A method of making a catalyst for use in automotive exhaust gas treatment

Abstract: A method of making a three-way catalyst based on platinum group metals, comprising: (a) impregnating an alumina substrate with a platinum group metal ion by contacting such substrate with an aqueous solution containing the platinum group metal in an amount of 0.1-5% by weight of alumina substrate and a water soluble acid that forms RCOOH with R being an alkyl or equivalent, said acid being present in an amount of 10-120% by weight of the alumina substrate, the pH of said solution being less than 4.0; and (b) drying and calcining the wetted substrate without sintering said substrate. The three-way catalyst construction based on platinum group metals has enhanced catalytic activity. It comprises an alumina substrate and a platinum group metal impregnation layer thereover, said impregnation layer being comprised of raft-like particle structures, each having increased metal density resulting from the nesting of both small and large metal particles within a given volume.

Description: This invention relates to a method of making a catalyst for use in automotive exhaust gas treatment. Most commercial applications of precious metals as catalysts use a procedure that coats a substrate with an aqueous solution containing precious metal salt solutions such as chloroplatinic acid to deposit platinum, or rhodium nitrate to deposit rhodium, or palladium nitrate to deposit palladium. The coated substrate is dried at about 393 K and then calcined from 650-900 K to decompose the salts to their respective metal and/or metal oxide particles. The dispersion distribution for each metal resulting from this procedure can be quantitatively characterised as a benchmark, as measured from the activity of these catalysts in structure sensitive reactions such as oxidation, reduction, and hydrogenolysis. Techniques which have been used experimentally to vary the dispersion of precious metal catalysts have included (i) use of a different pretreatment procedure, (ii) use of composite oxide, and (iii) use of solution additives which act directly on the metal ion to effect its precipitation or distribution during impregnation. In the use of a different pretreatment procedure, the deposited precious metal compound is treated at high temperatures to either sinter or redisperse the catalyst. As disclosed in the article by H.C. Yao et al, "Surface Interactions in the Pt/q-Al₂O₃ System", Journal of Catalysis , 59 (1979) 365-374, treatment may be carried out under oxidising or reducing environments. It has been shown in the case of platinum catalysts that the platinum may be dispersed under an oxidising environment and sintered under a reducing environment. The disadvantage of such a pretreatment procedure is that it is severe and sinters the support, catalyst deactivation. In using a composite oxide, the properties of the catalyst support (typically A1₂0₃) are modified by depositing additives in the form of a base metal and rare earth oxide. As shown in the article by H.C. Yao et al, "Interactions of Base and Noble Metals with Insulator Supports", Metal-Support and Metal Additive Effects in Catalysis , (B. Imelik et al, Eds) (1982) 159-169, dispersion of noble metal on such composite oxide is different from that obtained on pure alumina. The use of the base/rare earth metal oxide could adversely alter the activity of the catalyst. With respect to using additives to change the solution phase chemistry of the metal ion (as discussed in the article by Y. -J.R. Huang et al, "The Effect of Solution Variables on Metal Weight Loading During Catalyst Preparation", Applied Catalyst , (1986) 241-248, salts, such as nitric acid and ammonium hydroxide, have been used to impregnate the metal ion. Such salts affect metal ion precipitation directly; they also are relatively expensive and very cumbersome in use. French Patent 2,373,330 utilises a sulphur-containing carboxylic acid in catalyst manufacture. Such acids are more expensive than the acids used in the method of the invention. Also the method of 2,373,330, presumably due to the use of sulphur-containing acids, requires "aging" of the additive solution for anything up to 24 hours which, of course leads to an increase in processing costs. Furthermore the presence of a sulphur-containing acid in the impregnation solution may well inhibit the formation