Back to homepage utwente.nl
CO oxidation on Pt/Al2O3 in water monitored with ATR-IR
Sune Ebbesen has demonstrated that the properties of CO adsorbed on small Pt particles supported by alumina, can be excellently monitored with FT-Infra-Red spectroscopy. Key issue in to prepare a stable and well controlled very this layer on an ATR (Attenuated Total Reflection) crystal. It has been observed that the presence of water significantly influences both the properties of the C-O bond of the adsorbed molecule as well as its reactivity towards oxygen. Also, the pH of the aqueous phase was shown to have a significant effect on both properties. It could be deduced that two phenomena are contributing to the observed effects: at one hand a direct interaction of the solvent with the adsorbed CO molecules and at the other hand an indirect effect via the electronic properties on the Pt particles.
