high activity of the Pt deposit is attributed to the reduced OH adsorption caused by lateral repulsion between PtOH and oxide surface species. The new electrocatalyst also exhibits improved stability against Pt dissolution under a potential cycling regime (30,000 cycles from 0.6 V to 1.1 V). These findings demonstrate that niobium-oxide (NbO(2)) nanoparticles can be adequate supports for Pt and facilitate further reducing the noble metal content in electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction.     

Formation of sulfur surface species on a commercial NO<Subscript>x</Subscript>-storage reduction catalyst

The influence of SO₂ exposure under lean (oxidizing) and rich (reducing) reaction conditions on the storage and oxidation/reduction function of a commercial NO_x storage-reduction catalyst was investigated by temperature-programmed uptake experiments and high temperature XRD. Both the storage capacity and the oxidation/reduction function of the catalyst were deactivated by SO₂ exposure under lean and rich reaction conditions. The deactivation of the storage component, i.e. the loss of the NO_x storage capacity, resulted mainly from the formation of Ba-sulfates accumulating in the bulk phase, which have a high thermal stability (>800°C) and, therefore, cannot be removed under the typical operation conditions of a NSR catalyst. For the oxidation function only a temporarily deactivation during lean reaction conditions was observed. Besides the formation of SO^2- ₄ species on the storage component at the beginning of the SO₂ exposure under rich conditions, an adsorption of SO₂ on the noble metal component was observed resulting in the formation of sulfur deposits. The oxidation of these sulfur species with a subsequent spillover of SO^2- ₄ species to the storage component during lean conditions could accelerate the deactivation of the storage capacity.     

Synergistic effect between NO2 and SO2 in their adsorption and reaction on gamma-alumina

Field measurements showed that there exists a correlation between nitrate and sulfate on mineral dust. In this work, the synergistic mechanism of adsorption and reaction between SO2 and NO2 on gamma-alumina was studied using in situ diffusion reflectance infrared Fourier spectroscopy (in situ DRIFTS) and temperature programmed desorption (TPD). The results revealed that the reaction pathway of NO2 adsorbed on alumina was altered in the presence of SO2. In the absence of SO2, nitrite was found to be an intermediate in the oxidation of NO2 to surface nitrate species. However, in the presence of SO2, the formation of nitrite was inhibited and a new intermediate, dinitrogen tetraoxide (N2O4), was observed. On the other hand, surface tetravalent sulfur species S(IV), including bisulfite and sulfite, were oxidized to sulfate in air condition when NO2 was present. The atmospheric implication of this synergistic effect was also discussed.     

Reversible redox reaction and water configuration on a positively charged platinum surface: first principles molecular dynamics simulation

The water dissociation reaction and water molecule configuration on a positively charged platinum (111) surface were investigated by means of first principles molecular dynamics under periodic boundary conditions. Water molecules on the Pt surface were mostly in the O-down orientation but some H-down structures were also found. OH(-) ion, generated by removing H from H(2)O in the bulk region, moved to the Pt surface, on which a positive charge is induced, by a Grotthuss-like proton-relay mechanism and adsorbed on it as OH(Pt). Hydrogen atom exchange between OH(Pt) and a near-by water molecule frequently occurred on the Pt surface and had a low activation energy of the same order as room temperature energy. When a positive charge (7 μC cm(-2)) was added to the Pt surface, H(3)O(+) and OH(Pt) were generated from 2H(2)O on the Pt. This may be coupled with an electron transfer to the Pt electrode [2H(2)O → H(3)O(+) + OH(Pt) + e(-)]. The opposite reaction was also observed on the same charged surface during a simulation of duration about 10 ps; it is a reversible redox reaction. When further positive charge (14 μC cm(-2)) was added, the reaction shifted to the right hand side completely. Thus, this one-electron transfer reaction, which is a part of the oxygen electrode reaction in fuel cells and water electrolysis, was confirmed to be a low activation energy process.     

黑碳颗粒物表面SO2的非均相臭氧氧化

采用漫反射红外傅里叶变换光谱(DRIFTS)结合离子色谱(IC)、 X射线光电子能谱(XPS)研究了常温常压下SO2与O3在黑碳颗粒物(以Printex U为代表, 简称UBC)表面的非均相反应. 研究发现, 在O3和水气存在的情况下, 体系的反应产物主要是SO42-, 反应在一定时间内持续进行. UBC可提供反应活性位点, 促进SO2在其表面的臭氧氧化. O3是关键的氧化剂, 能显著提高SO2非均相氧化生成SO42-的速率. 水气的存在有利于表面活性位点再生, 使反应持续发生. 当SO2和O3的浓度为1014~1015 molecule/cm3、 相对湿度为40%时, SO2在UBC(1: 400, 以NaCl为稀释剂稀释400倍)表面非均相反应生成SO42-的稳态摄取系数(γBET)为1~6×10-6, SO42-的生成速率为1014~1015 ion·s-1·g-1.     

Reactions of sulfur dioxide on calcium carbonate single crystal and particle surfaces at the adsorbed water carbonate interface

Sulfur dioxide reactions with calcium carbonate interfaces at 296 K in the presence and absence of adsorbed water result in the formation of adsorbed sulfite and sulfate. The extent of reaction is significantly enhanced, approximately five- to ten-fold for particulate and single crystal CaCO(3) (calcite), respectively, in the presence of adsorbed water between 30 and 85% RH. Atomic force microscopy following the reaction shows that adsorbed water facilitates surface reactivity by enhancing the mobility of surface ions, giving rise to the formation of nanometer sized product crystallites approximately 1 nm in height. Simultaneous with the formation of these crystallites is pitting and etching of the underlying substrate, which occurs preferentially in the vicinity of monoatomic surface steps. In the absence of water, there is little pitting and no evidence for the formation of crystallites. X-Ray photoelectron core and valence band spectra confirm the presence of two sulfur adsorbed species, SO and SO, with nearly equal amounts of SO and SO in the absence of adsorbed water and approximately five times more SO relative to SO in the presence of adsorbed water. From these data, it is proposed that the nanometer-sized crystallites are composed primarily of CaSO(3).     

New route to synthesize highly active nanocrystalline sulfated titania-silica: synergic effects between sulfate species and silica in enhancing the photocatalysis efficiency

A simple and efficient approach has been set up for fabricating highly active sulfated titania-silica (SO(4)(2-)/TiO(2)-SiO(2)): Ti(SO(4))(2) was hydrolyzed in the presence of silica, making it possible to sulfate titania and form titania-silica mixed oxide in one step. This study was focused on investigating the roles of sulfate species and silica in improving the physicochemical properties and photoactivity of SO(4)(2-)/TiO(2)-SiO(2) through comparison with sulfated titania (SO(4)(2-)/TiO(2)) and sulfate-free catalysts (TiO(2) and TiO(2)-SiO(2)). Various characterization methods, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and surface photovoltage spectroscopy (SPS), were employed to test these materials. The results revealed that for SO(4)(2-)/TiO(2) and TiO(2)-SiO(2) the sole presence of either sulfate species or silica imposes negative effects on the photocatalysis behavior of titania, leading them to have negligible photoactivities. On the contrary, in the case of SO(4)(2-)/TiO(2)-SiO(2), sulfate species and silica were proved to act in a cooperative manner; therefore, the following enhanced structure and surface properties of SO(4)(2-)/TiO(2)-SiO(2) were obtained: (i) relatively well-crystallized and smaller-size (15.4 nm) anatase-phase titania was formed upon 500 degrees C calcination without forming rutile phase and (ii) the formation of active surface sulfate species promotes the separation of photoinduced electron-hole pairs and therefore accelerates the photocatalysis reaction. Therefore, its photoactivity is enhanced as a result of the favorable synergic effects between sulfate species and silica due to their simultaneous presence.     

Synthesis of highly active sulfate-promoted rutile titania nanoparticles with a response to visible light

Highly active sulfate-promoted rutile titania (SO(4)(2-)/TiO(2)) with smaller band gap was prepared by an in situ sulfation method, that is, under moderate conditions, sulfate-promoted rutile titania was directly obtained via precipitating Ti(SO(4))(2) in NaOH solution followed by peptizing in HNO(3) without the phase transformation from anatase to rutile. Thus, the negative impacts of phase transformation from anatase to rutile on the structure, surface, and photoactivity properties of the catalysts due to higher calcination temperature can be avoided. The catalysts were characterized by means of thermal analysis, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis (BET), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV-visible spectroscopy, FT-IR pyridine adsorption, and temperature-programmed desorption (TPD). The results show sulfate species are sensitive to the variation of calcination temperature. In the process of peptizing, sulfate species are homogeneously dispersed throughout the bulk of catalysts, allowing sulfate species to penetrate into the network of TiO(2) effectively. After being calcined at 300 degrees C, sulfate species occupy oxygen sites to form Ti-S bonds, as evidenced by XPS results. As calcination temperature is further increased to 600 degrees C or above, the active sulfate species on the catalyst surface are destroyed, and the sulfate species in the network of TiO(2) are expelled out onto the surface to form inactive sulfate species. Thus, Ti(3+) defects will be produced on the catalyst surface. Accompanying this process, surface area is decreased promptly, and crystalline size is greatly increased via two fast growth phases due to the decomposition of sulfate species with different binding forces. Most importantly, the band gap of SO(4)(2-)/TiO(2) is remarkably shifted to the visible light region due to the formation of Ti-S bonds, and with increasing calcination temperature the visible light absorption capability is reduced due to breakage of Ti-S bonds. The excellent photoactivity of 300 degrees C calcined SO(4)(2-)/TiO(2) can be explained by its small crystalline size, high surface area, loose and porous microstructure, and the generation of Br?nsted acidity on its surface.     

