Abstract
A novel method for the preparation of α-alumina foams with P-γ-Al2O3 modified coating for the palladium catalysts was proposed. The polyurethane template method was used and the preparation parameters were optimized. The apparent porosity of the ceramic foam is 90.28%, the bulk density is 0.45 g·c
Pd catalysts with unfilled d-electron orbitals have the advantages of ligand diversity and good capacity to absorb/detach groups, therefore being essential in catalytic engineering, waste gas treatmen
Doping metallic elements, such as Ba, Ce, and M
Normally, the catalytic carriers are granula
In this research, α-Al2O3 foams modified by γ-Al2O3 coating doped with P element were prepared and used for Pd catalysts. The preparation of α-Al2O3 foam ceramics involves the poly-urethane template and the impregnation-blowing-drying-sintering process. Thus, the influence of process parameters on the foam properties was investigated. The foam carriers were modified by P-doped γ-Al2O3 coating, and the Pd cata-lysts were prepared by the ultrasound-assisted impregnation and roasting-reduction procedures. The catalytic combustion activity at low CO content was evaluated, and the modification mechanism of the coatings was discussed. This research presented the great practical potential of low-cost modified α-Al2O3 ceramic foams in the palladium catalyst production.
The ratio of raw material slurry used in this research is shown in
Specimen | Raw material/g | Solid content/wt% | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Al2O3 | PVA | Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) | Nonionic polyacrylamide (NPAM) | Polyacrylic amide (PAM) | H2O | ||
A1 | 19 | 0.3 | - | 0.2 | 0.5 | 80 | 20 |
B1 | 19 | - | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 80 | 20 |
A2 | 24 | 0.3 | - | 0.2 | 0.5 | 75 | 25 |
B2 | 24 | - | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 75 | 25 |
A3 | 29 | 0.3 | - | 0.2 | 0.5 | 70 | 30 |
B3 | 29 | - | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 70 | 30 |
A4 | 34 | 0.3 | - | 0.2 | 0.5 | 65 | 35 |
B4 | 34 | - | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 65 | 35 |
A5 | 39 | 0.3 | - | 0.2 | 0.5 | 60 | 40 |
B5 | 39 | - | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 60 | 40 |
A6 | 44 | 0.3 | - | 0.2 | 0.5 | 55 | 45 |
B6 | 44 | - | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 55 | 45 |

Fig.1 Heating procedures for foam preparation with different heating rates at 200‒500 °C
The coating slurry was γ-Al2O3 and γ-Al2O3 doped with 3wt% phosphoric acid. The coating specimens were immersed in the slurry and blown to remove the excess slurry. The coating specimens were calcined at 600 °C for 6 h. The uncoated foam, the foam with γ-Al2O3 coating, and the foam with P-modified γ-Al2O3 coating were named α-A, γ/α-A, and P(γ/α-A), respectively. Before the catalyst preparation, the con-taminants in the carrier pores must be eliminated by high temperature treatment for a long time.
The active Pd substance of 8wt% was loaded on the foam by impregnation method. The palladium nitrate solution was diluted by ammonia with the equal volume. Then the foam carriers were immersed in the diluted palladium nitrate solution and placed in an ultrasonic dispersion apparatus for 1 h. Afterwards, the foam carriers with Pd solution were heated by water bath for 1 h and left to stand for 12 h. Finally, the foam was taken out of the solution and dried in an oven for 2 h. The dried specimens were then roasted at 350 °C for 2 h in a muffle furnace. The catalyst was reduced by 2wt% hydrazine hydrate solution for 12 h and then washed by deionized water before use. The catalysts formed by α-A, γ/α-A, and P(γ/α-A) foams were named as Pd-(α-A), Pd- (γ/α-A), and Pd-P(γ/α-A), respectively.
The thermal stability and volatilization temperature of polyurethane templates were examined by the NETZSCH STA-449F3 thermogravimetric analysis instrument. The apparent porosity of post-fired ceramic foams was examined by the Archimedes method according to GB/T 2997-2005 standard, and the bulk density of the ceramic foams was determined according to GB/T 2999-2016 standard. The post-fired length of the specimens was measured by MNT-150T vernier caliper (Shanghai Menet Industrial Co., Ltd), and the post-fired linear shrinkage of porous foam ceramics was calculated according to GB/T 5988-2007 standard. The compressive strength of the specimens was determined by CMT5105 electronic universal testing machine (Shenzhen New Sansi Materials Testing Co., Ltd). Thermo Fisher Scientific MARS40 rheometer was used to study the rheological properties of slurry. The foam morphology was observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM, Quanta 250
FEG, FEI, USA).
The X'Pert PRO MPD X-ray diffractometer (XRD) was used to analyze the phase composition of the foam carriers and catalysts. X-ray photoelectron spectroscope (XPS) with Thermo Scientific K-Alpha equipment was used to determine the valence of the catalytic active Pd component. The specific surface area (BET) of foams and catalysts was calculated by the Quantachrome 4000E equipment and porosity analyzer. The AutoChem1 II Model 2920 programmed temperature rise chemisorption analyzer (TPD) was used to analyze the surface properties of the specimens. The catalyst morphology was also studied by SEM. The EDAX TEAMEDS energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) was used to investigate the element distribution on the catalyst surface.
In the quartz tube type atmospheric pressure flow-through fixed bed reactor, the oxidation of CO with low content was conducted as a model reaction. The ratio of feeding gas was CO:O2:N2=1:10:89, and the total gas flow rate was 50 mL·mi
The bulk density, apparent porosity, mechanical strength, and carrier quality can be improved by optimizing the process parameters, thus reflecting the influence of process parameters on the properties of foam ceramics. The template is crucial. The foam surface was processed by strong alkali NaOH solution and PVA to eliminate the surface interlayer and increase the surface roughness, because the smooth and hydrophobic surface cannot be uniformly covered by water-based ceramic slurry. The thermogravimetric (TG) curves and differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) curves of polyure-thane foam are shown in

