(247e) Size Dependence of Sulfur Deactivation Using Silica – Supported Platinum Nanoparticles

Sulfur poisoning is of large concern in the fossil fuel and the renewable energy industries. A working hypothesis is that an optimal particle size exists because small particles, with their unsaturated coordinated surfaces, will bind sulfur strongly as compared to the surfaces of larger particles and large particles have a low surface to bulk ratio as compared to small particles.

For this project, the sulfur tolerance of four different sizes of silica – supported Pt nanoparticles are tested using ethylene hydrogenation as a probe reaction. These particles were synthesized using colloidal synthesis and immobilized on silica. The catalyts were characterized using transmission electron microscopy, X – ray diffraction, and temperature programmed experiments using a mass spectrometer. The sizes determined as 2.0, 3.4, 4.3, and 6.8 nm. Using mass spectrometry and gas chromatography for analysis, the sulfur tolerance was tested by performing an ethylene hydrogenation reaction with and without sulfur treatment.