Light at the interface: the potential of attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy for understanding heterogeneous catalysis in water

IR spectroscopy has been an important tool for studying detailed interactions of reactants and reaction-intermediates with catalyst surfaces. Studying reactions in water is, however, far from trivial, due to the excessive absorption of infrared light by water. One way to deal with this is the use of Attenuated Total Reflection spectroscopy (ATR-IR) minimizing the path length of infrared light through the water. Moreover, ATR-IR allows for a direct comparison of reactions in gas and water on the same sample, which bridges the gap between separate catalyst investigations in gas and liquid phase. This tutorial review describes recent progress in using ATR-IR for studying heterogeneous catalysts in water. An overview is given of the important aspects to be taken into account when using ATR-IR to study heterogeneous catalysts in liquid phase, like the procedure to prepare stable catalyst layers on the internal reflection element. As a case study, CO adsorption and oxidation on noble metal catalysts is investigated with ATR-IR in gas and water. The results show a large effect of water and pH on the adsorption and oxidation of CO on Pt/Al(2)O(3) and Pd/Al(2)O(3). From the results it is concluded that water affects the metal particle potential as well as the adsorbed CO molecule directly, resulting in higher oxidation rates in water compared to gas phase. Moreover, also pH influences the metal particle potential with a clear effect on the observed oxidation rates. Finally, the future outlook illustrates that ATR-IR spectroscopy holds great promise in the field of liquid phase heterogeneous catalysis.     

Unraveling the surface reactions during liquid-phase oxidation of benzyl alcohol on Pd/Al2O3: an in situ ATR-IR study

The palladium-catalyzed liquid-phase reaction of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde was investigated in the presence and absence of oxygen by attenuated total reflection infrared (ATR-IR) spectroscopy. The 5 wt % Pd/Al2O3 catalyst was fixed in a flow-through ATR-IR cell serving as a continuous-flow reactor. The reaction conditions (cyclohexane solvent, 323 K, 1 bar) were set in the range commonly applied in the heterogeneous catalytic aerobic oxidation of alcohols. The in situ ATR-IR study of the solid-liquid interface revealed a complex reaction network, including dehydrogenation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde, decarbonylation of benzaldehyde, oxidation of hydrogen and CO on Pd, and formation of benzoic acid catalyzed by both Pd and Al2O3. Continuous formation of CO and its oxidative removal by air resulted in significant steady-state CO coverage of Pd during oxidation of benzyl alcohol. Unexpectedly, benzoic acid formed already in the early stage of the reaction and adsorbed strongly (irreversibly) on the basic sites of Al2O3 and thus remained undetectable in the effluent. This observation questions the reliability of product distributions conventionally determined from the liquid phase. The occurrence of the hydrogenolysis of the C-O bond of benzyl alcohol and formation of toluene indicates that Pd was present in a reduced state (Pd0) even in the presence of oxygen, in agreement with the dehydrogenation mechanism of alcohol oxidation.     

Adsorption of CO on a Pt electrode in acidic solution: Ir-acttve and -inactive CO'S adsorbed in the double-layer region

Carbon monoxide adsorbed on a smooth platinum electrode in the double-layer region was investigated in 1 M HClO₄ solution by using in situ polarization modulation IR reflection spectroscopy and an electrochemical oxidation. From the electrochemical oxidation, the adsorbed CO could be distinguished to be comprised of stable and unstable adsorbed CO's. The unstable adsorbed CO constituted about of the adsorbed CO, and corresponded to linearly adsorbed CO, but the band intensity of the linearly adsorbed CO was not proportional to the amount of unstable adsorbed CO. The stable adsorbed CO constituted about ; it was one-site adsorbed, and was an IR-inactive species. It is presumed that the IR-inactive species is adsorbed on two Pt atoms with the C-O axis parallel to the electrode surface and one of the Pt atoms bound to two CO molecules.     

