Monoclinic ZrO2 and its supported materials Co/Ni/ZrO2 for N2O decomposition

Abstract

Monoclinic ZrO2 and its supported materials Co/Ni/ZrO2 (Co:Ni = 1:1) for catalytic decomposition of N2O have been studied with GC, FTIR, EDAX, XPS, and the evaluation of catalytic activity of the materials. It is found that monoclinic ZrO2 alone has the catalytic effect for N2O decomposition, although higher activities are found for Co/Ni/ZrO2 systems. XPS study shows that only Co exists in the surface region of ZrO2, which is attributed to the formation of NiO–ZrO2 solid solution resulting from an interdiffusion between Ni2+ and ZrO2 matrix. The gas decomposition on Co/Ni/ZrO2 can be described as first order with respect to partial pressure of N2O. Surface reactions on ZrO2 and Co/Ni/ZrO2 will also be addressed.