Adsorption-Induced Segregation as a Method for the Target-Oriented Modification of the Surface of a Bimetallic Pd–Ag Catalyst

Abstract

The effect of palladium segregation was studied which resulted from the effect of CO and O₂ on the surface structure and catalytic characteristics of the Pd–Ag₂/Al₂O₃ catalyst. The IR-spectroscopic study of adsorbed CO showed that Pd₁ centers isolated from each other by silver atoms predominated on the surface of reduced Pd–Ag₂/Al₂O₃, as evidenced by the almost complete absence of absorption bands typical for the multicentred CO adsorption. In the course of catalyst treatment with CO and O₂, the intensity of absorption bands characteristic of the multicenter CO adsorption considerably increased due to the transformation of a portion of monatomic Pd₁ centers into multiatomic Pd_n ones as a result of the surface segregation of Pd. In this case, a substantial increase in the catalyst activity in the liquid-phase hydrogenation of diphenylacetylene was observed. It was established that, after treatment with CO, the catalyst selectivity for the formation of a target olefin (stilbene) remained almost constant, whereas the treatment with O₂ led to a decrease in the selectivity because of more considerable surface modification.