CO oxidation at platinum-molybdenum electrodes

CO oxidation at Pt-Mo electrodes prepared by different procedures is studied. When CO is oxidized from its saturated solutions at Mo-containing electrodes, catalysis is observed at lower potentials (<0.4 V (RHE)); inhibiting, at higher potentials (>0.7 V). When adsorbed CO is oxidized in supporting electrolyte, no oxidation current is observed at lower potentials; the current observed on platinum at higher potentials (>0.7 V) is also lowered in the presence of molybdenum. Depending on the preparation procedure, catalysts with different phase structure were obtained, namely, as the Pt and Mo separate phases, alloys with the platinum-type crystal lattice, or mixed amorphous deposits. The catalyst phase structure did not affect the general picture of observed processes; however, it had influence on the magnitude of the catalytic and inhibiting effects. The presence of crystallinity made the catalyst more stable against oxidation. Amorphous structures were unstable during the potential cycling and the catalyst storage.     

Scanning electrochemical microscopy of hydrogen electro-oxidation. Rate constant measurements and carbon monoxide poisoning on platinum

We describe an application of the scanning electrochemical microscope that uses tip–sample feedback to characterize the electro-oxidation of hydrogen on a polycrystalline platinum electrode in sulfuric acid solutions in the presence and absence of adsorbed carbon monoxide. The hydrogen oxidation reaction is probed by reducing protons at a diffusion-limited rate at the microscope's tip electrode while it is positioned near a platinum substrate. A series of approach curves measured as a function of the substrate potential provides hydrogen oxidation rate constant values over a wide range of substrate conditions. In the absence of CO, the rate of hydrogen oxidation exceeds 1 cm s⁻¹ at potentials within the hydrogen adsorption and double layer charging regions. A Tafel slope of 30 mV per decade is determined near the reversible potential. At increasingly positive substrate potentials, the hydrogen oxidation rate decreases exponentially with increasing potential as the surface is covered with an oxide layer. The adsorption of solution-phase carbon monoxide completely deactivates the platinum substrate towards steady-state hydrogen oxidation over a large range of substrate potentials. Approach curves indicate a near-zero rate constant for hydrogen oxidation on CO-covered platinum at potentials below oxide formation. An increase in the hydrogen oxidation rate is seen at potentials sufficiently positive that CO fails to adsorb and the platinum oxide forms. In comparison, dynamic tip–substrate voltammetry depicts a complex substrate response whereby the adsorbed carbon monoxide layer transforms from a weakly adsorbed state at low potentials to a strongly adsorbed state at high potentials. Although steady-state approach curve measurements depict the complete deactivation of catalytic activity at these potentials, a significant hydrogen oxidation current is observed during the potential-induced transformation between these weakly and strongly adsorbed CO states. The rate of hydrogen oxidation approaches that of a pristine platinum surface during this surface transformation before returning to the poisoned state.     

Kinetic Analysis of the Mechanism of Oxidation of CO on Co/ZSM-5

We have studied the kinetic behavior of oxidation of carbon monoxide on Co-containing zeolite ZSM-5. We have shown that the kinetic curves obtained for the dependence of the reaction rate on the reagent concentration can be described by an Eley–Rideal mechanism, which assumes that oxygen can be adsorbed on the surface of the catalyst in both atomic and molecular form, followed by reaction of CO from the gas phase with the adsorbed oxygen.     

