Effects of gold and platinum on the activity of catalysts for the complete oxidation reaction of hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide

This study presents synthesis results of catalysts made of perovskite-like oxide La2-xSrxCuO4 (x=0.0, 0.5, 1.0) using the citrate method and crystallisation at 800°C. The structure of the catalysts was characterised by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The perovskite- like oxide catalyst activity was enhanced with gold (Au) and platinum (Pt). Au was mounted on the perovskite-like oxide catalysts by the sol-gel method. The activity of the perovskite-like oxide La2-xSrxCuO4 (x=0.0, 0.5, 1.0) and the perovskite catalyst LaMnO3/ LaCuO3 was evaluated by complete oxidation of volatile hydrocarbons (HCs) in a mixture of toluene and methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) and carbon monoxide (CO) in a microflow analysis system combined with gas chromatography. The results showed that the light-off temperature (the 50% conversion temperature of the catalysts) of the Pt, Au/perovskite catalyst samples decreased significantly. The light-off temperature of the Au/LaSrCuO4 Au nanoparticle catalysts in the complete CO oxidation reaction reached a temperature of 150°C, lower than the Pt/LaSrCuO4 catalyst (170°C), allowing replacement of previous Pt catalysts with Au nanoparticle catalysts. The LaSrCuO4 catalyst had better oxidising activities than the La2CuO4 catalyst, indicating that the addition of strontium (Sr) has increased the catalyst activity, and demonstrates the potential for application in catalytic converters in motorcycles.