(57n) The Production and Characterization of Novel Bimetal Catalysts

Industrial catalysts generally consist of chemically distributing metal particles onto a support structure. However, this method results in the phase separation of metals after deposition on the support. An aerosol reactor was created with the goal of eliminating the phase separation by creating metal nanoparticles from a molten pool of metals. Previous experiments with the reactor were focused on making single metal nanoparticles, but without an accurate way of temperature measurement. A thermocouple was integrated into the reactor, thoroughly tested, and continuously modified to increase the accuracy of temperature measurements. Since catalysts most often involve two metals, experiments were performed with multiple metals, including titanium, gold, iron, and palladium. Bimetal catalysts are used in many petrochemical and chemical industries, including water-gas shift reactions. Various ratios of these metals were tested to find an appropriate mixture for the most efficient titanium/gold and iron/palladium catalysts. Several preparation techniques for Inductively Coupled Plasma mass spectroscopy analysis, ICP, were analyzed to determine the most accurate preparation procedure. A dissolution solution of aqua regia and a dilution solution of 4% HCl resulted in the most accurate ICP results. Transmission Electron Microscope, TEM grids were analyzed at different magnifications to determine the particle size distribution and lattice spacing of the molecules. Catalyst characterization experiments were performed in the water-gas shift catalysis reactor. The optimal quench gas and gas flow rates that minimize the size distribution was argon gas at a quench flow rate of 4.89 L/min. The results lay down a solid foundation for future experiments to refine the process and produce more efficient, active catalysts.