The influence of cobalt particle size in the range of 2.6-27 nm on the performance in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis has been investigated for the first time using well-defined catalysts based on an inert carbon nanofibers support material. X-ray absorption spectroscopy revealed that cobalt was metallic, even for small particle sizes, after the in situ reduction treatment, which is a prerequisite for catalytic operation and is difficult to achieve using traditional oxidic supports. The turnover frequency (TOF) for CO hydrogenation was independent of cobalt particle size for catalysts with sizes larger than 6 nm (1 bar) or 8 nm (35 bar), while both the selectivity and the activity changed for catalysts with smaller particles. At 35 bar, the TOF decreased from 23 x 10(-3) to 1.4 x 10(-3) s(-1), while the C5+ selectivity decreased from 85 to 51 wt % when the cobalt particle size was reduced from 16 to 2.6 nm. This demonstrates that the minimal required cobalt particle size for Fischer-Tropsch catalysis is larger (6-8 nm) than can be explained by classical structure sensitivity. Other explanations raised in the literature, such as formation of CoO or Co carbide species on small particles during catalytic testing, were not substantiated by experimental evidence from X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Interestingly, we found with EXAFS a decrease of the cobalt coordination number under reaction conditions, which points to reconstruction of the cobalt particles. It is argued that the cobalt particle size effects can be attributed to nonclassical structure sensitivity in combination with CO-induced surface reconstruction. The profound influences of particle size may be important for the design of new Fischer-Tropsch catalysts.

The adsorption of CO on Co(0001) has been investigated in situ by polarization modulation infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (PM-RAIRS), which has been applied for the first time in a study of a model system for a heterogeneous catalyst. The CO/Co(0001) system was studied in the pressure range from 10 -10 to 600 mbar at temperatures between 300 and 550 K, showing the in situ potential of PM-RAIRS and the significant scope of this method for catalysis research. Linearly and bridge-bonded CO species could be distinguished on well-annealed surfaces. High-pressure RAIRS experiments done at room temperature were in agreement with previous low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) investigations in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) at 100 K, 3,4 indicating a transition in the CO layer from a ( 3 × 3)R30°to a (2 3 × 2 3)R30°structure with increasing CO coverage. By comparison of well-annealed and Ar-sputtered (defective) surfaces, we could identify, at a high frequency of around 2080 cm -1 , a CO species attached to defect sites. It is shown that annealing at 450-490 K at 100 mbar of CO pressure leads to the creation of defects at the cobalt surface. The defects influence the structure of the CO overlayer. The nature of this "defect"-bound CO is discussed. Postreaction X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) showed the development of surface carbide upon annealing in CO, which is in good agreement with the vanishing of the RAIRS signal of adsorbed CO at temperatures above 520 K.

No abstract