XPS characterization of the reduction and synthesis behaviour of Co/Mn oxide catalysts for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis

Summary

The surface composition of Co/Mn oxide catalysts after calcination, reduction and during CO hydrogenation experiments were investigated by XPS. The bulk changes during reduction were studied by Temperature Programmed Reduction (TPR). The calcined catalysts showed Co/Mn oxides of different compositions in their surfaces. The Co surface concentration, of the catalysts with high Co content, decreased after calcination compared to the bulk composition, but after reduction the bulk concentration was almost reached again. The catalysts with low Co content showed no decrease in the surface concentrations after calcination. Significant differences in surface concentrations for the catalysts Co20 and Co5 were observed by analysing the Co 2p and 3p levels, respectively; these can be explained by an internal reduction model. After reduction the sample Co100 was completely reduced to metallic cobalt. In the manganese-containing catalysts, after in-situ reduction, Co³⁺ and Co²⁺ were found; all manganese was reduced to Mn²⁺. A comparison of the results of the in-situ reduction and the TPR profiles led to the development of a so called “internal reduction” model. This model assumes migration of the Co²⁺ ions to the reduction front in inner layers of the catalysts, where they will be reduced to metallic cobalt; this is enriched in the bulk and cannot be found at the surface. The manganese matrix stabilizes the surface oxide layer so that all catalysts exhibited Co/Mn spinels in the surface. Synthesis experiments in the reaction chamber of the XPS apparatus did not lead to changes of the catalyst surfaces as a function of the reaction pressure, synthesis time or synthesis gas composition. The differences in the synthesis behaviour observed for the catalysts must be due to other effects, (i.e. a change in adsorption of hydrogen connected with a change in hydrogenation activity or the different cobalt concentrations).