Complete oxidation of methane on Co3O4-SnO2 catalysts

Co3O4-SnO2 hybrid oxides were prepared by the coprecipitation method and were used to oxidate methane (CH4) in presence of oxygen. The Co3O4-SnO2 with a molar ratio of Co/(Co + Sn) at 0.75 exhibited the highest catalytic activity among all the Co3O4-SnO2 hybrid oxides. Experimental results showed that the catalysts were considerably stable in the CH4 combustion reaction, and were verified by X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS). It was found that Co3O4 was the active species, and SnO2 acted as a support or a promoting component in the Co3O4-SnO2 hybrid oxides. The surface area was not a major factor that affected catalytic activity. The hydrogen temperatureprogrammed reduction (H2-TPR) results demonstrated that the interaction between cobalt and tin oxides accelerated the mobility of oxygen species of Co3O4-SnO2, leading to higher catalytic activity.