Adsorption of sulfur dioxide on hematite and goethite particle surfaces

The adsorption of sulfur dioxide (SO(2)) on iron oxide particle surfaces at 296 K has been investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). A custom-designed XPS ultra-high vacuum chamber was coupled to an environmental reaction chamber so that the effects of adsorbed water and molecular oxygen on the reaction of SO(2) with iron oxide surfaces could be followed at atmospherically relevant pressures. In the absence of H(2)O and O(2), exposure of hematite (alpha-Fe(2)O(3)) and goethite (alpha-FeOOH) to SO(2) resulted predominantly in the formation of adsorbed sulfite (SO(3)(2-)), although evidence for adsorbed sulfate (SO(4)(2-)) was also found. At saturation, the coverage of adsorbed sulfur species was the same on both alpha-Fe(2)O(3) and alpha-FeOOH as determined from the S2p : Fe2p ratio. Equivalent saturation coverages and product ratios of sulfite to sulfate were observed on these oxide surfaces in the presence of water vapor at pressures between 6 and 18 Torr, corresponding to 28 to 85% relative humidity (RH), suggesting that water had no effect on the adsorption of SO(2). In contrast, molecular oxygen substantially influenced the interactions of SO(2) with iron oxide surfaces, albeit to a much larger extent on alpha-Fe(2)O(3) relative to alpha-FeOOH. For alpha-Fe(2)O(3), adsorption of SO(2) in the presence of molecular oxygen resulted in the quantitative formation of SO(4)(2-) with no detectable SO(3)(2-). Furthermore, molecular oxygen significantly enhanced the extent of SO(2) uptake on alpha-Fe(2)O(3), as indicated by the greater than two-fold increase in the S2p : Fe2p ratio. Although SO(2) uptake is still enhanced on alpha-Fe(2)O(3) in the presence of molecular oxygen and water, the enhancement factor decreases with increasing RH. In the case of alpha-FeOOH, there is an increase in the amount of SO(4)(2-) in the presence of molecular oxygen, however, the predominant surface species remained SO(3)(2-) and there is no enhancement in SO(2) uptake as measured by the S2p : Fe2p ratio. A mechanism involving molecular oxygen activation on oxygen vacancy sites is proposed as a possible explanation for the non-photochemical oxidation of sulfur dioxide on iron oxide surfaces. The concentration of these sites depends on the exact environmental conditions of RH.     

Heterogeneous reaction of acetic acid on MgO, α-Al2O3, and CaCO3 and the effect on the hygroscopic behaviour of these particles

Mixtures of organic compounds with mineral dust are ubiquitous in the atmosphere, whereas the formation pathways and hygroscopic behavior of these mixtures are not well understood. In this study, in situ DRIFTS, XRD, and a vapor sorption analyzer were used to investigate the heterogeneous reaction of acetic acid on α-Al(2)O(3), MgO, and CaCO(3) particles under both dry and humid conditions while the effect of reactions on the hygroscopic behavior of these particles was also measured. In all cases, formation of acetate is significantly enhanced in the presence of surface water. However, the reaction extent varied with the mineral phase of these particles. For α-Al(2)O(3), the reaction is limited to the surface with the formation of surface coordinated acetate under both dry and humid conditions. For MgO, the bulk of the particle is involved in the reaction and Mg(CH(3)COO)(2) is formed under both dry and humid conditions, although it exhibits a saturation effect under dry conditions. In the case of CaCO(3), acetic acid uptake is limited to the surface under dry conditions while it leads to the decomposition of the bulk of CaCO(3) under humid conditions. While coordinated surface acetate species increased the water adsorption capacity slightly, the formation of bulk acetate promoted the water absorption capacity greatly. This study demonstrated that heterogeneous reaction between CH(3)COOH and mineral dust is not only an important sink for CH(3)COOH, but also has a significant effect on the hygroscopic behavior of mineral dust.     

Mechanism of PtIV Sonochemical Reduction in Formic Acid Media and Pure Water

Sonochemical synthesis of platinum nanoparticles (Pt NPs) in formic acid solutions and pure water was investigated using a 20 kHz ultrasonic irradiation. The obtained results gave new insights on the underneath Pt^IV reduction mechanism in formic acid media under argon and in pure water under Ar/CO atmosphere. It was shown that in pure water sonochemical reduction of platinum ions occurs by hydrogen issued from homolytic water molecule split. Pt^IV ion reduction appears to be a very slow process under argon atmosphere in pure water due to formation of oxidizing species like OH radicals and H₂O₂ leading to reoxidation of intermediate Pt^II ions. Sonochemical reduction is accelerated manifold in the presence of formic acid or Ar/CO gas mixture. Solution and gas‐phase analyses reveal that both CO and HCOOH act as OH^. radical scavenger and reducing agent under ultrasonic irradiation. Their ability to reduce platinum ions at room temperature is enhanced due to the local heating in the liquid shell surround the cavitation bubble. An innovative synthesis route for monodispersed Pt NPs in pure water without any templates or capping agents in the presence of Ar/CO gas mixture is then proposed. Obtained Pt NPs within the range of 2–3 nm exhibited a strong stability towards sedimentation in water. Since Ar/CO atmosphere is the only restriction of the process, this procedure can be applied in various media and is also compatible with a large array of experimental conditions.