Effects of plasmochemical treatments and cerium additions on the structural characteristics and activity of copper catalyst particles in isopropanol dehydrogenation

Abstract

The effect of the treatment of the 5 wt % Cu/SiO 2 (I) and (5 wt % Cu + 0.5 wt % Ce)/SiO 2 (II) catalysts with glow discharge plasma in O 2 , H 2 , and Ar on their structural characteristics was studied by X ray phase analysis; the influence of cerium additions and plasmochemical treatments on the catalyst activity in isopropanol dehydrogenation was also investigated. Under the plasmochemical treatment, the diameters of Cu particles in catalyst I nearly doubled and microstresses in the metal particles also changed. Catalyst II was X ray amorphous both before and after plasmochemical treatments. The activity of I after plasmochemical treatment increased because of the increase in the number of centers and changes in their composition. Growth of the activity of I compared with the activity of II was explained by the formation of new catalytic centers due to positive charging of the Ce +α adatom on the surface of the copper particle.

Synthesis of supported nanocatalysts via novel non‐thermal plasma methods and its application in catalytic processes

“…Besides the particular processes described above, there are other notable reactions and applications in which the role of the plasma type in changing catalytic parameters especially the activity is investigated. Hydrogenation/dehydrogenation of isopropanol and cyclohexane, higher alcohols synthesis, hydrogenation of acetylene, photocatalytic reactions, methane combustion, and plasma‐treated catalyst execution in proton exchange membrane fuel cell are the examples of such processes.…”