title: Exceptional activity for methane combustion over modular Pd@CeO2 subunits on functionalized Al2O3.
abstract: There is a critical need for improved methane-oxidation catalysts to both reduce emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas, and improve the performance of gas turbines. However, materials that are currently available either have low activity below 400°C or are unstable at higher temperatures. Here, we describe a supramolecular approach in which single units composed of a palladium (Pd) core and a ceria (CeO(2)) shell are preorganized in solution and then homogeneously deposited onto a modified hydrophobic alumina. Electron microscopy and other structural methods revealed that the Pd cores remained isolated even after heating the catalyst to 850°C. Enhanced metal-support interactions led to exceptionally high methane oxidation, with complete conversion below 400°C and outstanding thermal stability under demanding conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, ICCOM-CNR, Consortium INSTM, University of Trieste, via L. Giorgieri 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cargnello
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Delgado Jaén
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Hernández Garrido
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bakhmutsky
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Montini
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Calvino Gámez
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Gorte
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fornasiero