Synthesis, characterization and catalytic application of cerium-modified MCM-41

The nanostructured CeMCM-41 material was synthesized by the hydrothermal method, using cethyltrimethylammonium bromide as template. The sample was characterized by X-ray diffraction, energy-disperse X-ray, thermogravimetry, nitrogen adsorption isotherm and pore size distribution. The specific surface area of CeMCM-41 was equivalent to 850 m2 g−1, with the pore width and mesopore volume of 3.8 nm and 0.8 cm3 g−1, respectively. To evaluate the catalytic performance of the CeMCM-41, a mass of ca. 0.1 g was heated from room temperature up to 723 K at heating hate of 10°C min−1 using oxygen flowing at 50 ml min−1. The CeMCM-41 was tested as catalyst for n-heptane oxidation, in a fixed-bed continuous-flow reactor, at 723 K and F/W ratio (molar flow of reactant per mass of catalyst) of 0.4–0.6 g h mol−1. The obtained products were analyzed in a gas chromatograph coupled to a mass spectrometer. The GC-MS analysis revealed that the main oxidation products obtained were typically CO and CO2, with 12% of hydrocarbon conversion. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]