Catalytic oxidation activity of Pt3O4 surfaces and thin films

The catalytic oxidation activity of platinum particles in automobile catalysts is thought to originate from the presence of highly reactive superficial oxide phases which form under oxygen-rich reaction conditions. Here we study the thermodynamic stability of platinum oxide surfaces and thin films and their reactivities toward oxidation of carbon compounds by means of first-principles atomistic thermodynamics calculations and molecular dynamics simulations based on density functional theory. On the Pt(111) surface the most stable superficial oxide phase is found to be a thin layer of alpha-PtO2, which appears not to be reactive toward either methane dissociation or carbon monoxide oxidation. A PtO-like structure is most stable on the Pt(100) surface at oxygen coverages of one monolayer, while the formation of a coherent and stress-free Pt3O4 film is favored at higher coverages. Bulk Pt3O4 is found to be thermodynamically stable in a region around 900 K at atmospheric pressure. The computed net driving force for the dissociation of methane on the Pt3O4(100) surface is much larger than that on all other metallic and oxide surfaces investigated. Moreover, the enthalpy barrier for the adsorption of CO molecules on oxygen atoms of this surface is as low as 0.34 eV, and desorption of CO2 is observed to occur without any appreciable energy barrier in molecular dynamics simulations. These results, combined, indicate a high catalytic oxidation activity of Pt3O4 phases that can be relevant in the contexts of Pt-based automobile catalysts and gas sensors.     

Modeling of microreactor for syngas production by catalytic partial oxidation of methane

Fixed-bed reactors for the catalytic partial oxidation of methane (CPOM) to produce synthesis gas still pose hot spots problems. Microreactor is a good alternative reactor proposed to resolve these problems. In this paper, synthesis gas (hydrogen and carbon monoxide) production was investigated by a two-dimensional numerical model of single microchannel. CFD modeling with detailed chemistry was conducted to understand the CPOM on platinum (Pt) catalyst. Gas inlet velocity, microchannel pressure, and fuel to air ratio (F/A) are selected as the effective parameters on microchannel performance. Study results show that Reynolds number has considerable effect on methane conversion, hydrogen to carbon monoxide ratio (H2/CO), and product distribution. Increasing gas inlet velocity causes all the above parameters to decrease. It is noted that increasing microchannel pressure and decreasing the ratio of fuel to air cause the decrease of the H2/CO ratio.     

Catalytic Oxidation of CO and Benzene over Metal Nanoparticles Loaded on Hierarchical MFI Zeolite

In order to obtain highly active catalytic materials for oxidation of carbon monoxide and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), monometallic platinum, copper, and palladium catalysts were prepared by using of two types of ZSM-5 zeolite as supports—parent ZSM-5 and the same one treated by HF and NH₄F buffer solution. The catalyst samples, obtained by loading of platinum, palladium, and copper on ZSM-5 zeolite treated using HF and NH₄F buffer solution, were more active in the reaction of CO and benzene oxidation compared with catalyst samples containing untreated zeolite. The presence of secondary mesoporosity played a positive role in increasing the catalytic activity due to improved reactant diffusion. The only exception was the copper catalysts in the reaction of CO oxidation, in which case the catalyst, based on untreated ZSM-5 zeolite, was more active. In this specific case, the key role is played by the oxidative state of copper species loaded on the ZSM-5 zeolites.     

Multivariate analysis of ATR-IR spectroscopic data: applications to the solid-liquid catalytic interface

It is demonstrated that attenuated total reflection infrared (ATR-IR) spectroscopy coupled with multivariate data analysis can be effectively used for in situ investigation of supported catalyst-liquid interfaces. Both formaldehyde adsorption/dissociation in water and acetonitrile adsorption in hexane on thin (ca 10 mum) films of 5 wt % Pt/gamma-Al(2)O(3) deposited on a germanium waveguide have been investigated. The multivariate analysis applies classical least squares (CLS) and partial least squares (PLS) methods to the ATR-IR data in order to correlate spectral changes with known sources of experimental variation (i.e., time, concentration of solution species, etc.). The formaldehyde adsorption experiments revealed no spectroscopic evidence for adsorbed molecular formaldehyde under the conditions examined. However, the dissociation product carbon monoxide was observed to form in atop configuration on Pt, likely on edges and terrace sites. Isotope labeling experiments suggest that a pair of peaks observed at 1990 and 2060 cm(-)(1) during treatments of Pt in H(2)-saturated water arise at least in part from nu(Pt)(-)(H) stretching of adsorbed atomic hydrogen. Acetonitrile was found to adsorb on the Pt catalyst by sigma-bonding of the CN group with the platinum, yielding apparent surface peaks that are almost identical to that observed in the liquid phase. A peak at 1641 cm(-)(1) was observed which was assigned to the adsorption of the CN group in a tilted configuration involving a combination of end-on and pi interaction with the surface. This species was found to be reactive toward hydrogen, suggesting that it might play a role in nitrile hydrogenation. The prospects of using this approach to examine solid-catalyzed liquid-phase reactions are discussed in light of these findings.     