of the required non-polar noble metal complex which, as explained below, has been found to be beneficial to prolonged efficient catalytic activity. It would be desirable if a method could be devised using a solution phase chemistry additive which acts indirectly to improve the dispersion of the platinum group catalyst. This invention changes the dispersion and particle size distribution of the supported metal at a constant weight loading to achieve improved catalyst activity not obtainable by the prior art. This invention varies the particle size distribution of noble metal catalysts to increase the conversion for propane oxidation or nitric oxide reduction by 3-30%. During aqueous impregnation of a platinum group metal onto an alumina substrate, this invention uses an acid to form a platinum group metal/acetate complex and change the pH of the impregnating solution. This results in a larger total amount of platinum group metal present on the alumina surface with enhanced presence of both small and large metal and/or metal oxide particles providing optimum crystal size distribution. According to the present invention we provide a method of making a three-way catalyst based on platinum group metals, comprising: (a) impregnating an alumina substrate by incipient wetness with a platinum group metal ion by contacting such substrate with an aqueous solution containing the platinum group metal and a water soluble acid; and (b) drying an calcining said incipiently wetted substrate, characterised in that (i) the aqueous solution contains the platinum group metal in an amount of 1-3% by weight of the alumina substrate, (ii) the water soluble acid is RCOOH with R being an alkyl, aryl, hydroxy substituted alkyl or hydroxy substituted aryl, said acid being present in an amount of 10-120% by weight of alumina substrate, and (iii) the pH of said solution is less than 4.0. The catalyst can be used for treating a stream of exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine containing one or more of CO, NO x , and HC, said stream having a space velocity of about 30 Khr⁻¹ and a temperature within the range of 100-1000°C. The stream is exposed to the a platinum group metal three-way catalyst made according to the method of the claims which catalyst promotes a light-off temperature for methane oxidation which is no greater than 600°C, for propane oxidation no greater than 400°C, and a nitric oxide reduction no greater than 200°C. Hydrocarbon oxidation efficiency is increased by at least 10% at 580°C, propane oxidation efficiency is increased by at least 5% at 500°C, and No x reduction efficiency is increased by at least 3-5% at 250-600°C. Incipient wetness is used herein to mean that amount of aqueous solution sufficient to wet the support surface with no excess solution thereon. The invention will now be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which : Figure 1 is a representation of a transmission electron microscopy view of the surface of a platinum group metal catalyst prepared in accordance with this invention, the TEM results show that the acetic acid modified catalyst contains two types of particles: raft-like agglomerate of PdO particles and highly dispersed PdO particles, the catalyst prepared from Pd nitrate contains highly dispersed PdO particles and small hemispherical PdO particles; Figures 2-3 are graphical illustrations of TPRd signal strength as a function of temperature for catalysts A and B, respectively; Figure 4 is a graphical illustration of conversion efficiency as a function of exhaust gas temperature for methane oxidation demonstrating the light-off temperature for a Pd-based catalyst prepared in accordance with this invention (catalyst A) and according to the prior art (catalyst B); Figures 5-6 are graphical illustrations similar to Figure 4 except the flow reactor contains propane and nitric oxide, respectively; Figure 7 is a graphical illustration of conversion efficiency as a function of exhaust gas temperature for nitric oxide reduction demonstrating the light-off temperature for a Pt-based catalyst prepared in accordance with this invention; Figures 8-9 are similar graphical illustrations demonstrating the light-off temperature for an Rh-based catalyst, prepared in accordance with this invention, for propane oxidation and nitrous oxide reduction, respectively; and Figures 10-11 are graphical illustrations of