Effects of Cu over Pd based catalysts supported on silica or niobia

Palladium and palladium-copper catalysts supported on silica and niobia were characterized by H2 chemisorption and H2-O2 titration. Systems over silica were also analyzed by transmission electron microscopy and EXAFS. The metallic dispersion decreased from 20% to 7% when the content of Pd was increased from 0.5wt.-% to 3wt.-% in monometallic catalysts. The addition of 3 wt.-% Cu to obtain Pd-Cu catalysts caused a remarkable capacity loss of hydrogen chemisorption. TPR analysis suggested an interaction between the two metals and EXAFS characterization of the catalyst supported on silica confirm...