Influence of titanium oxide on the surface interactions of MO (M=Cu and Ni)/γ-Al2O3 catalysts

The influence of titanium oxide on the surface interactions of MO (M=Cu and Ni)/γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts has been studied by using XRD, LRS and XPS. For the catalysts with titania loadings lower than 0.56 mmol Ti⁴⁺/100 m² Al₂O₃ (i.e., the dispersion capacity), the dispersion of MO oxides on the surface of γ-Al₂O₃ support is significantly suppressed by the dispersed Ti⁴⁺ ions. The inhibiting effect is dependent on the properties of MO oxides. When titania loadings are considerably higher than the dispersion capacity, MO oxides exhibit a rather stronger interaction with the formed TiO₂ particles than the γ-Al₂O₃ support, and some of the dispersed M²⁺ ions might be accommodated by the vacant sites on TiO₂. Therefore, the catalysts can be considered as the compositions of MO/TiO₂ and MO/TiO₂/γ-Al₂O₃ (dispersed titania). TPR results show that either dispersed titania or formed TiO₂ particles can promote the reduction of copper oxide species, but the latter to a greater extent. Based on the consideration of the incorporation model, it is proposed that the surface structure of the support plays an important role in surface interactions.