TPRd signal strength as a function of temperature for catalysts E and F, respectively. The dispersion of a Pd/Al₂O₃ catalyst was enhanced by changing the solution phase speciation with acetic acid or its equivalent. Acetic acid or equivalent water soluble acids (i) have the potential to complex with a platinum group metal to form a precipitate, (ii) change the pH of the impregnation solution, and (iii) promote agglomeration. Examples of such equivalent acids are benzoic, propionic, and butyric. As shown in Figure 1, the three-way catalyst employing this invention, and therefore having enhanced catalytic activity, comprises an alumina substrate 11, a platinum group metal impregnation layer 12 thereover. The platinum group metals are selected from the group consisting of platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium, and ruthenium. The dispersion of the platinum group metals was characterised by temperature-programmed reduction (TPRd) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The TPRd results for a sample A prepared in accordance with this invention and a sample B prepared according to the prior art are shown in Figures 2 and 3 respectively. It is observed that the reduction peak observed for catalyst B is sharper than that observed for catalyst A. This shows that the crystallite size distribution for catalyst B must be narrower compared to that present in catalyst A. The TEM studies show that some of the particles in catalyst A have a raft-like structure compared to the hemispherical particles deposited by the prior art of Figure 3. Thus, impregnation layer 12 has a wider particle size distribution and it consists of small and large particles nested together in a given volume when compared to the prior art distributions. Acetic acid not only lowers the pH of the impregnation solution, but also forms a noble metal acetate complex. The noble metal complex is non-polar in nature compared to the polar palladium nitrate. Therefore, the metal complex precipitates more readily on the alumina substrate and this leads to a change in the metal architecture with increased reaction of noble metal on the surface layer. The catalysts made according to this invention, when compared to prior art three-way catalysts, provide a hydrocarbon oxidation efficiency which is increased at least 10% at 580°C, a carbon monoxide oxidation efficiency increase of at least 5% at 500°C, and a nitric oxide reduction efficiency increased by 3-5% at 250-600°C. The acids that are operable for purposes of this invention are monocarboxylic, such as acetic acid or equivalents, which provide controlled or limited complexing with platinum group metals and therefore will not form polymeric structures or large blobs of metal while other portions of the substrate remain uncoated. Members of this acetic acid equivalent group may include benzoic, propionic, and butyric acid. The acid group is represented by R-COOH, where R is an alkyl, aryl, or hydroxy substituted alkyl or aryl. The interaction of the acetic acid produces a platinum group metal acetate in the form of (CH3coo)2m, where M is the platinum group metal. Preferably, the solution is prepared by dissolving a noble metal salt such as palladium nitrate in water containing nitric acid, with the palladium nitrate present in an amount of about .0835 grams of palladium per cm³ of water; this is diluted in a 50/50 (volume base) mixture of glacial acetic acid and deionized water. The resulting solution will have a platinum group metal concentration of about .0167 g/cm³. The desired substrate volume of alumina then is contacted with a small portion of the solution to provide incipient wetness on the surface of the substrate. This typically is carried out by contacting two grams of alumina with 2.4 cm³ of solution to obtain a 2% palladium/alumina precursor. The complete conversion to the platinum group metal acetate occurs in the absence of nitric acid. In the presence of nitric acid, the product is contaminated with PdNO₂.00CCH₃. A method of using such catalyst for treating a stream of exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine containing CO, NOx, and HC, the stream having a space velocity of about 30 kh-1 and a temperature in the range of 100-1000°C, comprises exposing the stream to a catalyst platinum group metal/alumina combination, the platinum group metal being present in the catalyst in