Migration of Platinum Nanoparticles via Volatile Platinum Dioxide during Lean High-Temperature Ageing of Diesel Oxidation Catalysts

Abstract

When platinum-containing diesel oxidation catalysts (DOC) are exposed to high temperatures under lean conditions, the platinum nanoparticles form volatile platinum dioxide on the catalyst surface. The exhaust flow carries the volatile platinum dioxide to the downstream aftertreatment catalyst, such as the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalyst, that is responsible for reducing the nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions and can negatively impact its performance, by promoting the parasitic oxidation of ammonia. Here we investigate the factors such as exposure time, temperature and DOC design characteristics for their impact on the platinum dioxide migration, by characterising the amount of platinum deposited on the SCR catalyst at very low levels (<5 ppm), using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) fire assay technique. Our results indicate that well-dispersed platinum, not associated with palladium, is most prone to platinum dioxide migration. We also compare several methods to suppress the platinum dioxide migration from the DOC, such as sintering of the platinum nanoparticles, stabilising the platinum nanoparticles via interaction with palladium or covering the platinum nanoparticles with a high surface area capture layer to trap the volatile platinum dioxide.