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Effect of slurry processing on the properties of catalytically active copper-alumina aerogel material for applications in three-way catalysis

  • Original Paper: Sol-gel and hybrid materials for catalytic, photoelectrochemical and sensor applications
  • Published:
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Abstract

This study examines the catalytic performance of copper-alumina (CuAl) aerogel which is a possible alternative to the use of precious metals in automotive exhaust treatment systems which require simultaneous conversion of carbon monoxide, unburnt hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides. To be a viable alternative, the aerogel materials need to withstand a slurrying process to enable coating onto a substrate and they need to maintain performance in a humid environment typical of what is seen in automotive exhaust. In this study, we slurried heat-treated copper-alumina aerogels in an acidic (pH ~4) aqueous solution under mechanical stirring. The solution was subsequently dried at 60 °C under ambient pressure conditions. Physical properties of slurried CuAl aerogel (surface area, X-ray diffraction, morphology) were similar to those of non-slurried materials. Catalytic testing in a simulated automotive exhaust environment demonstrated that the aerogels can survive exposure to humidity. The ability of the slurried and non-slurried aerogels to oxidize propene and carbon monoxide was similar under dry and humid conditions. In a high-O2 environment adding humidity degraded catalytic performance while in a low-O2 environment the humidity improved performance. The catalytic performance toward nitrogen monoxide was less consistent: the slurried sample did not perform as well as the non-slurried sample under any conditions.

Copper-alumina aerogels can be slurried and exposed to a humid exhaust stream and maintain three-way catalytic performance. The figures on the left show images of the material as prepared, and after heat treatment. Pore volume is reduced after heat treatment and slurrying. The images on the right show catalytic performance for CO in dry and humid conditions.

Highlights

  • Slurried copper-alumina aerogel largely maintains its physical structure.

  • Slurried copper-alumina aerogel shows three-way catalytic activity.

  • Copper-alumina aerogel is catalytically active in a humid simulated exhaust stream.

  • Light-off temperatures for copper-alumina aerogel are higher in humid exhaust.

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Acknowledgements

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under Grants No. IIP-1918217, IIP-1823899, DMR-1828144 and CBET-1228851. The funding source was not involved in conducting this research or preparing the manuscript. We thank Diana Lang for preliminary experimental work and Chris O’Brien for help with the UCAT testing. We are grateful to Rebecca Cortez and Yijing Stehle for discussions regarding interpretation of the AFM data.

Author Contributions

AMA: Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, Data Curation, Writing—Original Draft, Writing—Review & Editing, Supervision, Project administration, Funding acquisition BAB: Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, Data Curation, Writing—Original Draft, Writing—Review & Editing, Supervision, Project administration, Funding acquisition JS: Writing—Review & Editing, Investigation, Data Curation CA: Writing—Review & Editing, Investigation, Data Curation MKC: Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, Data Curation, Writing—Original Draft, Writing—Review & Editing, Supervision, Project administration, Funding acquisition.

Funding

This work was supported by National Science Foundation (NSF) Grants No. IIP-1918217, IIP-1823899, DMR-1828144 and CBET-1228851.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Union College, Schenectady, NY, 12308, USA

    Ann M. Anderson, Bradford A. Bruno & Joana Santos

  2. Department of Chemistry, Union College, Schenectady, NY, 12308, USA

    Chris Avanessian & Mary K. Carroll

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  1. Ann M. Anderson
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  2. Bradford A. Bruno
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Correspondence to Ann M. Anderson.

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Anderson, A.M., Bruno, B.A., Santos, J. et al. Effect of slurry processing on the properties of catalytically active copper-alumina aerogel material for applications in three-way catalysis. J Sol-Gel Sci Technol 102, 422–436 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-022-05757-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-022-05757-5

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