a concentration of 1-3% by weight of the alumina substrate, the catalyst having raft-like particle structures. Such catalyst will have an enhanced light-off conversion efficiency when compared to prior art catalysts. To corroborate the performance of such catalyst, several platinum group metal/alumina catalyst samples were prepared to demonstrate the dramatic difference between a conventionally prepared palladium three-way catalyst and that employing the invention herein. With reference to Figures 4-6 (and previously mentioned Figures 2-3), two types of palladium/alumina catalysts were prepared. Catalyst A (characteristic of this invention) was prepared by using palladium nitrate solution (.0835 g/cm³) diluted in a 50/50 (volume base) mixture of glacial acetic acid in deionized water. The solution bad a palladium concentration of .0167 g/cm³. Two grams of the alumina were contacted with 2.4 cm³ of such solution to obtain a 2% palladium/alumina precursor. In catalyst B (characteristic of the prior art), the same palladium nitrate solution (.0835 g/cm³) was diluted in deionized water to obtain a palladium solution of .0167 g/cm³. Two grams of alumina were contacted with 2.4 cm³ of such solution to obtain a 2% palladium/alumina precursor. This second catalyst obviously was devoid of any glacial acetic acid. Both precursors were prepared using a single-step impregnation procedure. The precursors were dried at 120°C and later calcined at 600°C for 12 hours. Laboratory flow reactor studies were used to evaluate the activity of catalysts A and B. Methane oxidation (1500 ppm CH₄ and 3000 ppm O₂), propane oxidation (500 ppm C₃H₈ and 20,000 ppm O₂), and nitric oxide reduction (1000 ppm NO and 10,000 ppm H₂) were used. In addition, redox studies were conducted at 550°C using the following feed gas composition: 500 ppm hydrocarbons with C₃H₈ and C₃H₆ in the ratio 1:2, 1000 ppm NO, 15,000 ppm CO, 20 ppm SO₂, with O₂ concentration varied to produce rich/lean air-fuel mixtures. This mixture was used to simulate the exhaust stream originating from gasoline fuelled vehicles. Nitrogen was used as the carrier gas. The conversion results are shown in Table I for samples A and B at varying redox ratios. Conversions for Catalysts A and B Radox Ratio (R) Hydrocarbon Carbon Monoxide Nitric Oxide A B A B A B 0.9 73.0 56.2 81.4 62.0 23.7 19.7 1.0 71.5 54.7 73.7 56.2 41.6 29.2 1.1 70.4 52.6 65.7 49.6 45.3 32.8 1.3 66.4 50.0 46.4 37.6 40.1 32.5 1.5 60.6 46.4 29.6 25.5 33.9 29.6 1.7 56.9 42.0 17.2 16.4 27.7 25.5 The conversion efficiency curves for methane oxidation, propane oxidation, and nitric oxide reduction are shown respectively in Figures 4-6. The sample prepared using acetic acid as a modifier (catalyst A) is significantly more active at 580°C than the conventional palladium/alumina catalyst (catalyst B). The difference in the activity (92% versus 81% for methane oxidation; 93% versus 90% for propane oxidation; and 97% versus 90% for NO reduction) for these catalysts may be explained in terms of the morphological differences (crystal size distribution and exposed metal surface area). Palladium is partially or totally complexed with acetic acid in the impregnation step and precipitates on the alumina surface in the form of Pd(OOCCH₃)₂ or Pd(OOC-R)₂, where R is alkyl or aryl group. It may be speculated that the interaction of these precursors with alumina is different than those between palladium nitrate and alumina. The pH of the impregnating solutions of each of the catalysts A and B was different. Dissolution and readsorption of aluminum ions have been observed when alumina is brought into contact with highly acidic solutions similar to those used in this study. The extent of alumina dissolution is a function of pH of the solution with which it is in contact, and it is concluded that the amount of aluminium ions dissolved and reabsorbed is higher in the case of the acid-modified catalyst A. This may also contribute to the differences in the activity and morphology of catalysts A and B. To corroborate the effect of this invention with platinum, two types of platinum catalysts were prepared. For Catalyst C, chloroplatinic acid was dissolved in water and five grams of alumina were contacted with 6 cm³ of chloroplatinic acid solution (of desired concentration) to obtain a 2% Pt precursor. For catalyst D, chloroplatinic acid was dissolved in a 50/50 volume ratio