In situ characterization of Cu–Co oxides for catalytic application

Abstract

In situ emission and absorption FTIR methods were employed to characterize the spatially resolved structure of binary Co–Cu oxides for low-temperature oxidation of CO and propene. Co–Cu oxide catalysts were controllably synthesized by pulsed-spray evaporation chemical vapor deposition. XRD, FTIR, XPS, UV-vis and helium ion microscopy (HIM) were employed to characterize the as-prepared thin films in terms of structure, composition, optical and thermal properties as well as morphology. In situ emission FTIR spectroscopy indicates that Co₃O₄, CuCo₂O₄ and CuO are thermally stable at 650, 655 and 450 °C, respectively. The catalytic tests with absorption FTIR display that the involvement of Co–Cu oxides can initiate CO and C₃H₆ oxidation at lower temperatures. The results indicate that in situ emission and absorption FTIR are useful techniques to explore the thermal properties and catalytic performance of functional materials, allowing many potential applications in tailoring their temporally and spatially resolved structure-property relationships.