Remarks on the passivation of reduced Cu-, Ni-, Fe-, Co-based catalysts

• Catalysts containing metals such as Cu, Ni, Fe, Co in their reduced state are often subjected to passivation procedures prior to characterization. Passivation with N2O or O-2 to create a protective oxide layer also results in a certain degree of sub-surface oxidation. The heat released during oxidation is a critical parameter. The extent of bulk oxidation depends on the type of oxidant as well as on the size of the metal particles, as shown for copper catalysts. The final, meta-stable passivation layer requires a certain thickness to sustain exposure to ambient atmosphere. The encapsulation of metal particles in carbon is an efficient method for preserving the metallic state, as demonstrated for metallic nickel and iron with carbon nanofibers. The use of passivated samples for characterization of the active, i.e., reduced, catalyst has limited value.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Kemi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Chemical Sciences (hsv//eng)

Keyword

passivation

encapsulation

reduced metals

Cu

Ni

Fe

Co

surface and bulk oxidation

O-2

N2O

CO2

carbon

Chemistry

Kemi

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)