Modification of a Pt surface by spontaneous Sn deposition for electrocatalytic applications. 2. Oxidation of CO,formaldehyde, formic acid,and methanol

The electrocatalytic activity of a spontaneously tin-modified Pt catalyst, fabricated through a simple dip-coating method under open-circuit conditions and characterized using surface analysis methods, was studied in electrooxidation reactions of a preadsorbed CO monolayer and continuous oxidation of methanol, formic acid, and formaldehyde in the potentiodynamic and potentiostatic modes. The catalytic activity of the tin-modified Pt surface is compared with that of a polycrystalline Pt electrode. Spontaneously Sn-modified Pt catalyst shows a superior activity toward adsorbed CO oxidation and thus can be promising for PEFC applications. The methanol oxidation rate is not enhanced on the Sn-modified Pt surface, compared to the Pt electrode. Formic acid oxidation is enhanced in the low potential region on the Sn-modified surface, compared to the Pt electrode. The formaldehyde oxidation rate is dramatically increased by modifying tin species at the most negative potentials, where anodic formaldehyde oxidation is completely suppressed on the pure Pt electrode. The results are discussed in terms of poisoning CO intermediate formation resulting from dehydrogenation of organic molecules on Pt sites, and oxidation of poisoning adsorbed CO species via the surface reaction with OH adsorbed on neighboring Sn sites.     

Role of Bi promotion and solvent in platinum-catalyzed alcohol oxidation probed by in situ X-ray absorption and ATR-IR spectroscopy

Modification of 5 wt% Pt/Al(2)O(3) by Bi (0.9 wt%) affords a drastic improvement of catalytic activity in the liquid phase aerobic oxidation of benzyl alcohol. The nature of the solvent employed, cyclohexane or toluene, seems to influence the catalytic activity as well. We have investigated the catalysts under working conditions using in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy (ATR-IR), aiming at uncovering the roles of the metal promoter and the reaction medium. XAS confirms that Bi is oxidized more easily than Pt, maintaining the catalytic activity of the metallic Pt sites for a longer period of time. Interestingly, toluene contrary to cyclohexane reduced Pt to a large extent. The freshly reduced noble metal sites seem to directly interact with the solvent, inducing an immediate poisoning of the material and limiting its performance. This behaviour is not observed in the presence of Bi, whose geometric effect (site blocking) is interpreted as additionally limiting the adsorption of toluene and the premature deactivation of Pt. ATR-IR spectroscopy during CO adsorption on Pt and during reaction indicates that Bi is located rather on extended surfaces than on step or kink sites. Side products, CO and benzoate species, appearing during the reaction reveal that the geometric suppression of undesired reactions does not occur to the same extent on Pt-based catalysts as on Pd, suggesting that decarbonylation of the produced aldehyde on Pt may occur also on sites other than the (111) terraces.     

Oxidation of the cyanide ion at a platinum electrode studied by polarization modulation infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy

The anodic oxidation of the cyanide ion at a platinum electrode in aqueous solution was observed by polarization modulation infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy(PM IRRAS). The cyanide ion was adsorbed on the electrode surface in the potential region more negative than 0.4 V (versus Ag/AgCl). In the more positive region (> 0.4 V ), the adsorbed cyanide ion was oxidized to form the cyanate ion. Cyanogen was not detected during the oxidation reactions; this suggests direct electrochemical formation of the cyanate ion.     

Vibrational spectroscopy on platinum single-crystal electrodes: Part I. In-situ infrared spectroscopic studies of the adsorption and oxidation of CO on Pt (111) in sulphuric acid

Platinum single-crystal electrodes of 5 mm diameter were prepared for in situ infrared spectroscopic measurements by melting platinum wires. The linear potential sweep voltammograms of hydrogen adsorption/desorption on Pt (111), (110) and (100) in 0.5 M sulphuric acid are in excellent agreement with those observed on smaller platinum single-crystal surfaces.The adsorption and oxidation of CO on Pt (111) in 0.5 M sulphuric acid was studied by in situ polarization modulated infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy. The effects of the initial adsorption potential and surface reconstruction on the nature and oxidation mechanism of the adsorbed CO layer are reported.     

Competition at chiral metal surfaces: fundamental aspects of the inversion of enantioselectivity in hydrogenations on platinum

O-Phenylcinchonidine (PhOCD) is known to efficiently induce inversion of enantioselectivity with respect to cinchonidine (CD) in the enantioselective hydrogenation of various activated ketones on Pt/Al(2)O(3). To understand the origin of the switch of enantioselective properties of the catalyst, the adsorption of PhOCD has been studied by in situ ATR-IR spectroscopy, in the presence of organic solvent and dissolved hydrogen, i.e., under conditions used for catalytic hydrogenation. The adsorption structures and energies of the anchoring group of CD and PhOCD were calculated on a Pt 38 cluster, using relativistically corrected density functional theory (DFT). Both approaches indicate that both modifiers are adsorbed via the quinoline ring and that the spatial arrangement of the quinuclidine skeleton is critical for the chiral recognition. New molecular level information on the conformation of CD relative to PhOCD adsorbed on a surface is extracted from the ATR spectra and supported by DFT calculations. The result is a clearer picture of the role played by the phenyl group in defining the chiral space created by the modifiers on Pt. Moreover, when CD was added to a pre-equilibrated adsorbed layer of PhOCD, a chiral adsorbed layer was formed with CD as the dominant modifier, indicating that CD adsorbs more strongly than PhOCD. Conversely, when PhOCD was added to preadsorbed CD, no significant substitution occurred. The process leading to nonlinear effects in heterogeneous asymmetric catalysis has been characterized by in situ spectroscopy, and new insight into a heterogeneous catalytic R-S switch system is provided.     

Structure sensitivity in the oxidation of CO on Ir surfaces

We report results on the catalytic oxidation of carbon monoxide (CO) over clean Ir surfaces that are prepared reversibly from the same crystal in situ with different surface morphologies, from planar to nanometer-scale facets of specific crystal orientations and various sizes. Our temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) data show that both planar Ir(210) and faceted Ir(210) are very active for CO oxidation to form CO2. Preadsorbed oxygen promotes the oxidation of CO, whereas high coverages of preadsorbed CO poison the reaction by blocking the surface sites for oxygen adsorption. At low coverages of preadsorbed oxygen (< or = 0.3 ML of O), the temperature Ti for the onset of CO2 desorption decreases with increasing CO coverage. At high coverages of preadsorbed oxygen (> 0.5 ML of O), T(i) is < 330 K and is independent of CO coverage. Moreover, we find clear evidence for structure sensitivity in CO oxidation over clean planar Ir(210) versus that over clean faceted Ir(210): the CO2 desorption rate is sensitive to the surface morphological differences. However, no evidence has been found for size effects in CO oxidation over faceted Ir(210) for average facet size ranging from 5 to 14 nm. Energetically favorable binding sites for O/Ir(210) are characterized using density functional theory (DFT) calculations.     

