Arrigo, R 
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2877-8733 and Schuster, ME
2019,
'On the high structural heterogeneity of Fe impregnated graphite-carbon catalysts from Fe nitrate precursor'
, Catalysts, 9 (4)
, p. 303.
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Abstract
Wet impregnation is broadly applied for the synthesis of carbon supported metal/metal oxide nanostructures because of its high flexibility, simplicity and low cost. By contrast, impregnated catalysts are typified by a usually undesired nanostructural and morphological heterogeneity of the supported phase resulting from a poor stabilization at the support surface. This study on graphite-supported Fe based materials from Fe nitrate precursor is concerned with the understanding of the chemistry that dictates during the multi-step synthesis, which is key to designing structurally homogeneous catalysts. By means of core level X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, near edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy and atomic resolution electron microscopy, we not only found a large variety of particles sizes and morphologies but also chemical phases. Herein, thermally stable single atoms and few atoms clusters are identified together with large agglomerates of an oxy-hydroxide ferrihydrite-like phase. Moreover, the thermally induced phase transformation of the initially poorly ordered oxy-hydroxide phase into several oxide phases is revealed, together with the existence of thermally stable N impurities retained in the structure as Fe-N-O bonds. The nature of the interactions with the support and the structural dynamics induced by the thermal treatment rationalize the high heterogeneity observed in these catalysts.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Schools: | Schools > School of Environment and Life Sciences > Biomedical Research Centre |
| Journal or Publication Title: | Catalysts |
| Publisher: | MDPI |
| ISSN: | 2073-4344 |
| Related URLs: | |
| Depositing User: | USIR Admin |
| Date Deposited: | 26 Mar 2019 08:34 |
| Last Modified: | 04 Apr 2019 14:00 |
| URI: | http://usir.salford.ac.uk/id/eprint/50632 |
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