Strontium doping and impregnation onto alumina improve the NOx storage and reduction capacity of LaCoO3 perovskites

Here we report the effects of strontium doping of perovskites (La1-xSrxCoO3) on NOx storage and reduction (NSR) as well as the effects of supporting the perovskite onto an alumina support. The NSR capacity of La0.7Sr0.3CoO3 improved with strontium doping: this material displayed a good balance between NO oxidation capacity and adsorption sites accessibility. Increased accessibility was mainly due to the strontium oxide segregates. In addition, different loadings of La0.7Sr0.3CoO3 perovskite (10, 20, 30, 40 and 50%) were impregnated onto alumina in order to increase the exposed surface area of the perovskite. This had the effect of increasing the NSR capacity of the perovskite. The results of X-Ray diffraction, UV-vis-NIR spectroscopy, N-2 adsorption-desorption, electron microscopy, and temperature programmed techniques, demonstrated that the cobalt ions preferably formed cobalt aluminate (CoAl2O4) in the case of low perovskite loadings (< 20%). Meanwhile, a well-developed perovskite phase was observed with the higher loadings (> 30%). The specific NO oxidation rate per gram of perovskite increased dramatically with the incorporation onto an alumina support. 30% LSCO/Al2O3 sample had an oxidation rate of 138 mu mol min(-1) (g LSCO)(-1) at 350 degrees C, more than double the rate of the bulk La0.7Sr0.3CoO3 (49 mu mol min(-1) (g LSCO)(-1)). Likewise, the 30% LSCO/Al2O3 sample had a higher NOx storage capacity than its bulk counterpart at 400 degrees C: 306 vs. 115 mu mol (g LSCO)(-1). The higher oxidation capacity of the alumina-supported samples also facilitated the diffusion of the intermediate compounds from oxidation to adsorption sites. Impregnating alumina with perovskite could be used to improve the efficiency of perovskite mediated NOx removal in automobile applications. Furthermore, adding palladium onto optimum alumina-supported perovskite sample, i.e. 1.5% Pd-30% LSCO/Al2O3, resulted in a clear improvement in NOx storage and reduction capacity. This last sample demonstrated a nitrogen yield as high as 65%, an improvement over the model Pt-based NSR catalyst.