solution of water and acetic acid. Alumina (five grams) were contacted with 6 cm³ of the chloroplatinic acid in acetic acid/water solution to obtain a 2% Pt precursor. Precursors for catalysts C and D were dried at 393 K for one hour and later calcined at 873 K for 12 hours. The resulting catalysts were evaluated on a flow reactor using nitric oxide reduction (0.1% nitric oxide and 1% H₂) as the test reaction. A space velocity of 30,000 hr⁻¹ was used. The results obtained for nitric oxide reduction are shown in Figure 7. It is observed that the overall performance (maximum conversion) of catalyst D is superior to that of catalyst C. Rhodium is commonly used in automobile emission control catalysts and is a principal catalytic constituent for nitric oxide (NO) reduction. Rhodium is selective in the reduction of NO by carbon monoxide (CO) under oxidising conditions. In reducing mixtures, Rh converts NO to N₂ with low ammonia formation (NH₃); however, Rh is used in a ratio that is significantly greater than the Pt/Rh mine ratio obtained from the raw mine ore. Therefore, it is critical to use Rh most efficiently and to maintain its effectiveness in an automotive exhaust environment. With Rh/Al₂O₃ catalysts, the oxidation of hydrocarbons and reduction of nitric oxide are structure sensitive reactions, where the specific activity of the catalyst is sensitive to the dispersion of the metal species. Moreover, Rh/Al₂O₃ catalysts have a problem with diffusion of Rh into Al₂O₃ sublayers when these catalysts are exposed to high temperatures under oxidising conditions. This phenomenon leads to a suppression in the activity of a Rh/Al₂O₃ catalyst. This invention has developed a superior Rh/Al₂O₃ catalyst by changing the solution phase speciation through the use of glacial acetic acid or its equivalent in the impregnation solution. The activity of the Rh catalysts prepared from acetic acid-modified Rh nitrate is significantly higher than that of the conventional Rh catalysts (prepared from rhodium nitrate) for reactions such as hydrocarbon oxidation and nitric oxide reduction. This trend is also observed under redox conditions. Temperature-programmed reduction studies show that the use of acetic acid leads to a suppression in the fraction of Rh that diffuses under the alumina subsurface layer. Consequently, a larger fraction of Rh is present as crystalline Rh₂O₃, a morphological change. To corroborate the above phenomenon, two catalyst samples were prepared; gamma-Al₂O₃ was agglomerated and the resulting solid was ground to a particle size of 20-40 mesh. Rhodium nitrate and glacial acetic acid were used in precursor preparation. For catalyst E, rhodium nitrate solution (0.0872 grams of Rh/ml) was diluted in a 50/50 (volume basis) mixture of glacial acetic acid and deionized water. The resulting solution had a Rh concentration of 0.0167 g/ml. Two grams of alumina were contacted with 2.4 ml of the above solution to obtain a 2% Rh/Al₂O₃ precursor. It should be noted that in bulk systems, Rh(II) acetate is conventionally synthesised by reacting hydrous rhodium oxide with glacial acid; Rh acetate is probably formed during the drying/calcination steps employed in the preparation of this dispersed, alumina supported precursor. For catalyst F, rhodium nitrate solution (0.0872 grams of Rh/ml) was diluted in deionized water to obtain a Rh solution of 0.0167 g/ml. Two grams of alumina were contacted with 2.4 ml of this solution to obtain a 2% Rh/Al₂0₃ precursor. Both precursors E and F were prepared using a single step impregnation procedure and dried at 120°C (393 K) for one hour and later calcined at 600°C (873 K) for 12 hours in air. Propane oxidation (550 ppm C3H. and 20,000 PPm 02) and nitric oxide reduction (1000 ppm NO and 10,000 ppm H2) flow reactor studies were used to evaluate the activity of catalysts E and F. In addition, redox studies were conducted at 550°C using the following feed gas composition: 500 ppm hydrocarbons with C₃H₈. and C₃H₆ in the ratio 1:2, 1000 ppm NO, 15,000 ppm CO, 20 ppm SO₂, with O₂ concentration varied to produce rich/lean air-fuel mixtures. This mixture was used to simulate the exhaust stream originating from gasoline fuelled vehicles. Nitrogen was used as the carrier gas. The light-off curves for propane oxidation and nitric oxide reduction are shown in Figures 8 and 9 respectively. Comparison of light-off temperatures (temperature corresponding to 50% conversion) and maximum conversion values indicates that the sample prepared using acetic acid as a modifier (catalyst E) is more active than the conventional Rh/Al₂0₃ catalyst (catalyst F) in NO reduction and propane oxidation. The dissolution and reabsorption of Al⁺³ is observed when A1₂0₃ is brought in contact with highly acidic solutions equivalent to those used in this study. Since the extent of alumina dissolution is a function of the pH of the solution it is in contact with, it may be concluded that the amount of Al⁺³ dissolved and reabsorbed would be higher in the case of catalyst E. Auxiliary flow reactor experiments were conducted on Rh/A1₂0₃ catalysts prepared by the addition of aluminium nitrate to the rhodium nitrate impregnation solution. These latter experiments showed that an increase in the Al⁺³ concentration in the impregnation solution did not result in an increase in the activity of the Rh/Al₂O₃ catalyst. This suggests that the differences in the activity of these catalysts must be explained in terms of the morphological differences (i.e., crystal size distribution and exposed metal surface area) resulting from the use of acetic acid. The TPRd results for catalysts E and F are shown in Figures 10 and 11. The peak temperatures, hydrogen consumption under individual peaks, and the H₂/Rh ratios are presented in Table II. The peak at approximately 110°C corresponds to the reduction of Rh₂O₃. Also, a H₂/Rh ratio of less than 1.5 indicates that the fraction of Rh₂O₃ remains unreduced during TPRd. These considerations indicate that the use of acetic acid (catalyst E) result in a catalyst having a larger fraction of Rh distributed as crystalline Rh₂O₃. The samples were also embedded in catalysed methylmethacrylate and microtome sectioned. Xylene was used to dissolve the polymerised methacrylate from the thin section supported on carbon film substrates. The samples were analysed using a JOEL 2000 FX transmission electron microscope at 200 KeV. The TEM photographs of the catalyst, as depicted in Figure 1, illustrate the crystal size distribution which is comprised of small and large particles nested within a given volume. Additional examination using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was carried out to determine the palladium/alumina ratios. The binding energy of 336.5 eV indicates the presence of palladium oxide. The higher palladium/alumina ratio in catalyst E indicates that the amount of palladium present at the alumina surface is higher compared to that present in catalyst F. This implies that the catalytically active species present in the case of the Pd/alumina catalyst is actually PdO. Thus, it is believed that the acetic acid is a pH modifier and complexing agent and results in palladium catalysts with a wider crystal size distribution (bimodal), and the architecture of the particles is considered to be raft-like which promotes higher activity in the catalyst for hydrocarbon oxidation and nitric oxide reduction reactions.

Claims: A method of making a three-way catalyst based on platinum group metals, comprising: (a) impregnating an alumina substrate by incipient wetness with a platinum group metal ion by contacting such substrate with an aqueous solution containing the platinum group metal and a water soluble acid; and (b) drying and calcining said incipiently wetted substrate, characterised in that (i) the aqueous solution contains the platinum group metal in an amount of 1-3% by weight of the alumina substrate, (ii) the water soluble acid is RCOOH with R being an alkyl, aryl, hydroxy substituted alkyl or hydroxy substituted aryl, said acid being present in an amount of 10-120% by weight of alumina substrate, and (iii) the pH of said solution is less than 4.0. The method as claimed in claim 1, in which said drying is carried out at a temperature of 373 K (100°C) for a period of one hour, and said calcining is carried out at a temperature of 873 K (600°C) for a period of 12 hours.

Inventors: CHATTHA MOHINDER S, SUBRAMANIAN SOMASUNDARAM, WATKINS WILLIAM L H, CHATTHA, MOHINDER S., SUBRAMANIAN, SOMASUNDARAM, WATKINS, WILLIAM L.H.
Applicants: FORD FRANCE, FORD MOTOR CO, FORD WERKE AG, FORD FRANCE S. A., FORD MOTOR COMPANY LIMITED, FORD-WERKE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
Application year: 1991
Main classification: B01D53
IPC codes: B01J37, B01D53, B01J23