Abstract
A series of supported WO3/TiO2 catalysts was prepared by a new synthesis procedure involving co-precipitation of an aqueous TiO(OH)2 and (NH4)10W12O41*5H2O slurry under controlled pH conditions. The morphological properties, molecular structures, surface acidity and surface chemistry of the supported WO3/TiO2 catalysts were determined with BET, in situ Raman, in situ IR and temperature-programmed surface reaction (TPSR) spectroscopy, respectively. Isotopic 18O-16O exchange demonstrated that tungsten oxide was exclusively present as surface WOx species on the TiO2 support with mono-oxo W=O coordination. In contrast to previous studies employing impregnation synthesis that found only surface one mono-oxo O=WO4 site on TiO2, the co-precipitation procedure resulted in the formation of two distinct surface WOx species: mono-oxo O=WO4 (~1010-1017 cm-1) on low defect density patches of TiO2 and a second mono-oxo O=WO4 (~983-986 cm-1) on high defect density patches of TiO2. The concentration of the second WOx surface species increases as a function of solution pH. Both surface WOx sites, however, exhibited the same NO/NH3 SCR reactivity. The co-precipitated WO3-TiO2 catalysts synthesized in alkaline solutions exhibited enhanced performance for the NO/NH3 SCR reaction that is ascribed to the greater number of surface defects on the resulting TiO2 support. For the co-precipitated catalyst prepared at pH10, surface NH4+ species on Brønsted acid sites were found to be more reactive than surface NH3* species on Lewis acid sites for SCR of NO with NH3.
