The photocatalytic reforming of methanol

Dickinson, Amanda; James, David W.; Perkins, Neil D.; Cassidy, T.J.; Bowker, Michael

doi:10.1016/s1381-1169(99)00085-0

Cited by 77 publications

(81 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…This is broadly similar to the behaviour for Pd [1,5], but only a single maximum was seen in that case. That maximum was proposed to be due to the nature of the active site for the reaction, which takes place at the interface between the metal nanoparticles and the support where all the reactants (adsorbed methanol, light-excited electrons and adsorbed water) can be brought together [1,5]. Thus this is an example of catalysis at a boundary between metallic and oxidic phases.…”

supporting

confidence: 81%

“…The equipment used in this work was reported by us previously [1,2]. It consists of a Pyrex reaction flask, with a purge line and a septum for gas sampling.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous work in this group [1][2][3][4][5][6] has involved the study of the photocatalytic production of hydrogen from various reactant mixtures, including water alone [2] but especially those containing methanol, water, and a photocatalyst (usually Pd/TiO2) under anaerobic conditions. We and others [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] have shown that methanol reforming can occur on such catalysts at ambient temperature using light.The overall reaction can be written as follows, namely as the water reforming of methanol -The light has to have energy greater than the band gap of the titania support in order to store energy to drive the reaction, that is greater than around 3.2 eV, corresponding to a wavelength of around 350 nm.Gold has recently received a great deal of attention [11-13] due to its unexpected catalytic qualities. This is usually attributed to the small size of the particles in most catalysts and its manner of interaction with the support.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the current paper we report that Au/TiO2 catalysts have surprisingly high activity, compared with other supported metals, for methanol reforming with water. We are also interested in the comparison of this reactivity with other metals, and in any differences in the mechanism of the reaction between them.The equipment used in this work was reported by us previously [1,2]. It consists of a Pyrex reaction flask, with a purge line and a septum for gas sampling.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the rates of this reaction are quite low and so the work described here focuses on the room temperature reforming of methanol, which does effectively split water. Previous work in this group [1][2][3][4][5][6] has involved the study of the photocatalytic production of hydrogen from various reactant mixtures, including water alone [2] but especially those containing methanol, water, and a photocatalyst (usually Pd/TiO2) under anaerobic conditions. We and others [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] have shown that methanol reforming can occur on such catalysts at ambient temperature using light.The overall reaction can be written as follows, namely as the water reforming of methanol -…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Photocatalysis by au nanoparticles: Reforming of methanol

et al. 2004

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Au/TiO2 catalysts were prepared by incipient wetness impregnation and tested for the room temperature photocatalytic reforming of methanol in aqueous solution to produce hydrogen. These catalysts proved to be active for this reaction, with the dependence on loading of gold showing a double maximum in yield at 0.2 and 2 weight % with a low rate below 0.01% and above 10%. A model is proposed for the reaction, involving band gap excitation of titania electrons to produce O -species which are then used to oxidise the methanol via adsorbed methoxy, which is formed by dehydrogenation on the metal component. The reaction is truly bi-functional and only takes place at the interface between the metal and the support.An ideal for the future well-being of the human population of the world (and for the biota as a whole) is to find an energy source which has the following properties: 1 It must be environmentally benign, producing minimal pollution of any kind, and taking up as little useful space as possible; 2 It must have usable energy density; 3 It should be usable on a local basis -strategically eliminating dependence upon external influences; 4 It should be economically viable, which is not as simple a point as might at first be imagined, since it involves future costs of materials and government subsidies which are currently in place for various energy sources (nuclear, for instance) and which will, in turn, relate closely to item 3;5 It needs to be technologically feasible and available. In many ways hydrogen best fits most of these points, except for 4. It fits 1, provided that it is part of a cycle, that is hydrogen is produced from water and is burned back to water to produce energy from the exothermic oxidation of hydrogen. 2 also applies, but only if the hydrogen is used at the source of production, or is transported in a densified form (for instance, as a liquid, a high pressure gas, or condensed into a microporous high surface area solid). The technology is currently available to achieve 3 and 5, though the technology certainly can be improved. 4 is the main problem, but as stated above, hydrogen may well become economically viable in the event of a big increase in the price of oil or big taxes on fossil fuels more generally, related to the pollution they cause and their strong connection to global warming. More importantly for the West, that part of the world is currently unrealistically dependent on oil supplies from unstable parts of the world. Any responsible Western state should be investing VERY heavily, right now, in alternative energy sources, one of these being renewable and minimally-polluting hydrogen production.The objective of this paper, then, is to describe one method of producing hydrogen, that is, by using photocatalysis, which has the potential to be used to split water using sunlight. However, the rates of this reaction are quite low and so the work described here focuses on the room temperature reforming of methanol, which does effectively split water. Previous work in this group [1]...

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supporting

confidence: 81%

“…The equipment used in this work was reported by us previously [1,2]. It consists of a Pyrex reaction flask, with a purge line and a septum for gas sampling.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%