Surface property-activity relations of Co/Sn oxide nanocatalysts evaluated using a model reaction: Surface characterization study

Title : Surface property-activity relations of Co/Sn oxide nanocatalysts evaluated using a model reaction: Surface characterization study

Abstract:

Herein we report on the synthesis, characterization and catalytic evaluation of cobalt (Co) and tin (Sn) oxide catalysts synthesized via the sol-gel approach. Preliminary characterization using nitrogen sorption measurements show the materials as mesoporous with relatively high surface area. The catalyst with the least amount of Co had the highest surface area (146 m2/g) compared to the catalysts with the highest amount of Co. Furthermore, temperature- programmed reduction (H2-TPR) was used to study the redox properties of the catalysts. The H2-TPR analysis revealed that the catalysts are only reduced at relatively high temperatures (> 300 °C). While the temperature-programmed desorptions using ammonia (NH3-TPD) and carbon dioxide (CO2-TPD) results suggest that the total amount of acidic and basic sites is the function of different amounts of metal content in the catalytic materials. The catalyst with the least amount of Co appeared to have the highest number of acidic sites compared to other catalysts. Evaluation of the catalytic activity was studied using oxidation of morin as model reaction. The catalyst with the least amount of Co, (Co0.3Sn0.7Ox) appeared to be the most active catalyst.

Biography:

Ndzondelelo Bingwa graduated in chemistry in 2012 from Walter Sisulu University (Eastern Cape, South Africa) and received his PhD at the University of Johannesburg (Johannesburg, South Africa) in 2018. He is working as a lecturer in the department of Chemical Sciences of the University of Johannesburg since his Ph.D graduation. His research focus is mainly on the synthesis of reducible mesoporous metal oxides for use as catalytically active supports for immobilization of various nanoparticles. Ndzondelelo is the author of several international peer-reviewed articles.