The role of palladium salt precursors in Pd-PdO/CeO2 catalysts prepared by dry milling for methane oxidation

Heterogeneous catalysts comprising palladium as active phase are widely used to promote a variety of reactions due to the easy tuning of Pd particle size and its oxidation state. When Pd is combined with CeO2, specific structural arrangements at the nanoscale level can strongly impact on activity and durability, especially in methane oxidation. In this work, the effect of different palladium salt precursors on the final state of a Pd/CeO2 catalyst prepared by dry milling was studied by coupling thermogravimetric characterization and temperature-programmed reaction methods. The combination of palladium acetate and a mild oxidative thermal treatment proved successful in generating an appropriate Pd-0/Pd2+ mixture on the ceria surface with improved methane oxidation activity.