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Hydrogen production by photocatalytic reforming of aqueous solutions of ethanol and glycerol was studied with the use of impregnated and embedded CuO(x)/TiO(2) photocatalysts. Embedded CuO(x)@TiO(2) was prepared by a water-in-oil microemulsion method, which consists in the formation of Cu nanoparticles in the microemulsion followed by controlled hydrolysis and condensation of tetraisopropyl orthotitanate with the aim of covering the protected metal particles with a surrounding layer of porous titanium oxyhydroxide. Mild calcination leads to the complete removal of the organic residues, the crystallization of TiO(2), and an unavoidable oxidation of copper. Two reference samples were prepared by classical wet impregnation of preformed TiO(2) with different ratios of anatase, rutile, and brookite polymorphs. The two supports were prepared by sol-gel (TiO(2)-SG) and microemulsion (TiO(2)-ME) methods. Superior performances have been observed for the embedded system, which shows higher hydrogen production rates with respect to the impregnated systems using either ethanol or glycerol as sacrificial molecules. Deep structural characterization of the materials has been performed by coupling high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), high angle annular dark field-scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM), X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS), and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) techniques. Correlation between copper oxidation state and its dispersion and reactivity has been attempted. Finally, the stability of the CuO(x)/TiO(2) catalysts was also studied with respect to carbonaceous deposits and copper leaching.

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International audienceThe textural and structural properties of high specific surface area (HS) CexZr1-xO2 mixed oxides (CeZrMO) and their modification upon thermal aging have been investigated. Results from BET area determination and complete porosity analysis, as well as high-resolution electron microscopy, XRD, Raman and FTIR spectroscopies are presented. Some relationships between the molar composition of the binary systems and their textural and structural properties are presented. In addition, it has been possible to propose an explanation for structural features of the mixed oxides (solid-solution structures and possible phase segregation) as a function of Ce content, a point of great interest for the knowledge of phase composition and stability of CeZrMO

The relationship existing between aging conditions, redox behavior, and surface/bulk structural properties of two thermally aged ceria-zirconia mixed oxides, CZ-MO and CZ-SO, is analyzed. The samples were prepared by applying to a fresh Ce 0.62 Zr 0.38 O 2 mixed oxide two alternative aging routines consisting of a reduction with H 2 at 1223 K (5 h), followed by either a mild, CZ-MO, or severe, CZ-SO, re-oxidation treatment. By combining high-resolution electron microscopy and a number of chemical charcterization techniques, it is shown that the nanostructure of the aged oxides, specifically the total amount and surface presence of the phase exhibiting an ordered cationic sublattice (κ-like phase), is a key factor in determining their redox response. In the low-temperature reduction range (T redn e 773 K), the enhanced reducibility of the CZ-MO sample is proposed to be kinetically controlled by its surface structure mainly consisting of the κ-like phase. In accordance with the reported results, the surface activation of the H 2 molecule, much faster on the CZ-MO sample, is proposed to be the rate controlling step of the overall reduction process. This proposal was further confirmed by the dramatic downward shift observed in the temperatureprogrammed reduction diagrams recorded for the corresponding oxide-supported rhodium samples. By contrast, in the high-temperature reduction range (T redn g 973 K), the observed difference of reducibility, higher in the case of the CZ-MO sample, is interpreted as due to thermodynamic factors related to the nature of the predominant cationic sublattice structure, ordered for CZ-MO and disordered in the case of the CZ-SO sample.

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