Fig.2 TG and DSC curves of polyurethane foam template
Heating rate/°C·mi | Linear shrinkage/% | Specimen integrity | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Height | Length | Width | ||
1 | 8.7 | 12.5 | 11.8 | Complete |
2 | 11.4 | 12.7 | 13.6 | Complete |
3 | 13.5 | 16.3 | 16.8 | Complete |
4 | 17.6 | 20.4 | 22.3 | Defected |
5 | - | Collapse |

Fig.3 SEM morphologies of ceramic pillar surface (a), mesh structure (b), cross-sectional triangular pores (c), and grains (d) in α-Al2O3 ceramic foams
The preparation procedure and performance of ceramic foams are also influenced by the slurry and template.

Fig.4 Apparent porosity and bulk density of ceramic foams (a) and templates (d); rheological properties of slurries (b); compressive strength of ceramic foams (c)
CMC molecular chains have strong intermolecular forces, which can form a solid grid structure. The alumina particles enter into the grid and are tightly bonded, thus reducing the zeta potential and presenting good bonding performance. Similarly, PVA is a water-soluble polymer made of polyvinyl acetate alcohol, and the hydrolysis produces a large number of hydrophilic hydroxyl groups, thus forming a stable macromolecular network structure between the molecules, which can be adsorbed on the particle surface and promote the particle slip, adhesion, and plasticity. CMC and PVA have similar rheological properties, which present the shear-thinning effect at low shear rates and shear-thickening effect at high shear rates, as shown in
XRD patterns of the foam and catalysts are shown in

Fig.5 XRD patterns of foam and different foam catalysts
PdNO3 combining with ammonia during the impregnation process can generate [Pd(NH4)4](NO3)2, which adheres to the alumina foam carrier and then is transformed to the stable palladium oxide by roasting. The alkaline impregnation solution reduces the acidic strength of carrier and increases the hydrothermal stability and activity of catalyst under certain conditions.

Fig.6 XPS spectra of Pd (a) and P (b) in foam catalyst
The surface areas of different foam catalysts were measured by the nitrogen adsorption method. The specific surface area BET and pore volume of these specimens are summarized in
Specimen | Coating content/wt% | Foam content/wt% | BET/ | Pore volume/ c |
---|---|---|---|---|
α-A | 0.00 | 100.00 | 1.3633 | 0.0020 |
Pd-(α-A) | 0.00 | 100.00 | 0.8288 | 0.0010 |
Pd-(γ/α-A) | 0.89 | 99.11 | 4.5918 | 0.0423 |
Pd-(γ/α-A) | 2.34 | 97.66 | 17.8655 | 0.1293 |
Pd-P(γ/α-A) | 2.22 | 97.78 | 13.1900 | 0.0856 |
SEM morphologies and corresponding EDS element distributions are shown in

Fig.7 SEM morphologies (a‒c) and corresponding EDS element distributions (d‒f) of Pd-(α-A) (a, d), Pd-(γ/α-A) (b, e), and Pd-P(γ/α-A) (c, f) foam catalysts
The acidic properties of all foam catalysts were measured by NH3-TPD method at 50‒600 °C, as shown in Fig.8. It can be seen that the peaks at temperatures below 250 °C corre-spond to the weakly acidic sites, while those at temperatures above 250 °C correspond to the strongly acidic sites. There are two stages: one is the surface hydroxyl groups (-OH) serving as Bronsted acid sites by releasing a proton, and the other is the cationic metal centers acting as Lewis acid site
The direct combustion temperature of CO in industrial waste gas treatment and automotive exhaust treatment is 650‒800 °C, while the catalytic combustion temperature is 250‒400 °C. Generally, the complete oxidation temperature of CO is 300 °C. Huang et a
Fig.9 shows the CO catalytic performance curves of differ-ent catalysts. For the Pd-(α-A), Pd-(γ/α-A), and Pd-P(γ/α-A) catalysts, the temperatures for 50% conversion (T50) are 198, 210, and 247 °C, and the temperatures for 90% conversion (T90) are 216, 219, and 270 °C, respectively. It is found that the catalytic temperature of catalyst with P-modified coating decreases by about 50 °C, compared with that of the Pd-(α-A) catalyst. The improved performance is due to the increased specific surface area, increased Bronsted acidic sites, and decreased strongly acidic sites.
1) The polyurethane template with pore density of 25 PPI (PPI stands for the pores per linear inch) and PVA binder shows the optimal properties.
2) The temperature should be 200‒500 °C at heating rate of 1 °C·mi
3) The P-modified alumina coating can enhance the adsorption of active phase of the ceramic foams, inhibit the Pd oxidation, increase the specific surface area and weakly acidic sites, and reduce the strongly acidic sites. In addition, the temperature for CO conversion reduces by more than 50 °C, compared with that without coating.
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