Active surfaces for CO oxidation on palladium in the hyperactive state

Hyperactivity was previously observed for CO oxidation over palladium, rhodium, and platinum surfaces under oxygen-rich conditions, characterized by reaction rates 2-3 orders higher than those observed under stoichiometric reaction conditions [Chen et al. Surf. Sci. 2007, 601, 5326]. In the present study, the formation of large amounts of CO(2) and the depletion of CO at the hyperactive state on both Pd(100) and polycrystalline Pd foil were evidenced by the infrared intensities of the gas phase CO(2) and CO, respectively. The active surfaces at the hyperactive state for palladium were characterized using infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRAS, 450-4000 cm(-1)) under the realistic catalytic reaction condition. Palladium oxide on a Pd(100) surface was reduced eventually by CO at 450 K, and also under CO oxidation conditions at 450 K. In situ IRAS combined with isotopic (18)O(2) revealed that the active surfaces for CO oxidation on Pd(100) and Pd foil are not a palladium oxide at the hyperactive state and under oxygen-rich reaction conditions. The results demonstrate that a chemisorbed oxygen-rich surface of Pd is the active surface corresponding to the hyperactivity for CO oxidation on Pd. In the hyperactive region, the CO(2) formation rate is limited by the mass transfer of CO to the surface.     

铂、钯负载型活性催化剂的制备及其对一氧化碳的催化氧化活性

用浸渍法分别将铂、钯负载在铝柱撑蒙脱石载体上,制备了铂、钯负载铝柱撑蒙脱石催化剂。运用X射线衍射(XRD)、原子吸收光谱(AAS)、透射电镜(TEM)等分析方法对样品的性能和结构进行了表征,并考察了不同铂、钯负载量的催化剂对一氧化碳的催化氧化性能。结果表明,铂、钯均以高度分散的纳米粒子状态均匀分布在载体表面,并表现出良好的CO催化氧化活性。铂、钯在铝柱撑蒙脱石载体表面的有效负载率在70%~76%之间,在相同的设计负载量条件下,铂的实际负载量和有效负载率均略大于钯。CO催化氧化试验结果表明,相对于负载前,负载后催化剂的催化活性明显增加,且其催化活性随着铂、钯负载量的增加而不断增强。在相同温度和负载量条件下,钯负载型催化剂的催化活性明显高于铂负载型催化剂。     

Adsorbed intermediates of formaldehyde oxidation and their role in the reaction mechanism

Formaldehyde oxidation was studied on the basal planes of platinum single crystals. Electrochemical and IR spectroscopy data give new information on the mechanism of oxidation. Formaldehyde oxidation at platinum electrodes is a surface-sensitive reaction. From the three basal planes of Pt(hkl), Pt(111) is the most active one. The less active surfaces Pt(100) and Pt(110) are blocked by adsorbed carbon monoxide at the initial stages of the reaction as the formaldehyde is admitted in the solution with the electrode polarized at 0.05 V. Besides CO(ad), other adsorbed species are formed. From these, methylene glycolate, H2COO(ad), is the intermediate of the fast oxidation pathways forming CO2 and HCOOH as soluble products. According to IR data the yields of soluble products at Pt(111) were calculated at 0.6 V, giving 63% for HCOOH and 37% for CO2. At 0.05 V the Pt(111) surface becomes slowly blocked by CO(ad), as observed when the electrode was left in contact with the formaldehyde solution over a period of several minutes. The same blockage occurs during a cyclic voltammogram, which causes a lowering of activity during the second potential scan. A general scheme of the reaction is proposed.     

中性介质中L-丝氨酸在Pt电极上解离吸附和氧化的原位FTIR研究

运用电化学循环伏安(CV)和原位红外反射光谱(in situ FTIRS)研究了中性介质中L-丝氨酸在Pt电极上的解离吸附和氧化过程. 结果表明, 在中性溶液中, 以两性离子形式存在的丝氨酸可以在很低的电位下(-0.6 V, vs. SCE)在Pt电极表面发生解离吸附, 生成强吸物种一氧化碳(COL)、(COB)和氰负离子(CN-). 研究结果还表明, 当电位低于0.7 V(vs. SCE)时, CN-能稳定存在于电极表面, 抑制丝氨酸的进一步反应. 在更高电位时则主要为丝氨酸分子的氧化过程.