Issue 6, 2016

Continuous flow gas phase photoreforming of methanol at elevated reaction temperatures sensitised by Pt/TiO2

Abstract

Gas phase photoreforming of methanol using a Pt/TiO2 photocatalyst has been performed under flow conditions at elevated temperatures. Comparing the activity of the reforming process as a function of temperature under dark and irradiated conditions shows a significant enhancement in the rate of H2 production using the photo-assisted conditions at temperatures between 100–140 °C. At higher temperatures, the effect of irradiation is small with the process dominated by the thermal process. Deactivation of the catalyst was observed under irradiation but the catalyst was easily regenerated using an oxygen treatment at 120 °C. Diffuse reflectance infra-red Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) showed that the activity of the catalyst could be correlated with the presence of the photogenerated trapped electrons. In addition, lower amounts of CO adsorbed on Pt, compared to those observed in the dark reaction, were found for the UV-irradiated systems. It is proposed that CO and adsorbed intermediates, such as formate, can act as inhibitors in the photoreforming process and this is further supported by the observation that, before and after the regeneration process in O2, the CO and surface adsorbed organic intermediate products are removed and the activity is recovered.

Graphical abstract: Continuous flow gas phase photoreforming of methanol at elevated reaction temperatures sensitised by Pt/TiO2

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
27 Jul 2016
Accepted
30 Sep 2016
First published
11 Oct 2016

React. Chem. Eng., 2016,1, 649-657

Continuous flow gas phase photoreforming of methanol at elevated reaction temperatures sensitised by Pt/TiO2

A. Caravaca, H. Daly, M. Smith, A. Mills, S. Chansai and C. Hardacre, React. Chem. Eng., 2016, 1, 649 DOI: 10.1039/C6RE00140H

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements