Pt-Modified Nano-Sized Mn2O3 Oxide Prepared from the Mn3O4 Phase with Tetragonal Symmetry for CO Oxidation

One of the current problems in the environmental catalysis is the design of an effective and less costly catalytic system for the oxidation of CO. The nano-sized α-Mn2O3 oxide has been prepared and modified with 0.5 wt.% Pt. The catalysts have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) and diffuse-reflectance infrared spectroscopy (DRIFTS). Finely divided PtO and Pt(OH)2 are being formed on the Mn2O3 surface as a result of the strong interaction between platinum and the nano-oxide. Based on DRIFTS investigations and the model calculations, a Langmuir–Hinshelwood type of mechanism is supposed for CO oxidation on Pt/Mn2O3. The CO and oxygen are adsorbed on different types of sites. The Mars–van Krevelen mechanism is the most probable one over pure Mn2O3, thus suggesting that CO2 is adsorbed on the oxidized sites. The CO adsorption in the mixture CO + N2 or in the presence of oxygen (CO + N2 + O2) leads to a partial reduction in the Pt+ surface species and the formation of linear Pt1+−CO and Pt0−CO carbonyls. Both of them take part in the CO oxidation reaction.