Thermal stability of Pt/Al2O3 catalysts prepared by sol-gel

A series of Pt/Al2O3 catalysts were prepared using a sol-gel method. The influence of several parameters used in the synthesis including: metal content, identity of the metal precursor, and the water/alkoxide ratio on the structural properties of the fresh (dried) and calcined samples were studied. It was found that the BET surface area decreased with an increase in the platinum content. A surface area of 500 m(2)/g was obtained following calcination at 773 K. The structure of fresh samples as determined by FTIR corresponded to that of a pseudoboehmite structure. Samples prepared using a water/alkoxide ratio (H2O/ ATB) of 9 showed a well-defined, uniform pore size distribution following calcination at 773 K. Metal dispersions comparable to those obtained using impregnation methods were obtained. Aging studies (calcination at 873 K for 24 h) performed on these catalysts, exhibited sintering behavior which were similar to Pt/Al2O3 catalysts prepared by other methods. The sample prepared using a H2O/ATB ratio of 9 had the highest surface area and was more thermally resistant towards metal sintering. A bimodal metal particle size distribution was observed: some particles exhibited sintering while others of similar size showed a greater thermal stability to sintering. The sample having the largest surface area and the highest thermal stability following thermal treatment was a consequence of a more condensed structure and a higher pore roughness obtained after drying the gel. This enabled the formation of an alumina structure which was more amorphous and limited aggregation of platinum particles due to surface diffusion within the pore structure. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science (USA).